Cheers to E. Iowans' readiness to give

It's cliche, but true: We Midwesterners can be reluctant to toot our own horns.

A lot of us are raised to think hard work is its own reward, that good deeds don't count if you brag about them.

Nobody wants to hear how great you think you are, we learn, even if you actually are pretty great - maybe especially then.

But after reading the newspaper so far this week, I can't help but toot that horn for you all. Fact is, we've got a lot to be proud of in the ways Eastern Iowans are stepping up to help here and abroad.

Take, for example, the four medics who packed their bags for Haiti this week to help earthquake victims there. Chris Buresh, Brett Faine and Brett Mayne, all of Iowa City, and Dan Wing of Tiffin plan to spend at least 10 days caring for injured people at a triage station near Leogane.

The humble, selfless spirit that drove the men there can be boiled down to this simple sentence Buresh reportedly wrote in an e-mail to friends:

“I don't know what sort of impact we'll be able to make, but we're going to throw everything at this that we've got.”

Most of us aren't medics, but that hasn't stopped others from helping as best they could - donating money and supplies through religious groups and other organizations.

Even my daughter's friends have happily added their $10 donations to the millions of dollars the Red Cross has been able to collect for earthquake relief.

I suppose it helped in those teenagers' case that the donations involved texting - something they see as second only to breathing. Still, I choose to believe their philanthropic spirit goes deeper than itchy thumbs. Their urge to help is heartfelt.

That giving spirit also played out throughout The Corridor this week as folks flocked to help Monday on the Martin Luther King National Day of Service.

Hundreds of people donated time, money and supplies to local non-profits to celebrate the civil rights leader's legacy.

More volunteers helping more community partners doing more good than ever before.

Mary Mathew Wilson, director of the University of Iowa Civic Engagement Program, helped coordinate the campus community's contribution. She told me this was the biggest year yet.

“The idea of the day just resonated with people,” she said.

It may just be how we roll here in Eastern Iowa, but it's still something to be proud of.

In fact, forget the horn tooting. You all deserve a full fanfare.

Jennifer Hemmingsen's column appears on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Contact the writer at (319) 339-3154 or jennifer.hemmingsen@gazcomm.com