Kudos To Local Good Samaritans For Helping Resident

Although gas prices have come down a bit in the last week, the news continues to be depressing.

The unemployment rate nationally is the highest in four years. Stores and businesses are closing. Foreclosures keep coming. Even Disney World has jacked up the price of a single-day admission ticket to the Magic Kingdom.

But there is good news. The situation involving a Sebring woman in need and the response from the community is an example.

To review, after the 2004 hurricanes blew the windows out of Verdell DeShazior's trailer house in DeSoto City, she bought another. Neither was habitable, and Highlands County Code Enforcement condemned both of them.

After the county housing office built a new house for her, they took away one trailer. The 78-year-old woman agreed to remove the other.

However,DeShazior said she couldn't afford to do that because she is on a fixed income of less than $1,000 a month.

The county fined her $287. Her yard still contained concrete blocks, lawn chairs, wood, the frame of an old shed and the debris from the two mobile homes.

This newspaper detailed her case in the July 26 edition. The phone calls came in immediately after the story was published.

A man and the member of a church group offered to haul away the debris.

A reader who asked to remain anonymous went to the county finance office and paid the fine.

It is that spirit of goodwill that is wonderful to see - despite the fact that people are going through tough times.

There are many acts of kindness that go unnoticed. There are lots of folks who volunteer in the hospitals, nursing homes, schools, Habitat for Humanity and other places in Highlands County. They don't do it for recognition, but because they care.

Apparently our fellow Floridians don't do as much volunteering as those in other states. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Florida ranked 49th in the nation, including the District of Columbia, by the percentage of residents 16 and older who perform volunteer service. Only New York and Nevada were ranked lower.

Miami came in last out of 50 major cities in the United States who volunteer

We appreciate those who donate their time and money. Verdell DeShazior probably does too.