PC students reach out to others

Politics aside, a characteristic that never fails America is its compassion for others in the world who are suffering.

Let there be a devastating earthquake, and we go. Let flooding swamp a country, and we go. Let there be a crisis just about anywhere in the world, and we go to help its victims cope and rebuild.

This hand reaching out is among the greatest images in our rich tapestry of goodwill, at home and abroad.

Prescott people of all ages are among the multitudes of folks who've answered an emergency call at one time or another.

Case in point: the small group of Prescott College students who traveled to South Africa this past summer to better the lives of orphans who have lost – or may lose – their parents to the HIV/AIDS virus.

In a short but valuable visit to faraway Mpumalanga, these students enriched the children's lives with an art program that they want to continue. They put together an art room at the sanctuary that cares for them. The students also compiled a manual that includes an art curriculum for other volunteers to use in their work with these orphaned children. And, the students raised money to buy paint, paper, art supplies and started an art supply fund.

These Prescott College students don't intend to abandon this group of South African children or the Topsy Foundation that cares for them.

Prescott College's Topsy Foundation Program is planning a benefit concert at 7 p.m. on Nov. 15 at the Sam Hill Warehouse in Prescott. The public is welcome to attend.

This Prescott College bunch is doing its part to bring about positive social change by helping children and at the same time endeavoring to erase the stigma surrounding the HIV/AIDS virus.

This is one small example of the best of America.