It has become fashionable to attack the media at any and every opportunity. To many it`s almost a pleasant hobby.
So here comes the question: Is there anyone who really benefits from the media, or is it only a self-serving circus detached from the people and their everyday lives? For many, the answer would be unequivocally ”yes.”
I beg to differ, however.
As a pediatrician and a typical suburbanite, I have been anonymous for most of my life. I have tried to do my job well, I have tried to raise my kids properly, I have tried to serve my own little world as well as I was able to. And then, suddenly, I became a part of an indescribable tragedy. During a medical relief mission to Croatia, I saw scores of children orphaned by the war, wandering aimlessly through the refugee camps, calling their dead mothers and fathers. I saw their tears, I heard their cries, I felt their suffering.
Upon returning home, I sat down with my wife and my friends and asked them to help me help those poor souls. That`s how ”Save the Children of Croatia” was born.
Only three-and-a-half months later, this little, home-made operation has grown into a major international relief effort. Close to 1,500 children (and counting) have been helped by thousands of people from all over the world.
Our sponsors come from four continents and almost 20 countries. Our lists contain names of good people from nearly every state of the union and from every province of Canada.
Thanks to their help, helpless children`s tears have been wiped away. These hungry children can expect not only a little brighter tomorrow, but more importantly, they have found a friendly hand to hold and warm shoulder to cry on.
What happened? How can one small group of anonymous people make a difference to a whole generation of children? Is it really possible?
Well, it is possible and it is true.
An article in the Tribune on April 12, (Tempo Du Page) took the tragedy of these innocent children from the anonymity of a suburban basement and brought it into the hearts and thoughts of thousands of people. And those wonderful people responded.
So I discovered a true purpose of the media: It is not a self-serving circus but it`s here to help us, the common people, to be heard. It helps the most helpless of all of us, the children, to be heard. It assures that even one person can make the difference.
For your sensitivity to the needs of all children of this world, and for your willingness to present it to your readers, I salute you. And above all, for all the forgotten children of Croatia, I thank you.
