This job can be hard on the soul sometimes. The news and environmental diagnoses are often so dire that being hopeful can be a struggle. But life always shows its beauty and reasons for hope. This 4th of July weekend I went to our neighborhood's popular Cuban bakery and there I met 11 year old Louisa Melcher standing tall behind her gorgeously decorated table strategically located in front of the bakery's main door on a (luckily) wide corner. Her handmade poster stated her mission: to collect money for the Gulf Recovery Fund. My heart skipped a beat upon witnessing such an act of heroism for the people and the environment of the Gulf. I just couldn't believe a little girl was willing to stand on that corner on a warm day in the Valley of San Fernando until she unloaded every single flag, lollipop, and lavender flower. But apparently that's the way Louisa rolls.
Louisa is a 7th grade at Immaculate Heart School in Hollywood and her mother told me that Louisa has collected funds after the earthquake in Haiti and now the Gulf Spill. It's becoming a habit. She also said that Louisa was normally pretty shy but when she feels a surge of compassion as she sees a tragedy unfold, she jumps into action and becomes relentless at her feat. No obstacle is powerful enough to get into fundraising gear and fortunately the bakery is happy to have her there.
I hope the folks reading this are inspired as I was by her compassion, hope, and selflessness. To donate to this fund supported by Louisa and NRDC go tohttp://gulfcoastfund.org/ and to direct your kids towards environmentally friendly activities go to http://www.nrdc.org/reference/kids.asp.
Now I'll be going to get my delicious cheese rolls and ropa vieja sandwiches with some anticipation to get a glimpse of our local little hero. Thank you Louisa!! And thank you Porto's Bakery for supporting her.
This post originally appeared on NRDC's Switchboard.
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the environment, people and animals. NRDC was founded in 1970 and is comprised of more than 300 lawyers, scientists and policy experts, with more than one million members and e-activists.
