Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/488296
OUR YUCAIPA | APRIL 2015 11 In fact, we'd probably win. But we don't need a title or recognition. We do what we do because it's who we are. We help around those in need because it's the right thing to do. When Officer Jeremiah MacKay was killed by Christopher Dorner in 2013, citizens rallied around his widow at a candlelight ceremony. Yucaipa has since kept its word and has kept MacKay's memory alive. Thousands of dollars were raised in a single weekend with pink lemonade sales to help Sarah Amento, a local mom, in her fight against triple negative breast cancer. When Army Spc. Nathan Tyler Davis died in Afghanistan, thousands from our community lined the Boulevard to pay their final respects. More recently, when injured soldier Cpl. Justin Crabbe needed a place to live, Homes for our Troops joined with Yucaipa who welcomed him with a parade that led him to his newly renovated home that had been readied for him by volunteers. And it's not just these grand gestures that make Yucaipa amazing. It's a lot of little things. We watch out for our neighbors, stop to help someone in need, let the person behind us in line go first. We give smiles away freely and wave to each other as we pass. When someone is hurting, we offer what we can to help, no questions asked. In a society that is increasingly disappearing into the Internet vortex and absorbed with their phone machines, it's imperative that we, in our own little corner of the globe that is Yucaipa, make an effort to make kindness a priority. Maybe the world will notice and follow suit. It's worth a try. We challenge you to do one kind thing every day. There are a few ideas on the next two pages - add to them as you wish and let us know your stories of kindness. If there were a prize for Nicest Town in America, Yucaipa would be a contender.