Saturday night at the Crusade for Children kick-off many of us talked about the generations of children helped because of your generosity.
People helped by the Crusade when they were babies are now adults working on the Crusade roadblocks or planning their group’s fish fry. It’s remarkable that an all-volunteer army of people has managed to stay so dedicated for so long.

But when you talk to the Crusade collectors, those people who have worked tirelessly every year, you begin to understand why someone would stand in the scorching heat or the pouring rain to help other people. I think there are two primary reasons for that kind of selfless generosity. Nearly every person who comes through the WHAS studio knows someone helped by the Crusade. It might be their cousin’s child, or they might be a teacher who gets supplies from the Crusade, or quite often it’s a parent whose own child was saved because of equipment purchased with Crusade dollars.

But here’s another reason the Crusade works. It’s a tribute to those who lead by example. Twice Sunday night I talked to firefighters who gave their Crusade contributions in memory of other firefighters. In both cases, these were men who had spent hours on the roadblocks, worked at the fund-raising dinners and waited hours to present the bounty on TV. The group representing them held pictures of Crusades past. In those photographs we see could the men they now call their guardian angels donating money after many hours of hard work.
It’s unlikely their comrades will ever stop collecting for the Crusade. It’s their Crusade. Ending the tradition would be a disservice to the people they love and respect.

Twice Sunday evening the male firefighters calling the roll of contributors got choked up when they talked about the men who couldn’t be at the Crusade this year. They were a bit embarrassed. I was touched. I admire the people they honored. I admire them for carrying on the good work and I know the Crusade will always have a strong and steady heartbeat because it’s in the DNA of generations of people just like them.

Add those reasons to basic human kindness and you have a recipe for something truly unique. Some people call it a miracle.