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June 7, 2009

Cheers and Jeers: June 8, 2009

CHEERS: to the North Country Chapter of the American Red Cross for implementing a great idea. The Red Cross will host home CPR parties to train people who want to learn this life-saving procedure. Instead of sitting in a sterile classroom for three hours, students can relax in a home setting and learn with family and friends. The idea is to get more people interested in taking CPR and making it easier for them to obtain certification. The first two parties featured full houses, so this program seems to be off to a great success. We certainly hope so. Your life may depend on it.

CHEERS: to Tom Condon of Peru, who leads a group of a couple of dozen vacationers to Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic every year and, while there, goes well beyond what you'd normally think of as the duties of a trip organizer. Moved by the desperate poverty of some of the natives outside the island's vacation destination, he began several years ago collecting supplies to make their lives better, a la the Mission of Hope in Nicaragua. He raised funds to replace a leaky roof and install electricity in the local school. Every February, upon the group's arrival, they are greeted by the children's chant: "Tommy, Tommy, Tommy." A small but heartwarming reward for an extreme gesture of generosity.

CHEERS: to Plattsburgh resident Sister Deborah A. Blow, O.P., co-founder and executive director of North Country Mission of Hope in Plattsburgh, who was awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degree from Providence College during the college's 91st commencement May 17. A founding member of the Dominican Sisters of Hope of Plattsburgh, Blow organized the mission in 1998 in response to Hurricane Mitch, which killed more than 22,000 people in Central America. Blow graduated summa cum laude from Providence College in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in religious and scriptural studies. She received a certificate in advanced scripture/theological studies from Providence in 1979 and earned a master's in theology from Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vt., in 1984. She was a teacher, assistant principal and principal at St. Peter's Elementary School in Plattsburgh from 1979 to 1995. Providence's citation to Blow noted she has "worked tirelessly to restore dignity, sustenance, and hope to the poorest of the poor in our hemisphere. Undaunted by the misery you have witnessed among the families who call the Managua city trash dump their home and source of provision, you have identified and built creative partnerships to promote education, community development, and health care. You have identified with the poor and inspired hundreds of American students and individuals of goodwill to do the same. Your life's work since graduating from Providence College is a testament to the powerful effects of compassion and the wisdom of promoting justice." Providence is justifiably proud of Sister Debbie, and so is the Press-Republican and the rest of our community.

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