It was just a blip on the wire, and got little ink or attention, but there it was. A news story which claimed in early November the mighty African nation of Togo had secretly taken delivery of three Russian Mi-35 combat helicopters. The choppers are apparently to help it combat the armed groups threatening the country..I thought to myself, dear God. Togo? A tropical country about two-thirds the size of Austria, or slightly smaller than the US state of West Virginia, and with a population of 7.9 million people. And even there, they can’t get along. There is war and strife..Yes, there is a war in Ukraine. A maddening, crazy war, that never should have happened. Thousands died on both sides. Syria is still embattled, with Turkey now involved in air strikes against Kurdish Forces..The US and Russia are there too, battling ISIS and other factions, while the Israelis are hitting Hezbollah targets and trying to stop weapons shipments from Iran..And speaking of Israel, with Benjamin Netanyahu back at the helm and fears of the growth of right-wing policies, Iran could soon become a target as Israel moves to stop the development of an Iranian nuclear bomb..Tensions are also rising between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as a key road linking Armenia to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave remained blocked for the fourth day. The two countries fought repeated wars over Nagorno-Karabakh — internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but home to about 120,000 ethnic Armenians — since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Reuters reports. As recently as September, more than 200 soldiers were killed in a flare-up of fighting..In fact, war continues to rage in hot-spots around the world. And as we move into the new year, one can only wonder what will happen in Ukraine. Will it continue? Will Putin up the ante? These are all legitimate questions..But there are rays of hope for mankind — in fact one of them is a friend of mine and her name is Alison Thompson..Since founding Third Wave Volunteers in 2001, Thompson developed a network of more than 30,000 Third Wave volunteer first responders, who support and co-ordinate direct aid for refugees and those affected by other disasters. The programs include COVID pandemic-related missions, disaster rescue and aid, medical/tele-health, resilience hubs, clean water and solar lighting up the darkest areas of the world. In other words, instead of running from trouble, Third Wave volunteers run to it..Her documentary film about the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami that hit the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, drew the attention of actor Sean Penn. In 2008, he brought it to the Cannes film festival. Alison would even walk the red carpet with the likes of Penn and U2 singer Bono. Later, she would teach Penn how to do business in the troubled nation of Haiti, where he would set up an aid organization..Reaching her through WhatsApp in Fort Meyers, Fla., which was devastated by Hurricane Ian, I asked her about what she and her group have accomplished this year..High on the list of course, was receiving the US presidential award for “outstanding” volunteer work from President Joe Biden..But that wasn’t her first thought..“2022 … what an incredible year. An incredible exhausting year,” she said, her voice somewhat weary from nursing a bad cough. ”Third Wave volunteers not only work in natural disasters, but man-made disasters.”.“We headed off to the Ukraine War not really knowing what to expect, and we ended up living in Odessa for the last eight, nine months and working on the front lines of the recaptured villages between Mykolaiv and Kherson. We also trained thousands of soldiers.”.“These soldiers were civilians, accountants and lawyers and farmers, baby-food salesmen, and people with everyday jobs. We get a hundred men every four days to train them in combat medics and then they would head off to the front lines. Half of them wouldn't return.”.Thompson said Third Wave ended up training thousands of soldiers and became very close..“They still write to us daily, sending us videos and needs from the front lines and we do what we can, but we can't help everyone. But we can help some people,” she said..Straight after their Ukraine war stint, Third Wave headed to Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico where hundreds of villages were flooded and houses were destroyed..After that, they raced to Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, which totally destroyed many areas with 18- to 20-foot swells..“Climate change is very real to us,” she said. “And are we on the very front lines of climate change in all these disasters.”.People continue to build along the seas but the seas are rising and these hurricanes are getting larger and larger ... and it's not just about the wind anymore, it's about the storm surge.”.“We've just spent the last few months doing search and rescue, evacuations from a lot of the islands in southwest Florida, giving a lot of aid and cleaning out a lot of houses and pretty much giving love and action.”.“That's what our mission always is, hugging people, looking them in the eye and telling them that we love them. That's all we can really do.”.Well, let’s just say Third Wave does more than that. In Ukraine they delivered much needed supplies of food and water in dangerous areas, and continue to do so. In Florida, they also gave out solar light boxes and other emergency supplies to survivors who lost everything..My cousin Bill, who lives just 20 miles from Fort Myers, said a good friend of his there watched from their condo building as both of their cars floated out to sea. The storm surge was massive and destructive, and the state is still reeling..“Third Wave volunteers is growing every year because the government systems can't take these disasters anymore,” she said. “They're just too big and they're too big for even the local fire and police and the local large NGOs.”.“So Third Wave volunteers jumps up and, and fills the gaps.”.I asked her what the future holds, as we move into the New Year of uncertainty..“The New Year? … we're hoping to grow with more volunteers and more funding, and we're ready for whatever comes our way.”.“Whether it be natural or man-made disasters.”.“There's 60 to 100 million refugees on the run around the world. We've displaced people. The world really is changing and we've learnt to adapt and grow with this changing world.”.“It's easy to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it's leadership to be in the wrong place at the right time.”.In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout America with thousands of Third Wave first responders working in nationwide hospitals on the front lines..The all-women rescue teams, called the “Women in White- N95 mask mission,” delivered more than 1.8 million N95 masks across America to 50 states, including the Navajo tribal nations, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Peru and Haiti..“Volunteers always ask me how do, how do they do it? What is the first step?” she explained..“And it's that little bit of fear of not knowing … they just tell them, ‘Get their plane ticket, go.’ You don't like it. Come back a day or two later and go about your business. But volunteers never leave.”.“This year, we've helped tens of thousands of people in service to others, and we are winding down the year ready to take a break at Christmas. Third Wave volunteers is growing …”. President's AwardAid worker Alison Thompson received the Presidential Lifetime Service Award from US President Joe Biden, for her work in helping others all over the world. .Finally, we got to the Presidential Lifetime Service Award — a special award for her decades of work helping others..“It was an amazing day,” she said, “and the thing is, it's not about getting these awards and trinkets for me, it's not about an ego thing, but it's important because it really does help elevate Third Wave volunteers and helps us get more volunteers and more donations so we can help a lot more people.”.What drives Thompson to continue to help and serve humanity?.“I know that volunteering has made me one of the happiest people I know. It fills up your soul and that happiness spills over to other relationships with family members and loved ones.”.“Think about service to others in your area,” she said. “It doesn't have to be big. It could be helping just a few people right in your own neighbourhood or on your computer at night. I guarantee you true happiness once you learn the secret of service to others.”.A wonderful ray of light, in Bob Dylan’s world of “steel-eyed death.” They say it can’t be done, but, maybe it can. Perhaps Alison Thompson is showing us the way, we just need to do our part..“I'm not asking you to shave your head or chant on a hill, but imagine a world where we all do our part, that the karma banks are overflowing with blue chip stocks and compassion and we're all billionaires on the inside,” she said..“Isn't that the way it was meant to be? Join us at thirdwavevolunteers.com. Everyone's needed.”.Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year, everyone.
It was just a blip on the wire, and got little ink or attention, but there it was. A news story which claimed in early November the mighty African nation of Togo had secretly taken delivery of three Russian Mi-35 combat helicopters. The choppers are apparently to help it combat the armed groups threatening the country..I thought to myself, dear God. Togo? A tropical country about two-thirds the size of Austria, or slightly smaller than the US state of West Virginia, and with a population of 7.9 million people. And even there, they can’t get along. There is war and strife..Yes, there is a war in Ukraine. A maddening, crazy war, that never should have happened. Thousands died on both sides. Syria is still embattled, with Turkey now involved in air strikes against Kurdish Forces..The US and Russia are there too, battling ISIS and other factions, while the Israelis are hitting Hezbollah targets and trying to stop weapons shipments from Iran..And speaking of Israel, with Benjamin Netanyahu back at the helm and fears of the growth of right-wing policies, Iran could soon become a target as Israel moves to stop the development of an Iranian nuclear bomb..Tensions are also rising between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as a key road linking Armenia to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave remained blocked for the fourth day. The two countries fought repeated wars over Nagorno-Karabakh — internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but home to about 120,000 ethnic Armenians — since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Reuters reports. As recently as September, more than 200 soldiers were killed in a flare-up of fighting..In fact, war continues to rage in hot-spots around the world. And as we move into the new year, one can only wonder what will happen in Ukraine. Will it continue? Will Putin up the ante? These are all legitimate questions..But there are rays of hope for mankind — in fact one of them is a friend of mine and her name is Alison Thompson..Since founding Third Wave Volunteers in 2001, Thompson developed a network of more than 30,000 Third Wave volunteer first responders, who support and co-ordinate direct aid for refugees and those affected by other disasters. The programs include COVID pandemic-related missions, disaster rescue and aid, medical/tele-health, resilience hubs, clean water and solar lighting up the darkest areas of the world. In other words, instead of running from trouble, Third Wave volunteers run to it..Her documentary film about the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami that hit the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, drew the attention of actor Sean Penn. In 2008, he brought it to the Cannes film festival. Alison would even walk the red carpet with the likes of Penn and U2 singer Bono. Later, she would teach Penn how to do business in the troubled nation of Haiti, where he would set up an aid organization..Reaching her through WhatsApp in Fort Meyers, Fla., which was devastated by Hurricane Ian, I asked her about what she and her group have accomplished this year..High on the list of course, was receiving the US presidential award for “outstanding” volunteer work from President Joe Biden..But that wasn’t her first thought..“2022 … what an incredible year. An incredible exhausting year,” she said, her voice somewhat weary from nursing a bad cough. ”Third Wave volunteers not only work in natural disasters, but man-made disasters.”.“We headed off to the Ukraine War not really knowing what to expect, and we ended up living in Odessa for the last eight, nine months and working on the front lines of the recaptured villages between Mykolaiv and Kherson. We also trained thousands of soldiers.”.“These soldiers were civilians, accountants and lawyers and farmers, baby-food salesmen, and people with everyday jobs. We get a hundred men every four days to train them in combat medics and then they would head off to the front lines. Half of them wouldn't return.”.Thompson said Third Wave ended up training thousands of soldiers and became very close..“They still write to us daily, sending us videos and needs from the front lines and we do what we can, but we can't help everyone. But we can help some people,” she said..Straight after their Ukraine war stint, Third Wave headed to Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico where hundreds of villages were flooded and houses were destroyed..After that, they raced to Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, which totally destroyed many areas with 18- to 20-foot swells..“Climate change is very real to us,” she said. “And are we on the very front lines of climate change in all these disasters.”.People continue to build along the seas but the seas are rising and these hurricanes are getting larger and larger ... and it's not just about the wind anymore, it's about the storm surge.”.“We've just spent the last few months doing search and rescue, evacuations from a lot of the islands in southwest Florida, giving a lot of aid and cleaning out a lot of houses and pretty much giving love and action.”.“That's what our mission always is, hugging people, looking them in the eye and telling them that we love them. That's all we can really do.”.Well, let’s just say Third Wave does more than that. In Ukraine they delivered much needed supplies of food and water in dangerous areas, and continue to do so. In Florida, they also gave out solar light boxes and other emergency supplies to survivors who lost everything..My cousin Bill, who lives just 20 miles from Fort Myers, said a good friend of his there watched from their condo building as both of their cars floated out to sea. The storm surge was massive and destructive, and the state is still reeling..“Third Wave volunteers is growing every year because the government systems can't take these disasters anymore,” she said. “They're just too big and they're too big for even the local fire and police and the local large NGOs.”.“So Third Wave volunteers jumps up and, and fills the gaps.”.I asked her what the future holds, as we move into the New Year of uncertainty..“The New Year? … we're hoping to grow with more volunteers and more funding, and we're ready for whatever comes our way.”.“Whether it be natural or man-made disasters.”.“There's 60 to 100 million refugees on the run around the world. We've displaced people. The world really is changing and we've learnt to adapt and grow with this changing world.”.“It's easy to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it's leadership to be in the wrong place at the right time.”.In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout America with thousands of Third Wave first responders working in nationwide hospitals on the front lines..The all-women rescue teams, called the “Women in White- N95 mask mission,” delivered more than 1.8 million N95 masks across America to 50 states, including the Navajo tribal nations, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Peru and Haiti..“Volunteers always ask me how do, how do they do it? What is the first step?” she explained..“And it's that little bit of fear of not knowing … they just tell them, ‘Get their plane ticket, go.’ You don't like it. Come back a day or two later and go about your business. But volunteers never leave.”.“This year, we've helped tens of thousands of people in service to others, and we are winding down the year ready to take a break at Christmas. Third Wave volunteers is growing …”. President's AwardAid worker Alison Thompson received the Presidential Lifetime Service Award from US President Joe Biden, for her work in helping others all over the world. .Finally, we got to the Presidential Lifetime Service Award — a special award for her decades of work helping others..“It was an amazing day,” she said, “and the thing is, it's not about getting these awards and trinkets for me, it's not about an ego thing, but it's important because it really does help elevate Third Wave volunteers and helps us get more volunteers and more donations so we can help a lot more people.”.What drives Thompson to continue to help and serve humanity?.“I know that volunteering has made me one of the happiest people I know. It fills up your soul and that happiness spills over to other relationships with family members and loved ones.”.“Think about service to others in your area,” she said. “It doesn't have to be big. It could be helping just a few people right in your own neighbourhood or on your computer at night. I guarantee you true happiness once you learn the secret of service to others.”.A wonderful ray of light, in Bob Dylan’s world of “steel-eyed death.” They say it can’t be done, but, maybe it can. Perhaps Alison Thompson is showing us the way, we just need to do our part..“I'm not asking you to shave your head or chant on a hill, but imagine a world where we all do our part, that the karma banks are overflowing with blue chip stocks and compassion and we're all billionaires on the inside,” she said..“Isn't that the way it was meant to be? Join us at thirdwavevolunteers.com. Everyone's needed.”.Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year, everyone.
