Community Seekers' Blogs
St. Agatha's Green Ribbons
The other day I went to visit my parents in Baden (for those who do not know Baden is a small town located just outside Kitchener- Waterloo). As I got near Baden I started seeing green ribbons everywhere. They were tied to traffic lights, lampposts, mail boxes, basketball nets, store fronts and benches. Almost every house within the community had them. This is interest I thought; I wonder what it is all about. When I asked my family about it I learned about the story of Lydia Herrle.
Lydia Herrle is a 13 year old girl who lived in St. Agatha (right beside Baden). One day while getting of her school bus she was struck by a garbage truck. She was immediately air lifted to Sick Kids hospital in Toronto where she remained in a coma for over a month with severe trauma to the brain. She is currently on a long road to recovery though it is uncertain how much damage has been done by the accident.
What is truly remarkable is how the community of St. Agatha and the surrounding area rallied around her and her family. Her classmates marched in the St. Agatha Victoria Day parade to support. Most notable though is the green ribbon campaign.
To show their support for the family people started tying green ribbons on the front of their property. It started out with just a few people but quickly spread. Now St. Agatha and Baden are covered in green ribbons. You drive down any street and almost every household has at least one green ribbon. On main streets business’s have ribbons as well, some of themaccompanied by a sign of support. But the ribbons go much further then Baden and St. Agatha, the surrounding countryside is also dotted with ribbons as far as 30km away.
Driving through the area, I was overwhelmed by the sense of community support and it brought tears to my eyes. It is truly amazing what community can do.
For more on this, check out these articles:
http://metronews.ca/news/kitchener/233353/friends-show-their-support-for-injured-girl/
A blog giving updates on her condition:
http://prayforlydia2012.blogspot.ca/
- Derek Alton's blog
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I work at Herrle's Farm Market, which Lydia's family owns and runs, and the outpouring of compassion and care for her and them has been truly amazing to witness. I have often been struck by how much community support they are receiving, and completely deserve, but which so many others in tragic situations do not receive. I think it is a powerful testimony to the value of local businesses--many people feel deeply connected to Lydia's accident and wellbeing because they shop at Herrle's Farm Market, which has always emphasized its family-owned values, local produce and local community. It has created a network of support which most of us in North America no longer have, but reveals that the basis and desire for that community care is still there, ready to be nurtured.
This is a tragic story Derek and sadly, completely preventable.
Lydia's story is a reminder to all of us to slow down, pay attention and focus on what really matters.
It's also a reminder of how everyday connections can sustain us when things are tough. In fact, they might be the only things.
If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend the documentary Trouble the Water, about a very poor neighbourhood in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. It is a very disturbing film but an incredible testament to the importance of community as during the worst of the storm and the aftermath, it was only their connection to one another that saved them.
I agree this is tragic, what blew me away though was how the community came together over this. Even though St. Agatha is a small community, in todays world even in small communities we don't usually even know our neighbours. Yet here is a case where people many of who do not know each other and have little connection to Lydia and her family are still reaching out and supporting them. I wonder how many new relationships were built from this.
I will definitely check out the documentary you mentioned.
Not only are these ribbons within St. Agatha or the surrounding countryside, but also in towns all around St. Agatha as well. Walking around Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge I have seen these ribbons everywhere. It is heartwarming to see the whole region in solidarity for Lydia.