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Banishing the darkness, one candle at a time By Mail Tribune Editorial Board Dec 09, 2022 05:04 PM A A The days are growing shorter, snow is falling in the mountains and the chill winds blow as winter approaches. It’s a time to be thankful for home and family — while recognizing that not everyone is feeling safe and warm. Many in our community are facing challenges and deprivations we can only imagine. But there is a way to reach out — to spread light and hope at the darkest time of the year. The Mail Tribune’s annual giving series, Light One Candle, takes its name from a proverb variously attributed to Confucius, an English Wesleyan minister named William Watkinson, Eleanor Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy: “It is better to light one candle than curse the darkness.” In 1961, the founder of Amnesty International spoke the words at a Human Rights Day ceremony, and the organization’s emblem to this day is a candle circled by barbed wire. On the local front, the idea behind the name is that for many individuals or families in need, something as simple as a warm coat for a child or movie tickets for a rare night out can brighten their holidays and give them the sense that someone cares. Readers touched by one of the stories we publish can make someone’s day with single gift. And when those gifts are multiplied, and many readers respond, as they always do, gifts beyond what one family can use are distributed to other families and individuals whose needs are just as real but don’t happen to be featured in a story. The families we profile in the Light One Candle series are provided for us by social service agencies who work with them on a daily basis. Each story includes contact information for the agency involved. The Mail Tribune does not accept donations directly. When a family’s immediate need is satisfied, additional donations will be distributed to others. There is never a shortage of people who could use a helping hand and are grateful for the community’s generosity. We are fortunate to live in a community of people who care for their neighbors and are generous in sharing with them. If we all light just one candle, the resulting glow will illuminate the entire valley. Thanks to everyone in advance for participating.