Still Doing the Right Thing

The earth stood still on Sept. 11, 2001, but it didn’t break. After the horror, anger and tears, it kept turning.

In 2001 Kelley Lipphard was a stay-at-home mom. In the last eight years she has gone through a divorce, returned to work and has been mugged on her way home. She lost her job as a legal secretary in a layoff in May and gets by on unemployment checks.

On the 2009 anniversary of the terrorist attacks, Kelley, 50, did what she often does. She gave her time to help others—even though she should save the gas money.

“It’s the right thing to do,” she said. “Morally, ethically, spiritually—the right thing to do.”

A little rain will not stop Lipphard from delivering bags containing energy efficiency materials and products during the the Day of Service.

I met Kelley for the first time at a church where we both showed up in a downpour for the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. Our project, sponsored by Rebuilding Together Alexandria and supported by AARP, was to deliver energy efficiency bags to low-income residents of the Del-Ray neighborhood in Alexandria, Va., not far from Reagan National Airport.

Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit, provides free home repairs and other services through 200 affiliates nationwide to help low-income people live safely and independently in their own homes.

Seniors had stuffed about 500 brown paper bags with information and products to help homeowners conserve energy and money. A night-light and two compact fluorescent bulbs were in each bag, along with a sign-up sheet for repairs.

Waiting for the rain to let up, we talked about what we still carry from 9/11. Kelley said she’s less trustful of strangers, but that doesn’t stop her from volunteering. She recently helped rehab a house for a man whose health problems prevented him from doing the work.

“I believe that we’re all in this together, and we’re all looking for a hand up–and not a handout,” she said. “We just need to help each other.”

Kelley and I carried out 50 brown bags. It would have been a greener moment had we walked, but because of the rain, I drove. We took turns dashing to front porches of homes on the list that Rebuilding Together provided.

Eight years has not dimmed the sadness of the attacks, but the day of service reminded me of the spirit that can unite us.

“Just because bad happens doesn’t mean you stop doing the right thing,” Kelley said.

Marsha Mercer lives in Alexandria, Va.