Last night, “60 Minutes” presented the heart-rending story of the residents of Wilmington, Ohio, who have been clobbered by the “Great Recession.” Their community has lost 10,000 jobs. The story opened with the auctioning of foreclosed homes and the interview with one emotional dad who felt he had let his family down. The mayor of Wilmington indicated that his community is surviving on hope. He said, “If you want to find the Christmas spirit, come to Wilmington.” These good people have been humbled by their struggles, which means they have had to come together to survive. Their Christmas spirit is about community and hope.

I was saddened at the thought that fellow Americans would suffer so while I know other communities, including my own, have weathered the recession relatively unscathed when compared with Wilmington. I believe we need a new kind of “Sister Cities” campaign where the most hard-hit cities and towns could be linked with those cities that are doing relatively well. This would tap the amazing generosity of Americans who would reach out to support their fellow citizens in need. The Quakers have an old saying, “Thee lift me, and I’ll lift thee, and we’ll ascend together.” As one city lifts another, the one will be blessed materially while the other will be blessed spiritually. How can we make this happen across the country? As we do so, our nation will heal more quickly and our recession will be over sooner than later.

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