Quick takes – February 18

Special celebration

Children typically look forward to their birthdays because of the parties, gifts, cake and friends that will be part of the celebration. One local girl, though, used her 10th birthday to take part in a growing movement of people who use their birthdays to help others instead of themselves.

Lily Davis, a fourth-grader at Rockcreek Elementary, decided to perform 10 acts of kindness on Feb. 9 in an effort to brighten people’s lives and pay good deeds forward. Included on her list:

  • Leaving money in random vending machines around town.
  • Work at a hot-meal site.
  • Write encouraging notes and leave them in random places around town to be found.
  • Make cards and deliver them to a senior center or nursing home.

Lily’s planned acts were selfless, uplifting gestures that seized upon a neat idea. Those acts made Columbus an even kinder community that day.

Supporting good cause

Kudos to Tony Stewart and his namesake foundation for entering a racecar in this year’s Indianapolis 500 to raise money and awareness for cancer treatments in both humans and animals.

The foundation, which advocates for children, animals and injured race car drivers, is partnering with TEAM ONE CURE, an organization that supports the research at Colorado State University Flint Animal Care Center. Funding from Stewart’s foundation is supporting an entry for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

Cancer is a disease that touches most people in some direct or indirect way. Help such as this contributes to treatments and cures.

Gift appreciated

Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus and its students are benefiting thanks to the generosity of two benefactors, Gregg and Judy Summerville.

They gave two financial gifts to the university. One creates a support fund for maintaining priority campus programming. The other assists first-generation IUPUC students who are in need of financial aid to attend college.

These gifts will help more local students realize dreams of higher education in pursuit of good careers and lives, and the support of priority campus programming will help bolster the educations students receive. The Summervilles are to be commended for their support of education, which can make a big difference in a person’s life.