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American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 565
Rockland,
Maine 04841
Phone: 207-594-4174
Fax: 207-596-1091
info@lighthousefoundation.org
The American Lighthouse Foundation is a
Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization dedicated to the
preservation of America's historic
lighthouses & lightships and
their heritage.
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Give Hope a Helping Hand
By Bob Trapani, Jr.
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| As we bid farewell to 2005
and look forward to 2006, we all share the same hope that the New Year
will bring with it the promise of peace, prosperity, health and
rewarding achievement in our personal lives and to the world at large.
Without hope, it would be impossible to buoy our spirits time and again
when trouble and tragedy impact the world we live in and threaten the
dreams we hold so dear for our family’s future. In fact, hope for a
better tomorrow has been the one constant that has traditionally helped
Americans forge the greatest nation on earth under the protective hand
of Divine |
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Little River Lighthouse
Maine
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Providence.
The same holds true for the lighthouse preservation community, where hope
burns eternal that 2006 will be the greatest year yet for America’s
lighthouses. Though the year 2005 witnessed many wonderful stories of
lighthouses being saved like Avery Point in Connecticut, White Island in New
Hampshire and Pomham Rocks in Rhode Island, the news was not always good.
This past year also included the incalculable physical loss |
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Photo by Ron Foster
Avery Point Lighthouse
Connecticut
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of lighthouses like Chandeleur and West Rigolets in
Louisiana due to the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, as well as Cape St.
George in Florida, which fell after a long battle with the ceaseless
affects of erosion and storm damage.
In addition many lighthouse nonprofits nationwide
struggled to grow their missions while coping with the negative impacts
created by the heavy strain on charitable giving as well as operational
issues such as higher insurance premiums, especially for offshore
lighthouse projects. Undaunted, we always take heart in looking to a
brighter horizon and the promise it exudes |
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in hope that America’s lighthouses will shine on as monuments to our
nation’s heritage and greatness.
The New Year presents the lighthouse community with a fresh start – a time
of renewal for our spirits and to our organizations as a whole. This is the
time where hope burns it’s brightest and all goals seem possible
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when it comes to our boundless lighthouse preservation
aspirations. Yet hope without passionate commitment and action will fade
as sure as the evening sun. Hope is the antidote that props us up in
times of challenge but acting on our aspirations is what turns our
dreams in realities. The time to |
Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont
Pomham Rocks Lighthouse
Rhode
Island
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act on our hope is now – as we turn the first pages of a brand new
opportunity in 2006, continuing to restore to glory many of our nation’s
endangered beacons.
There is no doubt that the inherent financial and physical restoration
challenges associated with preservation will continue to present obstacles
in 2006 – sometimes daunting, to many, if not all, lighthouse preservation
groups in the country. Through it all, remember to keep a |
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse
New
Hampshire
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firm hold on the hope and promise that the New Year
ushered in grand fashion, but too, remember to lend a helping hand to
that hope. The attribute of self-sacrifice is hope’s best friend.
Without sacrifice, hope and aspiration is an empty dream that offers no
future for America’s lighthouses.
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Experience is another friend to our hopes and dreams. Using the many lessons
we have learned in 2005 and from previous years will help us increase our
hope for a brighter tomorrow. In the end, the element of hope is not defined
by the euphoria of emotions it conjures up but by the strength found in
steadfastly standing by and acting on the convictions that gave birth to our
hopes in the first place. Lend the hope of saving our lighthouses a helping
hand in 2006 by remembering to give that extra donation or hour of your
time. You may not always readily have either but the hopes of a brighter
future for America’s lighthouses depend on our resolve to sacrifice for what
we believe in – and in turn, transforming our hopes and dreams into a
shining reality for tomorrow’s keepers of the lights.
- Happy New Year!
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