2 minute read
EDITOR’S NOTE
{on the job}
DURING CRISIS COMFORT DURING CRISIS
“We’re all connected. Everything’s connected. You can’t take one thing and remove it without impacting everything along the line.”
That’s Megan Mosby talking, the executive director of Liberty Wildlife, who Julie Coleman profiled in this month’s Office Doors.
I found a lot of similar sentiments in this, our Furry Friends issue. Whether it was Linda Searles, the executive director of Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, talking about needing to learn to live with wildlife, or exotic animal veterinarian Dr. Todd Driggers connecting the dots between public policy, the environment and the wildlife that lives in it, folks that work with nature every day understand the intrinsic, delicate balancing act between living things in our interconnected world. As I write this, I — like so many of us — am selfisolating in an effort to prevent the further spread of the novel coronavirus. It seems like forever ago when we started working on this issue. And now, after our country and community have changed so much so fast, we wondered if we should move forward with it at all. In the end, we decided we would, hoping you might enjoy reading about something that brings so many of us joy — animals.
As timing goes, perhaps it might not be so bad. Science has shown time and again, animals can offer comfort during crisis. The companionship of pets can reduce stress and lower anxiety, helping people feel calmer and more secure when news from the outside world is distressing. My own dear (accidental) Chiweenie — half Dachshund/half Chihuahua/all attitude — has literally been by my side every minute of every day, making me feel happier and more resilient.
Resilience is what will be required of all of us in the weeks and months ahead, notably Arizona’s charities, which are frontline responders that offer food, medical services, shelter and other assistance to those in need, who were already many and will now include many more. Coronavirus has dealt a triple blow to these nonprofits as they face increased urgency from the people they serve, workforce shortages and logistical challenges, and lost money from canceled fundraising events and increased competition for strained resources.
As we make our way through the ripple effects of the coronavirus pandemic, these nonprofits will be more important than ever. So now is the time for us to band together to volunteer, give and ask what can be done to support these organizations that are helping the most vulnerable among us. (Tom Evans shares some ways to help on page 27.)
Amid these uncharted days of “socialdistancing,” we at Frontdoors, like you, are finding creative ways to keep in touch with one another and do the best work we can — this week that includes sharing these stories of organizations working on behalf of the animals around us and the call that all nonprofits, including these, are now in dire need of support themselves. In the process, let it call attention to the critical ties that still connect us. Because days filled with threat can be treated with kindness. My dog Tuco reminds me of this every time he snuggles at my side.
Karen Werner EDITOR
@kwerner409
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