Thanks to Them

It happens in a flash, an instant. Suddenly lives are changed for the better.

Millions of ordinary Americans, usually with little or no recognition or praise, offer extraordinary time to try to improve their world. But their path to good deeds often starts with halting, quirky steps: a debilitating illness and a prayer. A spanking in a youth center. The speech of a nun. A chance meeting at sea with dolphins.

No matter how they decide to do what they do, however, their efforts can by quietly moving: lonely seniors are no longer neglected; high-risk teen-agers get attention from a self-described former tough; crime victims receive some care and attention that the system never could give.

For all the labor, the hard work of all too many largely goes unsung. On a day of thanksgiving, it’s worth telling some of the tales of kindness.

Here are a few:

Nancy Kless

Kless is founder, executive director, of the Crime Victim Center, which offers counseling and other services to victims of crime. “I got the idea for the . . . center when I was working as a medical social worker. One place I was employed was a hospital. Because I spoke Spanish, I was called to a medical floor to interpret for a patient.

“The woman had been shot in the leg as a bystander during a restaurant robbery. It was such a serious wound that she needed surgery, so the operation was like a second assault. It exacerbated all the woman’s symptoms, reactions and feelings.

“What was evident to me watching her was that no one had been up there to treat her emotional problems. Only her medical needs had been considered.

“I realized that there had been no special services for victims. I started to think about what was needed and how to set up that kind of an agency.

“To start with, we had to get bank loans. We also needed clinicians, including psychiatrists, who were willing to provide treatment and to wait as long as two years for reimbursement from the state.

“We got free office space the first six months and then low rent in a very small location.

“Initially the only staff was myself and another social worker. We did everything--answer phones, type reports, see clients and reach out into the community.

“I could pay only one person. I did not take a salary for a year and a half but lived off savings. When that was used up, my parents loaned me $10,000. It was very stressful not knowing if the center was going to work.

“But today I feel great about the fact that I created this agency that is helping so many people. It’s still stressful, but when I look back and realize that we’ve literally saved some suicidal people’s lives and helped many other people deal with whatever has been done to them, it’s very gratifying.’