In the beginning of May, I started interning for the Lake Orion Review. Now, three months later, I am writing for my final issue of the paper.
In these past three months, I have realized how friendly the people of the Orion community are.
It seems whenever I turn on the television, reporters are painting the world out to be a cruel place. Kidnappings, thefts and murders are just some of the tragedies constantly pounded into our ears. So, I was secretly terrified when I started writing for the Lake Orion Review that I would be covering these sorts of catastrophes as well.
I was afraid that, in these months covering the community’s news, I’d turn into a Debbie Downer, always expecting the worst.
Instead, the opposite happened. The Review opened so many doors for me, giving me the chance to meet so many kind and charitable people. I learned how to approach strangers which, trust me, can be very intimidating.
But no one I met looked at me like I was a creeper invading his or her personal space. Not one person said, ‘No comment,? or to leave them alone. Instead, everyone was personable and welcoming.
I met so many people who are giving back to the community without asking for anything in return. I have been accustomed to hearing news about greedy Americans and thought most of the world was made up of people like this. But the residents of Lake Orion go above and beyond to prove this theory wrong.
I met Joe Lintol, a man who had both his hands and feet amputated. I thought he would have been bitter, especially since his career as a roofer required his extremities. Instead, he was happy to be alive. He was joking with friends and family members and demonstrating how to use his prosthetics for wide-eyed children. He could carry on conversations with strangers as if he had known them for years.
What was most important to Lintol wasn’t receiving donations to help himself. It was making sure no one else has to go through what he has gone through.
When Lintol was 12 years old, he had his spleen removed due to a motor cross accident. Without his spleen, he couldn’t fight off infections as well as those of us with our spleens still intact. Lintol’s goal is to educate people who have had their spleens removed to ask their doctor to receive three shots, shots that would have prevented Lintol’s amputations from ever happening.
In addition to Lintol, I also met Ken Snage, the LOHS girls? soccer coach. Instead of focusing only on winning trophies and gold medals, he taught the girls about the more important things in life by giving them the experience to train kids with special needs how to play soccer.
I met beauticians from Glitz hair salon in Orion Township who raised money for children with leukemia. And I met the Hudson family, whose 19-year-old son committed suicide in April, and who are now, under the organization name Team Earl, raising money for suicide and depression awareness programs.
These are just some of the many amazing Lake Orion residents I have met in the past three months. This internship gave me a new-found faith in people, and I would like to thank the residents for showing me how much generosity does exist in the world, or at least in Lake Orion.
I learned that everyone has a story just waiting to be told. Sometimes all we need to do is listen.
If you are a college student, and you’re interested in gaining some reporting experience, The Lake Orion Review is accepting intern applications for the fall 2009 semester.
If you are interested, just e-mail lakeorionreview@sbcglobal.net with your resume and three writing samples.