I believe it is only human nature that, when something terrible happens at a distance from us, we immediately ask ourselves “Are our people there? Are they safe”. Twice in the last few months, I’ve come to understand that because CSTA has grown to encompass more than 13,500 members in 126 countries, the chance of our people being touched by disasters of all kinds has greatly increased.
Not too long ago we heard of the terrible tragedy in Newtown, CT. One of our Board members, Patrice Gans, teaches at an elementary school in Newtown. It is impossible to describe how the CSTA staff felt until we were able to determine that she was safe.
And yesterday, when those of us on the west coast learned of the bombings in Boston, we were instantly afraid for our Boston-area chapter leaders Padmaja Bandaru and Kelly Powers, and their families, students, and colleagues. And even now that we are sure that they are safe, I find myself filled with a kind of terrible anger that someone would put these friends and teachers who are so dear to me in harms way. Perhaps it is just human to feel angry at these times and to want someone to blame.
But like Newtown, Boston is a wonderful town full of strong and resilient people. I think this is best expressed by Padmaja in these words she sent to me last night:
This is the time to show that we are all strong and will not back down with these kind of attacks. We feel the pain, become stronger, and keep going with what we are supposed to do although we are still thinking about the people we lost. People still believe that even though this happened, we are all still united to face any adversities.
CSTA is a community and we are stronger because we care about each other.
Chris Stephenson
Executive Director