By Theresa Burriss

I’ve been writing a lot of checks lately.

And it’s been a most sobering experience. Sure, we all lament how quickly our money seems to disappear between pay periods. But the money I’m speaking of here isn’t mine. I simply serve as financial coordinator of the Honeybee Fund at McHarg Elementary School in Radford.

Although I had a general understanding that the fund contained money to assist families in need, a social justice initiative I embrace, I did not fully appreciate its import until I began writing checks for families, families here in Radford who don’t have the means to pay their electric bills, buy gas for their cars to get to work, or purchase adequate food and clothing for their children. With winter upon us, coupled with the dire economic crisis across our nation, even more families will need Honeybee help over the next several months, especially as various holidays loom in the near future.

Perhaps shamefully, I’ve been shocked by the vast and real material need in our community, all this despite my efforts to recognize my own privilege and truly see others who don’t possess the same. With each check I write, I am ever more grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given throughout life, many due to pure luck, namely the family into which I was born, the color of my skin, and the country in which I reside. Contrary to so many other families right now, I have a job that includes adequate benefits to support my children and me.

Families struggle for various reasons, oftentimes without fault of their own. And our current economic crisis certainly does nothing to ease these families’ financial burdens. As a result of my PSA involvement, my dedication to social justice on a local level has intensified.

Acknowledging my privilege, I’m reminded, “Noblesse oblige!” This French term, an idea first promoted by the famous writer Honoré de Balzac in his 1836 novel, The Lily of the Valley, is as salient today as it was in Balzac’s day.  Loosely translated it means nobility obligates.

John F. Kennedy also employed this notion in his 1963 speech, “The Educated Citizen,” at Vanderbilt’s 90th Anniversary Convocation Address. He stated:

But this nation was not founded solely on the principle of citizen-rights. Equally important, though too-often not discussed, is the citizen’s responsibility. For our privileges can be no greater than our obligations. The protection of our rights can endure no longer when the performance of our responsibilities each can be neglected only at the peril of the other.

I speak to you today, therefore, not of your rights as Americans, but of your responsibilities. They are many in number and different in nature. They do not rest with equal weight upon the shoulders of all. Equality of opportunity does not mean equality of responsibility. All Americans must be responsible citizens, but some must be more responsible than others by virtue of their public or their private position, their role in the family or community, their prospects for the future, or their legacy from the past. Increased responsibility goes with increased ability. For those to whom much is given, much is required.

Both Balzac and Kennedy, along with many other famous writers and orators, present us not only with an idea, but a challenge to act on this idea.

Noblesse oblige defies mere philosophical rumination and discussion; it demands that those in a position of privilege use that privilege to serve others less fortunate, no matter their circumstances.

As an Appalachian native and scholar, I have personally witnessed political, social, and economic disenfranchisement in our region.

Of course, we all know such oppression occurs throughout the United States and the world, not just in Appalachia. So how do we more fortunate folks make good on Balzac’s and Kennedy’s dictum?

Donating money to the Honeybee Fund, or similar accounts at other local schools, churches, and organizations, certainly sustains our efforts to reach families.  I frequently receive unsolicited donations to deposit to the Fund, which serves as testimony to the giving, community-minded individuals with whom we live.

Yet one of my 7-year-old son’s friends demonstrated another way to act. In lieu of receiving gifts at his eighth birthday party, this wise little boy asked his friends to bring age-appropriate presents, unwrapped, that he and his parents would donate to the Honeybee Fund.

The toys and clothing would later be wrapped in holiday paper and given in December to children at McHarg Elementary who might not otherwise enjoy presents under a tree or around a fire.

Needless to say, I was touched by the extreme thoughtfulness of such a gesture and I made sure that I thanked him for his generosity.

Theresa Burriss is a writer and educator in addition to being the Honeybee Fund Coordinator for McHarg Elementary. Anyone who’d like to contribute may send donations to the school at 700 12th Street, Radford, VA  24141.