Erma and I were attending the Police Academy Graduation of Mike Vasica (a former TCM resident) across town, when our BlackBerrys starting vibrating with urgent messages regarding an emergency rescue taking place on our campus. Ken Burton was also at the graduation and immediately stepped outside to gather more details.

The story made the front page of the Daily Journal this morning - I borrowed the headline from the paper for the title of this blog. You can read the entire story at http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=283305&pub=1&div=News but here's a summary of what happened.

"The weather outside is frightening" could best describe the climate yesterday in Tupelo. Winds and cold temperatures, with heavy rain turning to snow and sleet by late afternoon, resulted in hazardous driving conditions. Around 4:30 p.m., a man driving down Hillsdale Drive in front of our campus, apparently lost control of his pick-up and careened off of the road, slid over a ditch, and ended up in the middle of the pond in front of the Lake House.

To make what could be a long story short, several witnessed the accident take place, and immediately became involved in trying to rescue the man. Roy Noe, a former TCM resident and adopted son of Tom and Sharon Noe, staff members, was the first to dive into the pond to try and free the man from the vehicle, which was beginning to sink. The man was not able to swim and more help was needed to save the man's life. Another hero and former TCM resident and adopted son of Chad and Angela Parker, Ben Parker, dove into the frigid and murky water to join the rescue effort. Ultimately, it took Chad Parker's involvement, as these courageous individuals literally saved this man's life. By the time they got him to shore, he was unconscious, most probably from hypothermia. Chad, our Associate Director of Residential Services, was preparing the victim for CPR as the paramedics and emergency personnel arrived and rushed him to the hospital.

Word this morning is that the gentleman is going to be okay. His vehicle remains submerged in the pond, awaiting a toll truck to come and pull it out. ( I wouldn't want that job.)

Permit me to share a few observations that are all too obvious...

When I heard of this amazing rescue of this man by our staff and children at TCM, right here on our campus, I couldn't help but reflect that yesterday another rescue took place as well on our campus as four new residents arrived, one of them a teenage girl who was placed into our Haven of Hope Home for troubled girls. All four of these new residents were the result of "emergency placements." In other words, the circumstances involving the lives of these children required swift action on our part in order to rescue them. 

That's what we do here at TCM. We're actually operating a rescue mission - saving lives and giving children and families a hope for a better tomorrow.

While it took a trio of heroes to save the drowning man in the pond, it likewise takes a team effort to reach out to those who find themselves in our "pond," sometimes by accident and through no fault of their own. The horrible and "frightening" conditions result in lives skidding out of control and ending up in the depths of despair.

We may never know the man's name, and that doesn't really matter. He may never come back to thank the heroes that saved his life, and that doesn't matter either. That's often the way it is here at Tupelo Children's Mansion. Sometimes it takes several years, or even decades, for the "rescued" to return to say thanks or write a nice letter expressing appreciation for all that the Mansion has meant to their lives. However, our fulfillment is in knowing that we are making a difference, and the full dividends of our investment may not be realized until we get to the "other side."

Chad, Roy and Ben got their names in the paper this morning; however, there are several dozen unsung heroes on this campus that work day in and day out, pulling children to the shore, performing CPR, and breathing hope into their futures. Their names are never in the news, but they are an integral part of a team that has already reached out to over 75 children this year. They are dedicated, passionate, and self-giving. They are TCM!