Horton (Bidwell) Hears a Who (Person in Need)

Horton Hears a Who is a classic Dr. Seuss tale that tells the story of Horton the Elephant.  Horton, while splashing in a pool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called Whoville, inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants known as Whos.

The Mayor of Whoville asks Horton to protect them from harm, which Horton happily agrees to do, proclaiming throughout the book that “even though you can’t see or hear them at all, a person’s a person, no matter how small.” In doing so he is ridiculed and forced into a cage by the other animals in the jungle for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear. Horton encourages the Whos to make themselves heard to the other animals. The Whos finally accomplish this by creating lots of noise so they are heard by the jungle folks. In the end it is a small Who named JoJo whose final addition to the volume creates enough sound for the Whos to be heard,   reinforcing the moral of the story: “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”

That sentiment is what drives us here at Bidwell.  In this big, noisy world sometimes it is hard to hear to voices of those that Jesus called “the least of these.”  In fact, at times it feels as if our clients have no voice at all.  And that is where the staff, volunteers, and donors of Bidwell Riverside come in.  We are here to help raise a ruckus so the rest of the world will hear.  So, here at Bidwell-ville we are going to work every day to give voice to the voiceless.  Won’t you join us?  You can help create the noise for the world to hear in a number of ways.  You can volunteer your time and talent and you can donate cash, clothes or household items.  But most of all, you can raise your voice to anyone who will listen that there are members of our community that are hurting and that need the support, because after all, “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”

Peace and Love,

Anne Bacon

Executive Director