Earlier this year, during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, the men and women who take 911 emergency calls and dispatch police, fire or emergency medical services personnel were recognized in Carbon County.

With the volume of emergency calls increasing each year, the county's 23 police departments know the importance of dispatchers.In awarding the local proclamation, Carbon County commissioners noted that last year, the 14 full-time and six part-time employees who make up the dispatching staff answered a total of 146,363 calls.We were heartened to see other news reports in recent days that show the vital services provided by law enforcement and public workers.Oscar Ehrhart, a 92-year-old Navy veteran from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, was recently the recipient of some goodwill, even though it was served in a community 200 miles away in New Jersey.After leaving his home for a local American Legion meeting, Ehrhart apparently made a wrong turn and ended up in Robbinsville, New Jersey.He received directions to go back home, but it was late so he planned to sleep in his car.After hearing of the elderly man's plight, Robbinsville Police Sgt. Thomas Egan took him to a hotel to buy him a room for the night. There, the manager of the Hampton Inn gave him a free night's stay.Ehrhart returned home safely, thanks in great part to the hospitality he found in another state.A few weeks ago, a police woman's kindness toward a homeless man in central Florida went viral on the Internet.Ocala Sgt. Erica Hays was on her way to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast when she saw a homeless man sitting on a curb next to a gas station. After buying him a sandwich and a cup of coffee, she sat down on the curb to eat alongside him.A driver who was stopped at a red light snapped the touching scene and posted it on Facebook.When interviewed, Hay, a 20-year police veteran, humbly said she didn't have anyone else to eat breakfast with that morning either, and that the homeless stranger "was gracious enough" to eat with her.Her expressions of kindness topped with humility are shining virtues that society needs to see.A Luzerne County community joined with Wyoming Area schools last month to honor the memory of Cpl. Bryon Dickson II, the trooper who was killed in a sniper's ambush at a state police barracks last September.Dickson, a graduate of Wyoming Area, was remembered as someone who diligently sought justice, but was also capable of deep humility and compassion.The slain trooper's mother, Darla Dickson, has forgiven Eric Frein, who stands accused of her son's murder, but feels justice must prevail and that Frein should be punished according to the law.She also hopes her son's life will be remembered in a way that will benefit others. After months of racial turmoil dominating the news, we're inspired to find such stories of compassion and good will.By JIM ZBICKtneditor@tnonline.com