What do you do when you see or hear of a local tragedy? For most, simply absorbing the information and hoping it never happens to us is the easiest thing to do.

In current times of growing financial, medical, social and even national hardships, many of us opt to focus our thoughts and efforts on things that mostly matter or relate to us, rather than getting involved with other people's problems.Every day you learn about these local hardships; whether it be a house fire, vehicle accident, crime or medical illness.What motivates people to get involved? Some might answer "self gratification," "what if it happened to me" or "it is the right thing to do."No matter the motivation, interaction and involvement during times of crisis is important to a community.Take, for instance, the recent fires in Brockton, Coaldale and Tuscarora. These fire, which all occurred within 36 hours, left numerous families homeless and without permanent places to live. Have you offered support to these families?Do you have a friend or relative suffering through a medical condition? Have you offered comfort or support to that person or his immediate family?What about a family member or friend struggling to pay bills? How far have you extended your hand?Kindness comes in all forms, not just cash or gifts. Time is usually the greatest gift.Yes, we all have our own problems; but we should still come together as friends, neighbors, strangers and community and help those in need.Your community is your family. Your town is your home.Could you imagine how much better the world would be if everyone took that extra step to do good. A local tragedy is everyone's problem.