Words in Favor of Hashers

For anyone who has ever encountered a group of Hashers (members of a world-wide organization known as Hash House Harriers), and come away thinking that we are careless, immature, or anything else negative, this is for you to read.

I have a friend, who is a hasher, whose home was destroyed in Katrina. His name is Bryan and he is in Biloxi, Mississippi. Bryan called me Friday night for 2 reasons: 1) to let me know that he survived and was well, and 2) to let me know that his house was destroyed and he was in desperate need of help. He needed someone with a truck to get to Biloxi by Sunday to help him with whatever water-logged belongings he might be able to salvage. Sunday was his only chance to do this because he is part of the disaster recovery team on his AF base.

Since I was unable to get there myself, I posted a message on the local Hash E-mail list and made contact with our former home hash in Virginia. People from the local list had various responses, all of them supportive. Those who could not go forwarded my message to other Hash E-mail lists; others called me with advice to offer him; and some got together by phone and organized a convoy to head to Biloxi with supplies and rations.

I am so very proud of all my Hashing friends, and I am very happy to be a part of the world these people share. I know that if my world completely fell apart, and I could not reach my own family for help, any Hasher would be willing to offer help in any way they could, and you can't imagine the relief that gives me when I think how quickly a person's world can turn completely upside-down like Bryan's has.