Abraham Lincoln set out to make a society where every person is equal; the charity of his action came from within, prompted by a desire to do what is right.  Today we live in a society that reaps the benefits of the actions he so selflessly took, but is far from being a full realization of his dream.  Langston Hughes once wrote so beautifully in a poem, “O, let America be America again, the land that never has been yet, and yet must be, the land where every man is free.”  The freedom expressed here by Langston is representative of the variety of disenfranchised communities present in American culture. The one thread tying most of them together is the economical hardships they endure on a daily basis.

Here in Gainesville, Florida, the Abraham Lincoln Middle School represents a dichotomy prevalent in society, this being that between the upper class and the lower class.  One side of the school contains a student body able to own the latest fashionable shoes on the market, while the other lacks the funds to purchase a book bag.  On the Abraham Lincoln Middle School website there is a links page to a list of school supplies needed that are presently unavailable to this sector of the student body. 

On November 3 at 11:00am, representatives from Nationwide Insurance and the Hippodrome State Theatre joined Abraham Lincoln Middle School Principal Don Lewis and Vice Principals Mike Gamble for a ceremony where a presentation check was given to the classroom of Cheryl Thorn. 

For the last twenty-seven years, the play A Christmas Carol has been a part of Hippodrome State Theatre’s season; it is a story of a businessman named Scrooge who learns the priceless value of charity through the intervention of three ghosts.  For the last five years Nationwide Insurance has altruistically donated funds to a local middle school to see this performance.  This year they have picked Abraham Lincoln Middle School to receive this gift. On November 29, 250 students and 16 chaperones from Abraham Lincoln Middle School will arrive at the Hippodrome State Theatre to benefit from the generosity of Nationwide Insurance to watch A Christmas Carol.  As a special treat this year, in conjunction with Nationwide Insurance, the Hippodrome State Theatre will be donating needed school supplies. 

When the actions of those who “have” work for the charity of those who “have not,” then the vision of Langston Hughes is clearer to see. The hope is that others will see the grace of Nationwide Insurance and take up the torch as well in presentation of their dedication to a society united in the act of community.  Here in these moments the dreams of a President and the words of a poet come closer to the realization building up a greater nation for the freedom of all human kind.