We can help families salvage memories

Cynthiana and Harrison County dodged the March 2 bullet that ripped through other parts of our state.
Unfortunately, some of those victims lost everything they owned. Houses and barns can be replaced. Roofs can be repaired and new cars can be purchased.
There are some things that, no matter how much insurance coverage you have, cannot be replaced.
How devastated would you be if not only did you lose your home, but you also lost all sorts of personal items and photographs?
I often look in the closet that houses all of my family photographs and think that it looks like a disaster of some sort has struck, but in reality the pictures are all there. Some day I’ll get around to organizing them.
For hundreds of Kentuckians, that “some day” will never come.
Their disaster is that they no longer have those photographs.
A call for help has been made for people in the Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky areas.
We may not have been in the line of a tornado, but we may have been a drop off point for someone’s treasures.
Residents are asked to pickup photographs or personal items found in their yards or wooded areas and report those so victims may get something from their past returned.
It’s that time of year when people are outside getting their lawns ready for summer. Before you toss that piece of paper into the trash, make sure it’s not someone’s cherished photo or letter.
Photos of items found can be posted online at http://midwestlostbutnowfound.webs.com or emailed to karingky1@AOL.com.
Also on facebook, Returning Memories to Tornado Victims, is a good place to post anything that has been found.
It seems such a small thing to ask, one victim, a resident of Piner in northern Kentucky, is looking for the last photograph taken of her grandmother.
“My grandma was sitting down, grey curly hair, and I was next to her in a blue prom dress with my hair curled.”
There’s also a photograph of a slumbering baby posted on the facebook page and several people have posted questions about any writing or dates.
Sadly, the site manager says that it was thought the owner had been discovered, but it turned out not to be theirs.
We don’t really appreciate the importance of small items such as a photo of a grandmother or an infant until we no longer have them.
You may think it’s unlikely that any items ended up in Harrison County. However, a wallet from Crittenden, Ky., was found in Batavia, Ohio.
So, before you run over that scrap of paper in the yard with the lawn mower, take a look at it.
Also, I know there have been numerous groups that have made trips to the tornado-ravaged areas to deliver supplies. If anyone has photographs from those trips, we would be happy to share those with our readers. Contact me via email at bbarnes@cynthianademocrat.com or give me a call at 234-1035.