One of the most important things the Army Of Good has done for the Mansion is provide air conditioners for every resident who needed one. It took a couple of years, but we did it.

The Mansion building is beautiful but old,  built in the late 1800’s by a wealthy local family. On warm or sunny days, the rooms can really heat up.

We’ve provided an air conditioner or a fan for anyone who needed one or asked for one, I’ve noted that they all belong to the Mansion so that if residents leave for any reason, they will remain in the building.

The Mansion is a medicaid facility one of the very few in the state north of New York City. They just spent a fortune fixing  up the Mansion floors, walls and installing a new elevator, and there is not a lot of money left over.

People who deal with Medicaid understand the grueling and difficult world of reimbursements. Many Medicaid nursing homes are closing. These residents have nowhere else to go.

The Mansion office is the heart of the enterprise, it’s where the staff checks in and where the records are stored. The air conditioner blew out two days ago, and there was no money to replace it immediately. I’ve spent time in that small office, I know how warm it can be in there, some staffers spend the whole day poring over records and doing paperwork.

Last year, we also got a huge window air conditioner to cool the kitchen, the staff was sweltering in there.

The Mansion staff almost never asks me for anything, and when they do, it is very important. The other day, I saw  how warm they were and I asked them what happened to the air conditioner. They told me it was shot. I knew how hot I was and it wasn’t even summer yet.

I checked with a staffer about the BTU’s and they said they needed a 5,000 BTU unit. They always feel guilty about asking for anything for themselves.  They shouldn’t. I went on Amazon and bought a highly-rated Frigidaire 5,000 BTU unit for $158. It came today.

It is part of my calling to be an advocate for those people, who serve others day in and day out without complaint or much recognition. At the very least, they can be comfortable. I bring cookies,  buttons,  small gifts at Christmas, fund pizza or Chinese  takeout lunches.

When I went into the office to say goodbye to Brittany, I could see how cool the room was and how comfortable everybody seemed. I loved doing that sort of thing, small acts of great kindness. I have never felt better about myself than when I can do something like that.

It softens the sometimes hard times we live in and keeps me and others grounded.

Keeping those staff people comfortable is about the greatest gift I could give the residents. Thanks for your support. Your donations made this possible.

If you wish to support this work, you can send a contribution to me, Jon Katz, via Paypal, [email protected]. The fund is down to several hundred dollars. You can also send a check to Jon Katz, Mansion Support, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

Small donations are just as important as big ones. A lot of wonderful things happen for the residents when enough people send those crumpled  $5 and $10 bills.

Thanks for clearing out the new Mansion Amazon Wish List.  There is only one item left, a hidden picture book for women for $9.95. I’m not getting it, people have scolded me for not giving them a chance to do some good.

Also, please check out the new Bishop Maginn  High School Wish List. There is only one microscope for $89 and three Acer Chrome laptop computers for $201 each. This school needs technology and science. There wasn’t a working computer or functioning microscope until this week. They now have 10 laptops and five microscopes.

They need 16 more laptops by September and ten more microscopes.

These are desperately needed tools for the refugee students the school is now a haven for.