In this episode, we shine a light on what it truly means to turn compassion into action. Host Sarah MacHugh sat down with Dan Budd of Red Hook Responds to explore how a grassroots COVID-19 response effort grew into an enduring force for good in the Red Hook, New York, community and beyond. Jack and Anna Marcotte also share their perspectives as young adults navigating the challenges of the pandemic while choosing to create something positive.

From meal deliveries and pharmacy runs to tutoring and check-in calls, Red Hook Responds is grounded in a simple but powerful belief: no one should suffer if we can help it. This conversation is a reminder that when we put good into action every day, its impact reaches far beyond what we can measure.

Fairport Harbor, on the south side of Lake Erie at the mouth of the Grand River, is considered part of the Cleveland, Ohio, metropolitan area. The first lighthouse in the harbor was a 56-foot brick tower built in 1825. The lighthouse that stands today is a 60-foot stone tower that began service in 1871. After a new lighthouse was built on a breakwater in the harbor in 1925, the government planned to destroy the old lighthouse. A number of organizations in the area objected, and the lighthouse was spared. In 1945, the Fairport Harbor Historical Society established a marine museum inside the old keeper’s house. Museum highlights include a Fresnel lens and the infamous “ghost cat” story.

Our guests today are Marty O’Gara and John Ollila. John is the historian for the lighthouse and a trustee of the Fairport Harbor Historical Society. Marty is the president of the Fairport Harbor Historical Society.