As 2020 continues to unfold, the lyrics from the late songwriter Bill Withers’ classic “Lean on Me” feel truer now more than ever: “If there is a load you have to bear that you can’t carry, I’m right up the road, I’ll share your load, if you just call me.”

It has been inspiring to see so many people stepping up to lend a helping hand. Canadians have a hard time sitting on the sidelines during a crisis and have chosen to contribute to the coalition of those willing and able to band together in an effort to hold things together.

We are seeing an increase in non-transactional giving. As those who have felt helpless and powerless take what power they do have and help others. Each person seeing problems they know they can help with, and then working to build solutions.

These unlikely alliances strengthen each day as we collectively learn from the mistakes we made yesterday and prepare for the challenges tomorrow will bring.

Who bears the brunt of the weight of our community needs? And as we organize in these online spaces, how inclusive are they? Who is given a seat at the virtual table?

There are the nurses and health-care professionals serving on the front lines facing unprecedented stress levels, bus drivers working to provide safe public transit to their fellow essential workers, social workers inundated with unique cases as everyone experiences this crisis differently, and grocery store workers and those valiantly running food banks to ensure no one goes hungry.

We are seeing teachers going above and beyond to make sure no child is left behind as our education systems temporarily transform in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Children and their parents are pivoting to adjust to home learning and working from home. Government, community organizations, and faith institutions alike are quickly building formal and informal networks aimed to triage food, shelter, and financial support to those on the margins.

There are manufacturers across industries retooling their plants to build medical equipment, tech leaders catalyzing innovative workarounds to the new challenges we find ourselves in on a daily basis, and employers truly taking the time to support the well being and mental health of their workforce.

And as we see an influx in incidences of domestic violence, women’s organizations are working around the clock to support families and provide housing solutions to keep Canadians safe.

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.”

For each of the issues Canadians are facing today, there are long-term injustices and factors at play.

I think of the families that sacrificed greatly to support their loved ones in the pursuit of higher education, and the pressure those students carry to succeed even under these uncertain circumstances.

Student leaders are making herculean efforts to ensure students, especially those already stretched beyond their limits, are being thoughtfully considered as COVID-19 relief supports are being deployed.

It is important that we enable students to create and contribute meaningfully to the evolving needs of our society. They should be empowered and celebrated for their contributions.

Beyond the recently expanded Canada Summer Jobs Program, it’s time we understand the precarious living situations many endure during full-time studies, and revamp the systems of support we wrap around students.

It takes a village to support a young person in pursuit of a dream, and it takes a village still to catch that person and help them pivot as their dream is deferred.

This long weekend, as families check in with each other using old and new digital tools to connect, we each have an individual responsibility to combat disinformation, provide support where we can, and guide our family members and friends through the available public resources for which they qualify.

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Especially at this time when many families grieve losses while missing the physical connection with loved ones that traditionally carried them through their grief.

The truth is — we are all heroes to someone. Each doing what we can, with what we have, while we are able.

What kind of superhero are you?