Ten years ago, I met Russ Huxtable while I was performing community service. Since then, I’ve come to realize that he and his entire family are heavily invested in our community. Each year, Russ and his two children help stuff 6,000 Easter eggs and work tirelessly to set up and take down Lewes’ Bunny Bonanza for 350-plus children to enjoy.
Every year, Russ picks up 100 pumpkins, drops them off at the Historic Lewes campus, holds a town pumpkin-carving event, then moves them to the Zwaanendael Museum, where he arranges for all 100 to be lit with candles for everyone to enjoy on Halloween.
In July, when I read a Cape Gazette letter to the editor purporting that Russ doesn’t help the homeless, I was perplexed. Russ not only helps the homeless, he also does their laundry! Russ is part of the Laundry Ministry of Code Purple homeless shelters at St. Jude’s Church. As such, he helps to wash, dry and fold 100 pounds of bedding for both the men’s and women’s shelters each week. Russ actually performs this task by himself several weeks each year when no other help is available.
This year, I learned that Delaware was one of the last 11 states to decriminalize interracial marriage and did so only after the historic June 12, 1967, Supreme Court decision known as Loving v. Virginia. This ruling also affected multiracial families and families like mine that have trans-racially adopted children. The date June 12 has become known as Loving Day and is celebrated in many states across the country. When I realized that Delaware wasn’t among those states, I immediately contacted Russ Huxtable, and in just one week, he was able to garner the support of both the Senate and House to enact Concurrent Resolution 179. Because of Russ, on this past June 12, Delaware had its first Loving Day celebration, an event that brought tears to the eyes of more than one participant.
Community service has been a way of life for Russ Huxtable long before he became a senator. It’s not an act. It’s the real deal. And now that he’s our senator, he is doing more than just showing up. He’s affecting real change.
I trust Russ!
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