Thank you for helping other

As a result of World War 1, Miep suffered from malnutrition and a lung disease. Then, at age 11, a Dutch humanitarian program sent her to Holland to recover. She was hosted by a loving family which already had 5 children. Their love and commitment to social responsibility helped forge Miep’s dedication to helping others. The plan was for her stay to be temporary; it turned out to be permanent.

In time, Miep got a job as a secretary and office assistant at the Opekta Company which sold pectin. Otto, the owner, was a person of integrity and warmth. From that, a spirit of mutual respect and family bonds grew between Otto and his family and Miep and her husband Jan.

In 1942, the Nazis started deporting Jews from the Netherlands to concentration camps. Alarmed, Otto then approached Miep and Jan about a
possible plan to go into hiding, if necessary. They agreed without hesitation and the plan was executed via a secret annex of their house.

On August 4, 1944, SS officer Karl Silberbauer, acting on a tip from an informant, raided the building at 263 Prinsengracht in Amsterdam and took Otto Frank, his wife Edith, daughters Anne and Margot plus the Van Pels family. Miep returned to the hideout where each day for two years she had quietly given them food, news and hope and stumbled upon a diary written by Anne. She secured and hid it to share with Otto when he returned.

In 1994, the University of Michigan bestowed the Raoul Wallenberg Award to Miep, in recognition of her extraordinary courage and humanity during World War 2. Here is part of here acceptance speech: “If you ever decide to help people who are in trouble you must be prepared to face the opposition of friends and family… We should not wait on political leaders to make this world a better place we should act now… Tell children they should always share with others… Most victims of poverty and discrimination are innocent therefore we must help them.”

For more than seven decades, Miep Gies’ commitment to helping others, her preservation of the powerful and poignant diary of Anne Frank, and her personal courage and integrity, have empowered and inspired millions to keep giving.

Thank you for helping others.
-Markly Wilson