It’s great to see new opportunities at Butler County’s institutions of higher learning addressing the turbulent times we’re facing and important societal issues.

Slippery Rock University alum Michael O’Hare and his wife, Becky, donated $10,000 to the SRU Foundation to establish the “Unity at the Rock” scholarship, which gives $1,250 per year for up to four years to two incoming freshmen.

The criteria is one student must be an underrepresented minority student from Western Pennsylvania, while the other must have a first responder for a parent. Meanwhile, Butler County Community College is debuting a new addiction recovery certificate program to enable graduates to work in residential and outpatient recovery facilities.

We think both the scholarship and certificate program are great ideas. The scholarship is not only timely, but also the right thing to do. In recent weeks, the Eagle has told the stories of Black residents from Butler County who discussed their experiences with racism while growing up in the county.

O’Hare said of his scholarship that the idea is to respond to our nation’s civil unrest with unity and generosity.

Promoting more diversity at our county’s colleges and universities is one way to ensure that more voices are heard in the important discussions taking place in our country.

Also, recent years have seen decreases in the number of the state’s first responders due to a decline in volunteers and inadequate funds to pay full-time workers. So, helping a student whose parent fills that crucial role is a solid idea.

BC3’s new program will also be a great addition. Although opioid overdoses remained steady in the county in 2019, it has been one of the largest recent problems the region has faced.

Graduates from BC3’s program will be able to take part in field work that helps those struggling with addiction — whether it’s drug and alcohol use, gambling or eating disorders.

Linda Franiewski, executive director of the Ellen O’Brien Gaiser Center, said compassion “isn’t something you can learn in school,” regarding the program. Likewise, O’Hare said he learned from his wife that during uncertain times, the “best thing you can do is to help other people,” which inspired his SRU scholarship.

We agree with them both. So far, 2020 has been a year filled with many challenges. But we think BC3’s program and SRU’s scholarship show that one of the best things you can do in unprecedented times is find ways to help others.