Modesto singer's story appreciated

Thank you for the front page article on Dellanora Green (Oct. 5). My husband and I have observed and supported her the past five years, since she first began singing publicly.

To us, she is a shining example of someone with no employment or resources who has used her gift to support herself and benefit others. We have never witnessed the behaviors that others cite as being aggressive; rather, Dellanora positions herself in a neutral location and simply sings, with no overbearing behavior.

I applaud the members of our downtown community for helping her. She, and they, are a positive reflection on our community!

Having come from a family of means, along with grandparents who struggled and eked out an existence throughout their lives, I eventually came to listen and embrace the words of a Joan Baez ballad when I entered adulthood: "There but for fortune, go you or I."

Would that more of us would take that message to heart!

KATHERINE CONROTTO

Modesto