Depending on the individual involved, the phrase “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” can be either a good thing or a bad thing. When it comes to lifelong Bridgeport resident Miranda Lang, it’s a good thing – a really good thing.

 

For those that don’t know the 20-year-old who happens to be a junior at American University in Washington, D.C., she is the daughter of Andy and Lisa Lang of Bridgeport. And for those that don’t know Andy and Lisa Lang, here’s a layman’s description of the pair in the following two paragraphs.

 

The Lang’s are arguably among the most giving and caring couples in Bridgeport. If there is a good cause needing assistance, it’s more than probable that their not only involved, but involved to a very large extent. Bridgeport Challenger League President Mike Martin has called the pair “angels” that have given in every way imaginable to a league that helps physically and mentally challenged youth.

 

But, it’s not just Challenger League. It’s so many things. It’s so many things that myself and so many others will never know about because they don’t bring publicity on themselves when doing positive deeds. They give out of the goodness of their heart and for no other reason. And they’ve been doing so, I would imagine, for all 20 years of their daughter’s life and beyond.

 

Of course, when you’re exposed to that, something has to rub off. Last week, I found out that Miranda Lang is a chip off the old block. Or maybe, a good apple in an already good family bushel.

 

As it turns out, Lang is doing more than just majoring in American Studies Popular Culture with a minor in Public Anthropology at American. She’s helping out. She’s volunteering. And her latest endeavor has her seeking a little bit of help from her friends and family back home in Bridgeport.

 

Currently, Lang is taking a class titled “Health and the Digital Age.” The class, as the title suggests, is on public health and the digital perspective – in other words using social media.

 

“I had a project choice in the class and I chose to go with activism,” said Lang. “The purpose of the project is to use social media to further my cause. I also knew that if I wanted to get a good grade, this project would have to see me reaching out online.”

 

The cause is one aimed at helping homeless women in the Washington, D.C. area. Although aware of the problems of the homeless in the nation’s capital, it was this semester where she learned even more about it and other problems facing the homeless.

 

“D.C. has one of the highest HIV rates; almost to an epidemic point … There are bridges here where you see tent towns of homeless people under them. It’s around you,” she said. “I knew a lot about the homeless problems, but I didn’t know a lot of the things, like the HIV issue, until this semester and I hope what I’m doing will help at some levels with the many problems faced by those less fortunate.”

 

What Lang did was to set up a “gofundme” page, which certainly meets her “online” reaching out portion of her project. The page, which has been featured in other stories involving other causes on Connect-Bridgeport before, allows individuals to promote a campaign and allow those viewing the page to determine if it’s a worthy enough to donate to. Her page and campaign is titled “Women for the Needs of Women.”

 

In a nutshell, Lang is looking to raise money for homeless women to help meet their feminine hygiene needs. She quotes one article as saying that cost for one female is more than $2,500 per year, which is something homeless women can’t hope to maintain.

 

So how is it going? Better than even Lang had hoped.

 

“When I started, my goal was to raise $250 and that was reached in an hour so I raised it to $500 and that was reached in four hours,” said Lang. “I have changed it several times in the biography on the page and it keeps getting reached. I kind of went into this thinking it would be really basic, write a paper on my experience and call it a day, but in less than 48 hours I had already surpassed my goal several times and it made me realize that a lot of people out there truly care,” said Lang, who turns 21 in roughly a month.

 

The funny thing is that when I talked to Lang earlier this week, the goal had been revised to $1,500. And that’s been passed. By the time you read this, it could be revised again. And with your help, when Lang’s Nov. 30 timeline is reached, who knows where the final numbers will be and who knows what type of impact those dollars will have. All I know for sure is that they will have an impact.

 

Once the money is collected, it will go to an agency known as “Thrive DC.” In other words, the money already has a landing spot.

 

“It’s a center in Washington, D.C. that provides meals and general resources for those experiencing homelessness,” said Lang. “They offer a really wide and unique range of services.”

 

Here, however, is the beautiful part of this. Although Lang’s “gofundme” page is part of a school project, her caring is not. Well before this started, Lang was volunteering at Thrive DC.

 

“I really don’t feel too comfortable talking about what I do there or talking about helping out, but I hope by talking about this it can generate funding that is so desperately needed,” said Lang, who graduated from the Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania and sounds exactly like her mother when deflecting attention on what she’s doing.

 

However, Miranda Lang had no problem praising her parents. In fact, she said Andy and Lisa Lang provided for her what they’ve provided so many of us – an example of doing what’s right.

 

“When I try to explain to my close friends what my parents do for our community, I know I’m not doing them justice. I know what they do behind the scenes, but it’ shard to explain the magnitude of what they’re doing and how they impact others. I’m old enough to know that I don’t know the full story of everything they do or have done,” she said. “I know when I was younger that my parents would never tell me everything they were doing, whether it was for my school or something else. They would keep quiet about a lot of things.

 

“I’m absolutely proud of my parents and proud doesn’t even cover it,” Lang continued. “If you could make a word bigger than proud, then maybe, just maybe, that wouldn’t get the job done.”

 

Certainly, Andy and Lisa Lang are proud of their daughter. And they should be.

 

Miranda Lang is a good apple. That should be no surprise as she comes from a tree with good roots.

 

To visit Miranda Lang’s “gofundme” page to learn more about her effort to raise funds and contribute, click HERE.

 

To learn more about Thrive DC, click HERE.

 

Editor's Note: Photos are of Miranda Lang, middle, with her mother Lisa and father Andy. Photos courtesy of Miranda Lang.