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Casey Blake didn’t have to give any money to his hometown of Indianola; certainly not $1 million. But he did.

The Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player pulls down a huge income, like all professional athletes in this country, and the subtraction of a million bucks won’t hurt him at all. But he could have kept it.

However, when you grow up in a small town in Iowa, you never completely leave it. In making the donation, Blake stepped out of the bubble of wealth and fame and went right back to the world as he first experienced it – a place where you’re expected to pitch in and help out.

He was already an inspiration to young athletes; now he’s a role model for us all.

It has been a season of charity. We’ve seen many wonderful examples of generosity during the ongoing fund-raising for the earthquake victims of Haiti. Actor George Clooney pledged $1 million, then organized a telethon that reportedly raised $57 million more.

He had no particular link to the island, and neither did most of the donors. There’s just something in the heart that wants to help.

You might say that the entertainers in Clooney’s circle could have just given $1 million apiece and hurried the process along. But charity can’t be demanded or required. It can only be hoped for. When it appears, it’s a small proof that we’re still connected. We no longer live in the powerful physical and emotional webs of tribes, but we still feel the same pull.

You might say that the finest charity is anonymous. That we should give without expectation of praise or gratitude.

Nonsense. When a person makes a publicized effort to do good, that’s the best form of inspiration. When Iowa natives making their mark see Casey Blake give back to his roots, it strikes a spark.

And that warm glow that comes from giving and then being thanked, that just might be the best motivation for the giver to give again.