Human Interest Archive: Aug 2009
Homeless blogger finds hope
(Leanne Italie, AP) Six months ago, Brianna Karp found herself living in an old truck and camper she inherited after the suicide of a father she barely knew. On Monday, her life became a 21st century fairytale when she turned her blog about homelessness into a plum internship for a high-fashion magazine.
People making a difference: Dara O'Rourke
(Michael B. Farrell, Christian Science Monitor) Dara O'Rourke wants to change the way we shop. He already is spurring a growing number of cautious consumers to think twice about what they buy – from soap to soup, detergent to deodorant. Mr. O'Rourke is cofounder of a website and iPhone app called GoodGuide, a sort of CliffsNotes to the confounding and complex world of ingredients typically – but not always – found listed on the back of everyday products.
Camera abandoned by student on mountain top is returned full of snaps of fellow walkers
(Daily Mail) A student left a camera on a picturesque mountaintop in Snowdonia in an experiment into human trust. Paul Bellis Jones, 24, left a note with the camera near the summit of Mount Tryfan, instructing walkers to take a picture then leave it for the next person. He was keen to know if the camera would be returned to his home in Glan Conwy, near Llandudno, as per his instructions, of if it would be stolen instead.
A teen in The Woodlands has accomplished a goal met by only 105 other Boy Scouts — earning all 121 badges
(Mike Tolson, Houston Chronicle) If there is an enduring archetype of the Boy Scout, especially one who achieves its highest recognition, for many it comes straight from the brush of Norman Rockwell, who returned again and again to this iconic image of American boyhood. His Scout is the straightest of straight arrows, a strapping, outdoorsy kid who loves baseball, salutes the flag, rarely gets into trouble at school and enjoys lazy afternoons at the local fishing hole.
FDNY veteran rescues all kinds of wildlife in spare time: hawks, bobcats, coyotes
(Lisa Colangelo, New York Daily News) Saving lives is Bobby Horvath's work and his passion. A 15-year veteran with the New York City Fire Department, Horvath has a busy job as a firefighter at Engine 264/Ladder 134 in Far Rockaway, Queens. But when he's not at the firehouse, Horvath has his hands full as a wildlife rehabilitator, rescuing all kinds of birds and animals in the city and on Long Island. He's also one of a select group of licensed rehabilitators that the city Parks Department and New York City Animal Care and Control count on when they have a hawk, a coyote or even a bobcat.
Homeless people learn to feed others as chefs
(Nanci Hellmich, USA Today) Chef Cecil Morris Jr., 46, of Mobile, Ala., knows what it's like to be on both sides of the soup kitchen line. He was homeless and addicted to drugs and alcohol in 1992 when he entered the local Salvation Army's adult rehab center. After a year in the program, Morris asked the chef in charge of the kitchen to teach him how to cook. That chef gave him the skills he uses today as the culinary arts director at the Salvation Army in his community, which serves more than 400 meals daily.
Stuttering kids taste stardom at arts camp
(AP) When Matt Hobbs first showed up at Camp Our Time a year ago, he barely spoke. Even surrounded by other young stutterers, maybe it didn't make sense for a teen with as severe an impediment as his to attend a camp focused on the performing arts. But Hobbs licked his stage fright and came back this year enthusiastic, gregarious and bold. Though it took him a few long pauses, punctuated by deep, determined gasps of breath, he couldn't have been clearer about his feelings toward the camp.
People making a difference: Alberto Yanosky
(Sara Miller Llana, Christian Science Monitor) Alberto Yanosky zooms up to the curb in his white Kia minivan and, panting, rushes through the doors of the conservation group he leads, Guyra Paraguay. This morning he has just returned from Uruguay and is headed straight to a talk on climate change at a Japanese-Paraguayan center in Asunción, Paraguay's capital city. He has several meetings to cram in over the next few days before leaving again – this time for the Atlantic forest in eastern Paraguay.
Rapper behind 'Roxanne's Revenge' gets Warner Music to pay for Ph.D
(Walter Dawkins, New York Daily News) Roxanne's revenge was sweet indeed. Twenty-five years after the first queen of hip-hop was stiffed on her royalty checks, Dr. Roxanne Shante boasts an Ivy League Ph.D. - financed by a forgotten clause in her first record deal. "This is a story that needs to be told," Shante said. "I'm an example that you can be a teenage mom, come from the projects, and be raised by a single parent, and you can still come out of it a doctor."
After struggling 50 years, father of 4 learning to read
(Jennifer Radcliffe, Houston Chronicle) Lester Benton stares down the new school year with steadfast determination. Every textbook, every essay marks a major accomplishment for the 50-year-old, who only recently began learning to read. The 1978 Yates High School graduate says that breaking the shackles of illiteracy is just the beginning for him. He will return to Houston Community College on Monday, where he's been taking one class a semester as he inches toward an associate's degree in network engineering.
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Why she's giving away $50 million
(Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times) Imagine all the things you could buy if you had a spare $50 million under the mattress. A yacht. A jet. A nice little getaway in Hawaii, and why not in New York, Rome and Paris as well? A Palos Verdes Estates woman named Melanie Lundquist happened to have the extra $50 million, but she bought none of the above. Instead, she called Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2007 and told him she wanted to give the money to some of the lowest-performing schools in Los Angeles Unified.
Stanford program ensures no one dies alone
(April Dembosky, San Jose Mercury News) Her tiny frame seemed to get lost in the hospital blankets as she lay dying. She was almost 80, couldn't speak, couldn't move, but they still called her "Peter Pan incarnate." She seemed innocent and childlike. Doctors said she could hear and feel touch, so volunteer Heida Earnest stroked her short, thick hair and held her hand.
Meet the world’s youngest wing walker — he’s 8
(Mike Celizic, TodayShow.com) Reader’s advisory: Parents who won’t let their children out of the house without wearing a helmet might not wish to read any further about 8-year-old Tiger Brewer, whose idea of fun is to ride an airplane at 120 mph 500 feet in the air — standing on top of the wing. Two days after becoming the youngest-ever wing walker, Tiger tried to explain to TODAY’s Ann Curry Friday what he was thinking when he found himself soaring over the English countryside strapped to the top of his grandfather’s 1942-vintage biplane.
Edmond family launches site to encourage kindness
(Carla Hinton, The Oklahoman) Linda Morgan remembers the "angels" — all the nonprofit organizations that came to her aid when her son battled drug and alcohol addiction. She’d sold her house and used the equity to pay for her son’s expensive treatment, but the face-to-face connections with individuals and community groups who understood her reality proved just as vital. Morgan said that’s why she wanted to share her story of hope with others through the powerful medium of the Internet.
Do-It-Yourself Guru Makes Treasures From Trash
(Jon Kalish, NPR) In the world of do-it-yourselfers, Tim Anderson is a rock star. His 1983 Datsun pickup truck runs on bio-diesel, and he's not above Dumpster diving. His only income-producing gig at the moment is writing a column for Make magazine about forgotten technology, like using socks as coffee filters and making sandals from old tires.
People making a difference: Sheridan Conisbee
(Tibor Krausz, Christian Science Monitor) The "Seven Dwarfs" were left in a box beside a garbage bin last January. But that's when volunteers from Bangkok's Soi Cats and Dogs animal charity spotted them. If they hadn't, the seven black-splotched white pups, subsequently named after the seven dwarfs in the children's tale, would at best have ended up at a Buddhist temple – the routine destination in Thailand for discarded pets – reduced to a life of neglect and a diet of scraps.
Making their own fairy tale
(Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune) Katie Keiling was raised on the fairy tale that one day she would find her true love, walk down the aisle in a white dress and live happily ever after. But when she reached the University of Chicago, she began to think her agenda didn't necessarily include marriage. Then she met Gary. Gary Arnold was raised on reality. Just over 4 feet tall, he didn't always expect to marry. More important, he sought to make others understand that his short stature did not make him or others with disabilities less human. Then he met Katie.
Frugal immigrant from Austria leaves $300K estate
(Tom Watkins, CNN) New details have emerged about a Jewish immigrant who fled Austria as World War II was brewing, lived frugally in New York and left an estate whose size -- $300,000 -- astounded some. In a story published Monday, CNN and other news organizations reported neither the woman's name nor much else about her, except for the fact that she had donated half of her estate to Hebrew University in Jerusalem, a school with which she had had no known contact.
How miracle boy beat the odds to take his first steps at the age of six
(Daily Mail) A six-year-old boy who doctors said would never walk has defied the odds by miraculously taking his first steps. Josh Jackson was born with severe cerebral palsy and his parents, Clare and Harvey Jackson, were told it was highly unlikely he would ever walk. But the determined youngster has amazed his family by suddenly taking his first steps.
Man spends his vacations helping others
(Virginia Burroughs, Dayton Daily News) Princeton Heights resident Jeff Sparks uses vacation time from his job to go on work missions in devastated areas. “Last year, we went to Iowa after the floods there and did demolition and cleanup,” he said. In November, he’ll make his sixth trip to New Orleans. Sparks, a Louisville native, settled in Dayton after serving in the Air Force from 1973-90.
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Oakland man donating kidney to longtime mentor
(Angela Hill, Oakland Tribune) In the coming months, don't be surprised to see Faheem Malik Jahaan suddenly break out with some uncharacteristic dance moves. Just blame it on the kidney. "My donor can dance and I can't, so I'm hoping that'll wear off on me a little," said Jahaan, 57, joking last week in his San Leandro home with longtime friend Qa'id Aqeel, 36, of Oakland, who is donating one of his kidneys to Jahaan to free him from a life of dialysis treatments, improve his quality of life and, maybe, infuse him with a little sassy rhythm. "
FDNY honors heroic Queens boy, 5, who saved mom's life with a quick call to 911
(Jonathan Lemire, New York Daily News) He saved his mommy's life - and he's just five years old. Little Tahlique Garay's pregnant mother collapsed and fell to the floor of her Queens bedroom, out cold. The precocious kindergarten graduate didn't panic, instead calmly following what Jennifer Garay had told him to do if she ever got sick: Call 911.
Prosthetics help Texas boy step over the competition
(Susan Simpson, The Oklahoman) Cody McCasland doesn’t get flustered easily, even when 200 children want to ask him questions. "Does it hurt?" asks one boy about Cody’s prosthetic legs. No, unless he’s outgrowing his prosthetics, which must be replaced about every nine months. "Can you run?" Yes, says Cody, breaking into a sprint around the Midwest City YMCA gymnasium. "Can you hop on one foot?" asks another child. Cody quickly removes one of his prosthetics and hops energetically around the group of children, who clap and cheer. Cody is 7 years old. He was born without lower leg bones but with an excess of determination.
Toll taker collects random acts of kindness
(Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle) As toll collector at the Golden Gate Bridge, Michelle Shalagin has received flowers, doughnuts, bottles of wine and a set of pearl earrings. She's been asked out on dates, watched children grow from toddler to teenager, and taken verbal abuse for the $6 toll that went into effect on Sept. 2.
Homeless survivor wills $100,000 to Hebrew U.
(Alex Sorin, Jerusalem Post) A homeless, anonymous Holocaust survivor from New York who passed away recently at the age of 92 left $100,000 to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, even though she had no known connection to the institution. She left another $100,000 to her last employer. According to a Hebrew University spokesman, the Jewish woman, who had been living out of a shopping cart in Manhattan, apparently had no surviving relatives. Almost nothing is known about the woman except the unusual story of her employment during the last months of her life.
45-Year-Old Pageant Winner Stays Forever Young
(Jorge Estevez, CBS4) Her home is filled with pictures, awards, and sashes, but this beauty pageant queen is a little different than what you might expect. She's not only a beauty queen, but also an inspiration to all moms, because 45-year-old Nikitress Lewis won a pageant to prove to her girls; women can do anything. "I won Miss Florida, so they were like, 'Mom, you're over 40 and you won a pageant,'" Lewis said.
Cancer survivors grow up, give back
(Meredith Larsen, Cincinnati Enquirer) Not so many years ago, many children diagnosed with cancer couldn't count on growing up. In the 1970s, the five-year survival rate for cancer in children was about 50 percent. But today, the five-year survival rate is about 80 percent and climbing, according to the American Cancer Society. And that means more survivors of childhood cancer are graduating from high school, seeking college educations and pursuing career dreams.
101-year-old Dallas-area lawyer Jack Borden honored as nation's 'Outstanding Oldest Worker'
(David Flick, Dallas Morning News) At 101 years old, Jack Borden often gets asked two questions: What's the secret to a long life? and When are you going to give up chewing tobacco? He dismisses the first ("Not dying") and simply ignores the second. "I've been hearing for 91 years that it's going to kill me," he said, projecting juice into a brass spittoon by his desk. "When you're old, you have to have something to give you pleasure." This afternoon, on his 101st birthday, Borden, a practicing lawyer, will be honored as the nation's "Outstanding Oldest Worker for 2009" by Experience Works, a nonprofit group dedicated to highlighting the workforce contributions of seniors.
Priest's mission: Saving flock from foreclosure
(AP) A priest's typical mission is saving souls, but the Rev. John Lasseigne has a more down-to-earth goal — saving homes. That's like trying to work a miracle in Lasseigne's Roman Catholic parish of Pacoima, a blue-collar corner of the San Fernando Valley where bank sale signs sprout faster than weeds. One in nine homes is in default, making it one of the nation's hardest hit towns in the foreclosure crisis.
Briton Sarah Outen becomes first woman to row across Indian Ocean
(Steve Bird, Times Online) After four months of struggle against 100ft waves, searing heat and raging storms, Sarah Outen was just hours from becoming the first woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean. But a few hundred yards from Mauritius, the finishing line for her 4,000-mile record-breaking adventure, the British biology teacher encountered her biggest challenge.
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A young medical star
(Adrian Walker, Boston Globe) It’s one thing to find your vocation early, but Melissa Rocha was truly precocious. She was in junior high school when she settled on her career choice: surgery. "To this day, I cannot figure out how this passion began, but I know it’s been there since the seventh grade, and it’s just been growing," she said yesterday. At the time, Melissa and her mother and brother were living in a homeless shelter in downtown Boston. But it never crossed her mind that her personal struggles could be an impediment to her dreams.
Gulf War penpals get married after Facebook encounter 19 years later
(Stephanie Gaskell, New York Daily News) It started with a letter - and ended in a wedding. Nearly two decades ago, 13-year-old Jaime Benefit wrote a letter addressed to "Any Soldier" during the Persian Gulf War, expressing her support for the troops as they prepared to invade Iraq. The letter made its way to Pfc. Jeremy Clayton, a 19-year-old soldier from Charleston, S.C., who was serving with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. The two became pen pals, writing back and forth about sports, high school and their families.
Heart Of The Clown Spreads Happiness, Laughter
(WCBS-TV) The clowns of Lev Leytzan aren't normal clowns. They're compassionate clowns and they're spreading the gift of happiness to residents of orphanages and nursing homes. Lev Leytzan, which means "heart of the clown" in Hebrew, spreads laughter at hospitals and nursing homes, locally and around the world, helping sick children, the elderly and Holocaust survivors.
People making a difference: Emily Pozo
(Sara Miller Llana, Christian Science Monitor) Giant tortoises sun lazily on uninhabited beaches. Exotic blue-footed boobies carry out their elaborate mating dances. These are images the Galápagos Islands conjure. In fact, most people are surprised to learn that humans actually share space here with the remarkable creatures that helped shape Charles Darwin's ideas on natural selection after he explored the islands in 1831. Emily Pozo, a social worker from the United States, is no exception. She first visited the archipelago, some 600 miles west of Ecuador, on a trip while working for a study abroad organization.
Collin County man who hid his illiteracy writes a new chapter
(Sam Hodges, Dallas Morning News) With his flattop and handlebar mustache, his meerschaum pipe and sleeveless shirts, Arnie Clark cuts a vivid figure in northern Collin County. He's a man of interests, everything from gunsmithing to keeping peacocks on his eight-acre spread near Anna. But when Clark retired in 2007 – after a half-century as a mechanic and welder – a spiritual funk settled over him. He even quit attending his small Catholic church in Van Alstyne, feeling he was going through the motions. "Cheating God" is how he describes it.
British cooking mother invited to White House 'by her new number 1 fan Michelle Obama'
(Ian Johnston, The Telegraph) The mother-of-three was told in 2004 that she was close to death after suffering three heart attacks in a week because of a rare condition which had damaged one of the main arteries to her heart. But the 41 year-old, of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, survived and has managed to stay healthy with the help of a new diet. That new diet, which includes healthy sausage and mash and ratatouille chicken tray bake, is the basis for her cookbook, The Secret Ingredient.
Born With Heart of Rescuer: Little Boy's Kindness Touches Many
(Houston Chronicle) It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season that would bankrupt several farmers before it was through. Every day, my husband and his brothers would go about the arduous process of trying to get water to the fields. Lately this process had involved taking a truck to the local water rendering plant and filling it up with water. But severe rationing had cut everyone off. If we didn’t see some rain soon...we would lose everything. It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing and witnessed the only miracle I have seen with my own eyes.
Disabled kids put 'do' in tae kwon do
(Alaina Busch, Southeast Missourian) Alexis Johnson, 9, started wearing leg braces when she was 18 months old after being diagnosed with cerebral palsy. But for about an hour, she'll take off the braces and wear a tae kwon do uniform to practice martial arts with her instructor, Alan Williams, as part of her treatment. At his Outerlimits martial arts school near Oak Ridge, Williams uses his 31 years of experience in martial arts to teach traditional students and students with disabilities. Putting on a uniform and earning a belt rank gives his students a new outlook on their treatment.
After 70 years, brothers find each other online
(Shawn Vestal, The Spokesman-Review) For nearly 30 years, John Mellinger Jr. knew that he had a brother. He just didn't know who - or where - he was. Then, in the space of two weeks, that changed. First came the e-mail, Mellinger said, from "a fella named Dan Newburn. It says, 'John, I think I might be your older brother.'" They became friends on Facebook. They started talking daily using the Internet phone service Skype. They noted the family resemblance, the similar noses. They sorted out the family history. Finally, Mellinger and Newburn met face to face in Mellinger's Spokane home - a reunion some 70 years in the making.
A shortcut to healing: Portland stylist helps cancer patients feel like themselves again
(Tom Hallman Jr., The Oregonian) At first glance, a room deep inside Providence Portland Medical Center might be mistaken for a gift shop. It has no machines, no doctors, no drugs. Yet healing takes place. It can be almost magical: A woman looks in the mirror and finds a part of herself she thought she'd lost. Standing behind her is a stranger who made it happen.
Woodworking teacher takes time to shape young lives
(Sadia Latifi, News & Observer) Keith Yow doesn't mind pulling long hours, because his students are doing more than just building dining tables. With his guidance and high expectations, they're constructing their futures. That's why Yow, 42, puts in 60 hours or more each week as a woodworking teacher at Cedar Ridge High School. At a time when emphasis is placed on computer learning and advanced placement courses, Yow has created a dynasty at Orange County Schools. Between his time at Cedar Ridge and at Orange High School before that, he has sent more than 40 students to national woodworking competitions in the past 10 years.