On the night of the gang rape in Richmond, California, many people crowded around. The laughed, they jeered, they took videos. Not one of them called for help. Not one of them tried to stop it.
Elizabeth Vargas was at home when heard about the gang rape going on at her school from her brother-in-law. She did not remain silent. She called 911 and reported attack.
This young woman stood up against community ambivalence. She knew the rape was wrong and she didn’t stand by and let it happen. Because of her, the police got to the high school and have six suspects under arrest.
Vargas is a brave woman. And, she makes us all very proud!
You know what the “N” word is. It’s one of the most hateful things one human being can say to another human being. Yet, it’s in our music, our conversation, and casually batted around every day.
11 year old, Jonathan McCoy is trying to raise awareness about the harm the word does. He’s trying to get 100,000 signatures on a petition to send a message about hurtful and degrading the word is.
He won a special oratory award for an essay he wrote for his cause. Here’s the video of Jonathan giving that speech:
This is an amazing story. Two families struggling with unemployment couldn’t make their rent. They expected to get tossed out on their ears. Instead, they got help from an unexpected corner, their landlord.
Ed Pierce of South Carolina rents to both families. He sat down with them to see what could be done. He came up with a remarkable solution. He went back to work!
Peirce has taken a job at Walgreen. He’ll work to keep both families going until they find work. Small children are involved in each case.
According to Peirce: “These are stand-up guys. Family men. Proud. They paid me before, when they were working. You don’t show your faith, your Christianity, in words. You do it in deeds.”
Tuesday night, Edward “Ted” Kennedy passed away. His battle with brain cancer over.
Kennedy battled his demons, he had his failings, but as a Senator he fought for the American people with integrity and passion. He fought for civil rights, equal rights, and fairness. We have him to thank for many of things we take for granted today such as the American with Disabilities Act, Cancer funding, Meals on Wheels, Title IX, sCHIP-Children’s Health Insurance, minimum wage increases, saving Social Security in the 1980s, and so much more. He earned the respect of his colleagues no matter which side of the aisle they were from.
A group of American World War II Veterans met up with Japanese World War II Veterans in Hiroshima in April. The men gathered together to pay respects by visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Then they played softball.
Most of those who participated were in their 80s. They played their game at an elementary school where some 400 children died during the bombing of Hiroshima.
This was the second time the group got together for a softball game. The last time they met in Hawaii in 2007.
Marin County (California) Sheriff, Brian Cabaud, bought a lottery ticket last Thursday in Mill Valley, CA. He promised to split his winnings with his girlfriend, Anneliese Hansen, if he won. That ticket was one of three that won the Mega Millions Jackpot that totalled $227 million on May 1st. Each ticket is worth $75 million.
The reality of winning the lottery hasn’t sunk in yet. The couple hasn’t made many plans for the money. Outside of trip to Disneyland, they’ve only come to one decision. The two sheriff’s department employees will be making a donation to the fund set up for the four police officers who were slain in Oakland, CA on March 21st.
Cabaud summed it up pretty well, ““All law enforcement is very much like a brotherhood or sisterhood,” he said. “For them to give up everything they had to keep the public safe is something we should never forget.”
The Founder of the Mother Mary Ann Wright Foundation, a tireless advocate who fed the needy, passed away at the age of 87.
The Mother of 9 who left Louisiana and her husband (took the 9 kids with her) in the 1950s. She worked two jobs so her kids would have food and shelter. At the age of 63, she had a vision which told her to feed the hungry. And, that’s just what she did.
At first she used her social security check to pay for food. She fed needy people in Oakland once a week. Her actions spread beyond Oakland. Later she formed the Mother Mary Ann Wright Foundation which fed 450 people a day.
It seems incredibly fitting that the woman dubbed “Mother Wright” would pass away right before Mother’s Day. She had been Mother to so many for so many years.
Optometrist, Dr. Rosie Flores, volunteers at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center. She comes across youth who’ve done poorly in school and then end up in trouble. One thing she has noticed about many of these kids…they have poor vision and they don’t even know it.
Many of the teenagers get their first eye test after they’ve been arrested. Some of them were plagued with vision problems that lead to their difficulties in school. Some can’t read because they can’t see the words on the pages. When Flores fits them with glasses, they suddenly see what they’ve been missing.
The optometry program is run by volunteers with assistance from the San Leandro (California) Lions Club. The Club donates close to $20,000 for equipment and glasses. Lens Crafters donates the glasses and local optometrist donate their time and expertise for testing.
According to a representative of Highland Hospital, 500 teens were tested in 2007. 183 needed glasses.
This is truly amazing. In Brussel, Belgium they have replicated a medeival carpet using begonias. It includes close to a a million flowers and spreads out for 300 square meters. Grass, tree bark, and other materials were added to blend the colors. 1,000 volunteers are needed to put it all together.
In 1971, the first Carpet of Flowers was created in Belgium’s capital. Now, the carpet is recreated every two year. The next display will be created in 2010.
