Personal Change

Adopt-a-Bear Program Helps Children Face Difficult Times

batch — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:05:05 -0600

The judges of Miami-Dade county developed an organization that would provide teddy bears to children who were faced with real life stories of abuse.

Kids on a Plane

jbloustein — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:32:09 -0500

Odd things happen to me on airplanes—and surprising lessons too, sometimes.

Not long ago I was flying to a conference. I’d lobbied hard to get an aisle seat so I’d have a little more room to work. I was just settling in when on they came—a stampede of alarmingly energetic children swarming the rows behind me, their parents barely able to get the pandemonium under control.

As they stuffed the overheads and bickered over who would sit where, I fumed silently, They better chill out…

From Homelessness to the NFL: A True Story on Film

batch — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:05:07 -0600

Michael Oher's inspirational story is a testament to the power of family, faith and hope.

When he was a 16-year-old in Memphis, Tennessee, Oher was essentially homeless, going from foster homes to various friends' houses, though none of them felt like a home. However, that all changed with Oher was noticed by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy.

To Whom Much Is Given

jbloustein — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:52:30 -0600

Leigh Anne Tuohy is just like any other mom in Memphis, Tennessee...if those moms have Sandra Bullock portraying them in a major motion picture opening this month.

The Blind Side tells the story of how the Tuohy family adopted homeless African American teenager Michael Oher, who became a football prodigy and a first-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens.

Thanksgiving With the Homeless

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:03:47 -0600

This seemed more like April Fools Day than Thanksgiving—I was right in the middle of the kind of bizarre mix-up that could only happen to me.

Just a few hours earlier I had been pretty smug about my Thanksgiving plans. Originally I had had nowhere to spend Thanksgiving—my family was 3000 miles away and I hadn't made any friends yet here in San Francisco—but then I had my bright idea. A quick phone call to a downtown soup kitchen, and suddenly I had something important and useful to do. More than useful—noble.

Halie's Rainbow

jbloustein — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:44:50 -0600

Brazil, Indiana is a close-knit community, and so is the local high school’s marching band, the Northview Marching Knights, eight-time state champions.

Every Thursday, after practice, the staff gathers for dinner at the home of Bob and Ruth Anne Medworth, director of the band and color guard, respectively.

The Medworths live only a mile from the high school, so everyone shows up minutes after practice lets out.

Grandma's Stories

jbloustein — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:07:07 -0500

I’m a teacher, and I like to arrive at school early to get ready for the day.

But one day last fall I pulled into the parking lot and sat, thinking about what I’d heard.

For the last few years I’d listened to a National Public Radio program called StoryCorps. It’s a series of intimate, taped interviews—daughters interviewing mothers, wives interviewing husbands, all just average Americans listening to stories told by the most important people in their lives.

Mr. Thanksgiving

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:11:40 -0600

Thanksgiving eve, Bob Vogelbaugh, owner of a small grocery store in Moline, Illinois, was bagging Rose Hanson's purchases. "Hey, there's no turkey here," Bob said. "My family's all grown," Rose said. "Why bother with dinner? It's just me now."

That got Bob wondering. Were there other folks in the same boat as Rose? He asked other customers that day about their holiday plans. "My kids have moved away." "It's too far to travel just for dinner." "Why go to all the trouble?"

Old Hollywood Glamour

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:38:00 -0500

Actress Mae Laborde had the start to her career that most performers only dream of. "I got a call from a woman who knew me from where I used to work," Mae says. "She asked me to come to a casting office. I read some lines with a man, and when I was finished, a young lady told me she'd call me."

Less than 24 hours later, Mae had been cast in a Sears commercial, her first acting job ever. It would have been a great start for anyone, but it was especially exciting for someone in her nineties.

Old Hollywood Glamour

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:38:00 -0500

Less than 24 hours later, Mae had been cast in a Sears commercial, her first acting job ever. It would have been a great start for anyone, but it was especially exciting for someone in her nineties.