Showing posts with label human kindness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label human kindness. Show all posts

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Homeless Veterans Treated Like Honored Guests At Canceled Wedding

Canceled $30K wedding becomes dinner for Indiana homeless, veterans
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 16, 2017

Cummins said she decided that rather than throw away the food she would bring some purpose to the event and contacted area homeless shelters. She cheerfully greeted and welcomed her guests when they arrived Saturday.

Several local businesses and residents donated suits, dresses and other items for the guests to wear.
Sarah Cummins talks with men from Wheeler Mission, at the Ritz Charles, Saturday, July 15, 2017. Cummins called off her wedding which was supposed to be this day. She decided to bring purpose to her pain by inviting area homeless to enjoy the reception.
KELLY WILKINSON/THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR VIA AP
INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana woman didn't want her canceled $30,000 wedding to go to waste, so she threw a dinner party for the homeless.

A bus pulled up to the swanky event center on Saturday that Sarah Cummins had booked for the reception in Carmel, a suburb north of Indianapolis. About a dozen veterans from a local organization were among the guests who dined on bourbon-glazed meatballs, roasted garlic bruschetta and wedding cake.
read more here

Friday, July 14, 2017

Dying Iraq Veteran Just Wants to Know Someone Cares

UPDATE from USA Today July 19

"The 47-year-old is under hospice care in New Braunfels, Texas. His dying wish is to receive text messages and phone calls from anybody willing to talk to him. So far, his wish has been granted thousands and thousands and thousands of times over."



How many times have you heard someone died and thought how nice they were to you? Remembered some times you shared? Thought about how they mattered to you? How many times have you been to a funeral and regretted not letting them know any of it?

In this country we talk a lot about how much our veterans matter to us but over and over again, they discover they do not feel as if they do matter. 

We build homes for some disabled veterans and feel good about it, but others lose their homes and we do nothing for them.

We run around the country screaming about "raising awareness" on veterans killing themselves, write checks, do pushups, take walks, whatever makes us feel as if we did something. Hey, as long as it doesn't take too much time out of our lives, that's all that matters. And then they kill themselves and we wonder why.

We talk about a lot of things, but as they say "talk is cheap" when we don't have to invest anything to back it up. Well here's your chance. Let this dying Iraq veteran know he matters!
ARMY VETERAN'S DYING WISH: CALL OR TEXT ME
WSB RADIO 95.5
By: Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
July 14, 2017

A dying Army veteran from Texas has a final wish: He wants to hear from you.
Lee Hernandez, who is in hospice care at his home in New Braunfels, has undergone three brain surgeries and has suffered several strokes, the Arizona Republic reported.

His wife, Ernestine Hernandez, said she found a therapeutic way to brighten her husband’s day: Phone calls and text messages from others. Lee Hernandez asked his wife to hold his phone one day “in case someone calls,” the Republic reported. Two hours later, he was despondent.

“I guess no one wants to talk to me,” said the 47-year-old veteran, who served 18½ years in the Army including a tour in Iraq.

“It broke my heart,” Ernestine Hernandez told the Republic. “(Lee’s) speech is not very well, so many people didn’t take much interest or want to talk with him.”

That is, until she contacted Caregivers of Wounded Warriors.
read more here

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Texas Police Officers Caught Cooling Off WWII Veteran

Texas police's cool surprise for 95-year-old WW2 veteran
BBC
June 13, 2017
Mr Hatley explained to the officers that he had been trying to keep cool on his outdoor porch.
That's when Officers Margolis and Weir decided to use their own money to buy a replacement window unit. Employees at the hardware store were so impressed when they heard the reason for their shopping trip that they contributed another $150 (£120).
A 95-year-old Texas man received some unexpected help from police officers after calling emergency services during a heat wave.

Julius Hatley called Forth Worth police on Thursday after both his window and central air conditioning units broke and his home became unbearably hot.

"This wasn't a regular 911 call," Fort Worth Officer William Margolis told CBS 11, noting "we're not AC techs".

Together with his partner, Christopher Weir, they chose to buy him a new unit.

"When we got there around 8:30am his house was 85 to 90 (29-35C) degrees already," Fort Worth Officer William Margolis said. "In Texas, it gets hot," the five-year police veteran added.
read more here

Friday, February 24, 2017

Ex-Homeless Veteran's Smile Just Got Bigger

Former homeless veteran gets new smile thanks to Indianapolis dentist
FOX 59 News
BY BRIAN BONDUS
FEBRUARY 23, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Veteran Lewis Morris used to not have a lot to smile about, but now he says he can't keep his mouth shut.
"They gave me that perfect smile...I can’t help myself. Life is good," Morris said.

In November, the mayor and other community members came together to get Morris back into the home his family built decades ago. Morris had been living on the street prior to that and often slept on the front porch and in the backyard of that house on 2300 block of Arsenal Avenue.

“I got a key! I can get in," Morris said. "They did me a favor... took me out of the backyard and put me inside."

And the favors keep coming to Morris. Tillery Family Dental saw the story in November and wanted to make Morris the recipient of their annual, "Perfect Smile for the Holidays," project.
read more here

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Vietnam Veteran's Wheelchairs Stolen, Faith Restored by Stranger's Kindness

Disabled Vietnam veteran gifted new wheelchair after his was stolen
The Indy Channel
Eric Cox, Melissa Mahadeo
7:59 AM, Feb 17, 2017
But thanks to the kindness of a stranger, the 63-year-old said his faith in humanity is restored.
"I'm glad that there are people that really do care," said Wood.
INDIANAPOLIS -- A disabled Vietnam veteran was gifted a new wheelchair on Friday after a thief stole his from his yard.

Clifford Wood was charging his brand-new wheelchair when someone took it. As if that weren't bad enough, the thief also took his old one, too.

Physical Therapist Alex Stoughton heard Wood's story and decided to step up and help him out.

"Being a disabled vet is tough, and there's just not a lot of support for him," said Stoughton. "This was one of those times I feel like I could actually help him."

Wood served in Vietnam and had to move around often when he got older.

"I ended up becoming homeless because I couldn't afford the rent," he said.
read more here

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Soldiers in Afghanistan Send Valentines to 5 Year Old

Soldiers in Afghanistan among hundreds who sent valentines to New Castle boy battling cancer
CBS 4 Indy
BY CBS4 WEB
FEBRUARY 14, 2017

NEW CASTLE, Ind. – A New Castle boy battling brain cancer is feeling the love from people across the world this Valentine’s Day.

The family of 5-year-old Jace Griffin has been encouraging others to send the kindergarten student cards to distract him from his pain.

Jace’s father told CBS4 that the little boy “is doing GREAT!” after receiving over 1,400 valentines. He said they had received some as far away as Japan.

A group of soldiers stationed in Afghanistan even sent the little boy a video message to lift his spirits.
read more here

Monday, February 13, 2017

Marine Mom Helped Stranded Marine

Stranded marine on a trip across the US gets help from local military mom
Thanks to a Facebook group, he got the help he needed
Your Central Valley.com
Posted: Feb 12, 2017

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. - While most were preparing to watch the Super Bowl last Sunday, a marine driving a truck through Colorado was stuck when his it broke down on his journey home.
His truck broke down, and he was stranded for four hours until a stranger whose son is also a marine learned of his troubles and offered a hand.

"You talk about it, and you just get goosebumps. It's just a wonderful feeling that I was able to help him and get him off the road," Shauna Zelenka said.

Zelenka was browsing through a Facebook page for marine families -- missing her deployed son -- when she came across a post from a mother in Iowa.

It mentioned New Castle, Colorado -- a town only 10 minutes east of Zelenka's home in Silt.

"I saw that this marine who had just been discharged from the military was stuck on I-70," Zelenka said.

The Marine was Chris Sims.

"I was like, 'I'll take all the help I can get,'" Sims said.
read more here

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Master Sergeant's Parents Get Double Act of Kindness

Act of kindness helps Arlington military family, twice
WFAA
Sean Giggy
January 27, 2017
Officials, who already agreed to move the ceremony to Fort Worth, moved it again. This time to the hospital, so these Air Force parents could give their Air Force daughter that Master Sergeant pin.
Noelle Scala's parents, Joe and Better, were able to be there to put a Master Sergeant pin on their daughter. Photo: Courtesy
FORT WORTH - Air Force veteran Joe Scala is in the hospital battling cancer, but he prefers to talk about how the staff helped him with his heart.

“What they’ve done, they gave us our life back,” he said.

Joe’s agony began when he and his wife, Betty, were both admitted to Texas Health Arlington Memorial as patients last month.

“It was an emotional drain on us. Both of us," she said.

But, soon after, one act of kindness changed everything.

“It gave me my life back,” Joe said with a little grin. “My little girl.”

Air Force Deputy Airfield Manager Noelle Scala is Joe and Betty’s only child. After five miscarriages, they call her their “miracle baby.”

Now, Noelle, after 14 years of dedicated service, was selected to receive one of the highest promotions the Air Force can give: Master Sergeant.
read more here

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Taylor Swift Surprises Oldest "Swifty" WWII Veteran!

Taylor Swift Surprises 96-Year-Old Veteran with Home Visit and Performance
PEOPLE
BY DAVE QUINN
POSTED ON DECEMBER 26, 2016
Taylor Swift is known for surprising fans with one-of-a-kind experiences — showing up at weddings, bridal showers, and even inviting them over for dance parties at her house. And on Monday, she continued the tradition — surprising a 96-year-old World War II veteran with a visit to his Missouri home.

Cyrus Porter had made headlines for being the oldest “Swifty” — telling Ozarks First that he’s been to multiple Swift concerts, using his love for the 27-year-old singer to bring him closer to 20+ grandchildren.

“I’ve been to two concerts,” he said. “Memphis and St Louis. Look what she does… she puts on a show no one else puts on. I just enjoyed going to see ’em and her. I would as soon go see her right now as anybody!”
read more here

Sunday, December 25, 2016

WWII Veteran No Longer Feels Forgotten with Thousands of Birthday Cards

WWII veteran gets birthday surprise thanks to viral post
by KATU News
December 24th 2016

"Oh, God there's thousands of cards here," said Hardey. "I would never get them all read."
HILLSBORO, Ore. — A WWII veteran, feeling forgotten all these years, got the birthday surprise of a lifetime thanks to the help of an Instagram post that went viral.
Jack Hardy, 99, receives thousands of letters for his birthday.
Birthdays mean another year, and another couple of cards just from family and friends, but this year, when Jack Hardey turned 99, people around the world celebrated with him.

This soldier became and internet sensation thanks to a family friend who posted a message online encouraging people to send Hardy a card for his birthday this year. More and more posts were shared on social media and soon thousands of people responded.
read more here

Marine Gets Home For Christmas As Gift From Gold Star Family

Gold Star Family Helps Holland Marine Get Home For Christmas To See Sick Mother
CBS Boston
December 24, 2016
“It just wouldn’t have been Christmas,” his mother said.
HOLLAND (CBS) — The smiles were never-ending after Marine Lt. Josh Peloquin arrived home early Saturday morning.

“I almost toppled him over and I started bawling my eyes out,” said Josh’s mother, Tonya Olsen. “I just didn’t want to let go.”

His coming home was more important than ever this year, because Olsen is very sick.

“This year has been such a hard year,” she said. “We lost my father, his grandmother, and we found out I have pulmonary fibrosis.”

Josh is stationed off the coast of Africa. Two weeks ago, he was told he was going back to the US for Christmas.

But he couldn’t afford the trip home to Holland, Massachusetts.

“My mom is really sick, and I had to make the tough decision to save my money,” he said.

A Gold Star family from the Cape who had lost their son in combat heard about Josh’s family and plight–and they paid for his plane ticket home.
read more here

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Iraq Veteran, Robbed of Gifts, Embraced With Love Then Pays It Forward

Family that had presents stolen plans to pay it forward
Reno Gazette Journal
Sarah Litz
December 16, 2016
“We will be paying it forward for a long, very long time. Everyone has been so amazing to us and they just want to make sure our boys have a good Christmas, and that means the world to us.” Kelly Howe
Kelly and Brian Howe sit together with their adopted children Charlie, left, and Kirt while speaking with the RGJ in their home in Reno on Dec. 15, 2016.
(Photo: JASON BEAN/RGJ, RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL-USA TODAY NETWORK)
Kelly and Brian Howe saved up for months to create the perfect Christmas for their adopted 2-year-old twins, Charlie and Kirt. The parents hoped to get the twins things they loved for Christmas – toy cars, books and anything with lights or music.

After a day of shopping, the family made a last stop for the day at the Walmart on Kietzke Lane. When they returned to their car in the parking lot, they found the car door open. What they didn’t find was a stroller, diaper bag, bottles, jackets and the presents they had just bought.

According to Lt. Zachary Thew with the Reno Police Department, the doors were locked and the suspects popped a door lock to get inside and burglarize the vehicle.

Kelly said the family lives on a fixed income with many hospital bills. Brian was shot in the Iraq War and suffers from traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and cognitive seizures. Kelly – who is a full time caregiver to her husband and children – was diagnosed with a rapid form of Meniere’s disease.

Both boys suffer from cortical visual impairment, sensory and auditory processing issues and agenesis of the corpus callosum – a rare birth defect in which the matter between the two hemispheres in the brain is missing. She said the boys have trouble focusing, don't talk and are being tested for autism.read more here

Monday, December 12, 2016

Twelve Year Old Care Packages Operation Make Their Day

Santa's soldier: Granger boy sending care packages to deployed military
WNDU News
By Maria Catanzarite
December 11, 2016 

GRANGER
Ever since Tristan Badia was a little boy, he had a giving spirit. It started with feeding little sister Haylie.
"Always getting out, getting her bottles -- stuff like that, and it just kind of pushed on and on from there," said Jason, Tristan's father

Now, it's on to Operation Make Their Day, the second year the 12-year-old from Granger is making care packages for deployed service members. Last year, when NewsCenter 16 met Tristan, he sent 26 cardboard boxes of goodies overseas. In 2016, he and Haylie have compiled 30 packages -- and the mission isn't over.
read more here

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Veterans Join Forces to Care for Homeless Veterans

Did you thank a veteran? These vets are returning the favor to poor, homeless
Modesto Bee
BY JEFF JARDINE
November 23, 2016

Earlier this month, on Veterans Day, scores of people approached scores of veterans and thanked them for their service. But if they think serving the nation and the public ended the day these vets mustered out of the military, think again.
Terrence van Doorn, left, with Team R2 and George Retana with Operation Rescue sort clothes to be given to the homeless Wednesday afternoon at Graceada Park in Modesto. Joan Barnett Lee
Late Wednesday afternoon, two groups created and led by veterans and sharing a common goal – to serve the community and the disenfranchised – pooled their resources to feed the homeless at Graceada Park. They also distributed coats and blankets and other clothing items to help those without shelter to endure the colder weather as winter approaches.

Terrence van Doorn and George Retana both served in the Marines in Iraq. They saw veterans who were homeless. They encountered veterans who brought the wars home with them emotionally and mentally. They met veterans who felt most unappreciated. They decided to do something about it, and one great way to make veterans feel more valued, they said, is to get them engaged in helping others.

After leaving the military, van Doorn, 33, wanted to begin a career in law enforcement. But he struggled to shake the post-traumatic stress disorder cobwebs that developed from fighting in Fallujah, where friend and comrade Michael Anderson Jr. was killed. I wrote about van Doorn in 2009. He’d passed the written and physical tests with hopes of becoming a deputy sheriff. But he couldn’t pass the psychological exam due to his PTSD.

He got the help he needed and tried to hire on at the Department of Corrections, which also rejected him. He continued to get counseling and, in 2006, the Ceres Police Department hired him and put him through the academy.
read more here

Sunday, November 20, 2016

UK: Homeless Veteran's Life Changed By Human Kindness

Woman's kind-hearted gesture could change a homeless war veteran's life forever - and she's inspired others to do the same "Nobody should be alone. Nobody should be on the streets with nobody to support them"
Mirror UK
BY JOSHUA BARRIE
20 NOV 2016
Kevin says he returned from the war to find his partner with another man
(Photo: Facebook)
A woman's kind deed in helping a homeless war veteran has moved thousands – and caused the start of a ripple effect, inspiring others to do the same.

Kerry Stewart, who lives in Darwen, Lancashire, shared on Saturday a sad story about a homeless man called Kevin, whom she'd met late one evening in Blackburn.

Kerry writes that she first met a man called Kevin in a retail park. She bought him a cup of tea and a muffin and got chatting. Kerry says that she and her daughter spoke to Kevin for some time, and "learned that Kevin is not an addict or alcoholic, as many will presume, but is an ex-squaddie who came back to Burnley from the Army to find his wife shacked up with someone else."

Kevin apparently left his children, his dog, and now sleeps rough. He says that he stays away from local hostels as they're "full of junkies and dodgy landlords".

Mum Kerry continues in her Facebook post that she provided Kevin some clothes and food . She's carried on meeting up and finding out more about his life.

"Clearly suffering with PTSD, he cried when he told me of his recurring nightmare remembering the sight of body parts in an Iraqi village, most notably the arm of a child," Kerry writes.

She adds that Kevin told her "nothing could have prepared him" for a life after the Army, and it seems like he's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
read more here

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Vietnam Veteran With PTSD Proves He's Still Serving Others

Vietnam veteran spends time helping stranded drivers for free
FOX 5 News Atlanta
By: Katie Beasley
POSTED:NOV 16 2016
Walt spent two combat tours in Vietnam, and says one way he keeps his PTSD in check, is by helping others. "I've had a good life. I was very lucky to survive all the stuff that happened to be there. I survived it all, I went on to marry and have five great kids. Life has been good to me, and I figured, here's a way I can give back also."
ATLANTA - Being stuck on the side of the road with car trouble can make for a really awful day. Around Atlanta, we have H.E.R.O. trucks. The Highway Emergency Response Operators help stranded drivers but there's one man who's been helping drivers all around the country, for nearly forty years.

Walt Brinker is a H.E.R.O. too, only he operates out of his own car. As a hobby, he helps provide roadside assistance, free of charge. The 72-year old from North Carolina has stopped to help well over 2,000 vehicles. Now, he's put his hands on knowledge into a book, to help more drivers out there.
read more here

Saturday, November 5, 2016

US Troops in Afghanistan Help Sisters of Charity

US troops, civilians volunteer to help Afghan needy
STARS AND STRIPES
By PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN Published: November 5, 2016
About a dozen volunteers help with the sorting and packing of the nuns’ car. The volunteers tend to rotate from week to week, but Army Capt. Rachel Campion, 27, with the 82nd Airborne Division, participates regularly.
National Guard Capt. Carl Crawford holds a device used to make fuel bricks out of paper waste, Oct. 21, 2016. On the table are circular bricks formed with ordinary food containers. Every Friday, civilian and military volunteers at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, donate their time to make the bricks for an orphanage in the Afghan capital.
Andrew Yurkovsky/Stars and Stripes
KABUL, Afghanistan — Twice a month, Jerry Farkas, a retired Air Force flight chief from Utah, greets two Catholic nuns who come to the NATO headquarters here to collect donations for orphans at their Sisters of Charity home and needy families the nuns help support.

The nuns’ visits coincide with a weekly meeting of volunteers, primarily American troops, who organize the donation drive — one of several initiatives the volunteers are engaged in to help underprivileged families and orphans in the Afghan capital.

“Many people want to try to help,” said Farkas, 54, who works for Combined Security Transition Command — Afghanistan’s contracting enabler cell. “They’re here in Afghanistan and they’re trying to figure out: what can I do?”

Appeals for donations have resulted in a steady stream of clothes, school supplies and other items arriving at the NATO base from companies and citizens in the United States. People living on the Resolute Support base also make some donations.

Volunteers sort through the donated items in a shipping container used as a storage unit, preparing them for collection.
read more here

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Police Officer Gave Homeless Veteran Clothes, Food and Shelter

Franklin Sergeant helps homeless veteran who was exploited by thief
FOX 17 Nashville
BY KAYLIN SEARLES
TUESDAY, AUGUST 30TH

Richards not only made these accommodations for the homeless veteran, he brought him to the motel, went to Walmart and bought t-shirts, underwear, socks, shorts and non-perishable food and water. Richards also bought the veteran a new bag to carry it all in.

Franklin Officer Of The Month.PNG Chief Deborah Faulkner
Kris Krabill (Toyota, Cool Springs), Sgt. Charlie Richards
Leo Linkov (Franklin Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram) 
Photo: Franklin Police
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WZTV) — Franklin Police Sergeant Charlie Richards was named officer of the month for going above and beyond his duties to help a homeless veteran "who was exploited by a thief and left with nothing but the clothes on his back."
read more here

Friday, August 26, 2016

Community Refuses To Give Up On Blind, Homeless Vet

Grace In Action: Community Refuses To Give Up On Blind, Homeless Vet
CBS News
By Robbie Owens
August 25, 2016

DALLAS (CBS11) – With hugs and smiles all around, Willie Curtis King, Jr. is enjoying a homecoming of sorts.

“I had thought there weren’t no more really good people in the world,” said King. “I was so down on my luck. But, every day, I woke up. Every day I woke up, these people helped me.”

His visit to the MLK Community Center Thursday was made even more special when you consider that this time last year, King had no home. He was a card-carrying member of the angry, hard-to-help homeless, existing on the kindness of those at the center.

“I didn’t have to be outside that dumpster,” said King. “I was just belligerent… out of control.”

Those at the MLK Center would be inclined to agree.

“I reached out to his brother,” said Officer Terry Brookins. “He cursed his brother out. Everybody tried to help him; but, he refused.”

But, Officer Brookins was patient… and he was persistent, telling CBS11 that it was “heartbreaking” to see the veteran “digging in the trash cans, trying to find food to eat.”
read more here

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

The two caring strangers saw me fall, thank you

Strange thing happened on the way home from work today. It was raining but I had to stop for gas.  Walking out of the store, I slipped and fell.  In less than a second, there was a man offering me his arm and a woman grabbed my other arm to help me up.  I was grateful for the help and knowing that two total strangers wanted to help. Both wanted to make sure I was ok, and I was other than a couple of broken nails and my knee hurts.  My pride sure took a beating and I even said that as I rubbed my behind walking away.

I pumped the gas thinking about how easy it is to accept help at times, while other times, needing it, we just do not even ask. Sometimes help shows up and other times, no matter what we do or how hard we try to get help, it just never seems to come.

Sitting here, I am thinking about all the folks around Orlando panhandling with their signs, just looking for whatever help folks want to give them.  Sometimes the sign will have "homeless veteran" needs help.  What do I do? Most of the time I judge them, wondering if they really were a veteran or not, instead of thinking what I can give them. By the time I decide, the light changes and traffic moves on. I leave them behind never knowing anything about them.

Did they ask for help and no one helped or did they hold in the fact they were in need of anything until it was too late they ended up on the streets?

So many questions flooding my head right now.  It seems as if the difference is, folks will respond when they see "it" with their own eyes.

We know there are far too many veterans hurting, needing help to make it from one day to the next, but either they do not ask for help, or no one wants to help them.  Wouldn't it be great if what they needed were as visible as a person falling to the ground? What if we could just see it and they did not have to say a word?

What would it be like if they understood "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" and knew it did not have to happen? To be needing help and willing to ask for it, believing that it will come, can seem like a never ending cycle of suffering. Yet hope is what keeps us getting up in the morning. Hope that we will make a difference by touching someone else with acts of kindness and yes, even returning that feeling by letting them help us.

The two caring strangers saw me fall. They rushed to help.  It is something that runs on on impulses fueled by compassion.  It happened here in Orlando when the Pulse shooting happened and it was all over the news.  Folks knew people needed help and they showed up, doing whatever they could to make things better.  But I think it was also something more.  They wanted to make sure the survivors understood there were more folks doing good than one bad man acting out of hating.

Knowing people are more apt to love than harm should provide us with comfort but imagine if we were all willing to not just offer help when we could, but be able to accept it when we needed it?

If you need help, let them help you get up so that you can turn around and help someone else who has taken a fall.