Animal shelter gets 12,000 pounds of food thanks to a third grader's birthday wish

Adisynn Kiker didn't want gifts for her 8th birthday. Instead, she asked for people to donate to the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake near her home in Tool, Texas. Her mom Jessica posted Adisynn's request on Facebook, and it went viral. 

Adisynn and her mom helped with collections, and donations poured in from individuals and businesses. In a few days, the shelter posted a list of everything received in Adisynn's name:

• 580 pounds of cat litter.
• 11,591 pounds of dog food.
• 152 pounds of cat food.
• 28 cans of cat food.
• 43 gallons of bleach.
• 7 containers of laundry soap.
• 7 containers of Simple Green.
• 60 rolls of paper towels.

The shelter posted, "Thank you again for everything!!!! Our fur babies greatly appreciate it." 

Eighth grader hosts free day at laundromat during her spring break

Fourteen-year-old Jayera Griffin is an honor student at her Riverdale, Illinois school. Some of the students she tutors wear clothes that are dirty, and Jayera noticed their embarrassment. When Jayera asked her mom and dad about it, they told her that not everyone is blessed with washers and dryers at home. At $4.50 for smaller loads and $8 for the bigger machines, laundromats get expensive fast. Jayera had an idea.

For the last few months, she's been saving her own allowance. She also gathered donations from the boards of School District 148 and Thornton Township. During her spring break last week, Jayera used the almost $1000 she raised to host a community Free Wash day at Mama’s Coin Laundry in Riverdale. To say locals were appreciative is an understatement.

Jayera hopes to raise enough money to run a similar day in August before school starts and each year again during her spring break. Another great teen who lets her heart guide her actions. 

Father-son business shatters stereotypes

Like most people, John Cronin wondered what he would do after graduation from secondary school. He approached his father, Mark Cronin, about going into business together. Mark has a history of helping niche business start-ups and was delighted to entertain John's ideas. He made it clear that the passion for the business product or service had to come from John; he would provide the business know-how.

John's first idea was a food truck. This was scrapped quickly, as neither of them can cook. John's second idea was a 'fun store,' and Mark encouraged John to define what product he thought would be fun to sell and fun for people to buy. That's when John hit on the idea: we should sell socks.

John loves socks, the crazier the better. He has a long history of wearing holiday socks, character socks, socks with sports images, etc. Mark agreed to the business idea and John's Crazy Socks was born.

The business launched locally on Long Island in December 2016, with John delivering orders in person. That same month, their fledgling online store shipped over 400 pairs of socks.

Their company's mission, spreading happiness through socks, extends further. They donate 5% of their profits to Special Olympics. They have also partnered with Down Syndrome Awareness, Autism Speaks, and William Syndrome Awareness to donate a portion of the sales of socks with each organization's special designs.

Over a year later, John's Crazy Socks offers over 1200 styles and sizes of socks, each of which come shipped with a handwritten thank you note and some candy. To date, the company profits are over one million dollars.

In writing this post, I did not mention something you might think important. John has Down Syndrome. 

Crossing guard sets up free coat tree for 'her kids'

For almost two decades, Minnie Galloway has been a crossing guard for a middle school in Wilmington, North Carolina. She not only manages traffic, she also buys pencils and other school supplies for 'her kids.' Yep, like a lot of people who work with children, she takes the needs of her charges seriously. On a crossing guard's salary. Let that sink in a moment.

So when cold weather hit the Carolinas, Minnie noticed some of 'her kids' didn't wear proper outerwear. She went to the local Salvation Army store and bought out their supply of winter coats in the sizes she thought were needed. She then hung the thirty coats on a coat tree right at her corner. Some were taken and worn the very first day, but Minnie said some children are too proud to take a coat.

Any coats not used by 'her kids' will be donated to a local church coat giveaway.

He makes kids' prosthetic arms for free - in his shed

Born without a left hand, Stephen Davies never found arm prosthetics especially helpful. In fact, he disliked both the functional design and the aesthetic of the arms he'd tried, calling one such device 'medieval torture.'




Enter Enabling the Future, a "global network of passionate volunteers using 3D printing to give the world a helping hand." Through that organization, volunteer Drew Murray created a hand for Steve using a 3D printer. Steve was delighted with the outcome.

So delighted in fact that he and Drew teamed up as Team UnLimbited. They do their own research and development, and then publicly share their discoveries and limb designs so people anywhere can reap the benefit. They have received thank yous and photos from amputees around the world, beaming about their newfound function with these inexpensive prosthetics.
The stories of children with missing limbs are especially close to Steve's heart. He remembers what it was like and does what he can to make a difference.

So now Steve has a backyard shed which houses his creation lab. In it, he uses a 3D printer to custom-make an arm for a specific child, using the child's choice of templates and colors. He has made Spider Man, Iron Man, Harry Potter, Lego, and a number of other designs, each created for a nominal cost of about 25 pounds (British.)

Even at that low price, the family is not charged for the arm. Team UnLimbited receives donations to offset the cost of materials; Steve donates his time and effort in exchange for the smiles.

Survivalist donates his stash of 'doomsday' food to Puerto Rico

Joe Badame was feeling pretty low. The 72-year-old recently lost his wife, and his house was in foreclosure. An estate auction was underway as part of the foreclosure, and Badame watched his worldly possessions slip away.

But he didn't want to lose all the food. He and his late wife Phyllis had constructed an underground 'doomsday' bunker beneath their home (8500 square feet!) large enough to shelter 100 people. Outfitted with kerosene refrigerators, coal furnaces, and lead walls, Badame spent decades stocking the bunker with barrels of dried and preserved food. 

The day of the estate sale, Tony and Tori's food truck was on hand to feed the crowd. Badame learned that the food truck's sales were going to help Tori's family in Puerto Rico. Tori's family was safe, but homeless and hungry in Arecibo following Hurricane Maria. Badame gave Tori $100, then showed her the bunker.

He then donated all the food barrels, about a hundred of them, containing rice, beans, flour, powdered eggs, and dry milk. Each barrel holds enough food for 84 people to live for four months on 2,000 calories a day. The barrels will ship to Puerto Rico starting Monday.

So the doomsday Badame expected never arrived. But his stored food will be eaten by people thousands of miles away surviving a different kind of doomsday. 

Anonymous donor supplies an entire primary school with back-to-school items

A California woman has donated school supplies for all 200+ students at an elementary school in central Texas.

Kendra Lorenz, a first-grade teacher at Rosebud Primary School was initially contacted by the anonymous woman last year. That's when, through an organization called Donors Choose, the donor bought school supplies for Lorenz' class. Lorenz was delighted to learn that this year, the same donor wanted to donate supplies for the school's entire student body. She told reporters, "Our families struggle. That's the nature of the beast around here. You can't put into words how much that support means."

Donors Choose connects potential donors with public school projects of their choice. Teachers in high-poverty public schools post details about a class project they'd
undertake - if only they had the supplies. Donors scroll through the list of projects ranging from literature to robotics, from health to music and get more information about the needs and costs involved. Then they pledge financial support at any level for projects which tug at their heart.

The result is more engaging lessons for students. Ultimately, a better educated student creates a better society for us all.

Girl with chronic illnesses founds a non-profit to bring smiles to hospitalized kids

Kayla Abramovitz and her brother Ethan know a thing or two about hospitals. Both have had extended hospital stays because of chronic illnesses: Crohn's disease, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

When Kayla was 11-years-old, she wanted to help some younger patients through their long, frightening, often boring hospital stays, but she was too young to volunteer. She noticed some Thomas the Train DVDs on her own shelves at home and had an idea.

With the help of her family, Kayla Cares 4 Kids began with a goal of collecting 100 donated DVDs for Niklaus Children's Hospital in Miami. That was four years ago. Kayla Cares 4 Kids, now a 401c3 non-profit, has collected over 14,000 items to date, including DVDs, electronic hand-held games, and arts and craft supplies. Donations are dropped off at collection points in Florida and New Jersey, and have been enjoyed by kids in children's hospitals and Ronald McDonald houses in all 50 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico.

Now 15, Kayla has won numerous local and national awards for her work. She works as hard as ever to "help sick kids feel better one smile at a time."

The ladies who kept the water flowing

Three years ago, Detroit started the process of shutting off water to residents behind on their payments. That typically included the city's poorest and most vulnerable people. Many people around the country, including the UN, called the practice a human rights violation. Despite that, the practice continues today.

Tiffani Bell, working on a fellowship in the city of Atlanta, stumbled across a Twitter post about the situation in Detroit. She learned that if a $150 bill was unpaid for 2 months, water service could legally be shut off. That made no sense to her, and Twitter acquaintance Kristy Tillman agreed. The two women put their heads together and let their hearts lead them. Within days, they set up a page for donation pledges, and started to connect with folks in the most need. In a few weeks, the workload of managing donations and notifying residents grew to a full-time job.

Eventually, Bell and Tillman founded a non-profit called The Detroit Water Project. In a year, they collected over $170,000 to pay water bills for over 900 Detroit families.  Of course, problems paying the bill are not isolated to Detroit, so the project has expanded to Baltimore. The non-profit, now called The Human Utility, hopes to continue to expand its model to other cities and communities.

Another example of two people who saw a problem and didn't just sit by and let it happen. Tiffani Bell and Kristy Tillman became part of the solution.

This officer's example led his community to go above and beyond

Back in February, Atlanta Georgia Police Officer Che Milton responded to a call to apprehend a shoplifter. The thief was a 12-year-old girl, caught stealing $2 shoes from a Family Dollar store.

Officer Milton spoke with the tearful girl. He learned she stole the shoes to give to her 5-year-old sister, because she wanted to do something nice for her. Touched, Officer Milton offered to drive the girl home and speak with her mother.

The girl's small home was in a rough part of town. The home had almost no furniture, and sheets lay on the floor where beds should be. There was little food for the family of seven, two parents and five children. The girl's mother explained that her husband works jobs that don't pay much, and prohibitive day care costs for the little ones prevent her from working.

The officer's heart broke. He went to a nearby pizza shop, bought four large pies, and dropped them off. Several times in the next few weeks, he brought diapers and bags of clothing.

Back at the station house, he was called into his sergeant's office. The sergeant had heard about the family's situation and wanted Officer Milton to know he was organizing additional help for the family. The department posted the children's clothing sizes to their Facebook page. Now people from all around the Atlanta area have pitched in with donated goods, all because one man listened to his heart.

14-year-old has raised money for 400 wheelchairs, passes torch to younger sister

When Zach Francom was 6 years old, an organization called LDS Philanthropies challenged each class in his school to raise enough money to buy a wheelchair. The chair would then be donated to someone who needed it but didn't have the funds.

Zach wanted to participate in a big way. With his parents' help and approval, he set up a cookie and lemonade stand in front of their home. Promptly dubbed "Zach's Shack," he sold out of his stock in a few hours.

Since then, Zach's Shack has been open for 2 days during his spring break each year. In its 8 years of operation, Zach's Shack has raised about $85,000 which purchased almost 400 wheelchairs for worldwide distribution.

This year, Zach's 6-year-old sister Helen asked to get involved. "Helen's Hut" appeared alongside Zach's Shack this month. Helen is every bit as enthusiastic as Zach was, and she expects to keep up this generous family legacy. Zach will now move on to other ventures, confident that his works have borne good fruit and that he leaves his kindness project in good hands.

86-year-old man raises 400K by recycling, donates it to charity

Over the years, Ringgold Georgia resident Johnny Jennings and his son Brent spent a lot of hours picking up cans. Brent remembers it as together time, and the pair would take the money earned and put it in a savings account. When Brent was ready to buy his first house, he had enough for a down payment.

But ever since he was 18-years-old, Johnny has donated his recycling earnings to his favorite charity - the Georgia Baptist Children's Home and Family Ministry. He was inspired to support them by a long-ago visit there. It seems that when he started to leave, several of the children hugged his leg and asked him to be their daddy. It melted his heart.

So since then, Johnny gives the Home a check every year, usually between $10,000 and $35,000. Now, at 86-years-old, Johnny's total contributions to the Home total over $400,000.

And he's not slowing down. Johnny plans to continue 'until my toes turn up.' 

Update - #FillTheSeats

The target of $300,000 has been reached! The #FillTheSeats campaign was a success.

 Now thousands of Brazilian kids who could never afford to watch world-class athletes in action will do exactly that. Now thousands of world-class athletes who get little media attention and might have otherwise competed in front of nearly empty stands will enjoy cheering crowds to support their efforts.

The Paralymics in Rio are a better place to be because one man saw a problem and decided to do something. Kudos to Greg Nugent and to those who helped him. 

Fill the seats at the Paralympics

Yesterday marked the opening of the Paralympic Games in Rio. The 11 days of competition between world-class athletes are notoriously under-reported in mainstream media, especially given the hype of the Rio Olympics last month. And yet the athletes' personal stories of sacrifice and struggle to reach their elite competitive status are just as compelling as their able-bodied counterparts. More compelling, I would argue, because these individuals do it all with a significant disability.

So I was disheartened to hear that ticket sales to watch the Paralympic events in person were slow - only 12% had been sold as of mid-August. That would mean empty stands and sparse crowds to cheer on the efforts of these incredible athletes.

Greg Nugent decided to do something. A former marketing director for the 2012 London Olympics, he created the hashtag #FillTheSeats and set up an account to receive donations through Generosity on IndieGoGo. Nugent plans to use the money to buy tickets for Brazilians, especially children, who could not afford to attend otherwise.

As of this writing, the campaign has raised over $200,000 of their $300,000 goal. Because of Nugent's decision to do something right, the athletes will receive the enthusiastic support they deserve, and thousands of people will see events which may inspire them to achieve their own goals. Because one person decided to act, everyone wins.

Thanks for the support!

I'm touched and delighted with the turnout for my presentation today at the Dietrich - 43 people! Friends from my church and work and neighborhood lives, from the Writers Group and the Theater, and even more amazing, complete strangers who dedicated an hour or more of their lives to come and listen. Some scooted out before I had a chance to thank them personally, but I truly appreciate the attendance of each and every one.

Sharing my journey as a writer is such fun. I hope venues like this lead to more opportunities!

Sequels, quotes, and donations - oh my!

A number of people have asked about a sequel to Risking Exposure.  As I mentioned previously, I haven't gotten that far, which leaves me open to input. Some input has been funny, some poignant, but all has been encouraging and well-intentioned. Here are some of my favorites -

I know exactly what should happen next. When you're ready to write it, let me know.

It didn't turn out to be as grim as I expected. So you can write a sequel if you want, just don't kill her off.

What's with Werner and Anna? Maybe you should write a Fifty Shades of them.

The funny thing is once I start writing, the characters drive the story and develop the plot for me. I create them and tell them where we're headed, then they chart the course. So chances are I can't use other people's ideas as my outline. I can barely use my own. But I definitely won't be writing a Fifty Shades of anybody.

Enough about that.

 
I've been blessed with healthy children and grandchildren and a long career providing physical therapy services to children with disabilities. In their honor, I'm creating ways to give a portion of what I make on the proceeds of Risking Exposure to agencies who support children and their families, as well as the agencies who supported my writing and research.

Through the end of November I'll give to my church, followed by the March of Dimes in December, and the Dietrich Theater in January (in conjunction with my presentation there.) Hopefully some of you will share this information and help me with marketing - sharing on FB or Google+ or Twitter or whatever. Thanks in advance.

Of time, presentations, and characters who won't be deleted

I've dropped off copies of Risking Exposure to a number of local libraries and schools, and that's given me a chance to speak with librarians about the book. Several of them suggested ways I can connect with the readers, including presentations about 'how I wrote a novel' or about the research I did to create the setting and historical details. I'll present at the Dietrich on those same topics this winter as part of a fundraiser for them, probably to a combination of adults and youth. So I'm excited to share my experiences with two different audiences, both interested in developing their love of reading and writing stories.

Now to develop those presentations. And to write the rest of the stories swirling in my mind. I need to find time. The classic lament of adulthood.

The writing time I've chiseled out for myself has recently been taken up by marketing, in addition to other wonderful and necessary things put on the back burner during my final push toward publication - time with my family, involvement in my church, and the Factoryville Playground Task Force.
Oh, and I work. And I should probably clean my house.

As I've mentioned before, I cut many characters and their subplots cut from Risking Exposure during a long series of edits. Now those characters call to me from the Deleted Scenes folder on my computer. Their stories want to be told, and I want to share them. Kindle and Nook. And threads of a sequel to Sophie's story comes to me unbidden at times, so I jot the ideas down and wait to see if a story fabric can be woven from them.

My plan is to edit a few of them, turning them into short stories for release on

I'll get to it. As soon as I find the time.

What am I doing marketing my own book?

What I know about marketing could fill a teacup. A toy teacup. And yet here I am with a finished product, trying to get it in the hands of consumers.

So I started where I usually start, with research. I read up on how to market and was bored to tears.

That wasn't going to get me anywhere. Then I read other writers' experiences in self-marketing, the strategies they used, the lessons they learned. I soon found that their goals were money and fame. Those aren't my goals, so using their strategies wouldn't get me what I want.

I want to connect with readers.

I want people who don't know me to read Risking Exposure and learn about the plight of people with disabilities during the Nazi era. I want readers to understand that acting against injustice when the entire society in which you live has warped the very meaning of right and wrong must be incredibly difficult. It takes courage beyond what most of us use in our lifetimes.

So here's my marketing plan in a nutshell - donate and spread the word. I am donating copies to libraries and schools, as well as to non-profits that support writers and people with disabilities. I am spreading the word through Facebook and hopefully through newspaper articles. And of course, through word of mouth.

If you've read Risking Exposure, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads and spread the word. Thank you!