Two vets log 15,000 hours driving other vets to appointments

At 85 and 70 years old, Mel Ortega and Bernardo Jaramill might be content to stay home and relax. Not these two retired army vets. They volunteer their time with Disabled American Veterans, driving disabled vets to appointments near their home in northern New Mexico. Both men remember the camaraderie and mutual support they received from their fellow soldiers, and they see this as a way to continue to serve.  

Since starting to drive for DAV in 2002, Ortega has logged over 10,000 hours - an amazing 200,000 miles. Jaramillo joined the effort a year later, driving over 5,000 hours and bringing the pair's total volunteer driving miles to 300,000.   
“When I was wounded in Vietnam, my brothers in arms, they never left me or the other guys behind,” Jaramillo said. “I don’t intend to let ’em down. I don’t care from what war, we gotta serve them, because they served us.”

He bought as many AC units as he could afford, then gave them away

It's been a hot summer in the northeast. With temperatures over 90 degrees for several days last week, Chad Foster sure appreciated the air conditioning at his home and at his business, a tattoo shop in Schenectady NY. 

Foster has always had a soft spot for children, and his own comfort made him think about kids without AC at home. He called around and learned a local Home Depot had windows units available. He bought six, then posted this on Facebook: "So I just left Home depot with as many air conditioners as I could afford. If you know of a family with kids that can't afford one, let me know!!!!"  

Within hours, the post was shared hundreds of times, and families in need were identified. Foster delivered the AC units himself. One appreciative recipient said the gift "made my summer.” Of Foster, she said, “He's like Jesus but with a better beard.”

Man hears of 54 illegal immigrants found in a tractor-trailer, brings them pizza

Watching the news at home in San Antonio, Armando Colunga heard that a tractor-trailer of illegal immigrants had been stopped nearby. He saw video of the 54 detainees sitting on the ground, awaiting their fate. Colunga felt compelled to act. He jumped in his car and drove to the site, unsure of exactly what he wanted to do. 

As he neared the immigrants' location, he saw a Little Caesar's Pizza. It occurred to him that the detainees had been inside that truck for some time and may not have eaten, so he bought seven pizzas. He brought them to the detectives and officers guarding the detainees. They confirmed his fear - the men, women, and teens now sitting outside the truck had been given water but no food. He asked for permission to distribute the pizza, and that permission was granted. 


Colunga learned the detainees are from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Brazil. Of Mexican descent himself, Colunga sympathizes with those who leave Latin America in search of a better life. He told a news affiliate, "If they were black or African people or white people coming from London ... I would have done the same thing," he said. "It's not about race." He also thanked the officers who allowed him to distribute the food. 

The tractor-trailer driver has been charged with human smuggling. 

Woman gives her raincoat to Boston marathoner, he finishes

Near mile post 18 at the Boston Marathon, Renee Bercury stood with family members to watch for her son. A number of the runners who passed them were struggling with the cold rain and the bitter headwind. One runner looked especially desperate. He approached several groups of bystanders, asking, "Can I have a jacket? Can I have a jacket?" When he approached Bercury's spot, she took off her yellow raincoat and gave it to the stranger. The runner was so weak, Bercury's nephew had to help him get it on. Judging by the man's exhaustion, Bercury didn't know if he'd be able to finish the race, but she was glad to see her yellow raincoat moving away from her in the pack. 

Back home in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania several days later, Bercury got a message from her son. Several news outlets had picked up the social media story of a runner seeking the kind woman who had literally given him the coat off her back. Bercury's son recognized his mom's 20-year-old LL Bean raincoat. 

Bercury and the runner, Steven Stallis, connected by phone. Stallis told Bercury he had indeed finished the race thanks to her kindness and her jacket. Bercury told Stallis the history of that old raincoat, how she'd worn it on a couple decades worth of hikes through national parks and that he could keep it. Stallis insisted on sending it back to her. He told the Boston press, “Now it’s crossed the Boston finish line, so it’s a new story for her to have that jacket back.”

Sixty volunteers help this homeless vet return to his childhood home

U.S. Air Force veteran Michael Malone served four years of active duty and fifteen years in the reserves. When his mother died, he inherited her house, his own childhood home and he was happy to think he'd live there again. There was only one problem - the home needed major repairs and Malone didn't have the money. He moved into a shelter for homeless veterans. 

Enter Team Depot and Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation. These two organizations teamed up, determined to get Malone the needed repairs. Matt Rice, manager of an Indianapolis Home Depot, said, “We are helping him get back and are getting this house in shape where he can move back in and get going again.”

About 60 volunteers remodeled the bathroom and installed flooring, they painted and repaired. When all was said and done, the home was move-in ready.  “I’m excited for a new leaf in life, a new fresh start," Malone said. "I’m touched by the generosity of people." 

A stranger helps frazzled mom traveling with screaming kids

Jessica Rudeen was traveling alone with her two children, an infant and a preschooler. Because of the day's chaos, she was unable to nurse her 4-month-old on schedule and the infant was 'screaming his head off' as they boarded the plane. She settled her excited 3-year-old into her seat, and then she too began to cry, hollering and thrashing that she wanted to get off the plane. To say Jessica was flustered is an understatement. She was afraid they'd actually be 'kicked off.'

Enter a fellow passenger, the hero, Todd. A complete stranger to the family, Todd offered to hold the baby while Jessica calmed the preschooler, buckled her in, and set her up with a movie on a tablet. Then he turned his attention to the little girl so Jessica could feed her son in peace. By the time the plane took off, both children had relaxed. For the duration of the flight, Todd and the little girl colored and chatted, they watched a movie and talked about the sights outside the plane's window. When Jessica told Todd how much she appreciated his compassionate kindness, he told her that a stranger once did the same thing for his own wife and sons. He was just paying it forward.

Community rallies to clean trash from elderly couple's yard

Robert and Ann Dobson have lived in the same house in Greece, New York for 50 years. Last week, they received their first ever citation from the town - for excessive trash in their yard. The notice threatened the octogenarians with legal action if the mess was not cleaned up in five days. 

Problem is, it's not their trash. They live near a large shopping plaza, and trash blows across the street and into their yard continuously. Add to that trash thrown from car windows on the busy road and it's easy to see how fast the garbage could accumulate. 

Over the years, the Dobsons have tried to keep up with the litter, enlisting help of family members when needed. But the citation was the last straw. The Dobsons' shared their story with local Rochester-area media. 

The response was overwhelming. 

Many citizens demanded action by the owners of the shopping plaza, specifically to install locks on their dumpsters. Others, including a cross-country team from McQuaid Jesuit High School, picked up trash for the elderly couple. They were joined by a number of volunteers who installed a fence to keep future trash from blowing into the Dobson's yard. 

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.

Soldier deployed, students finish painting his house

William Cookson of Salina, Kansas was partway through painting his house when he got the call. His Army National Guard unit was being deployed to Kuwait. 

A branch of the Salina Chamber of Commerce, the Military Affairs Council, got wind of this. They contacted an instructor at Salina Area Technical College with an idea. The instructor liked the idea and put out a question to his student body - anybody want to finish painting a deployed soldier's house? All 40 students in the Diesel Technology program said "Yes!"

So last week they got started. They power-washed, cleaned the gutters, scraped and primed. And they painted. 

Cookson's wife Skyped the event to William in Kuwait. The couple is overwhelmed by the generous gift of time and effort given to them by strangers.