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Author Topic: kindness counts  (Read 14460 times)

space otter

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kindness counts
« on: December 11, 2014, 11:13:10 am »


an old saying
if you see someone without a smile..give them one of yours...


this story is proof....pass out the kindness..it really does come back to you




pictures at link

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lauren-casper/to-the-young-woman-who-noticed-us-when-i-hoped-no-one-would_b_6305066.html


Lauren Casper  Become a fan
Founder and blogger, LaurenCasper.com
 Posted:  12/10/2014 6:42 pm EST    Updated:  12/10/2014 6:59 pm EST


To the Young Woman Who Noticed Us When I Hoped  No One Would
I was tired, hurried, frustrated, and ready to just go home. John was pushing Mareto in the cart just as fast as he could to leave the store before the meltdown got worse. We were frantically trying to open up a cereal bar in an effort to stem the tears. Arsema was strapped to my chest in the ergo carrier watching it all through wide eyes. Sweat beads were forming on my forehead, caused in part by my embarrassment, but mostly from the heat and amount of energy I was exerting by running through Trader Joe's with my 18-pound baby strapped to my chest and my toddler son screaming behind me.

I sure didn't feel like I was going to be in the running for any mom of the year awards. I felt like a hot mess. In fact, I was sincerely hoping that no one was looking at us too closely... that somehow we were invisible to the people bustling around us. It was chaotic, exhausting, and an unfortunately all too common experience for us.

Our family doesn't exactly blend in with the wallpaper. Not only are we two white parents with a brown son and daughter (something that causes enough stares and questions all by itself), but our son has noticeable developmental delays and different behaviors caused by his autism, and our daughter has physical differences with her missing and webbed digits. In other words, when we all go out together, we stand out. Usually I don't mind, and often I love it. My children are beautiful and so is our story.

Sometimes, though, on the days when we are very far from having it together, I do mind. Those days I just want to blend in with the crowd and hide far away from the curious stares. Some days I get tired of it all and just want to be a family. Not the adoptive family. Not the family with special needs children. Not the unique family... just a family. This was one of those days.

I was close to tears myself as John took Mareto to put the cart away. I rushed through the doors with Arsema on my chest to get to the car as quickly as possible when a voice behind me slowed my steps.

"Ma'am!!" She called out. I slowed, hoping and praying she wasn't talking to me.

"Ma'am!" I stopped and turned to find a young woman rushing toward me. A bright smile covered her face and I immediately noticed her beautiful black curls, just like the black curls snuggled on my chest, tickling my chin. Recognizing her shirt, I realized that she worked there and assumed I must have dropped something. I looked at her, holding back my tears, waiting.

"I just wanted you to have this bouquet...." I looked down to see the flowers in her hands. She quickly continued to explain...

"I was adopted as a baby and it has been a wonderful thing. We need more families like yours." I stared at her, stunned. Hadn't she seen what a disaster we were in the store? Didn't she see that we were barely able to keep it together? Didn't she see what I felt were all my failures as a mom?

As she handed me the flowers, I managed to choke out a thank you and tried to express that this meant the world to me. She patted my shoulder, told me my family was beautiful, and walked back into the store.


My steps were much slower as I finally headed to the car with my arms full of flowers and tears that had spilled over onto my cheeks. On a day when I felt like we were the worst example of family... a day when I hoped no one noticed us... she did. But she didn't see what I assumed everyone was seeing. She didn't think what I assumed everyone was thinking. She saw beauty and love and hope and family. She thought we were wonderful and it made her smile.

I wish I had thought to get her name. I wish I could go back and tell her, two years later, what her gift continues to mean to me today. To the beautiful young woman in the parking lot of Trader Joe's... thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are a treasure.


This post originally appeared on LaurenCasper.com.




space otter

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Re: kindness counts
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2014, 06:47:44 pm »


Police Deliver Groceries To Struggling Grandma Caught Shoplifting To Feed Family Of 6



 The Huffington Post    | By  Kimberly Yam   
  Posted:  12/12/2014 8:43 am EST    Updated:  12/12/2014 9:59 am EST

This kindhearted officer's unique approach to enforcing the law meant helping someone who needed it most.

Helen Johnson, of Tarrant, Alabama, went to a grocery store last Saturday to buy eggs. The 47-year-old had been in a tough financial spot and found that she was 50 cents short of being able to afford the carton of eggs. Johnson says she was desperate, as her grandchildren hadn't eaten in two days, according to WIAT.

“I actually thought that if I didn’t feed those babies, they were going to die," she told the outlet.

So the grandmother decided to put three eggs in her jacket pocket, WIAT reported. However, the eggs broke and a store employee who caught her stealing called the cops. When Tarrant Police Officer William Stacy arrived, Johnson expected him to arrest her -- she thought wrong.

"She started crying," Stacy told ABC 33/40. "She said, 'I need help. I need help Officer Stacy, I need to put food in my babies' stomachs.' That's what got me. That's what hit me the hardest. I told her [to] park on the side of the parking lot, I ran in, bought the carton of eggs, came back outside, handed them to her and she got very emotional, very apologetic."

The officer's kind act was caught on camera by a bystander who posted the clip online. It quickly went viral racking up more than 650,000 views.

Johnson's family of six, including her two daughters, two grandchildren and a niece, have been living off of disability and welfare. The welfare check she was supposed to receive this month had gotten lost in the mail, according to AL.com.

And while Stacy's decision to lend a helping hand was a generous one, the kindness didn't stop there. The Tarrant Police Department has since signed Johnson's family up for a local toy drive and collected food donations from the community, eventually delivering two truckloads of groceries to the 47-year-old's apartment.

"I was just getting eggs and now that's saved my life,'' Johnson told AL.com. "I've never been more grateful in my life. I'm so overwhelmed with the goodness of these people."

"My heart is wide open right now,'' she added.




photo's at the link
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/12/officer-buys-eggs-for-gma-caught-stealing_n_6310630.html

space otter

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Re: kindness counts
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2014, 12:50:16 pm »
http://www.upworthy.com/a-kid-on-a-skateboard-crashes-into-a-construction-worker-it-just-gets-so-good-after-that-ah2-5c


Tiny little actions set off a chain of happiness. People give just a moment, or just a small gift. And the next person does, too. We have bumps of big kindness, but mostly, it's just a pulse of everyday friendliness.

Oh, and the song is "One Day" by reggae superstar Matisyahu. You will not regret having it stuck in your head for the rest of the day.


[youtube]
[/youtube]

space otter

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Re: kindness counts
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2014, 10:02:32 am »


kindness counts even in the critter kingdom



Good Guy Tortoise Helps A Friend In Need Get Back On His Feet




[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ87DJl_jbc[/youtube]





Good Guy Tortoise Helps A Friend In Need Get Back On His Feet
 


 The Huffington Post    |  By  Ryan Grenoble 
 Posted:  12/15/2014 6:07 pm EST    Updated:  12/15/2014 6:59 pm EST

When you're down and troubled, arms waving helplessly in the air, it's good to know that you've got a friend.

Like this good-guy tortoise, for example, who helped right an upside-down buddy after life landed him on his back.

According to The Dodo, these two tortoises live in Taipei, Taiwan, and the children in the background are screaming "jiayou!" a Chinese cheer which loosely translates into an encouraging phrase.

Jiayou, indeed. Nice work, tortoise!


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/15/tortoise-flips-friend-off-back-video_n_6329842.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular


space otter

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Re: kindness counts
« Reply #4 on: December 22, 2014, 09:55:23 pm »




Walmart Cashier Pays For Man's Groceries With Her Own Money When He Couldn't Afford To

 


 The Huffington Post    |  By  Kimberly Yam 
Posted:  12/15/2014 9:05 am EST    Updated:  12/15/2014 9:59 am EST


This cashier went out of her way to give a customer the extra boost he needed.

Jenny Karpen of Rotterdam, New York, a new employee at Walmart, was working the cash register on a Friday when an elderly man came to her lane to pay for his groceries, according to News10 ABC. The man handed her money for his items, but came up short.

"He was like, 'Is it enough?'" Karpen told News10. "And I was like, 'No, it’s not.' So he was trying to take stuff back."

The cashier, fearing that the shopper would be leaving without some necessities, stepped up to help. She took $40 from her own pocket to subsidize his bill, allowing him to leave with everything he planned on purchasing, which included food and pet supplies, News10 reported.

"I felt really bad for him. I didn’t want him to go home and not have something that he really needed to eat," she told the outlet.

Inspired by her kindness, another shopper in the line offered to give her $40 for her generosity, but the kind cashier declined.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/15/walmart-cashier-pays-for-mans-groceries_n_6316746.html?utm_hp_ref=good-news

space otter

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Re: kindness counts
« Reply #5 on: December 23, 2014, 08:10:02 pm »

this guy didn't have to wear a mask to do good...





Football Player Donates A Week's Paycheck To Sick Little Girl, Makes Her Season Bright
 


 The Huffington Post    |  By  Ron Dicker   
 Posted:  12/22/2014 12:28 pm EST    Updated:  12/22/2014 12:59 pm EST


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyGRSyff4sQ[/youtube]




 Menelik Watson of the Oakland Raiders just earned our All-Pro honors -- for incredible generosity.

The Raiders were visited recently by Ava Urrea, a 4-year-old who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome -- which interrupts normal blood flow through the heart. Ava, who has had 14 surgeries, got to hang with the players last week, received a signed helmet and all kinds of goodies and attended the team's game on Dec. 21. It was all arranged through the Touchdown Dreams children's charity run by Fox Sports reporter Jay Glazer.

But Watson went the extra yard -- well, way beyond that. He pulled Ava's father aside and told him he was donating a week's paycheck to the family.

Just how much money is that? Well, given Watson's $622,948 salary for this season, his weekly paycheck for the 17-week season comes out to almost $37,000 before taxes, according to Pro Football Talk. "With federal and California taxes consuming roughly half of that amount, the net check would have been in the range of $18,000," the outlet went on to note.

On Sunday, Watson didn't tweet about the donation, though he did mention the Raiders' upset victory over the Buffalo Bills. (He did not play.) With Ava in attendance, the Raiders triumphed, 26-24.

Fans deluged his account with praise for what he had done off the field. One called his donation a selfless act that was way bigger than football.

At 6 feet, 5 inches and 310 pounds, No. 71 (pictured below earlier in the season) is a large man. And he just got bigger in the eyes of many.

And now we know that Santa Claus can wear silver and black, too.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/22/menelik-watson-heart-week-paycheck-donation_n_6366368.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

space otter

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Re: kindness counts
« Reply #6 on: December 24, 2014, 05:27:20 pm »





http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/24/homeless-man-100_n_6378022.html




Prankster Gives Homeless Man $100, Secretly Follows Him And Learns He Buys Food For Others
 


 The Huffington Post    |  By  Kimberly Yam   
 Posted:  12/24/2014 1:07 pm EST    Updated:  5 hours ago
This video proves that a person's integrity goes far beyond what meets the eye.

In a video uploaded to YouTube, prankster Josh Paler Lin gives $100 to a homeless man and secretly follows the him to find out how it's spent.

The homeless man is seen on camera buying food and giving it to strangers in the park. The sight turns Lin's perception of homelessness on its head.


Lin says he is "stunned" and admits he thought the man might buy alcohol.

"You just touched my heart," Lin told him.

While the gesture left the prankster so emotional that he decided to donate another $100, he also had something to offer Lin:

"There's a lot of people that are just victims of circumstance," the homeless man told him. "And they didn't go homeless because they're lazy ...It could be a divorce, and one thing leads to another. A man sells his boat, his home, and all of a sudden he finds out he has no money. There's a lot of good people that are homeless."



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiWxrpikWgs[/youtube]


space otter

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Re: kindness counts
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2015, 08:58:35 pm »
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/03/james-robertson-walks-21-miles-to-work-donations-car_n_6604896.html


In 24 Hours, Internet Helped Change Life Of Detroit Man Who Walks 21 Miles To Work
 


 The Huffington Post    |  By  Cavan Sieczkowski   
 
 Posted:  02/03/2015 1:16 pm EST    Updated:  02/03/2015 1:59 pm EST

Sometimes a simple story can be life-changing.

That's what happened to James Robertson, a 56-year-old man from Detroit who walks 21 miles to and from work each day. The Detroit Free Press first covered the tale of Robertson's grueling commute, explaining that he leaves his home at 8 a.m. and does not return until around 4 a.m. Because Robertson can't afford to own and maintain a car in the Motor City on his $10.55-per-hour salary, he must rely on public transportation, rides from good samaritans and his own two feet to get him where he needs to go Monday through Friday.

Evan Leedy, a student at Detroit's Wayne State University, set up a GoFundMe account to help raise money to buy Robertson a car. It began with a simple goal of $5,000 and skyrocketed to over $200,000 from thousands of people after Robertson's story was picked up my media outlets around the world.

"I am just so stunned," Robertson told People magazine Tuesday. "Who would have thought that just a simple walk would have turned into this? I would have told you that you were crazy a few days ago ... I am taking this as a sign that it's time I start driving again," he said. "And getting more than two hours of sleep a night."

Robertson's girlfriend, Tanya Fox, echoed a similar shock.

“He’s kind of a private person, doesn’t bother anybody. He’s the kind of person you can depend on. He’s a good man," she told the "Today" show about the response to Robertson's story. "We’re both elated and he’s overwhelmed. He didn’t think something like this would even happen to him.”

His work ethic and spirit are truly inspiring. Robertson doesn't complain and he manages to have perfect attendance at work.

"I set our attendance standard by this man," Todd Wilson, the plant manager at Schain Mold & Engineering, told the Detroit Free Press. "I say, if this man can get here, walking all those miles through snow and rain, well I'll tell you, I have people in Pontiac 10 minutes away and they say they can't get here — bull!"

"I do it with no excuses," Robertson told CBS News. "If you want something, you've gotta go out and get it ... You better go ahead and do it because your girlfriend don't want to hear it, your coworkers don't want to hear it and you got to get up and do it again the next day."

While the sum collected via GoFundMe can afford Robertson a luxury vehicle, he plans to keep it simple. He told the Detroit Free Press Tuesday that he likes Ford.

"I'm a Ford fan. I remember the Taurus," he said. "They look comfortable, nothing fancy. They're simple on the outside, strong on the inside — like me."





.........................................................................

http://www.alternet.org/labor/detroit-man-walks-21-miles-work-each-day



Detroit Man Walks 21 Miles to Work Each Day
 
 


Now that his story has come out, 56-year-old James Robertson may just get a car and a reprieve.
 
By Terrell Jermaine Starr / AlterNet

February 2, 2015


If you complain about your morning commute, you need to stop and consider the four-hour trek 56-year-old Detroit man James Robertson takes every day to reach his factory job 23 miles away in the suburb of Rochester Hills.

When James' 1988 Honda Accord stopped working in 2005, he began taking the bus part way to his job, then walking the other 21 miles to Schain Mold & Engineering, according to the Detroit Free Press. He told the paper he didn’t get a new car because, "I haven't had a chance to save for it."

Robertson makes makes $10.55 per hour, more than Michigan's minimum wage of $8.15 an hour but not nearly enough to purchase and maintain a car in Detroit. At $5,109 per year, Detroit has the most expensive car insurance in the nation. The commute is incredible but that's how it is, given that Metro Detroit has cut back its bus service routes and car ownership is out of reach for many residents.

As rough as  Robertson's commute has been, his boss says it hasn’t stopped him from getting to work on time.

"I set our attendance standard by this man," Todd Wilson, plant manager at Schain Mold & Engineering, told The Free Press. "I say, if this man can get here, walking all those miles through snow and rain, well I'll tell you, I have people in Pontiac 10 minutes away and they say they can't get here — bull!"

Robertson's co-workers give him a lift when they can; Wilson’s wife makes sure he has homecooked food during dinner time each day.

“Oh, yes, she takes care of James,” Wilson told the Press. “And he's a personal favorite of the owners because of his attendance record. He's never missed. I've seen him come in here wringing wet."

The commute takes a toll on him though, says his coworker Janet Vallardo, 59, of Auburn Hills. "He comes in here looking real tired — his legs, his knees," she told The Free Press.

Robertson has walked to work in the freezing cold, snow, rain and during the summer heat. Getting home after work at night is even tougher because he has to go through rough parts of town. He was mugged once.

According to the Free Press, Robertson operates “a injection-molding machine the size of a small garage, carefully slicing and drilling away waste after removing each finished part, and noting his production in detail on a clipboard.”

He keeps himself energized at work by drinking 2-liter bottles of Mountain Dew and cans of Coke.

There is a bright spot to this story. After the Free Press ran James story, hundreds of people around the country began raising money for him to purchase a vehicle. More than $53,000 has been raised as of noon today.

A local car dealership has offered to give Robertson a a 2014 Chevrolet Cruz or Sonic. "He gets to choose," said Angela Osborne, customer service specialist at Rodgers Chevrolet in Woodhaven. "We were just impressed with his determination.”

Robertson would have to pay the $900 tax on the car.

After hearing about the money that has been raised for him, all James could say in response was, “Are you serious?”



..........................................




http://news.yahoo.com/funds-pour-detroit-man-walks-21-miles-002408804.html


Funds pour in for Detroit man walks 21 miles to, from work

.

Associated Press

February 2, 2015 7:24 PM


DETROIT (AP) — Hundreds of people have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to help a Detroit man who says he typically walks 21 miles to get to and from work.







Related Stories


1. Strangers raise $60,000 to buy car for Detroit man who walks 21 miles a day to work Yahoo News
2. In 24 Hours, The Internet Helped Change Life Of Detroit Man Who Walks 21 Miles To Work Huffington Post
3. Fundraiser for Detroit man with marathon commute draws over $226,000 Reuters
4. Crowdfunding raises $200,000 for US man with long commute AFP
5. How a Detroit man's 21-mile walk to and from work became a national cause Vox.com

The Detroit Free Press (http://on.freep.com/1yujefU ) reports that James Robertson rides buses part of the way to and from his factory job in suburban Rochester Hills, but because they don't cover the whole route, he ends up walking about 8 miles before his shift starts at 2 p.m. and 13 more when it's over at 10. Lately, he's been getting occasional rides from a banker who passed him walking every day and finally asked what he was doing.

After the newspaper wrote about the 56-year-old's situation over the weekend, multiple people started crowdfunding efforts to help him buy a car and pay for insurance. Some have offered to drive him for free and others have offered to buy or give him cars.

Robertson began making the daily trek to the factory where he molds parts after his car stopped working ten years ago and bus service was cut back. He's had perfect attendance for more than 12 years.

"I set our attendance standard by this man," said Todd Wilson, plant manager at Schain Mold & Engineering. "I say, if this man can get here, walking all those miles through snow and rain, well I'll tell you, I have people in Pontiac 10 minutes away and they say they can't get here — bull!"


Evan Leedy, a 19-year-old student at Wayne State University, read the story and started a GoFundMe site with the goal of raising $5,000. As of Monday evening, he had raised more than $90,000.

Robertson said he was flattered by the attention and amazed strangers would step in to help.

Asked about a federal program newly available through Detroit's bus system that might pick him up at home and drop him off at his job, Robertson said, "I'd rather they spent that money on a 24-hour bus system, not on some little bus for me. This city needs buses going 24/7. You can tell the City Council and mayor I said that


space otter

  • Guest
Re: kindness counts
« Reply #8 on: February 18, 2015, 07:34:13 am »


this fits here... SMILE.. it will make your day... hugs



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd_2Y29_FLU[/youtube]





Disney Characters Shadow Unsuspecting Mall Shoppers
 


 The Huffington Post    |  By  Ed Mazza   
  Posted:  02/17/2015 11:25 pm EST    Updated:  02/17/2015 11:59 pm EST

With New York in the grips of record low temperatures, it might seem like only a little Disney magic could thaw the place out. And that's just what some unsuspecting shoppers in a Long Island mall got when they found themselves being shadowed by Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and more during a recent hidden-camera stunt to promote the company's "Disney Side" ad campaign.

The characters were working behind the opaque windows of the "Umbra Penumbra Magic Shop" at the Westfield Sunrise Center in Massapequa. The name of the shop refers to two parts of a shadow.

The store also claims it was established in 1955, not coincidentally the year Disneyland first opened.

Check it out in the clip above... and prepare to be impressed by some pretty slick dance moves from a certain mouse.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/17/disney-characters-mall-shadow_n_6702530.html

space otter

  • Guest
Re: kindness counts
« Reply #9 on: March 07, 2015, 10:46:27 am »
 
;D   8)  the internet can be a good thing...smile  being different  makes you interesting..not a thing of scorn


Mocked Dancing Man Set For 'Epic' LA Party





A man mocked for his dance moves is set for a "party of a lifetime" with hundreds of women - and potentially Hollywood stars - after an online campaign tracked him down.

Named as 'Sean' and from London, he was pictured in a photo on the 4chan site looking down in the dumps after apparently being made fun of.

An anonymous poster wrote: "Spotted this specimen trying to dance the other week. He stopped when he saw us laughing."

The post was republished on photo site imgur and quickly picked up more than 2000 comments of support for the mystery man's moves.

One person posted: "I literally want to hug him. His face… he looks so defeated. I want to tell him to keep dancing and don't care about those people."

Cassandra Fairbanks, who spearheaded the #finddancingman campaign, told Sky News the original taunts were "disgusting bullying", but that Sean was now basking in internet love.

"There have been so many [messages] – it’s just been an outpouring of support and love and kindness.

"He’s been wonderful. He said he’s been smiling and laughing all day and reading everybody’s tweets."

She explained "a whole bunch of women from LA from various fields" had got behind the campaign after being outraged by the nasty comments.

And now a photo of a chuffed-looking Sean has emerged and he appears to have set up his own Twitter account @dancingmanfound.

Cassandra told Sky News she is in contact with him and trying to arrange dates. A fundraising page has been set up to fund Sean’s LA adventure.

"We have over 17,000 people in our group so I think we can swing the airfare," said Cassandra, who is promising the lucky Londoner an "epic" trip.

"We organised a huge sleepover party a few months ago," she said.

"We had bouncy houses, and a monkey I think was there; giant pizzas, air mattresses…

"I think we can organise an even more epic dance party. There are already a lot of artists volunteering to perform, people are offering all kinds of stuff."

Happy singer Pharrell Williams could be one of those performing in Sean's honour, tweeting on Friday "keep me posted about your dance party" ... never be ashamed of yourself."





space otter

  • Guest
Re: kindness counts
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2015, 04:05:42 pm »


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/03/13/players-leave-court-mid-game-to-confront-bully-cheerleader-with-down-syndrome/

Midwest

Players leave court mid-game to confront bully of cheerleader with Down syndrome





vid at link of team


Published March 13, 2015
·FoxNews.com


A group of middle school basketball players walked off the court in the middle of a game when they heard bullying coming from the stands directed at cheerleader, Desiree Andrews, who has Down syndrome.

"We walked off the court and went to the bullies and told them to stop because that's not right to be mean to another person," said Miles Rodriguez, one of the players, told Fox & Friends Friday.


The athletic director at Lincoln Middle School in Wisconsin told the show he was proud of the boys for what they did, as well as Desiree and the other cheerleaders.

"It truly does take a village to do great things," AD Tim Nieman said.

Brandon Morris, who was the boys seventh-grade coach at Lincoln told the Kenosha News, "One of the kids stepped up and said, ‘Don’t mess with her,’.


Eighth-graders Miles, Chase Vasquez and Scooter Terrien stormed off the court to confront the bully, who was giving Andrews a hard time.

“We were mad; we didn’t like that,” Rodriguez told the paper. “We asked our sports director to talk to the people and tell them not to make fun of her.”

In a video on TMJ4 news in Wisconsin, Andrews called the gesture “sweet, kind, awesome, amazing.”

“It’s not fair when other people get treated wrong because we’re all the same. We’re all created the same,” Terrien told TMJ4.

In a tradition that began last year, the introduction of the starting lineup for Lincoln’s boys basketball team always includes Desiree, coach David Tolefree told Kenosha News. He added that the gym was renamed “D’s House” in her honor, and students wear T-Shirts celebrating her inclusion with the team.

“They have really stepped up, almost like they are big brothers to her,” Tolefree said. “It’s good to see.”

Desiree’s father Cliff Andrews told the paper that his daughter’s interest in cheerleading came from the television show “Glee.”

“They have a character with Down syndrome who is a cheerleader. And she said, ‘If she can be a cheerleader, I can be a cheerleader.’”

Cheer coach and Lincoln teacher, Laura Stone, told Kenosha News she believes Desiree’s participation on the team, and at school, has helped her students grow.

“She has been very special to us,” Stone said.





space otter

  • Guest
Re: kindness counts
« Reply #11 on: March 15, 2015, 09:28:28 pm »


follow up


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/detroit-area-man-who-walked-miles-to-work-gets-new-apartment/ar-AA9O2sm

Detroit-area man who walked miles to work gets new apartment






James Robertson: In this Tuesday March 3, 2015 photo, James Robertson cleans off his furniture before leaving his new apartment in Troy, Mich. Robertson, who said he walked 21 miles to and from work each day, is settling into the suburban Detroit apartment after receiving thousands of dollars in online donations. ?  © AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Ryan Garza In this Tuesday March 3, 2015 photo, James Robertson cleans off his furniture before leaving his new apartment in Troy, Mich. Robertson, who said he walked 21 miles to and from work each day, is… 
DETROIT — A man who said he walked 21 miles to and from work each day is settling into a new, suburban Detroit apartment after receiving thousands of dollars in online donations.

James Robertson said he feels more secure in Oakland County's Troy after moving north from his Detroit home to escape people asking him for money, the Detroit Free Press said Sunday (http://on.freep.com/1x6cWZd ).

The 56-year-old gained celebrity after the newspaper reported earlier this year that he began walking to a job at an auto parts factory when his car stopped working in 2005 and bus service was cut back.

A local college student launched a modest crowdfunding campaign to a buy a new car. It led to $360,000 eventually being raised and Robertson receiving a new, $35,000 Ford Taurus from an auto dealership.

"I may have been born there, but God knows I don't belong there anymore," Robertson said about his old neighborhood near Detroit's New Center area.

The plastic-molding operator also said he didn't tell people in his old neighborhood where he was moving.

He still works at the same factory in Rochester Hills, which pays him $10.55 an hour, but the hours-long walking trip now is done in a 20-minute drive.

"I'm going to keep working — that's for sure," he told the newspaper.

Financial experts are donating their services to help Robertson manage his money. The one-bedroom apartment in Troy costs him $800 a month in rent. He had been paying $880 per month for less space in his ex-girlfriend's home in Detroit.

Most of his money now is in a trust that has a principal amount of $351,000. The earnings from the trust should be enough to keep Robertson's nest egg untouched until he retires, said Rebecca Sorensen, a UBS Financial Services senior vice president for wealth management.

She is part of the financial team helping him.

People have stepped up because Robertson is unselfish and deserving, Sorensen said.

"He wants the majority of the funds he received to be invested in a way that will someday provide an income stream when he retires," she added.

___

Information from: Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com





© AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Ryan Garza In this Tuesday March 3, 2015 photo, James Robertson, left, shows Charlie Purtan Levenson, 13, how to properly swing a baseball bat while he was visiting Robertson with his mother and others at Robertson's new…

Offline micjer

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Re: kindness counts
« Reply #12 on: March 16, 2015, 05:26:55 am »






[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiWxrpikWgs[/youtube]


Wow that did not end the way I thought it would have when I saw him going into liquor store.  Very moving.
The only people in the world, it seems, who believe in conspiracy theory, are those of us that have studied it.    Pat Shannon

space otter

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Re: kindness counts
« Reply #13 on: March 17, 2015, 10:23:51 am »


well this is sad.. but I guess with humans you have to expect it..which is even more sad..sigh...but the whole story needs to be told





http://uptownmagazine.com/2015/03/detroit-walking-man-ex-demands-cut-350k-donations/



Detroit ‘Walking Man’ Not Sharing Windfall With Ex-Girlfriend
 
Posted by  Angela Wilson  on Mar 17, 2015



The story of James Robertson, a diligent working man from Detroit, who walked 21 miles to and from work everyday warmed the hearts of America, including a local Toyota dealership that gifted him a 2015 cherry red Ford Taurus. In addition to his new wheels, Robertson, 56 , received over $350,000 in donations from a GoFundMe account after walking nearly a decade to his $10.55/hour job at a Rochester Mills, Michigan factory, which was only a 20 minute drive. But his tear-jerking story may not end in happily ever after, as his ex-girlfriend/former landlord Tanya Fox wants a cut of the donations he received from strangers.

Fox, 60, claims the plastic-molding operator was “not a neat person” and left his apartment a mess “with grease up the walls” when he moved out after 15 years of living there. She’s been so adamant about getting a piece of his unexpected funds that Robertson issued a restraining order against her. Fox, who said the two discussed marriage at one point, insists she deserves something for putting up with him as a tenant and plans on fighting the order.

“I’m not a threat to him, and no one in this house is a threat to him,” she told the Detroit Free Press.




much longer version here...



http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/detroit-man-demands-cut-350k-strangers-article-1.2150621


Ex-girlfriend of Detroit man who walked 21 miles to work each day demands cut of $350K given to him in crowdfunding campaign


BY  Lee Moran   / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS /
 Published: Monday, March 16, 2015, 6:39 AM / Updated: Monday, March 16, 2015, 9:49 AM
 
A greedy ex-girlfriend wants her cut of the $350,000 gifted to a Detroit man after it emerged that he walked eight hours to work every day.

Tanya Fox, 60, has been hounding James Robertson for at least $50,000 so she can fix up the apartment he rented from her for 15 years, reports the Detroit Free Press.

She claims that he was "not a neat person" and left the home in a mess "with grease up the walls" when he moved out.

The plastic-molding operator has since been forced to take out a restraining order against his former lover, reports the publication.

Fox is reportedly just one of a number of people who have come begging to Robertson, and issuing threats, since he landed the unexpected windfall

The 56-year-old found fame in February when details of his astonishing 42-mile round-trip from his Detroit home to a factory in Rochester Mills, Mich., became known.

He'd made the torrid commute for almost a decade after his Honda Accord quit on him.

Local computer science student Evan Leedy, 19, of Macomb Township, heard about his hardship and created a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to buy Robertson a car.

News of the drive soon went viral, and Robertson was flooded with more cash than he ever could have dreamed of.

vid here at link

It saw him move out of his Detroit New Center neighborhood to a 1-bedroom apartment in the suburb of Troy, and given a $35,000 Ford Taurus from an auto dealership.

It means he has just a 20-minute drive to his $10.55 an hour job.

But he's since completely cut ties with the area in which he grew up.

"I may have been born there, but God knows I don't belong there anymore," he told the Free Press.

space otter

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Re: kindness counts
« Reply #14 on: May 14, 2015, 06:55:52 pm »


this kind of  fits here..mostly as a follow up .. it doesn't really need a place by itself


so the original story is here  about the mom chasing her kid



http://www.thelivingmoon.com/forum/index.php?topic=8209.msg113027#
Reply #18 on: April 28, 2015, 11:28:03 AM »


A suspected rioter in Baltimore got the smackdown of his life Monday by his mom on television. (WMAR)






...............................................

and here is the follow up ..about the mom and what has happened since..pretty cool..i wish them well and I am susre we will here  about this kid in the future..hopefully in a good way


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/for-baltimore-hero-mom-video-captures-only-part-of-her-struggle/ar-BBjNv5a

For Baltimore 'hero mom,' video captures only part of her struggle

BALTIMORE — Three weeks ago, Toya Graham was a recently unemployed single mother of six and grandmother of one struggling to scrape by in West Baltimore.

Today, she's the beneficiary of a growing GoFundMe page, and a scholarship fund has been established for her 16-year-old son. She's fielding job offers, she said, from BET, Under Armour and St. Joseph's Hospital.

"I told them all yes," she said. "I know I can't work all of those jobs. But, I didn't want to seem ungrateful."

Graham's newfound opportunities are the result of one indelible moment: She confronted her son with a barrage of slaps — just as he was poised to throw rocks at police officers by Mondawmin Mall. Captured on video, it was one of the unforgettable scenes from the unrest related to Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old man who died as a result of injuries sustained while in police custody.

The clip catapulted her to overnight fame, with whirlwind appearances on almost every major news network and on shows such as "The View." She even received a call of support from Oprah Winfrey.

The change in fortune brings her to tears.

"It's really overwhelming," she said, sitting in a couch in her living room, where framed pictures of her family and religious scripture adorn a glass table atop paneled wood floors. "When you have struggled for so long, you don't know where your next meal is coming from. It means a lot. ... I'm grateful that they heard me say I was struggling."

But prior to April 27, Graham's experiences were not atypical for West Baltimore: going to church, getting by, raising her children in a neighborhood that can echo with gunshots. While one daughter aspires to be in uniform, her son resents the police; Graham fears his story ending the same way as Trayvon Martin or Freddie Gray.

After moving her family from Park Heights to a larger rowhouse in West Baltimore, the 42-year-old health care worker injured her back on the job; she eventually lost her position as a caregiver. She made ends meet with the help of her significant other and an older daughter. Graham also enlisted the help of social services.

To compound matters, Graham said, past legal trouble kept her from getting new employment.

"If you have any criminal background it is hard to find work," she said. A court records search showed Graham was charged with second-degree assault in 2002, but the case was dismissed.

The number of people seeking work who have such records in their background is so widespread in Baltimore that last year the City Council passed "Ban the Box" legislation that would force employers to wait until they have extended a conditional job offer before checking an applicant's criminal history.

Graham declined to elaborate on that history but added that "no one wants to work with anyone with a record. Sure, you can get hired at McDonald's. But you can't if you want to work as a nurse or as a caregiver with a criminal background. I'm saying this from experience."

———

Even while Graham struggled, she never lost sight of her faith and her family. The youngest of five, she was raised by her parents in a close-knit family in Park Heights.

"Growing up in Baltimore, everyone had a mother and father in the household. Parents were strict. I had to do chores, go to school. We respected elders," she said.

She was devastated when her mother died in 1996. "It was hard for me," she said. Her voice lowers to almost a whisper as she describes family gatherings at the gravesite. "We go up there with blankets and talk to her," she said.

Graham has a "strong connection with the church," she said. Her faith helps her cope, along with a closeness to her father, who often hosts Sunday fish-fry dinners.

She has served as an usher in Berean Baptist Church, where she has been a member for years, she said. Her daughters have been part of the dance ministry there.

Perhaps it is Graham's stern background that comes through in the video that shows her hitting and pushing her son while yelling and cursing at him.

The images stirred sharp emotions, drawing praise for Graham as "Mother of the Year," as well as condemnation for her violence against a child. There were cheers of approval, then a backlash, then a backlash to the backlash.

Graham said she doesn't want any labels. She just wants to keep her children safe.

"I know I'm not alone out there," she said. "It's just that the cameras caught me on TV that day. I was trying to get my son out of a bad situation."

———

Graham stands 5 feet 2 inches tall. She's always been called "shorty," but her presence is commanding. On the day of the interview, she wore a sparkly "Boss" necklace that accented her black dress.

The way she has handled attention since the video makes her oldest daughter, Tericka Tate, proud.

"People are recognizing what she's done for me in my 24 years of living," Tate said. "She's done the best she could."

Graham's father, Robert, echoes the praise.

"She adopted what I was teaching," the 68-year-old said. "To me, she was raising them in the order I tried to raise them."

Robert Graham lives in Westport and works laying tile and marble. He does not view what his daughter did as wrong or abusive.

"I was proud of her for catching him from getting into trouble," he said. "Those were the things I would do to them growing up. I would go to school to check on them."

Graham has avoided social media and Internet stories about herself.

"People are going to have their opinion," she acknowledges. She would just rather not read about it.

"I've told my girls that if you see anything that is negative about me, don't tag me or respond," she said. "I live by the belief that sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

———

For more than a year, Graham said, she has watched narratives in the deaths of unarmed black youths unfold on television. Her heart ached for the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Michael Brown.

"It petrifies me to see the different cases on national television," said Graham, who follows current events closely. "They want answers as to why they don't have their son."

Graham didn't want to become one of those mothers. So when she spotted her son, Michael Singleton, with a rock in hand ready to throw it at police, she jumped into action.

"I wanted to get my son and have him be safe," she said. "I knew that whole thing was not safe."

Although she had never known Gray or heard of him before his death, she attended his viewing.

"I was one of those mothers who couldn't imagine being in that same situation," she said. "I don't know him, the mother or no one in the family. But as a mother I thought I should pay my respect."

Despite the harsh realities of Baltimore, she remains unwavering in her loyalty to her city. Graham lives in a red-brick rowhouse surrounded by boarded-up homes in the Edmondson/Poplar Grove neighborhood. The issues that converged in the Gray case are what she sees "on a daily basis."

Of the protests, she said, "People just need to understand that we were fed up."

Shootings are a regular occurrence here, according to Graham. Nearby gunshots disrupted a recent evening.

"Last night, when my daughter was doing my hair, I heard gunshots so I pushed her to the ground," she recalled. "You don't know where it is going to wind up."

That's why she is determined to keep Michael safe.

"He always wants to be out there with his friends," she said. "He doesn't see what I see. He's mad because I keep him in."

Since the video, Graham has been even more protective.

"He hasn't really been out of my sight since this incident," she said. "It's best to keep him with me. Everybody who knows me, knows I always have my children with me. I like to know they are OK."

———

Life for Michael, a student at Excel Academy at Frances M. Wood High School in Baltimore, has been shifting back to normal since the video aired in late April.

Graham said classmates haven't teased him about the video, which has garnered more than 8 million views on YouTube alone. In fact, they have reacted with admiration.

"They've said: 'Michael, you are lucky you had a mom like that. She came out there to get you,'" said Graham, who declined to allow her son to be interviewed by The Sun.

The two had a lengthy talk after the incident.

"I pretty much asked him: What was he thinking?" Graham said. "He has a lot of anger for what the police have done to his friends. But two wrongs don't make a right."

The message appears to have stuck. In an interview with ABC's "World News Tonight," Michael said: "I understand how much my mother really cares about me, so I'm just gonna try and do better."

Graham and her son discussed his older sister, Tate, an aspiring police officer who lives in Park Heights.

"I told him that could have been his sister," Graham said. "I asked, 'How would you feel if they did that to her?'"

Michael and his sister also talked.

"I told him, 'That is my job. I could have been there.' He said he didn't think of it that way," Tate said. "He understood and thought about it. He said he wouldn't want anyone hurting me."

———

While Graham said support has been overwhelming since release of the video, she was still "shocked" to receive a call from Oprah Winfrey.

"She said she understood why I was there," said Graham, who talked with Winfrey for about 45 minutes. "She said, as a mother, she would do the same thing.'"

In addition to drawing high-profile names and more than $12,000 in donations on GoFundMe, the video has helped Graham connect to several local employers, including St. Joseph's Hospital in Towson.

"Like many in our community, we were saddened by the events in Baltimore City," said a hospital spokeswoman. "When we saw Ms. Graham's story and learned that she was a recently unemployed health care worker, we reached out to see if we could help."

The hospital said it was working out details of a potential position; when asked about Graham's background, a spokeswoman said "all offers are contingent on background checks and evaluation of any findings."

Under Armour also reached out to Graham.

"After hearing the story of Toya Graham and seeing her courageous act of tough love ... we have discussed potential opportunities with her at Under Armour," said Danielle Cavalli Daly, senior manager, global communications and entertainment.

She has gone to New York for appearances on shows such as "The View" and "CBS This Morning."

Graham said, she has been deeply touched by the outpouring of support and praise.

"I don't feel that I am a hero mom," she said. "It's just me and my children. To see my son in that same predicament, I had to get out there and do something. I see myself as a regular mom who had to get out there to protect my child."



 


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