The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

Oral Lee Brown Has Sent More than 150 Children to College

Back in 1987, Oral Lee Brown, an Oakland, Calif., realtor, made a seemingly crazy decision.

She decided to offer 23 first-grade children at Brookfield Elementary School a full-ride to college with no realistic expectations that they would even graduate from high school.

In a school district with a 54 percent high school graduation rate, Browns' kids are beating the odds. Out of that first group of 23, 19 graduated from high school and enrolled in college.

"They didn't want to fail me," she says of their success. "I believe love can turn anything around."

Brown, 68, later established the Oral Lee Brown Foundation. To date 90 to 95 percent of her classes have graduated, with around 150 kids going to college.

"I don’t have a magic wand," she says. "It is hard work, determination and love. I can't allow mine to fail."

Michael Tatmon, 32, is one of her grateful kids from that first class.

"Ms. Brown was always in my corner," says Tatmon, who graduated from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., with a degree in criminal justice in 2007 and a BA in criminology. "I appreciate her guidance, her wisdom. She taught us you can make it out of the hood."

She was also there for them on a personal level, he says.

"She was like a mother," says Tatmon, who recently started his own clothing, marketing and promotion company. "Out of my family members, I can say I'm one of the few who have never been in jail. That's a result of Ms. Brown in my life."

It all began when a young girl asked Brown for a quarter outside of a grocery store. Instead, she offered to take her inside and buy her something. Expecting her to pick out candy, the girl bought bread, bologna and other sandwich supplies.

Brown kept returning to the store to look for her. Then she decided to try the local elementary school. Three girls were absent from the two first-grade classes that day.

"The principal said, 'I'll give you a call when all the kids are there,'" Brown recalls. "So I get a phone call that all students are here today and I went through thinking I'd finally see her."

She didn't.

"So I just blurted out, 'Can I adopt one of the classes?'" she says. "'Give me the class you don't think will make it.'"

Brown also started Saturday school for the children and is trying to raise money to start a boarding school that will be a safe haven for these children, housing about 480 students.

"With the boarding school, my kids will be safe, with no bullets coming into their dorm," she says.

LaTosha Hunter, 32, who received a bachelor of arts degree in accounting from Alcorn State University in Lorman, Miss., says she wouldn't be the person he is today without Brown.

"Everyone has a purpose in life," she says. "And her purpose was that we had a better life."

[kuhio98]

People Pets Blind Dog and His Guide Brother Find Forever Home

... And they lived happily ever after!

Jeffrey and Jermaine, the two homeless pups whose story melted hearts when a photograph of them hugging each other in their shelter pen went viral, have found a place to spend forever.

The no-kill animal shelter Operation Ava sorted through more than 10,000 adoptions applications for the 8-month-old pups, who are inseparable because Jeffrey is blind and his brother, Jermaine, is his loyal guide dog. The lucky new owners: Jonathan Hochman and his wife, Veronica McKee.

According to a rep for the shelter, the couple, who live in Springfield, Pa., had been looking to adopt a pair of shelter dogs, as they have a big backyard and are not planning on children.

They will bring the dogs to their new home on Monday.

"I thought these are the cutest dogs I've ever seen,” McKee told Today of the moment she saw the photo. "They're incredibly sweet, but they still have that sibling rivalry. There's this sharing thing. It's pretty funny."

The pit bull-Lab mixes, who now have a feline sibling in McKee and Hochman's cat Blabbus, were found on the streets of Philadelphia in October.

[cassiesmom]

(CBS) – A dog missing since the tornado tore through downstate Washington more than a week ago has been re-united with his owner, reports WBBM’s Mike Krauser.

His name is Dexter, a six-month old pit bull and he has been missed by his owner Jacob Montgomery, an MP in the Illinois National Guard whose third floor apartment was torn apart by the tornado.

He posted an ad online with a lot of pictures asking that if anyone sees Dexter to contact him.

Dexter was found Tuesday morning in the rubble alive. Comparing the before and after pictures he has obviously lost a lot of weight and his ribs are showing. He was being checked out by a vet and has been reunited with his owner.

[kuhio98]

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick Prepare 1,000 ‘Thanksgiving To-Go Meals’


You could say that Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick are giving back before giving thanks.

On Nov. 24, the celebrity couple joined other volunteers (including chefs David Burke, Sunny Anderson, and Mario Batali) at the Food Bank For New York City in Harlem to prepare 1,000 Thanksgiving meals for high-need communities in the area.

Sedgwick and Bacon, who are actively involved in the food bank, say the cause is close to their hearts—and home. “We only live a few blocks from here and the idea that we have so much and there’s 1 out of 5 people in New York using food bank services is kind of staggering,” Bacon told PEOPLE.

With new challenges following government funding cuts that cost the city the equivalent of 76 million meals, Sedgwick says that Thanksgiving won’t be the same for many. “I remember coming here last year and things were rough and they were really struggling to feed the amount of people that were coming in,” she said. “I can only imagine this year, it must be a devastating loss.”

Before strapping on their chef’s hats and aprons, the couple also talked about their own Thanksgiving plans: They will once again be hosting both of their families, which has become an annual tradition.

“We have a great Bacon family Thanksgiving, we’ve been doing it forever,” said Sedgwick.

As for the meal, she admitted that she’s partial to dark turkey meat and gushed about her love of vegetables. “I heard that you don’t start enjoying Brussels sprouts until you’re an adult and let me say that’s one of the good things about getting older,” she said.

Sedgwick, who sliced off the tip of finger chopping kale this summer, said she will likely stay out of the kitchen, but that daughter Sosie, who was just named Miss Golden Globe, and Bacon’s sisters will be handling the cooking and pie-baking. “I’m more of a cheerleader because everyone comes to our house to cook,” she said.

Said Bacon: “It makes us realize how thankful we are and that point gets driven home even stronger on a day like Thanksgiving.”

[kuhio98]

Struggling homeowner gets Thanksgiving surprise
Builders Care & Roof Smart come through for 78 year-old woman

CAPE CORAL, Fla. - Chanting the words "Builders Care, Roof Smart," a group of smiling people marched right down Alabar Lane to the home of 78 year-old Joan Annunzio

"Surprise!" they yelled when they got to her front porch.

"Hi," she said with a shy smile.

The group's spokeswoman, Heidi Taulman explained they were there to give Joan good news: the leaking roof that's been worrying her for years will finally be fixed.

"It leaks in various place and tiles are blowing off of it," said Joan.

The group said a prayer as Joan was presented with flowers.

"Lord, you are a God of new beginnings," someone whispers.

"Make this a new beginning for Joan and the Annunzio family."

"She's not going to worry about anything any longer," said Peter Simeone who co-owns Roof Smart with John Gillam.

The company is installing a $6500 roof for free on Annunzio's home. She's lived in it for 28 years.

"I'm just overwhelmed with Thanksgiving, just overwhelmed," Joan said as she teared up.

Joan couldn't afford to have the roof replaced or even repaired.

She raised her son in the house and always put him first.

Despite some serious health problems - including a heart condition and failing eyesight - she often walks 2 miles to the store to pick up things for her neighbors.

"Joan worked hard all of her life, taking care of friends whenever she can," said Taulman of Builders Care.

Now it's time for someone else to take care of Joan.

"I'm just overwhelmed and feelingn appreciation," said Joan.

"Thank you from bottom of my heart which is pounding," she said with a laugh to the group.

The co-owner of Roof Smart said it's just as gratifying for his crew as it is for Joan.

"This is what the holidays are about about," says Simeone.

"Giving to someobdy who needed something."

"You reach out and help out," he said.

"We should be more thankful to her than her to us," he added.

Simeone says his company is thankful to have met with a lot of success over the years and wants to pay it forward.

"We've been so blessed the community has taken care of us." he said.

"Now we can take care of people need to be taken care of."

True to form, Joan's thoughts quickly shifted others who are getting ready to celebrate the holiday as she wished that, "everyone could be as thankful as I am right now and that we have a happy Thanksgiving day."

Hers will most definitely be a thankful - and dry holiday. The leaky roof should be completely replaced just in time for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.

"Thank you so much," she told the group again,

"And may we all have a all happy Thanksigving in a world in peace."

[kuhio98]

Hotel Rewards Homeless Man Who Returned Guest's Wallet with Thanksgiving Stay

Joel Hartman has been homeless for a year. He spent last Thursday sleeping in the woods outside of Duluth, an Atlanta suburb. He made it into Atlanta, and was looking for food in a dumpster outside the Omni Hotel when he found a wallet. What happened next is pretty extraordinary.

Hartman returned the wallet, which belonged to a French tourist, to the hotel. The Omni's general manager, Scott Stuckey, found out, and released surveillance footage of Hartman's honest gesture, which made it to the Internet.

Hartman eventually learned that the Omni was looking for him and returned to the hotel last week, where he was greeted by Stuckey, who had an offer for him: a room through Thanksgiving with room service and a $500 reward.

"It's just for doing the right thing," Hartman told WSB Atlanta. He intends to hop a freight train to Alaska when his stay at the Omni is up. Best of luck to you, Josh!

[kuhio98]

Watch a Man Be Surprised by a Room Full of People He Rescued During the Holocaust

Sir Nicholas Winton is one of the lesser-known figures of World War II. He organized the rescue of over 650 children (mostly Jewish Czechoslovakians) in an operation called the Czech Kindertransport.

The children were destined for the Nazi death camps, and Winton was instrumental in getting them safe passage to Britain.

After the war was over, Winton didn't brag about his exploits. In fact, he didn't tell a soul for half a century, not even his wife Grete. Then, in 1988, Grete found a scrapbook dating to 1939 in their attic.

It held all the children's photos, a list of their names, letters from some of their parents, and other documents. It was the first time she'd learned of her husband's story.

Later that year, the BBC program That's Life aired a reunion between Winton and the children – obviously now grown adults – he rescued. Winton was surprised when one of the children he rescued was revealed to be seated beside him, so imagine how he felt when the show's host asked if there were any other people he'd helped to save in the audience and two dozen others stood and applauded.