The good guys thread

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Trucker helps reunite dog with owners
By Kevin Boughton

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) - A family from Nebraska is finally complete in Arizona. But it wouldn't have happened without Jimmy Dimmit, a truck driver from Ashland, and an article in a local newspaper.

A friend of Dimmitt read a story about Dani and Jason Windham’s Koda who ran away from their home in central Lincoln in August. The female mastiff got loose just hours before the two left for their wedding. “We went to say ‘I do’ and then we got in the car and started driving around looking for her,” Dani said.

The next week, the Windhams moved to Camp Verde, Arizona, after Jason got a new job. Driving away, they resigned themselves to the fact it wasn't likely they would see Koda again. “It was horrible, we were so sad,” Dani said.

Two weeks ago Koda surfaced. A rancher found her chasing his cattle north of Wahoo. He took her to the local humane society. Workers scanned the micro chip storing the Windham’s contact information and contacted the Windhams. Dani says the micro chip and her prayers are the only reason they got Koda home.

But so soon after a big move cash was tight. “We just spent a couple thousand dollars to move down here in a rush and we didn't have the money to drive back up,” Dani explained.

Jimmy rolled to the rescue. A friend asked him if he was heading west soon and he was willing to take the dog. He agreed and picked up the dog from the shelter and headed west. “She was a good dog, a good rider,” he joked.

Jimmy met the Windhams in Flagstaff, Arizona, where Dani didn't wait for Jason to put their truck in park before jumping out to hug her dog. “I was crying, Jimmy was crying,” Dani said. “We are just so grateful Jimmy was willing to let her hitch hike all the way here with him.”
Video:
http://kmtv.video.jrn.com/?ndn.track...n&vid=27988639

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Pittsburgh Doctor Heads to the Streets to Treat the Homeless – and Finds Them Homes

For the past 22 years, Dr. Jim Withers has been putting an entirely new spin on the concept of house calls.

Not only does he hit the streets of Pittsburgh to treat the homeless, but he also finds them actual homes.

It was a natural spin-off of his work caring for the homeless, he tells PEOPLE.

"In the late '90s we discovered that the homeless would not or could not go through the processes in place to qualify for housing," Withers, 56, says.

"We began asking them, 'What do you really want?' " says Withers. "And they wanted their own apartment. Fortunately, the rents in Pittsburgh are low enough so we were able to get them Social Security."

So far his nonprofit, Operation Safety Net, run through the Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, has given free medical care to about 20,000 individuals and helped more than 1,200 homeless people find a place to call their own.

"We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Withers and his team from Mercy and Operation Safety Net working with the homeless population here in Allegheny County," Marc Cherna, director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, tells PEOPLE.

"Many homeless individuals, despite their situation, are very guarded when it comes to accepting help of any kind," he says, "but Dr. Withers has been able to connect with the community through his patience, compassion and care."

Street Medicine
When PEOPLE first profiled Withers in 1996, his work had just gotten underway. Since then, his "street medicine" (he coined the term) practices have been put into place in more than 45 communities in the U.S. and 90 internationally.

Withers's separate Street Medicine Institute hosts an annual symposium and assists communities throughout the world in starting their own programs.

Despite all that success, Withers continues to walk the streets at night, caring for those living under bridges, in boxes and in the shadows of the city – and his passion for it hasn't dimmed at all.

"I love the street people," he says. "I've formed friendships out there that are meaningful."

Making a Difference
He recalled the first time he met Lois Burke sleeping in a snow bank near a church.

She was behind a board when he approached and she playfully called out "Peekaboo!" startling Withers, he says.

It was the beginning of a lovely relationship between the two with Burke being placed in her own apartment for the past four years.

"I have my own bed and a couch," Burke, who worked in manufacturing before losing her job and landing in the streets, tells PEOPLE.

"I love it," she says. "I've never had a doctor like him before."

For his part, Withers says he has "so much respect for how strong she is," and affectionately calls the woman in her 50s "J-Lo."

More recently, he was able to help a desperately ill 20-year-old woman who was living in a homeless camp.

"She had a tough childhood, had run away and was in this camp with liver disease," he says. "She was attacked by someone on heroin and our team was able to get her out of the situation and connected with a case manager."

Subsequently, she went to a drug rehabilitation program to detox and is now clean thanks to Withers and his outreach workers.

"It was a lifesaving intervention," he says.

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Hitting the Ice to Help Those with Cancer

MIDDLEBURY Vt. - Many took the ice in Middlebury for the 15th annual Face Off Against Breast Cancer. Over twenty teams come together from all over the state participated in the event to raise money for The Cancer Patient Support Program.

This organization helps cancer patients and their families with everything from counseling to helping
buy food.

Liz Cronin a breast cancer survivor says “It’s more than a hockey tournament. It's wonderful to see people who want to come out and have a passion for hockey but are also able to take it another step and support their loved ones or friends."

Organizers of this event say that they were planning on raising more than $60,000 at this event for a great cause.