Some More Good News

Hello All,

I was in the need for some more good news this week, so I thought you might be too! So I decided to write about people who are doing exceptional work, making people smile and making a difference! They are my heroes!

Flavaine Carvahlo is the restaurant manager at Mrs. Potato Restaurant in Orlando. She recognized that a young boy had visible signs of abuse, and though his family was eating, he wasn’t allowed to eat.  She wrote a note that said “Do you need help?” and showed it to him in a way that only he could see it. He nodded yes. Ms. Carvahlo called the police. The boy’s stepfather and mother were arrested. The boy and his 4-year old sister were removed from the home – and are doing well. A police spokesperson said “In the opinion of the lead investigator, the child was destined to be killed.” She saved this young boy’s life! Ms. Carvahlo said she “simply did what was right.” I say thank you to a true hero!

Officer Eugene Goodman was on duty at the Capitol on the day of the riots. He confronted the rioters and led them away from the Senate chambers when he realized the chambers had not yet been secured – and our Vice President and senators were at tremendous risk. He literally used himself as bait in order to keep others safe! His courage and commitment to our democracy and his fellowmen are incredible! It brought me to tears on inauguration to see Officer Goodman accompanying the then Vice President Elect Kamala Harris to the stage. He deserves all of our thanks!

Jerry and Jerri live in Burlington, Washington – and they LOVE to dance! They are well known in that area for their dancing skills, “chasing live music all over the Skagit Valley.” Then the pandemic hit and the live music went away – but it did not diminish their love for dancing. So they started dancing in their driveway. Their neighbors came out to cheer them on. So they decided to take their show on the road. Carrying their boombox with them – and often dressed in tuxedo and gown – they setup in public spaces and dance! Often they have socially distanced bystanders watching – and sometimes they just dance. Many thanks to Jerry and Jerri for keeping romance alive – and for dancing, because life is too short not to!

Collette Divitto is a testament that you just need passion to succeed! Collette was born in 1990 with Down Syndrome. She developed her love for cooking in high school where she developed an original recipe for cinnamon chocolate cookies that people really enjoyed, calling the cookies “amazing”. Collette decided to name her recipe “The Amazing Cookie”. After high school, she attended Clemson University. She moved to Boston. She went on many interviews, but never got a job. So she founded her own company,  Collettey’s Cookies. In addition to baking, and knowing firsthand the struggle that people with Down Syndrome go through when searching for jobs, she decided that her company would also create jobs for other people with disabilities! An entrepreneur, a business woman, a force making a difference in the lives of others!

This story warmed my heart! Gavin, a student at Hart Highlands Elementary School in British Columbia, lost his tooth at school while getting ready to eat lunch. After a valiant search, Gavin’s tooth could not be found, leaving Gavin heartbroken! In steps the school’s vice president Shandee Whitehead, who wrote a very special note to the tooth fairy….on the school’s official stationary:

“Dear Tooth Fairy,

Today one of Gavin’s teeth fell out while he was getting ready to eat lunch. Unfortunately, it was lost in the classroom, and despite the heroic efforts of a fearless search team, we were unable to recover it.

As a trained Vice President and hobby dentist, I can verify that there is definitely a gap in Gavin’s teeth that was not there this morning when he came in.

Please accept this letter as official verification of a lost tooth and provide the standard monetary exchange rate you normally use for a real tooth.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the address above.”

I hope Gavin got big bucks for that letter! And kudos to Ms. Whitehead for creatively saving the day! (BTW – she wrote a postscript on the letter! She noted that that she had yet to receive money for the wisdom teeth she lost in 2000. She wrote “Please pay as soon as possible, I have bills to pay.” LOL!)

I just had to share a story about my new favorite four-legged hero named Boncuk (which means bead). Boncuk’s owner Mr. Cemal Senturk was taken to a hospital in Northeastern Turkey on January 14, 2021 for treatment for a brain embolism. Boncuk somehow escaped from the apartment and followed the ambulance to the hospital. Mr. Senturk’s daughter would come get Boncuk and take her home – and each day she would escape and run back to the hospital. The hospital’s security guard reported that Boncuk would come every day around 9:00 a.m. and stay until nightfall. The guard said she would poke her head in when the door opened and look around, but never went in the hospital. The staff fell in love with Boncuk, and made sure she had food , water and plenty of pats on the head! Boncuk was reunited with her owner on January 20th when he was discharged. The reunion when he was rolled outside in his wheelchair was joyous! Gives a whole new meaning to man’s best friend!

I cannot end without again recognizing and thanking the incredible heroes on the frontlines of this relentless pandemic. Everyone who works in the hospitals – all of our first responders  – the researchers who continue to work on vaccines and solutions – all of the educators – all of the parents who are also serving as educators – everyone who is in the supply chain (and thank goodness we have toilet paper…..now if I could just find some Clorox wipes!) – each and every one of you who wears masks and socially distances! Maya Angelou said “A hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.” Each and every one of these people race ahead to do that!

I will end with a quote attributed to Hercules – “A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart.” Thank you to all of my heroes for the strength and size of your hearts.

Phyl