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Helping Others Dress for Success

Feb 1, 2019

Story: If You Have A New York Public Library Card, You Can Now Borrow Ties And Handbags, by Samantha Raphelson / NPR (9/21/18)

The New York Public Library lends out much more than just books, and now that includes clothes.

The library’s Riverside branch on the West Side of Manhattan is testing a pilot program that allows patrons to borrow neckties, briefcases and handbags – provided they have fines of less than $15 on their library cards. The idea is to help people with limited resources get access to suitable clothing and accessories for job interviews, graduations and other formal events, according to the library website.

The “Grow Up Work Fashion Library” was created by Michelle Lee, a young adult librarian at the Riverside branch who works with students at a nearby high school to prepare for job interviews, says Kimberly Spring, network manager of the Riverside area of branches for the New York Public Library.

Photo: Gabriella Angotti-Jones/The New York Times

“She hosted a series of job preparation workshops, and she noticed that a lot of her young participants did not have access to professional supplies or gear such as neckties, purses, briefcases, so she wanted to do something about that,” Spring tells Here & Now’s Lisa Mullins. “She sees these teens on a daily basis, and she established a rapport with them, so they trust her.”

Lee pitched the idea to the New York Public Library Innovation Project, which funds 25 programs submitted by staff members each year. Previous winning submissions include a job search program for the long-term unemployed, language exchange courses and a library staff job shadowing day, says the project website.

Lee’s idea was submitted along with 300 others. She then used the grant money to buy the items for the fashion lending program, Spring says, adding that the library also encourages residents to donate used clothing items.

People can check out items for up to three weeks, Spring says. The program is open to everyone with a library card, not just young adults, and almost 10 people have participated so far. Participants can also attend one of Lee’s job interview preparation workshops.

“You know, you look good, you feel good,” Spring says. “You feel more confident, you know, when you’re going out.”

A Special Delivery of Love & Friendship

Jan 11, 2019

Stranger Drives 2,300 Miles So He Can Reunite Beloved Dog With Boy Recovering from Surgery
Story by McKinley Corbley/GoodNewsNetwork.com

This young boy was recovering from cancer when he told news reporters how much he missed his dog back home – and without hesitation, a total stranger volunteered to reunite them.

8-year-old Perryn Miller and his parents had been visiting family members in Utah for Christmas when the youngster started having headaches. His parents brought him to the emergency room only to hear that their son had a brain tumor as a result of stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer.

The very next day, Perryn underwent a 7-hour surgery to have the tumor removed. Though the operation was successful, he now faces several months of chemotherapy and radiation – but his parents are unsure of where he will be receiving the treatment.

The Millers are originally from Wilmington, North Carolina. Since their home was destroyed by Hurricane Florence last year, they have been living with local family members while they rebuild.

So while the Millers are staying in Utah for Perryn’s recovery, the boy expressed how much he missed his dog: an 8-month-old German shepherd named Frank.

News reports of Perryn’s longing for his canine companion traveled across social media until it caught the eye of former long-haul trucker Bob Reynolds.

Reynolds was so moved by the tale, he volunteered to drive Frank all the way from North Carolina to Utah. The trucker then traveled 2,300 miles across the country in just 52 hours so he could deliver the joyous pup into Perryn’s awaiting arms.

“It’s been a whirlwind. It’s been hard. But it’s been overwhelmingly awesome at the same time,” Perryn’s father Jacob Miller told CBS News.

Though Perryn still has a long road to recovery, his family is confident that having the beloved pup at his side will hasten the healing process. In the mean time, a family acquaintance has been raising money for the Millers’ medical bills on GoFundMe – and the page has already raised over $40,000.

They still don’t know if they will be returning to North Carolina for the rest of Perryn’s treatment, but Reynolds has already volunteered to repeat the entire road trip just to bring Frank home again in the future.

Gratitude and the Gift of Color

Nov 21, 2018

After living his entire life with colorblindness, one Northern California man was brought to tears by a generous gift from his coworkers that allowed him to finally see life in full color.

Jeff Dishmon, a correctional deputy who manages a work-study program at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility, received a pair of specialized glasses Nov. 14 from his longtime coworker Samantha Freese. A fellow correctional deputy, Freese has worked alongside Dishmon for eight years, and the two had become close, calling one another “grandpa” and “granddaughter.”

Dishmon’s colorblindness had “sometimes been a source of frustration for him and others around him,” the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said, so Freese and other coworkers pitched in to buy him glasses designed to help those with colorblindness see color.

In footage shared by the sheriff’s department, both Dishmon and Freese were visibly emotional before he even put the glasses on. “(It’s) a different world,” Dishmon said through tears as he stared into the distance, spellbound by the landscape.

Freese then introduced Dishmon to a set of purple, green, blue, red and yellow balloons to test out his new specs, and the two longtime coworkers shared an emotional hug.

“You’re unbelievable. Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody,” he said, adding that he was excited to watch the sunset with his wife.

During a subsequent phone call with his wife, Dishmon broke into tears as he talked about his gift.

“You wouldn’t believe this place. This whole place is lit up. The whole world is lit up!” he told her.

The glasses Dishmon received were EnChroma glasses. The glasses, which retail for several hundred dollars, have optical lenses designed to selectively block certain wavelengths of light that contribute to colorblindness.

This beautiful story can be found HERE.
By: Danny Clemens/ Channel 6 ABC, November 16, 2018

To learn more about EnChroma Glasses click HERE
(FYI – their website says they are having a big Black Friday sale!!!)

Wishing you a blessed and happy Thanksgiving. I am grateful for all of YOU!

Celebrating a Woman Pioneer

Oct 10, 2018

No matter what side of the political aisle you are on it is commonly acknowledged that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been and continues to be a pioneer for women. Her journey to where she is today at age 85 is nothing short of amazing. She has overcome obstacles and challenges, faced powerful people head on with a fearless determination, and has done it all with a sense of grace.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg started her career path attending Harvard Law School in 1956 after graduating from Cornell University. As a freshman she and 9 of the other female law students were invited to dinner at the home of the Law School’s Dean. At that dinner the Dean asked the young women why they were choosing to take up 9 of the 500 seats at the prestigious Law School that could have been given to a man? Even with that negative welcome to her new school Ginsburg was undeterred. “You felt in class as if all eyes were on you and that if you didn’t perform well you would be failing not only for yourself but for all women”. Ginsburg finished her education ranked first in her class at Harvard Law and Columbia Law where she transferred her senior year and graduated.

It was the love and support of her husband and life as a mother to her daughter that carried her through challenging times as she forged ahead as a woman in a primarily male structured world. Even though her reputation and skills were of the highest level she was turned down by 14 law firms. In 1972 Ginsburg became a law professor at Rutgers School of Law and Columbia Law School, and founded, amongst other gender equality programs, the Women’s Rights Project where she took on cases of gender discrimination. “Our strategy was to go after the stereotypes that were written into law.” She realized success in the courtroom and won a series of landmark cases that changed the legal landscape for women in the United States. In 1980 she was nominated as one of the first female judges on the federal appeals court and in 1993 President Bill Clinton nominated Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the highest court in our land where she was confirmed and has served ever since.

Learn more about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: History Channel, and if you want to see her strenuous work out watch HERE (she’s no wallflower!), and HERE.

OH and don’t miss on Christmas Day “On the Basis of Sex”.
Watch the trailer below: