Sharing Our Gifts

Apr 4, 2021

If you missed this it’s worth revisiting:

Yo-Yo Ma played a surprise concert for a clinic during his post-vaccination waiting period

In an airy, sunny gymnasium on Saturday afternoon, under basketball hoops and banners, in front of people freshly pricked and waiting for minutes to pass, Yo-Yo Ma played a little Bach.

The world-renowned cellist, who is 65, had gone to the vaccination clinic at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Mass., for his second coronavirus vaccine dose, according to clinic organizers. After getting his shot, he took a seat along a padded blue wall of the gym, near others waiting out their 15-minute post-vaccination observation time, and surprised them with a performance.

Leslie Drager, the lead clinical manager for the vaccination site, said that when Ma started to play, the whole place went quiet.

“It was so weird how peaceful the whole building became, just having a little bit of music in the background,” said Drager, who is the lead public health nurse for Berkshire Public Health Alliance.

She said the vaccination site has nine stations of nurses administering doses. On Saturday, 1,102 shots were administered — all second doses. Ma arrived toward the end of the day.

Hilary Bashara, a nurse administering vaccinations at the clinic, said she administered both of Ma’s doses.

The first time, Bashara said, she noticed Ma as he took in his surroundings.

“Most people, they are busy, they’re sort of anxious and waiting — he was different,” she said. “I just watched his face, and he was looking about the room and his face generated such warmth, it felt like he was smiling under his mask. When he got up to where I was, he was like, ‘Thank you so much for being here.’ ”

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Clothing his Community

Apr 3, 2021

Meet the 18-year-old who created clothing charity, collected thousands of coats

By: Kerry Breen / TODAY

After moving from a refugee camp in Nepal to Salt Lake City, Utah, 18-year-old Ashis Dhakal knew he wanted to give back to his community.

He told TODAY show’s Hoda Kotb that while he was mocked for his Hinduism, it was that faith that inspired him to start Ashis Collects Clothes, a charity that organizes clothing drives and donations for people in need.

“I got bullied in school … they called me a terrorist and stuff like that,” Dhakal said. “I practice Hinduism, and in Hinduism, service is very, very important, because, you know, we’re taught to give, and even if you don’t have anything, we try to give as much as we can.”

A few years ago, while working at a local KFC, he met a man who was homeless. While cleaning tables, Dhakal and the man connected, and the man shared his story about how he became homeless.

“One of the necessities he needed was clothes, and so that’s where I got the idea,” Dhakal explained.

Ashis Collects Clothes hosted its first clothing drive in 2019. Dhakal collected everything, including socks, hats, jackets, coats and shoes.

“With that project, I was able to bring so many people together and change so many lives,” Dhakal said. “My biggest ‘why’ in my life is that as a young child, going through poverty, I was in the same shoes as they were in right now. I have a house. I have a computer now. I have a phone. But think about it. Those kids are still suffering. What I can do is better others so that, you know, they can give back to their community.”

For Dhakal, Ashis Collects Clothes is just a start: In the future, he wants to own a multimillion-dollar business that focuses on giving its money away to help others. To help him meet that goal, Hoda introduced Dhakal to “Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban, a philanthropist and billionaire entrepreneur, who is also one of Dhakal’s heroes.

“Mark Cuban is a great, great, great entrepreneur/philanthropist,” Dhakal said. “The work that he has done for his community is awesome. I want to be on his level someday.”

Cuban, who said that he knows what it’s like to struggle and want to give back, gave Dhakal a specific goal: Collect 575 coats to give away to those in need.

While Dhakal first struggled to collect coats, he used a piece of advice from Cuban to give himself a boost: He networked with Amy Dott Harmer, who works at Serve Refugees, a local organization that connects refugees in the area. In days, Dhakal was receiving piles of coats.

“The momentum just kept going and going, going,” Dhakal said.

In four days, he collected thousands of coats, far surpassing his initial goal.

“I never dreamed of collecting 3,000 coats, but Utah has made it possible, and the people that I connected with made it possible,” Dhakal said.

“You’re setting an example, Ashis, that it’s not about connections,” Cuban said. “It’s not about who you know. Effort. It’s all about how hard you’re willing to work to getting something done.”

To make the donation go even further, Comcast, the parent company of NBC, announced that it would match the number of coats collected.

“I’m very, very grateful and happy to be in a position where I am to bring my community together and make an impact,” said Dhakal.

See Ashis in action in the below video link. His tireless passion for doing good and helping others is infectious!

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Paw-Some Mission: Helping make dapper adoptions

Feb 28, 2021

Sir Darius Brown, the 14-year-old with a heart of gold is a powerhouse teen entrepreneur, speaker, philanthropist, animal advocate and founder of Beaux & Paws. He creates handmade stylish bow ties.

At the age of two, Sir Darius was diagnosed with a speech, comprehension, and fine motor skills delay. However, he never let his challenges get in his way or stop him from accomplishing his goals. At the age of eight, his fine motor skills started to improve after he began assisting his older sister with cutting fabric and learning how to use a sewing machine. During this time is when he discovered his passion for making bow ties.

In 2017, Sir Darius, was moved by the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, and wanted to do his part to help. Learning that some rescue dogs were being transferred from the devastation in Texas and Puerto Rico to the ASPCA on NYC, Sir Darius thought of a unique way to use his passion of creating bow ties to help the displaced dogs look dapper and cute to help them be more noticeable in hopes of finding their forever homes faster. During his visit at the adoption center, Sir Darius learned that hundreds of dogs are euthanized daily at some shelters due to overcrowding. When he learned of this horrific reality he was devastated. A dog lover himself, this was the beginning of Sir Darius’s mission to help save the lives of dogs and cats by donating his handmade bow ties to animal shelters across the nation.

Sir Darius has donated countless bow ties to shelters and adoption centers across the USA and the United Kingdom and have helped countless shelter pets find loving forever homes.

Donate to support Darius's - PAW-SOME MISSION

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‘Papa’ makes quilts to wrap people in love

Jan 24, 2021

‘Papa’ makes quilts to wrap people in need with love

KUTV “Pay it Forward”

For 15 years, Brent Rushton — affectionately known as “Papa” — has pieced together beautiful quilts to donate.

“I’ve given them to the Road Home shelters and the veterans,” said Rushton.

His latest batch of masterpieces is going to refugees.

“Most of them come in with no belongings, except the clothes that’s on them,” explained Rushton.

He says he’s probably made between 200 and 300 quilts over the years. That’s a lot of time spent in his shop — which was originally meant for wood working. He used to spend 12 hours a day in there, quilting away.

“I’m down to about six hours a day these days,” Rushton said.

But “Papa” doesn’t mind at all.

“I’d go nuts if I didn’t have something to do,” he said. “And it happens that this interests me.”

The 80-year-old says he doesn’t show much emotion, but he does like the way it feels when he finds out one of his quilts has made an impact on someone.

“I feel pretty good about helping somebody get a smile on their face,” he said.

Rushton has received some donated fabric, but buys most of the supplies himself. This January his local newstation, KUTV, and their ‘Pay it Forward’ project in partnership with Mountain America Credit Union donated $500 to Rushton to help him keep making the beautiful quilts and continue to spread the love.

CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO

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Need Peace? Revisit some of our favorite Peace Posts

Jan 17, 2021

Click To View Each Post

Learning from Love. In Florida, this program is pairing abused dogs with incarcerated men – offering hope and promising futures for both.

Samantha Savitz’s neighbors want the 2 year old to feel just like any other kid, even if that means they have to learn her language.

Newspaper deliveryman Greg Dailey is going above and beyond to help his elderly neighbors who are nervous about buying groceries during the coronavirus pandemic.