Inspiration – A Blind Quarterback who Never Gives Up

Inspiration – A Blind Quarterback who Never Gives Up

Inspiration Post:

When Jason Bracy lost his sight at age 7 to retinal cancer, he refused to give up on his dream of playing football.  Bracy, 15, started calling coaches in the area until the Modesto Raiders agreed to take him on.  He memorized every play and where each player was supposed to be, impressing his coach so much he was named the team’s starting quarterback.  With the help of his dad, who guides him from the sidelines with a walkie-talkie to a speaker in his helmet, Bracy recently led his team to a win over a team that had turned him down.

“It’s all memory.  It’s all about having trust in the players, the receiver, and the team,” Bracy said.  “I have to trust them 100 percent”.

Jason Bracy’s spirit and determination has showed his community that with the right support and a passion for the game, anyone can play football … and Jason has big dreams of one day making it to the NFL.  

be kind . be grace . support each other .

be PEACE

Students Help Save Thousands of Endangered Coho Salmon

Students Help Save Thousands of Endangered Coho Salmon

Students at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, CA, have rescued some 4,000 endangered Coho Salmon from the state’s drought.  The school has an on-campus fish hatchery that students usually use to raise steelhead trout, but last month, when conditions at nearby Lake Sonoma deteriorated, wildlife officials moved some of the state’s last remaining coho into tanks at the school.  It’s given students a chance to get hands on experience in conservation.

“These are species that are going to give you an idea as to what the long term impact of our waterways are looking like,” said Dan Hubacker, a science teacher at Casa Grande and also director of the hatchery program. “If you have a species like a coho that is sensitive to environmental change and they’re struggling, that’s ultimately telling you what is happening in your watershed.”

According to Hubacker, the hope is for the salmon to return sometime this fall to the hatchery at Lake Sonoma. Their time at Casa Grande high School is a short-term solution, but with a lot of impact.

“I would argue this serves two purposes,” Hubacker said. “One, we are able to help out with the fish, but it also allows long term, looking at these young adults being able to step in, it gives them hope for the future, too.” 
The students all agree.  Kate Carlson, a senior at Casa Grande High School, says many of them now hope to continue conservation work in their future.  “Seeing we can really make a difference, it’s amazing,” Kate said. “It’s going to stay with us for the rest of our lives. 

To learn more about Casa Grande’s conservation program and actions –

click HERE.

 

be kind . be grace . help others . seek to do good

be PEACE

Empowering Kids Who Stutter

Empowering Kids Who Stutter

Stuttering is often seen as something to fix, but at Camp SAY in Upstate New York, kids who stutter are taught confidence and to unapologetically accept themselves.

Over 70 million people worldwide stutter, including 5% of all children. Children who stutter often face daily ridicule, teasing and bullying, and resort to silence to hide their stutter. Many will withdraw from peers, teachers, and society, leaving them feeling isolated and alone.

Since 2001, SAY has offered comprehensive and innovative programs that address the physical, social, and emotional impacts of stuttering: Through summer camp, regional day camps, speech therapy, and creative arts programming, SAY builds a community of acceptance, friendship, and encouragement where young people who stutter can develop the confidence and communication skills they need to thrive.

How You Can Help:

be kind . be grace . be there for one another 

be PEACE

Brushing & Braiding Bonds of Love

Brushing & Braiding Bonds of Love

Las Vegas Nurse Brushes and Braids Patients’ Hair on Her Days Off: ‘It’s That Connection’

By Abigail Adams / People

One Las Vegas ER nurse is helping care for hospital patients both on and off the clock.

Brooke Johns, a nurse for 2½ years, spends her days off at Southern Hills Hospital, where she volunteers to pamper patients.

“There’s something therapeutic about the human touch, as well,” Johns told the news station in a profile on the healthcare hero. “Human talking, human touching, it’s that connection that we’re all hard-wired for.”

During her visits, Johns will brush or braid the hair of any patients requesting the service. She is hopeful her kindness can provide a spark for those seeking a human connection while hospitalized.

Johns began tending to patients’ appearance five months ago after a friend ran into a problem while at the hospital battling an illness.

“Her hair was very snarled, she was too weak to brush it out herself and it was something she was very worried about,” she told KNTV. “So, one of the times I was up there I was able to brush out her hair and braid it and just talk with her.”

When she finally left her friend’s room, Johns said the patient “was a different person.”

Johns’ kindness has touched more than one heart. Sierra Stein, a former patient of the young nurse, credits her efforts for getting admitted to the hospital for proper care and treatment.

“COVID is going around and there’s a lot of isolation,” Stein noted. “You can’t have visitors or someone to come in with you or hold your hand and to have someone just to be able to braid your hair makes you feel like you’re at home again.”

As more nurses follow in Johns’ footsteps, the nurse is working on a new idea. Once visitation restrictions are lifted, she plans to dress up as Elsa from Frozen and visit younger patients at Sunrise Children’s Hospital.

“I think nurses, in general, get into this to help other people,” Johns said of her life’s calling.

Be Kind . Be Grace . Help Others

Be PEACE

I Want To Mow Your Lawn (.com)

I Want To Mow Your Lawn (.com)

After Brian Schwartz lost his job early in the pandemic, the New Jersey man decided to keep busy by doing landscaping chores for people in need:  senior citizens, military members needing some help, and those in his community  who are ill or disabled.

Figuring that lawn mowing was a good socially distanced activity, he started to offer the service free of charge for his neighbors over the age of 65.

“I can only imagine the stress [senior citizens are] all going through. I realized a lot of them are on fixed incomes, so I figured there’s a creative way to help them out. Not just physically, but also mentally,” Schwartz said.

The jobs came so quickly that, within a month, Schwartz established a nonprofit – IWantToMowYourLawn.com, which has since matched people in 31 states (to date) with volunteers willing to do their yardwork; from a lung cancer patient in central Wisconsin to disabled veterans in Port Huron, Michegan.

“It makes me feel great,” said Christopher Fuller, 46, a volunteer who responded to the listing in Port Huron.  

Visit ‘IWantToMowYourLawn.com
to see how you can be matched with a volunteer to help you
– OR – become a volunteer in your community.

be kind . be grace . help others

be PEACE

Subscribe

What's NEW, Fun Stuff

& Peace Posts

Whoohoooo! You've successfully subscribed!