Mary Cortani, Operation Freedom Paws help war veterans train their own service dogs in northern California.
Jake Wood
COMMUNITY CRUSADER
Iraq war veteran Jake Wood started Team Rubicon, a nonprofit that brings military veterans together to help communities hit by natural disasters. Since 2010, the group has grown to 1,400 volunteers and carried out 14 missions around the world.
Lyrics to Heroes by Ne-Yo
Never doubt never doubt
Here for you, here for me
Worry not, I'll be there
Strength when you feel weak
In the dark when you can't see
Guiding light I will be
All I need all I need
Is for you to do the same for me
Cause
Even heroes need heroes sometimes
And even the strong need someone to tell them it's all right
Even heroes need heroes sometimes
Will you be my hero tonight?
Just above, up so high
Just above you is where I fly
But if I fall from the sky
On you, can I rely
I'll protect you from the world
Whenever I can
But will you do the same for me
Now and again
Even heroes need heroes sometimes
And even the strong need someone to tell them it's all right
Even heroes need heroes sometimes
Will you be my hero tonight?
Come to my, my rescue
Do for me as I do for you
Be my eyes when I am blind
'Cause no one can be strong all the time
Even heroes need heroes sometimes
Will you be my hero tonight? (will you be my hero?)
Even heroes need heroes sometimes (will you be my hero?)
And even the strong need someone to tell them it's all right (will you be my hero?)
Even heroes need heroes sometimes
Will you be my hero tonight? (will you be my hero?)
Will you be my hero tonight?
Showing posts with label CNN Heroes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CNN Heroes. Show all posts
Monday, December 3, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
CNN Hero Mary Cortani and her PTSD service dogs helping recovery
Inside the mind of an Iraq combat vet
CNN
Added on June 7, 2012
Iraq War veteran James McQuoid shows how his service dog has improved his life thanks to CNN Hero Mary Cortani.
CNN
Added on June 7, 2012
Iraq War veteran James McQuoid shows how his service dog has improved his life thanks to CNN Hero Mary Cortani.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Building free homes for wounded vets
Building free homes for wounded vets
By Kathleen Toner, CNN
March 11, 2010 4:08 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Dan Wallrath's organization built four houses for wounded vets in Texas
Retired homebuilder started program after meeting father of wounded Marine
Wallrath's team remodeled house for free to make it handicapped-accessible
Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes
Houston, Texas (CNN) -- Alexander Reyes' boyhood dream of a military career ended when he was hit by an improvised explosive device during a patrol two years ago in Baghdad.
"Laying in that hospital bed ... sometimes I felt I'd rather [have] died," Reyes said. "My life came to a complete halt."
Reyes sustained severe blast injuries that led to his medical discharge; he's on 100 percent medical disability. Like many soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, Reyes, now 24, found the transition to civilian life difficult.
But he and a handful of other injured veterans are getting help from what may seem an unlikely source: a custom home builder in Houston, Texas.
Dan Wallrath recently presented Reyes and his wife with an unexpected gift: a home built especially for them, mortgage-free.
Building free homes for wounded vets
By Kathleen Toner, CNN
March 11, 2010 4:08 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Dan Wallrath's organization built four houses for wounded vets in Texas
Retired homebuilder started program after meeting father of wounded Marine
Wallrath's team remodeled house for free to make it handicapped-accessible
Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes
Houston, Texas (CNN) -- Alexander Reyes' boyhood dream of a military career ended when he was hit by an improvised explosive device during a patrol two years ago in Baghdad.
"Laying in that hospital bed ... sometimes I felt I'd rather [have] died," Reyes said. "My life came to a complete halt."
Reyes sustained severe blast injuries that led to his medical discharge; he's on 100 percent medical disability. Like many soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, Reyes, now 24, found the transition to civilian life difficult.
But he and a handful of other injured veterans are getting help from what may seem an unlikely source: a custom home builder in Houston, Texas.
Dan Wallrath recently presented Reyes and his wife with an unexpected gift: a home built especially for them, mortgage-free.
Building free homes for wounded vets
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Flagler County Free Clinic, Faith Coleman nominated for CNN Hero
Cancer survivor provides free health care for uninsured
Story Highlights
Faith Coleman was uninsured when she found out she had kidney cancer
Her experience inspired her to help others with similar financial, health issues
She co-founded a free clinic in Florida to help the uninsured access health care
BUNNELL, Florida (CNN) -- Faith Coleman had no health insurance when she learned she had cancer, but she describes her battle with the illness as "one of the absolute greatest blessings" of her life.
"Having kidney cancer was one of the best things that ever happened to me ... because I can truly empathize with patients," said Coleman, 54.
That compassion inspired Coleman to open a free clinic in her Florida community to help other uninsured people in need of medical care.
In July 2003, Coleman, a nurse practitioner, learned she had a malignant tumor growing on her right kidney. But as a contract worker for several doctors, she did not receive health insurance. Coleman's treatment totaled about $35,000, and she was forced to take out a mortgage on her house to help pay for it.
"I [fell] through the crack ... and I [had] a great job and a good education," said Coleman, a mother of six.
Realizing that her financial and health woes were not unique, Coleman -- now in remission -- became determined to help those in similar situations access medical treatment.
"I have been given another chance, and I felt that it was important for me to make a difference and to help other people," she said.
So after her recovery in 2004, Coleman approached Dr. John Canakaris. The local physician with 60 years of experience had been treating the indigent population for years. Canakaris was eager to reach more patients in need.
The two worked together to establish the Flagler County Free Clinic in Bunnell, Florida, which provides medical care for the uninsured. It has treated more than 6,700 patients.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/20/cnnheroes.faith.coleman/index.html
Story Highlights
Faith Coleman was uninsured when she found out she had kidney cancer
Her experience inspired her to help others with similar financial, health issues
She co-founded a free clinic in Florida to help the uninsured access health care
BUNNELL, Florida (CNN) -- Faith Coleman had no health insurance when she learned she had cancer, but she describes her battle with the illness as "one of the absolute greatest blessings" of her life.
"Having kidney cancer was one of the best things that ever happened to me ... because I can truly empathize with patients," said Coleman, 54.
That compassion inspired Coleman to open a free clinic in her Florida community to help other uninsured people in need of medical care.
In July 2003, Coleman, a nurse practitioner, learned she had a malignant tumor growing on her right kidney. But as a contract worker for several doctors, she did not receive health insurance. Coleman's treatment totaled about $35,000, and she was forced to take out a mortgage on her house to help pay for it.
"I [fell] through the crack ... and I [had] a great job and a good education," said Coleman, a mother of six.
Realizing that her financial and health woes were not unique, Coleman -- now in remission -- became determined to help those in similar situations access medical treatment.
"I have been given another chance, and I felt that it was important for me to make a difference and to help other people," she said.
So after her recovery in 2004, Coleman approached Dr. John Canakaris. The local physician with 60 years of experience had been treating the indigent population for years. Canakaris was eager to reach more patients in need.
The two worked together to establish the Flagler County Free Clinic in Bunnell, Florida, which provides medical care for the uninsured. It has treated more than 6,700 patients.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/20/cnnheroes.faith.coleman/index.html
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Surgeon heals patients and their violent ways
Surgeon heals patients and their violent ways
Story Highlights
Dr. Carnell Cooper's Violence Intervention Program helps trauma victims
The program aims to break the cycle of violence by targeting its root causes
Study: Participants are three times less likely to be arrested for a violent crime
Do you know a hero? Nominations are open at CNN.com/Heroes
BALTIMORE, Maryland (CNN) -- Dr. Carnell Cooper, a Baltimore surgeon, is saving lives inside and outside the operating room.
Since becoming a trauma surgeon 16 years ago, he has dedicated himself to treating the many young African-American men who've been shot, stabbed or beaten, only to see them return to the ER with another severe injury just months later.
But when one of his patients was readmitted with a fatal gunshot wound to the head in 1996, it changed Cooper's life.
"The night that we pronounced that young man dead and my colleagues said there's really nothing we can do in these situations. ... I just didn't believe that," said Cooper, 54. "From that day forward, I said, 'Let's see what we can do.' "
Cooper created the Violence Intervention Program (VIP) at the Shock Trauma Unit of the University of Maryland Medical Center, the state's busiest hospital for violent injuries. It became one of the country's first hospital-based anti-violence programs.
"We approached this problem like any public health crisis, like heart disease or smoking," he said. "We tried to work on the root causes."
Since 1998, VIP has provided substance abuse counseling, job skills training and other support services to nearly 500 trauma victims.
Don't Miss
Get involved: Violence Intervention Program
In Depth: CNN Heroes
"Using that scalpel blade to save their life is the first step," Cooper said. "The next step is to try to keep them from coming back."
A 2006 study by Cooper and his colleagues, published in the Journal of Trauma, showed that people in the program were six times less likely to be readmitted with a violent injury and three times less likely to be arrested for a violent crime.
The issue hits close to home for Cooper. Born to unwed teenagers in Dillon, South Carolina, he grew up in a neighborhood where violent crime was commonplace; he had friends and relatives who ended up dead or in jail.
But his grandparents made sure he stayed on the right path. As a straight-A student, he attended a prestigious high school in Massachusetts, then Yale University and Duke University School of Medicine.
But while Cooper rose above his circumstances, he felt sympathy for the young men who rotated in and out of his operating room.
"They could be my friends, my family," he said.
Cooper's program attempts to help patients from the moment they arrive because victims of violence face a greater risk of receiving another violent injury. Everyone treated for violent wounds at the hospital is seen by a VIP case worker, often at bedside. For Cooper, approaching patients at this early stage is crucial.
"We may get them in a moment when they are thinking, 'I just almost died,' " he said. "We say, 'We're going help you find a way to get out of the game.' "
Watch Cooper talk to a victim of violence at his bedside »
go here for more of this
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/25/cnnheroes.carnell.cooper/index.html
Story Highlights
Dr. Carnell Cooper's Violence Intervention Program helps trauma victims
The program aims to break the cycle of violence by targeting its root causes
Study: Participants are three times less likely to be arrested for a violent crime
Do you know a hero? Nominations are open at CNN.com/Heroes
BALTIMORE, Maryland (CNN) -- Dr. Carnell Cooper, a Baltimore surgeon, is saving lives inside and outside the operating room.
Since becoming a trauma surgeon 16 years ago, he has dedicated himself to treating the many young African-American men who've been shot, stabbed or beaten, only to see them return to the ER with another severe injury just months later.
But when one of his patients was readmitted with a fatal gunshot wound to the head in 1996, it changed Cooper's life.
"The night that we pronounced that young man dead and my colleagues said there's really nothing we can do in these situations. ... I just didn't believe that," said Cooper, 54. "From that day forward, I said, 'Let's see what we can do.' "
Cooper created the Violence Intervention Program (VIP) at the Shock Trauma Unit of the University of Maryland Medical Center, the state's busiest hospital for violent injuries. It became one of the country's first hospital-based anti-violence programs.
"We approached this problem like any public health crisis, like heart disease or smoking," he said. "We tried to work on the root causes."
Since 1998, VIP has provided substance abuse counseling, job skills training and other support services to nearly 500 trauma victims.
Don't Miss
Get involved: Violence Intervention Program
In Depth: CNN Heroes
"Using that scalpel blade to save their life is the first step," Cooper said. "The next step is to try to keep them from coming back."
A 2006 study by Cooper and his colleagues, published in the Journal of Trauma, showed that people in the program were six times less likely to be readmitted with a violent injury and three times less likely to be arrested for a violent crime.
The issue hits close to home for Cooper. Born to unwed teenagers in Dillon, South Carolina, he grew up in a neighborhood where violent crime was commonplace; he had friends and relatives who ended up dead or in jail.
But his grandparents made sure he stayed on the right path. As a straight-A student, he attended a prestigious high school in Massachusetts, then Yale University and Duke University School of Medicine.
But while Cooper rose above his circumstances, he felt sympathy for the young men who rotated in and out of his operating room.
"They could be my friends, my family," he said.
Cooper's program attempts to help patients from the moment they arrive because victims of violence face a greater risk of receiving another violent injury. Everyone treated for violent wounds at the hospital is seen by a VIP case worker, often at bedside. For Cooper, approaching patients at this early stage is crucial.
"We may get them in a moment when they are thinking, 'I just almost died,' " he said. "We say, 'We're going help you find a way to get out of the game.' "
Watch Cooper talk to a victim of violence at his bedside »
go here for more of this
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/25/cnnheroes.carnell.cooper/index.html
Friday, February 20, 2009
Ex-homeless veteran nominated for CNN Hero Award
Former addict gives homeless veterans a second chance
CNN - USA
Former addict gives homeless veterans a second chance
Story Highlights
Roy Foster's program helps veterans facing addiction and homelessness
Foster, an Army vet, struggled with alcoholism and drug abuse
Since 2000, about 900 vets have found life-changing help at Foster's facility
Nominate your hero at CNN.com/Heroes
PALM BEACH, Florida (CNN) -- Following a faint trail through a dense patch of woods in Florida's Palm Beach County, Roy Foster is a man on a mission.
Foster, 53, is searching for homeless veterans -- and he knows where to look.
Whether in a vacant lot behind a supermarket or a small clearing off the highway, homeless vets aren't that hard to find: One in three homeless adults has served in the military, and more than 150,000 veterans nationwide are homeless on any given night, according to the Veterans Administration.
Working with the sheriff's homeless outreach unit, Foster finds vets camped in tents or makeshift lean-tos, where he delivers a message: There's help for you if you want it.
"For our heroes to be living in [these] conditions, it's totally unacceptable," said Foster.
Since 2000, approximately 900 veterans have found life-changing help at Foster's facility, Stand Down House. Named for the military command that gives troops time to rest after arduous duty, the program provides homeless male vets food, shelter and a safe place to recover, as well as the tools to conquer their personal problems.
"The idea is that they can relax now; we'll take care of them," Foster said.
Foster's motivation to help these men is personal: He used to be one of them.
click link for more
CNN - USA
Former addict gives homeless veterans a second chance
Story Highlights
Roy Foster's program helps veterans facing addiction and homelessness
Foster, an Army vet, struggled with alcoholism and drug abuse
Since 2000, about 900 vets have found life-changing help at Foster's facility
Nominate your hero at CNN.com/Heroes
PALM BEACH, Florida (CNN) -- Following a faint trail through a dense patch of woods in Florida's Palm Beach County, Roy Foster is a man on a mission.
Foster, 53, is searching for homeless veterans -- and he knows where to look.
Whether in a vacant lot behind a supermarket or a small clearing off the highway, homeless vets aren't that hard to find: One in three homeless adults has served in the military, and more than 150,000 veterans nationwide are homeless on any given night, according to the Veterans Administration.
Working with the sheriff's homeless outreach unit, Foster finds vets camped in tents or makeshift lean-tos, where he delivers a message: There's help for you if you want it.
"For our heroes to be living in [these] conditions, it's totally unacceptable," said Foster.
Since 2000, approximately 900 veterans have found life-changing help at Foster's facility, Stand Down House. Named for the military command that gives troops time to rest after arduous duty, the program provides homeless male vets food, shelter and a safe place to recover, as well as the tools to conquer their personal problems.
"The idea is that they can relax now; we'll take care of them," Foster said.
Foster's motivation to help these men is personal: He used to be one of them.
click link for more
Sunday, December 21, 2008
New Orleans CNN Hero of the Year talks about what came after
Ask the CNN Hero of the Year 29:24
Liz McCartney answers your questions and talks about how her life has changed since becoming CNN's Hero of the Year.
Liz McCartney answers your questions and talks about how her life has changed since becoming CNN's Hero of the Year.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thanksgiving night for heroes
Honoring the Fallen
Dan Rooney pays tribute to servicemen and women by sending their families to college
Aug 25, 2008 - pg. 72
As Dan Rooney's flight landed at the Grand Rapids airport on a rainy June night in 2006, the pilot made an announcement: "The body of an American hero is onboard. As a sign of respect, please remain seated." For the next 30 minutes, Rooney watched as soldiers carried the flag-draped casket of Cpl. Brock Bucklin onto the tarmac, where his 4-year-old son waited in the arms of his grandmother. Rooney, an F-16 pilot and Iraq war veteran, wept quietly, thinking of his wife and two daughters back home. "What if that were Jacqy and the girls," he thought. "I had to do something." In that brief moment, Rooney's life changed.
The Oklahoma Air National Guardsman and golf pro decided to provide college scholarships for the kids and spouses of service people killed or disabled in the line of duty. Enlisting the support of the PGA, Rooney, 35, launched Patriot Golf Day last Labor Day and raised $1 million by asking golfers at 3,400 courses to kick in an extra dollar in greens fees. Since then, through his nonprofit Folds of Honor Foundation (go to www.foldsofhonor.org for info on this year's Patriot Golf Day), he's handed out 200 scholarships. Though Ginger Gilbert Ravella received death benefits and is eligible for educational grants from the Veterans Administration for her five kids after her husband, Troy, died in Iraq, Gilbert Ravella thanks Rooney from the depths of her heart: "I don't know how I would have paid for them all."
click link for more
Dan Rooney pays tribute to servicemen and women by sending their families to college
Aug 25, 2008 - pg. 72
As Dan Rooney's flight landed at the Grand Rapids airport on a rainy June night in 2006, the pilot made an announcement: "The body of an American hero is onboard. As a sign of respect, please remain seated." For the next 30 minutes, Rooney watched as soldiers carried the flag-draped casket of Cpl. Brock Bucklin onto the tarmac, where his 4-year-old son waited in the arms of his grandmother. Rooney, an F-16 pilot and Iraq war veteran, wept quietly, thinking of his wife and two daughters back home. "What if that were Jacqy and the girls," he thought. "I had to do something." In that brief moment, Rooney's life changed.
The Oklahoma Air National Guardsman and golf pro decided to provide college scholarships for the kids and spouses of service people killed or disabled in the line of duty. Enlisting the support of the PGA, Rooney, 35, launched Patriot Golf Day last Labor Day and raised $1 million by asking golfers at 3,400 courses to kick in an extra dollar in greens fees. Since then, through his nonprofit Folds of Honor Foundation (go to www.foldsofhonor.org for info on this year's Patriot Golf Day), he's handed out 200 scholarships. Though Ginger Gilbert Ravella received death benefits and is eligible for educational grants from the Veterans Administration for her five kids after her husband, Troy, died in Iraq, Gilbert Ravella thanks Rooney from the depths of her heart: "I don't know how I would have paid for them all."
click link for more
CNN Heroes list of the ten
Liz McCartney
Story Video Extra 1 Extra 2 Get Involved
Liz McCartney is dedicated to helping Hurricane Katrina survivors in St. Bernard Parish, a community just outside New Orleans. Her nonprofit St. Bernard Project has rebuilt the homes of more than 120 families.
Viola Vaughn
Story Video Extra 1 Extra 2 Get Involved
A group of failing schoolchildren in Kaolack, Senegal, once asked Viola Vaughn to help them pass their classes. Today, her "10,000 Girls" program is helping girls succeed in school and learn business skills.
Carolyn LeCroy
Story Video Extra 1 Extra 2 Get Involved
After serving time in prison, Carolyn LeCroy started the Messages Project to help children stay connected with their incarcerated parents. She and volunteer camera crews have taped roughly 3,000 inmate messages.
Marie Da Silva
Story Video Extra 1 Extra 2 Get Involved
Marie Da Silva has lost 14 family members to AIDS. Today, the Los Angeles nanny funds a school in her native Malawi -- where half a million children have been orphaned by the disease.
Maria Ruiz
Story Video Extra 1 Extra 2 Get Involved
Several times a week, Maria Ruiz of El Paso, Texas, crosses the border into Juarez, Mexico, bringing food, clothing and toys for hundreds of impoverished children and their families.
David Puckett
Story Video Extra 1 Extra 2 Get Involved
David Puckett started PIPO Missions to bring ongoing prosthetic and orthotic care to those in need. Since November 2000, he has helped more than 420 people in southeastern Mexico, free of charge.
Phymean Noun
Story Video Extra 1 Extra 2 Get Involved
Growing up in Cambodia, Phymean Noun struggled to complete high school. Today, she offers hundreds of children who work in Phnom Penh's trash dump a way out through free schooling and job training.
Anne Mahlum
Story Video Extra 1 Extra 2 Get Involved
Anne Mahlum used to run by homeless men each morning. Today, she's running with them, and others, as part of her "Back On My Feet" program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Tad Agoglia
Story Video Extra 1 Extra 2 Get Involved
Tad Agoglia started The First Response Team to provide immediate help to areas hit by natural disasters. Since May 2007, he and his crew have aided thousands of victims at 15 sites across the United States -- free of charge.
Yohannes Gebregeorgis, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Moved by the lack of children's books and literacy in his native Ethiopia, Gebregeorgis established Ethiopia Reads, bringing free public libraries and literacy programs to thousands of Ethiopian children.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/11/27/heroes.show/
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Today's blog posts devoted to giving thanks
For today there will be no posts on trauma or tragedy. I have the other 363 days of the year to do that because I don't plan on posting them on Christmas day either. I'm doing this because while it is so easy to find things to complain about, stories the media covers under the rule of "if it bleeds it leads" and tragedies around the world, it is often hard to find the hopeful stories. There are many I've found this year and I'll be re-posting them today.
I can't take credit for this idea. I was watching CNN and saw the promo for the Hero's night for broadcast tonight.
CNN HEROES
Tonight at 9 ET on CNN
Grammy winners Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and John Legend perform for CNN Heroes
I thought of how wonderful it was they picked tonight to do this honor for wonderful people. Pop back in often today and read some of the stories that were covered this year on this blog. Then try to remember when your feast is over as you lay down in bed tonight to give thanks for what is good in your life but also what is good in this world.
Senior Chaplain Kathie "Costos" DiCesare
International Fellowship of Chaplains
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
www.youtube.com/NamGuardianAngel
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
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