WESTERVILLE, OH (WCMH) — The Tunnel2Towers Foundation, established in the wake of the 9-11 attacks, will pay off the home mortgage of Westerville Police Officer Eric Joering. Joering was shot and killed in the line of duty last Saturday.
The Tunnel2Towers Foundation honors the memory of Stephen Siller, a New York City fireman who strapped on his fire gear and ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to get to the World Trade Center towers during the Sept 11 attacks. He died saving others.
The foundation focuses its resources on extraordinary cases of first responders with young families and who are killed in the line of duty.
Joering and his wife Jami have three young daughters.
Frank Siller, Stephen’s older brother, is CEO of the foundation and made the announcement today in Westerville. “It takes a burden off of them,” Siller said. “Jami will never have to think about another mortgage payment.”
Every year the Tunnel2Towers foundation raises money with a run that re-enacts Stephen Siller’s last run – through the tunnel to get to the towers.
In the past three years the foundation has paid off more than $5 million in mortgages of first responders killed on duty according to Siller. “These guys are such heroes,” Siller said. “They run into these situations and they know any day that they could give up their lives. So I think as a community, as a country, this is what we should do.”
Seattle News Station Pays Off Medical Debts For 1,000 People
February 13, 2018
After hearing Washington state medical debt stories for an investigative report, Seattle News Station KIRO 7 decided to do something about it.
Jesse Jones / KIRO 7 News
The news station worked with New York-based charity RIP Medical Debt and bought $1 million worth of medical debt owed by viewers in the area for $12,000.
One thousand people will be getting letters in yellow envelopes that have a KIRO 7 sticker on them to let them know their medical debt has been forgiven.
source: sunnyskyz.com
He Asked For 10 Volunteers To Shovel Snow For Seniors. Over 100 People Showed Up
February 11, 2018
A man in Chicago asked for 10 volunteers to help him shovel snow for the elderly and the response he received will restore your faith in humanity.
Jahmal Cole, who runs a nonprofit community group called “My Block, My Hood, My City” posted the request on Twitter on February 9.
Over 100 volunteers arrived to help shovel snow, Chicago’s WGN 9 reported.
Many people who do not live in Chicago made donations to My Block, My Hood, My City, whose mission is to help underprivileged teenagers overcome poverty by taking them on explorations focused on arts, culture, and community service.
120 volunteers shoveled the sidewalks at more than 50 homes, mainly where the elderly live.
“I met somebody from Rogers Park, Lakeview, Hegewisch — they say Chicago is segregated, but obviously people care about other people in our city,” Jahmal Cole said.
Twitter / @formyblockchi
source: sunnyskyz.com
Hundreds welcome 3rd-grader back to school after fight with cancer
Scott Stump
TODAY
Bridget Kelley, 8, was just hoping for a return to normalcy on her first day back in elementary school after a 15-month absence for cancer treatments and a stem cell transplant. Her classmates and their parents made sure the third-grader’s return on Jan. 2 was anything but normal, thanks to a special greeting the Kelley family will never forget.
As Bridget walked to Merrymount Elementary School in Quincy, Massachusetts, she was met by hundreds of students, parents, teachers and police officers holding colorful signs welcoming her back to school. “It was almost overwhelming,” Bridget’s mother, Megan Kelley, told TODAY. “She felt so special and so welcomed after such a long and hard road.” “Her classmates wanted to let her know, ‘You were out for 15 months, but we absolutely did not forget about you,” Kristin Healy, a school parent who helped organize the gathering, told TODAY.
They stood out in 4-degree weather to make sure Bridget knew how excited they were for her return. “There were parents crying,” Healy said. “It was amazing.”The heartwarming scene, which included officers from the town, county, and state police, had Kelley, 40, and her husband, Dan, 42, almost worried that it would be too much for Bridget. Members of the local and state police, as well as the sheriff’s office, joined in the celebration of Bridget’s return. “When we saw all the people we thought she could be overwhelmed and embarrassed,” Kelley said. “But she raised her arms like ‘Victory!’ and she soaked it in. She totally went with it, and that made it that much more exciting.”
Bridget was just beginning the second grade when she was diagnosed in September 2016 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer. She spent 88 days in the Boston Children’s hospital undergoing chemotherapy and surgeries. Her condition required a stem cell transplant in March when she didn’t go into remission right away, her mother said.
Bridget’s initial diagnosis came after she went to get a swollen tonsil removed, and an MRI revealed it was something much worse. “We were completely blindsided,” Kelley said. “We just thought she was getting her tonsil out. “Bridget’s 3-year-old sister, Shannon, was the donor for her stem cell transplant. She could only have limited contact with people following the surgery because she was on medication suppressing her immune system. Bridget had her own bedroom, a special diet and limited contact with friends that had to take place outside the house. “She had to live in isolation,” Kelley said. “We couldn’t have anybody in the house. She understood that the cancer was serious, but it was almost more devastating that she wasn’t able to go to school or soccer or dance or birthday parties. “While Bridget was out of school, families in the community arranged to regularly bring meals to the Kelleys and raised money for the family and cancer research. Bridget was able to get tutoring during her time in the hospital so she could graduate to third grade and remain with her classmates.
source: today.com
Christmas has come early for around 200 families in Pennsylvania. An anonymous donor settled around $40,000 worth of layaway holiday gift bills at a Walmart store in Everett over the weekend, according to The Associated Press. The big-hearted stranger, whom store staff have nicknamed “Santa B,” pulled a similarly generous stunt at the same outlet last year. Kristen Martin, who’d put her children’s Christmas presents on layaway this year, told NBC-affiliate WJAC-TV how much the gesture meant to her: “I think it means more to me, but I think they’ll (her children) be happy. I remember when I was growing up for Christmas. I was just telling my mom the other day that I want my kids to have Christmas like that.”
“I think they have lots of treasures in heaven,” Martin added, in praise of the mysterious benefactor.Similar acts of generosity have also taken place in other parts of the country, as the countdown to the holiday season continues.
Staff at a diner in Scottsdale, Arizona, received a $2,000 tip on a $17 tab over the weekend, while the Shawnee Police Department in Kansas has been handing out $10,000 in cash on behalf of an anonymous donor.
I wish I could say tomorrow the sun will shine bright
I just pray they know our love will surround them tonight
So many lives were changed that day
I pray for strength for the families to make it through today
I pray that God will show them the way
I pray our community will be stronger
I pray that hate will be no longer
I pray we will remember these heroes of honor
They were husbands, fathers, and friends
Someday, maybe someday, our hearts will mend
Tomorrow their brothers will answer the call again
Today, thank a policeman, who willingly puts his/her life on the line
Today, thank all first responders as they do a lot more than just fight crime
Today, pray for the families whose loved ones won’t be coming home this time
We see it all over America, seven times this past week alone a police officer killed in the line of duty. As a reporter said, it feels completely different when it happens in your neighborhood. I will second that. Westerville has a strong police presence. Everywhere I go, it seems like I see a police officer. I tend to take it for granted. I cannot, we cannot, take them for granted anymore.
Thank you for being at our schools, protecting our children.
Thank you for being at the library I visit so often.
Thank you for being at our church, protecting our congregation.
Thank you for patrolling our streets, protecting our families and our neighbors.
We do not show it enough but know that you are loved, respected, and appreciated.
Thank you for keeping us safe. Thank you for sacrificing your lives everyday. Thank you to your families.
Heal (Find A Way) by Brian Courtney Wilson-
Officer Down by Hannah Ellis –
You Still Put The Uniform On by Holly Cahill-
Hold The Light by Dierks Bentley –
Last Call by Dave Bray –
Even Then by Micah Tyler-
Shelter by Carrollton-
Sleeping In The Stars by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill-
I can’t tell you how far or how long I ran. I am willing to bet my last dollar it was farther and longer than I thought was possible.
I stopped to catch my breath and two questions popped into my head. What did I do for him to be here? Why was he following me?
I started to run again. In between my breaths, I heard the roar of rushing water below. It was in that moment I knew I took the wrong path.
I had three choices. Two of them would surely end in death. I could jump off the cliff into the cold rushing water. Death. I could stand there and do nothing and let him catch me. Death.
Since the first two choices would end in death, I had one choice left.
I had to escape.
Come on, come on. THINK!! I looked around, evaluating my options. Looking for another way. Time was running out. I could hear him coming.
I threw a rock over the cliff into the water. Hoping he thought I jumped. Then I looked at my only option left. The thickest thorn bush I had ever seen.
This is going to hurt.
I jumped in.
I tried quieting my breathing. I tried curling up into a small ball. I tried wishing that the moon wasn’t full. But it was.
I heard his footsteps. Getting closer. And closer. How did I get here?
I remember the day it happened. One year ago. One year ago today to be exact. I was in one of my “seasons,” as I like to call them. Nothing was going right. I was sinking into the quicksand I called depression. I was spiraling out of control. Failure was coming and I couldn’t stop it. Shame and guilt knocked on my door and I not only answered, I let them in.
Have you ever done something and one second after you did it you said what did I just do? I am so stupid. Why did I do that? I just let everyone I know down and I know they could never forgive me. I couldn’t even forgive myself so how could they?
I had to keep what I had done a secret. NO MATTER WHAT!! The truth would kill them, therefore killing me. Since I was already dead, there was no need to kill them. So I kept it to myself.
I sank further into my guilt and shame. I withdrew from everyone. Oh, I still had a killer smile and was wittingly charming. I could get by. I faked a lot of happiness. Inside, I cried a lot of tears. I was rotting inside and I knew they could smell it. I knew they knew I was a fake. But they never said anything.
Maybe I was better at hiding it than I thought. Then I started thinking, I am such a good liar. Which led to more guilt and shame. Which led to him.
At first, I didn’t pay much attention. I would see him at the gas station or maybe at the store. You know the feeling you get when you think someone is watching you. I would get that and look up and he would be looking at me. He wouldn’t look away. I got chills down my spine. What a creep, I thought.
Through the first few months, I would seem him every couple of weeks. As the year progressed, I would see him more and more. Recently, as I was falling apart and my lies were catching up to me, as my guilt and shame were eating at me, I was seeing him every day.
EVERY SINGLE DAY!!
ALWAYS LOOKING AT ME.
NEVER LOOKING AWAY.
I finally was getting the courage to approach him and ask him what his deal is. That’s when he took the first step to me. I froze. Then, I ran.
I ran and here I am. In this thorn bush. Scratched and bleeding. Dying inside. Hiding from a man who wouldn’t quit following me.
As smart as I thought I was by throwing the rock into the water, he was smarter. As quiet as I thought I was being, he could still hear me. As dark as I thought my hiding place was, he still found me.
I, for the first time, took a good look at him. I mean, a really good look. I wanted to know who was going to end my days. That’s when I saw the crown of thorns around his head. He didn’t say a word. He just reached his hand down and by the light of the moon, I saw the scars on his. A sudden peace came over me and for some unknown reason, I reached out and took his hand.
The thorns parted as he pulled me up. My bleeding wounds stopped bleeding. It was like a giant boulder was taken off my shoulders.
“I forgive you.” In those three words that he said my heart changed. It was like clean air was poured into my dirty lungs. Tears of guilt were replaced with tears of joy.
I walked back home, with him by my side. I knew it may be a long road to recovery, but I knew I had to tell them. I knew they had to know the truth. I could not keep living with this.
I also knew with him there was no condemnation, no guilt, no shame. I had to believe that they would forgive me also. I had to hope and pray for a better future. No matter what happens, I knew I had to continue to walk with him, not run away from him.
I took a deep breath and walked into the house. I knew we would be okay. I knew that I would be a better man. I knew they would forgive me. I knew we would survive the lies. Even so, I knew this was going to hurt.
I came home from work Friday night and Kim told me Deanna, one of her best friends and mentor, told her about a vision her daughter had. Her daughter just finished her freshman year of college and truly lives for Jesus. Deanna said maybe Rob can turn her vision into a poem or a song. I took Kylie up to get her shower ready and sat down and this is what came out.
It is truly an inspiring vision and I hope my words do it justice.
Gave You My Heart
I gave you my heart and you walked away
You’re my dad, you were supposed to stay
I couldn’t keep it all together today
I grabbed what was left of my heart and walked to the beach
Walked far enough until your memory was out of reach
I screamed at you dad until I was too hoarse to speak
Then I saw a piece of sea glass so bright
It had such a mysterious light
It was like a piece of day in the darkest night
I bent down and dug with my free hand
There had to be more pieces under the sand
That’s when I felt the presence of another man
It was like a dream as my other hand held my heart
The one that you, dad, had ripped apart
Then I had a thought, this isn’t the end but a brand new start
I felt this man telling me to turn in his direction
But I couldn’t so I grabbed my sea glass collection
And I tried to hold a piece just right to see his reflection
I couldn’t turn around, I knew what he wanted me to do
I couldn’t give him my heart dad, I had given it to you
And I was scared he would walk away with it too
Then his hand touched my shoulder
My courage grew just a little bit bolder
My tears started to flow as I began to molder
I turned and as he reached for me I saw the scars on his hand
He looked at me and I knew he wasn’t just a man
That’s when I dropped my sea glass in the sand
I let him hold me for what seemed like an hour
I could feel his gentleness, as well as his power
I felt his love pour down on me like a summer shower
I whispered, “If I give you me heart will you walk away?”
He said “I’m your father. I’ve never left, I will always stay.”
I knew he was telling the truth so I gave my heart to him that day
(image credit: Kevin Carden Photography)
Busted Heart ( Hold On To Me) by For King and Country –
I made it. I can’t believe I am really here. It is more beautiful than I had ever imagined. The only problem is I can’t find a way inside.
I have walked up and down the fence as far as I could, but there is no entrance. What the heck? Why would I be allowed to be here but not be able to go inside?
That’s when I saw a figure in the distance walking toward me. I yelled; “hey buddy, think you can give me a boost over this gate? I can’t seem to find a way in.”
Then he got closer and I realized it was Jesus. I don’t know if I was more embarrassed for calling him buddy or for not being able to find my way in.
“Hello, Rob” he said.
“Uh,”. That was all that would come out. The light that radiated from him was too much for me to bear.
I finally found my voice and asked where the entrance was.
He asked for me to take a walk with him. We went over the history of my life. The people I had helped, or should I say the people I had not helped.
Then he told me there wasn’t an entrance for me. I was so close. I had lived a good life, done many good things, but then he asked, “What have you done for me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you fed the hungry? Have you volunteered to help someone in need? Have you cared for the elderly?”
“Umm, I’ve been busy doing all these other things. You know, like working to pay bills, being active to stay fit, family time, etc. etc. not much free time, you know what I mean.”
“I think if you took a really long look at your life, you would see you had plenty of time and I gave you plenty of opportunities. You simply chose not to. For that, I cannot let you in.”
“But I did so much right,” I started to say, but I knew he was right.
“Yes you did, and for that I will give you one more chance. I will send you back and give you one more chance. You need to make the most of it.”
Tears poured out of my eyes as I thanked him for giving me a second chance.
It was then I woke up. Tears were streaming down my face and my pillow was soaked.
Santa bought Kim a flight to Florida to see her mom January 25th-January 28th.
Since she was gone and I had to cook and do dishes for three days, Kylie and I took the opportunity to not eat so healthy.
On Thursday night I made killer pizzas at Cucinova. Kylie even did the dishes.
On Friday night, Kylie wanted to pig out so I was inspired by BW3’s and made mozarrella sticks, loaded nachos, buffalo wings, onion rings, a Wisconsin Cheese Curd hamburger with fries. It was a pretty good dinner. Kylie and I had a good conversation about life and school and all that. Kylie even volunteered to do the dishes again.
Yes, our kitchen looks just like BW3’s.
On Saturday night, we went to McKenzie River, a place I had never been to.
I meant I made dinner inspired by McKenzie River menu. See, even have the menu on the table. Our daughter from another mother came along, Kylie’s BFF Brinley. I meant she came over to the house while I cooked. She is like family. Not much conversation with Kylie and I but it is always fun to just watch those two interact and laugh.
I made some really good chicken tenders, fries, hamburger with pulled pork on it. It was delicious. Since Kylie had company, I did the dishes.
I hope to get back to writing today. I have written some things but have not finished them yet. Maybe I will reblog some old stuff in the mean time. Been a busy week.
We watched the waves roll to the sea
My God, My Music, My Life 