Tag: Encouraging news

Metro Atlanta teacher spends her own money to prepare classroom for new school year

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painting and drawing tools set

While many families are beginning their back-to-school shopping, teachers are also filling carts with supplies for their classrooms often using money from their own paychecks. Gisselle Velez is preparing for her second year teaching third grade at Hopkins Elementary School. During a recent shopping trip in Chamblee, she picked up copy paper, glue sticks, hand sanitizer and Expo markers — items she says her classroom uses quickly. “I tend to save about $150 to $200 just to buy those school supplies because there are students that don’t have the money to buy school supplies,” Velez said.

“I want to make sure I have those resources for them.” Velez teaches at a Title I school and said many families are doing everything they can to prepare their children for the school year. She wants to make sure students who arrive without something they need do not feel unprepared. Her experience reflects a broader trend among educators. The National Education Association says about 94% of public school teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies, with many spending between $500 and $750 each year. Velez said her motivation is also personal. Growing up, her family sometimes struggled to afford school supplies. “I used to be in their position when I was growing up,” she said. “It was really hard to afford school supplies.”

Velez said she wants her classroom to be a safe and supportive place where students can focus on learning instead of worrying about what they do not have. At checkout, Walmart surprised Velez with a $200 gift card that covered the cost of her purchase. For Velez, the supplies represent more than items on a shopping list. They are one way she hopes to give students and their families peace of mind as the new school year begins.

Source: Metro Atlanta teacher spends her own money to prepare classroom for new school year – CBS Atlanta

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
Matthew 17:5

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Teen’s 1st Grade Teacher Pulls Off Cross-Country Graduation Surprise

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A high school graduate got the surprise of a lifetime after his elementary school teacher traveled across the country to surprise him — and the emotional reunion was caught on camera. Jordan Hodges, 18, tells PEOPLE that his teacher Denise Crocker, 58, had a tremendous impact on his life.

“She was my mother at school,” he says. “Not only did she teach me in the classroom, but she also taught me some of life’s most important lessons outside of it.” The Texas woman says she was Hodges’ first grade teacher at Rosebud Primary School in 2014 and worked with him in third grade when he had severe test anxiety. “After that year, we would usually talk before a big test to help him have the confidence to do his best,” she adds.

“He was a special student because he would try his best but would get frustrated with himself but he never gave up.” Even after finishing elementary school, and moving with his family to Florida, the pair stayed in touch and even talked over FaceTime.

“Anytime I needed her or any sort I asked my mom to call her,” he adds. “And as I came to visit she would come to see me too. It was hard with her not being there without her to rely on, but I did okay.” When the time came for the teen to graduate from Blake High School in Tampa, the Texas teacher knew she had to be there to see him “finish that part of his journey.”

“I wanted him to see his first grade teacher in the audience and see I was proud of him for the accomplishments he had made over the years,” she adds. “I wanted him to know that he will always have my support.”Months before Hodges’ graduation, Crocker — who has been teaching for over 25 years — started talking to his mom Atiah about flying in to be there.

“She was so excited I wanted to come, but we wanted to surprise him,” she says.

But the logistics of the actual surprise still needed some troubleshooting.

“At first, his mom said we could meet somewhere, and I just walk up and surprise him, but at the last minute that didn’t work,” Crocker shares. Then, on May 23, the night before his graduation, the two decided it was go time.

“She was busy getting the place ready for his graduation party so she told me just to come there,” Crocker explains. “She had sent him on an errand and he was taking forever to get back. So we were just sitting there talking with her and her family and luckily her best friend saw him about to open the door and jumped up to film.”

Hodges, who had no idea what was in store for him, says it took a second to register that his former teacher was there.

At first, he says he just noticed “somebody that looked very familiar in the window,” before quickly realizing that the woman sitting in a chair next to his mom was really Mrs. Crocker.

“He was so in shock when he walked in and saw me,” she says. “He kept asking how did I get there. I laughed and said I walked. He just kept hugging me.”Crocker shares she also gave Hodges a Bible monogrammed with his name and a journal as he moved forward into the next phase of his life, studying psychology at Albany State University in Georgia. 

In the meantime, Hodges says he plans to continue to stay in touch with Crocker as he grows up.

“Just because I’m older that doesn’t mean I will lose contact with her,” he says. “She was there for me as a child and now we can be there for each other.”

Source: Teen’s 1st Grade Teacher Pulls Off Cross-Country Graduation Surprise (Exclusive)

Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
James 1:18

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Milton couple riding third Pan-Mass Challenge to support pediatric leukemia research, celebrate son’s health

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The gift of having two healthy children is never lost on Camila and Rob Obi-Tabot.  In March of 2023, their daughter Louisa Catalina (Cata) was 5 when their son Leandro Sebastian (Seba) was born. A happy baby with a sweet smile and big brown eyes, Seba developed RSV before his 2-month checkup.  Shortly after he recovered, Camila and Rob noticed that he had developed small red bumps, sinus-like issues, and a slight fever.  They assumed it was a relapse of RSV.  At Seba’s two-month checkup, his doctor observed the symptoms and sent the family to Boston Children’s Hospital for tests. 

They weren’t home 20 minutes when the hospital called them back with a sense of urgency. “They were like, we need you to come back right now. We have a room for you in the emergency room, we’re waiting for you,” Camila remembers. They were told that Seba’s white blood count was unusually high.  “We do what you’re definitely not supposed to do,” Rob explains. “We go on the internet. Looking up ‘what does a high white blood cell count mean for a baby?'” Rob says they were startled by the answer. “We started seeing leukemia show up,” he said.   Devastating diagnosis Sure enough, within minutes of their arrival, a doctor at Children’s was preparing the couple for the devastating news that Seba had some form of leukemia. He assured them that the diagnosis was no longer a death sentence. “I want you to have hope.

We’re going to have the doctors down from Dana-Farber immediately,” Rob recalled the doctor saying.  To this day, Camila is certain that the doctors who cared for Seba that night saved his life. With his blood so viscous that it wasn’t circulating properly, Seba was struggling to breathe. Doctors had no choice but to sedate him and start chemotherapy. The toxins in the treatment threatened his tiny liver and kidneys. Rob remembers the first two days in the hospital as frightening and uncertain. “We just had to look at each other and hope and pray that everything was going to be all right,” Rob said.   Seba, their little “Guerrero” (warrior in Spanish) turned a corner on Day 3.

His kidney problems dissipated. After making steady progress, the little 8-week-old was strong enough to move from the intensive care unit to 6 Northeast, the floor at Children’s for patients with cancer. Seba, who doctors determined had acute myelogenous leukemia, spent the next five months in the hospital undergoing five rounds of chemo.  Camila and Rob took turns staying with him.  The staff set up a desk in Seba’s room so that Rob could continue working without leaving his son’s side. Family members flew into Boston from around the country to help. “We could not have done the five months without our friends and family,” Camila says with deep gratitude. Knowing that Louisa was spending time with loved ones gave them peace of mind and much-needed time to make critical decisions in the hospital.  

“There were just so many difficult conversations of like—he’s having morphine. What will that do to him? Will he become addicted? Will that have lasting effects?” Rob said. The doctors and nurses became like family. “It was home. And they made it that way for us,” Rob explains. Leaving the hospital as a family In October 2023, Seba was discharged from Children’s cancer-free.  The memory of that emotional moment still moves Rob to tears almost three years later. “I said, back when we were in the ICU and everything was really dreadful,” Rob recalls, “I told everybody I could, we are leaving this place as a family. And that day, for that to be the reality was, I can’t explain that feeling.”  

In the footage of their departure from the hospital, the family is beaming as they navigate colored streamers in the hallway and soak up the elated applause of hospital employees.  “The triumph that you have walking out of there as a family. We believed it but for that to be a reality was … it’s indescribable,” Rob said.   Thankful, they wanted to do something to support other families.  The day of Seba’s first post-hospital checkup, that “something” revealed itself as they crossed the Pan-Mass Challenge bridge on the way to the Jimmy Fund Clinic. Camila noticed the photos of cyclists and began to read the captions and stories. “It was kind of instinctual,” she recalls. “I said, I’m going to do this.”  Team Guerreros por Seba   Rob was also taken with the display and immediately wondered how they would ever ride the distance that PMC riders complete.

“I don’t like driving 100 miles much less riding a bike for that long,” Rob laughed. One other important factor was that Camila did not know how to ride a bike. But that didn’t seem to matter. “When she said she wanted to do it, I was all in. Let’s do it!” Rob said. Leading “Team Guerreros por Seba,” Rob and Camila began training in February of 2024.  She learned to ride on a heavy 10-speed they bought on Facebook Marketplace. Rob rented the city’s Blue Bikes. They quickly discovered a joy and purpose in riding together. “To have the gratefulness we had and to be able to do something with that,” Camila explains, “we couldn’t have had a better gift.”

It also gave them a chance to reconnect in a fun, positive way after the anxious months they spent with Seba in the hospital. Riding was therapeutic. “It fueled us,” she said. “It helped us heal a lot more because we started going on rides together.” In August of 2024, they rode their first PMC with friends and family members. They were hooked. They now have a new pedal partner: 16-year-old Paul Gauthier of Billerica who will finish his last treatment in August.  They also welcome a new teammate.  Seba’s oncologist Dr. Jessica Pollard is training for her first PMC, an experience that has brought her even closer to the Obi-Tabot family. “This is a very special family who is just so fun, so positive,” Pollard said. Last year, Dr. Pollard cheered on riders on Cape Cod.

This year, as she pedals from Bourne to Provincetown, she says she will be thinking of Seba and her late mother-in-law who died of pancreatic cancer in November.  “I’m excited to be with all these people who are united in an effort to help raise money to support people going through cancer treatment and to aid in cancer discovery,” Pollard said. “I think that’s my greatest love in medicine, it’s the camaraderie and the teamwork. This bike ride is another example of that.” How the PMC supports research Dr. Pollard helps run a clinical research program at Dana-Farber and describes PMC support for researchers’ work as “invaluable.”  She says that, particularly with funding cuts, their work relies on philanthropy to keep clinical trial programs open.

Clinical trials are essential to prove that new treatments are beneficial and safe.  Team Guerreros por Seba directs its PMC funding to Dr. Pollard’s research and the Pediatric Patient Assistance Fund. At their home in Milton, Louisa and Seba play tag on a summer day.  On the Saturday of PMC weekend, they’ll be with their mom in the Pedal Partner tent. Camila looks forward to sharing the experience with them. “The joy they feel seeing our team come through. Each kid makes their own poster. They have so much fun,” Camila said. “Other kids might complain that they’re out there a long time, but it’s become our family tradition. It’s a really fun day for us.” Rob will ride Day 1 from Worcester to Bourne. Camila will ride Day 2 from Bourne to Provincetown. Rob is looking forward to riding from the new Day 1 start at the College of the Holy Cross, being with their teammates, and not getting a flat tire this year. Seba is thriving.

His check-ups are now every six months as opposed to the monthly or weekly check-ups he’s had in years past. Rob and Camila describe him as a typically fearless toddler who loves to push boundaries.  Even when parenting is hard, they say they are thankful.  Every day they are reminded that had Seba not responded to the treatment he received in those first months of his life, they might not have the opportunities they enjoy now. They ride the PMC with gratitude and hope that their efforts will lead to lifesaving breakthroughs for other children. 

“On that ride,” Rob says, “I’m directly contributing to ensuring that a family doesn’t have to be told by a doctor there’s nothing else we can do.” To donate or learn more about the Pan-Mass Challenge, go to pmc.org.100% of every rider-raised dollar goes directly to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Source: Milton couple riding third Pan-Mass Challenge to support pediatric leukemia research, celebrate son’s health – CBS Boston

Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life.
Isaiah 43:4

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Coral Reef Long Presumed Dead Is Rediscovered ‘Teeming with Life’ Off Coast of Africa

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vibrant coral reef with sea anemone in australia

A coral reef long presumed dead has been rediscovered “teeming with life” off the coast of West Africa. Surveys conducted in the 1960s that were focused on identifying promising fishing areas, flagged a possible deep-water coral reef, but scientists at the time it assumed must be dead. Now, using a modern sonar survey, scientists have found an apparently healthy reef—an amazing discovery that was described in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. After days of “difficult” field work, the sonar revealed structures which the team interpreted as a coral reef, and hopes were raised.

“It was a mix of long days at sea, technical problems, and a lot of uncertainty,” lead author Gérard Zinzindohoué said of the effort. “I still remember seeing those first images.” “It was a mix of excitement and disbelief, because after all this time thinking about this reef, suddenly there was something real in front of us.” Mr. Zinzindohoué and his colleagues at the Institute of Halieutic and Oceanographic Research in Cotonou, Benin, reasoned that it could have been a mesophotic coral ecosystem. A mesophotic coral ecosystem lives deeper than the usual shallow coral reefs, in zones where light is much more limited, he explains. “Unlike typical shallow reefs, it does not always form a single continuous reef structure. Instead, it can appear as patchy or scattered coral communities spread across the seafloor.”

Using the historical surveys as a guide, the research team surveyed 7 miles of seabed with sonar. To investigate the most promising areas, the team used an underwater drone, and the Deep Sea Camera System, provided by the National Geographic Exploration Technology Lab. The footage showed a seemingly healthy reef, with 8 different types of coral and 8 species of fish sheltering and feeding around the corals. The fish included golden African snappers, blackbar soldierfish, Guinean angelfish, West African goatfish, the Monrovia doctorfish, three-banded butterflyfish, and two species of damselfish.

The reef doesn’t seem to be a continuous coral barrier, but patches of coral occupying rocky areas suitable for their growth, although researchers say it’s possible that further surveys will identify more reefs. “To our knowledge, this is the first confirmed record of a living mesophotic coral ecosystem on the Gulf of Guinea continental shelf. However, I think what we found is probably not an exception.” “It is more likely a reflection of how little we still know about coastal regions in West Africa and elsewhere. If we were able to find this reef again after 60 years, how many others are still undocumented or simply forgotten?”

The research team hasn’t been able to sample the corals directly yet, which means that the species identifications still need to be confirmed. It’s also impossible to know, without more data, if the corals were really dead in the 1960s and have since recovered. That would make them intriguing research targets as the study of coral resilience in a changing climate advances. Mr. Zinzindohoué interprets the historical reports as potentially recording a continuous coral reef barrier extending roughly 40 kilometers, or 24 miles, parallel to the coast.

“If I had all the grant money in the world, the first thing I would do is return to the site with a proper scientific diving and sampling program. These are ecosystems that are still poorly known in this part of the world, and every additional piece of information matters,” he said. “For me, the most exciting part is about understanding the reef’s history, and what it can tell us about how the ocean in this region has changed over time.” “It feels like we have only just started to read an archive that has been there for a very long time.”

Source: Coral Reef Long Presumed Dead Is Rediscovered ‘Teeming with Life’ Off Coast of Africa

You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
James 4:2

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64-Year-Old Father of 5 Graduates as a Nurse After Studying Alongside His Son

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building

A dad of five has just graduated from college at the age of 64. After completing a nurse degree apprenticeship at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol, England, John Adesoye celebrated his hard work at his graduation ceremony on Wednesday, July 15, according to a university press release. Adesoye retrained as a nurse after starting his working life as an electronics technician in Greece, before moving to the U.K. He grew up in Nigeria and became interested in electronics as a child, when he was fascinated by the radio.

“Beforehand, I was caring for electronic devices and I was happy when I could get broken devices working again,” he said, per the release. “In my work in healthcare, when patients get better, it gives me great joy and satisfaction.”   While studying, Adesoye attended UWE alongside his son, Daniel, who was taking a degree in creative music technology. He spent one day a week on campus and the rest of the week training at Bristol’s Southmead Hospital. Adesoye originally changed careers in 2013, when he began work at Southmead as a healthcare assistant, per the release. He then took on a nursing associate course before completing his nurse degree apprenticeship and becoming a registered nurse this summer. Per the release, Adesoye has secured a nursing role at Southmead and hasn’t ruled out studying for a master’s degree in the future.

He has worked in a number of different departments at Southmead, including the emergency room, cardiology, orthopedics and intensive care. Jacqui Caskey and Caroline Bromwich, the leads for his course, called him “very dedicated” and proof that “hard work and perseverance can enable you to achieve your goal,” per the release. They added of their students, “Being a nurse apprentice is no mean feat — to study on a full-time program while working in your usual role is not easy. They all juggle this with busy lives, along with family and caring commitments.” Addressing other adults who might be thinking of returning to education, Adesoye himself said in the release,

“Don’t listen to people who say you’re too old for university. If I can do it, others can too. People are more brilliant than they think and they’re stronger than they think.”

He continued, “I didn’t think I’d ever go to university, to be honest. But I have passion for learning. Even when I was small, I was so curious. When I got the chance to go to university, I didn’t take it for granted — I followed it with my heart.”

Source: 64-Year-Old Father of 5 Graduates as a Nurse After Studying Alongside His Son

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Psalm 46:10

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Teen Trusts His Instincts and Saves Crash Victim Just in Time

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Sixteen year old Randy Gerlach was on his way to work, driving along a country road in Morrison, Illinois, when he noticed a vehicle sitting in a ditch. At first, he wasn’t sure if it was an accident or if the driver had simply slipped off the shoulder of the road.

Still, something didn’t feel right.

“I wasn’t sure if something actually happened or if [the driver] just kind of accidentally went too far on the shoulder and just went in,” Gerlach recalled.

Rather than ignore the feeling, he continued into town, then made the decision to turn around and check on the vehicle.

“I turned around in town because I figured by then, if it was an accident and they didn’t mean to, they would’ve been gone by then, and they weren’t.”
When Gerlach reached the car, he immediately realized the situation was far more serious than he had imagined. Inside, he found an unconscious woman behind the wheel.

He quickly called 911, and emergency responders rushed the woman to the hospital.

Doctors later shared just how critical his timing had been. They told Gerlach that if he had arrived only 20 minutes later, the woman likely would not have survived.

While many people would call him a hero, Gerlach remains humble about what happened.

“Just right place at the right time, and I actually did the right thing and didn’t just keep going,” he said.

His advice to others is simple and powerful.

“Go with your gut.”

Sometimes the smallest decision, like turning around to check on a stranger, can end up saving a life. Randy Gerlach’s quick thinking and willingness to act are a reminder that listening to your instincts and taking a moment to help someone else can make all the difference.

Source: Teen Trusts His Instincts and Saves Crash Victim Just in Time

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:23-24

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