Does anyone know if wordpress only accepts youtube videos? I’ve been trying to share this one with you and it’s not working out so well…. but I really want you to see it.
So instead of embedding the video as i usually do, I will point you to this site. Message for Troops
Once you get there, make sure you search for “Main Video”…. and please pass it on.
Cover of Stand and Deliver
Unless you were an advanced math student at Garfield High School in East LA a couple of decades ago, or a fan of the movie Stand and Deliver, then the news of Jaime Escalante’s passing may have escaped your notice. If his example touched your life, I’m sure that you were saddened.
According to this NPR article Mr. Esclante described the movie as 90% truth and 10% drama. I was happy to read that.
Stand and Deliver is the story of Mr. Escalante’s use of higher math as a gateway for his students to harness their ‘ganas’ and excel. It is one of my favorite inspirational movies. No matter how many times I see it, there are still moments that bring goosebumps. And others that bring tears. Because it’s mostly true. And it’s a story that illustrates a little bit of what is possible when generosity, discipline, hard work and a refusal to fail are applied.
And that one person with ‘ganas’ and a commitment to excellence can make a difference. A big, important difference.
Kaziah Hancock in her studio (Photo credit: The U.S. Army)
I have never met Kaziah Hancock but I know that she has not had an easy life. It shows. It’s written all over her work, her face, her generosity ….and her compassion. A little research affirmed that the Four Foundations had been hard at work.
Kaziah, known as the goat woman, is a survivor – of a difficult birth, a difficult life, and, most recently, of cancer. Her journey to overcome adversity started on ‘day one.’ One needs to know little about being either an artist or a farmer to see the influences of discipline and hard work on her art. But it’s her attitude and commitment to giving that makes her story so inspiring.
When it comes to giving, a lot of people focus on what they don’t have. They sell themselves short. They believe that one person can’t make a difference. Clearly, they haven’t seen this story. One woman made a decision to do something within her power to help heal some of the deepest wounds inflicted by war.
She lovingly paints memorial portraits for parents whose children have been killed in action.What began as an act of kindness from one person to another has grown into Project Compassion.
In the face of the overwhelming grief, waste and despair that is any war, Kaziah has found a way to bring some love and perhaps some comfort to parents with broken hearts.
See more of her work and learn more of her story at
http://www.kaziahthegoatwoman.com
and at Project Compassion.
