San joses newest playground a reality. And this is no ordinary playground for julie, her granddaughter, or the thousands of kids and families it will inspire and entertain. Garvin the rotary club of san jose has met 5,025 different times in its 100year history. The agenda, though, is always the same, service to the community. This story, though, is about how the clubs grandest effort ever has, at its root, a very personal moment, the birth 17 years ago of julie matsushimas first grandchildren, twin girls. Julie chloe was born first. And they came out and showed us her, and she was, you know, screaming like newborns do. And then the nurse came out with amy and ran right across the hall into the neonatal unit. Garvin the doctor told julie amy had brain damage so severe, her lifespan would likely be measured in days. Julie it was just devastating. Thats all i can say. We were crushed. Garvin until, that is, julie held amy for the very first time and sensed the little girl had a Brighter Future in mind. Julie i just felt like she wanted to live, she wanted to be part of the world and be part of life. Garvin it was a moment that would change both their lives, julie becoming amys champion, traveling around the world with her, seeking out the best therapies available for her cerebral palsy, and amy opening julies eyes to the world of disabled children, showing, for example, that even socalled accessible playgrounds werent really. Julie if it werent for amy, i would have no clue. Because when you go to the park, you dont see children there in wheelchairs or walkers because they dont go, because theres nothing for them to do. Garvin it was an insight julie shared so many times over the years, she was sure people were sick of hearing about it. But apparently, her rotarian friends were listening. For when it came time to choose a project to celebrate the clubs 100th anniversary, they chose to build northern californias most accessible playground, inspired they say by julie and amy. Julie i see amy over here very excited. Hi, amy. Garvin and you can bet when that park opened, julie and her granddaughter were there. And if there were ever such a thing as a 6 million smile, it was the one amy wore on the parks carousel that day. Julie oh, it just brought tears to my eyes. It was just wonderful to see her just having fun and not dependent on somebody else to do it for her. Julie what did you think . Amy can i try again . Julie can you try again . Garvin but the joy julie feels at seeing her granddaughter be among the first to enjoy the park is nothing, she says, compared to the joy that comes from knowing that amy is just the first of many. Julie you know, we never know what path were going to take in life, but i feel like amy and i have a purpose. Shes taken me on a journey i would never have traveled without her being part of my life. Garvin spreading happiness is what a peninsula artist is also doing these days, though on a smaller, more whimsical scale. Lindsay dealba says she would love to one day find a way to make art more than her hobby. Now, to do that, shes going to have to sell a lot of it, which is why what she started doing strikes some people as kind of strange, but for her made perfect sense. Garvin when life gets a little too stressful, a persons lucky to have a happy place to go to, even luckier when, like lindsay dealba, that place is as close as your moms backyard. Lindsay dealba well, i found art to be my therapy. I get in the studio and the only thing that matters is me picking out the color, the composition. And all of a sudden, im happy again. Garvin its something lindsay says she found herself really needing a few years ago, about the time her competitive athletic career came to an end. After playing softball at cal, and even for the Greek National team in the 2004 olympics, there was a void lindsay was looking to fill. Lindsay and i found this little niche that i wouldnt say its compared to sports, but it gives you that same type ofthat feeling of being able to produce something. Garvin which explains why this is where lindsay was one night 2 months ago, at peace and wondering why the world wasnt. Lindsay this is after, you know, ive been watching a lot of news and a lot of stuff going on, and it just seems like things have been really ugly lately. And i thought about it, im like, you know, what good is all this art sitting in my studio just for me . Like, why not share it . This is perfect. Garvin it was the very next morning that lindsay headed out with 20 of her precious paintings and just dropped them up and down the peninsula. The attached note said little more than enjoy the free art and do something nice for someone else. Lindsay its such a small gesture, but if you can make one person happy, youre making some type of difference. Garvin it was supposed to be a onetime thing. Then lindsay started seeing photos from people who found the art. Lindsay such a wonderful thing that you did and so fun for me to find it. Garvin and hearing what it meant to them. Lindsay we need a lot more people like you in the world. Garvin and, well, project happiness, paint the world pretty, was born. And now, not only is lindsay doing it every week close to her home, shes getting requests from all over the country for her art so people can drop it in their community. Lindsay las vegas, michigan, new jersey. Garvin lindsay says her intention was for this just to be a summer project, something to do during her break from her job as a teacher. But something has changed. Lindsays happy place no longer has just four walls to it. Lindsay all right. Garvin and its going to take a lot more art to fill that space. Lindsay small gestures can make a difference. You know, and that can be anything. Garvin now, some people are inspired to attempt great things by their family or friends. Others, though, are touched by strangers. Thats exactly what happens in our next story. What began as an act of kindness for a complete stranger has now bonded two east bay men for life. The partnership is simple. One man plans to walk a great distance so the other can one day walk again. Garvin the Pacific Crest trail has its start in a small town just north of the mexican border. Though for eugene yoon, his trek along the pct began somewhere much, much different. Eugene yoon the idea actually started with Ellen Degeneres. Garvin the end of Ellen Degeneres show, to be exact. Eugene and she would always end those shows saying, be kind to one another. Ellen degeneres see you tomorrow. Be kind to one another. Eugene and i took that to heart and i said, i want to live my life the way that these incredible human beings are doing. Garvin so, the 28yearold from castro valley, who had heard of others who had hiked the pct, decided that would be his grand gesture of kindness, but for whose benefit . Arthur renowitzky and i want to let you guys know to never give up. Garvin well, it was just about that time eugene says stories about Arthur Renowitzky started showing up in his social media feeds. Arthur, a subject of a bay area proud in 2014, was paralyzed by a robbers bullet 8 years ago. Arthur hi, whats your name . Garvin through his foundation, life goes on, arthur and his constant companion, love, counsel kids and visit newly paralyzed patients in the hospital, assuring them that life will indeed go on. Eugene i was inspired by him and all the incredible things that he was doing. And i said, i want to do an act in the Community Like arthur would do. And then thats when i said, you know what . Im going to be that person for arthur. Garvin but just what could eugene do for arthur . Well, help him walk again. Eugene, you see, is hiking to raise 80,000 to purchase an exoskeleton for arthur, one that would help him once again stand and walk. Arthur oh, eugene isi mean, hes an amazing guy. Garvin it was a pledge eugene had made before even meeting arthur in person, a pledge which, now that they have become close friends, means even more. Eugene theres no word to describe this feeling that i get, this feeling of knowing that, at the end of this process, someone as amazing and incredible as arthur would be able to walk again. Garvin eugene still has a few hundred miles and more than a few thousand dollars left to reach his goals. He says there is nothing, though, that will stop him from finishing what he started, and then likely Getting Started on whats next. Eugene you start with one person. You start within your own community. You start within your own reach. You start within your own family. You start wherever your influence is. Garvin coming up, bringing kids together from all different backgrounds. Steve sparks i think right now, we have kids from Something Like 13 different zip codes. Garvin how one east bay man was able to turn his love of adventure and soccer into an unforgettable summer for hundreds of kids. Plus, they gave of themselves over and over again in order to give children who need it most a stable home. Just how often did they foster children . The answer coming up. But first kim im learning that theres just so many gifts when you push yourself. Garvin and push themselves they did. Just how far they got in a first of its kind swim. Unquestionably the crossing of the english channel. But is it the hardest . The channel has been crossed close to 3,000 times, but what two bay area swimmers are attempting to do has never been done before. And both Simon Dominguez and kim chambers have very good reasons for trying to make history. Garvin no matter how blue the sky above may be, it is a rare day in San Francisco when one can clearly make out the farallon islands. Still, what Simon Dominguez and kim chambers are cooking up is even rarer still because, well, its never happened before. Each are going to swim solo the 30 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge to the farallon islands. If successful, simon will be the firstever to do the swim east to west, and kim the first woman period. Kim i am drawn to adventure. Im drawn to the unknown. And its tremendously alluring and thrilling for me. Garvin while the two have been training together for months to reach this same goal, their paths to this point have been quite different. Simon from australia was a competitive swimmer growing up. He thought it would be fun back in 2010 to try a marathon swim. Five hours in the water, though, left him in agony. Simon so, i was in a lot of pain. You know, i couldnt move, but i was totally hooked. I thought, this is the best thing ever. I love this sport. Garvin kim from new zealand did not have swimming in her background. Competitive ballet was her thing. But 8 years ago, a horrific leg injury left kim almost unable to walk. Male all right, shes off, whoo hoo. Garvin she swam in a pool as part of her recovery, only taking this dip in the bay on a dare. Her friends recorded it because they thought she would back out. Kim i got in and i was just like, i cant believe im out here, cant believe im doing this. Garvin to say kim was hooked was an understatement. She has since conquered the oceans seven, the most challenging swims in the world, something only five other people have done. Kim im learning that theres just so many gifts when you push yourself. Simon i think this is something that not a lot of people in the world can do. I thinkin my backyard, so if someones going to do it, i think i should be the one to do it. Garvin while simon and kim love to play up their aussiekiwi rivalry, they are partners in all this. Both say they are not in competition with each other, theyre in competition with themselves, with a place in the record books as their reward. Garvin well, simon was up first. And his swim was going great for the first 18 hours. Then a great white shark showed up and took an interest in him. The pilot of simons escort boat ordered him out of the water less than 4 miles from his destination. Kim says shes sad for simon, but that wont keep her out of the water. Coming up, giving summer camp a kick, how one east bay man is showing kids soccer is more than just a game of goals. But first Dave Mitchell even when she was beat tired, worn out, she just absolutely blossomed with taking care of these kids. Garvin parenting even one child can be exhausting. How about 400 . Meet the couple who did just that. Garvin ask any parent and theyll tell you it takes a lot of love to raise a child. But what about 400 of them . Well, theres only one couple in the bay area who can tell you about that, and that is dave and deana mitchell. Garvin at stone ridge creek in pleasanton, like most retirement communities, residents arent allowed to have children living with them. Its something that suits dave and Deanna Mitchell just fine. Now, its not that the couple, who moved from danville recently, dont want kids living with their neighbors. They just frankly had to figure out a way to stop welcoming kids to live with them. Deanna i think thats true. We know physically and mentally, we probably needed to stop. Okay, this is us when we got married. Garvin dave and deanna were married 57 years ago in rural missouri, and soon were a family of 4. But when their second child started first grade, deanna felt she had a little time and clearly a lot of love to give, which is how, with dave away on a business trip, three foster children were delivered to their door. Deanna he called me and i said, you wont believe this. And he didnt. But that started it. Dave that began it. That was the beginning. Garvin what had started was more than 40 years of foster parenting, taking inwell, well let dave tell you how many foster children. Dave four hundred and thirtyone. Garvin just let that sink in for a bit. Now, some were there just overnight, but others were there over the course of years. No matter what, deanna and dave gave each child the structure, the stability, and the caring that was often missing from his or her life. Deanna once the child walked into our home, they were not a foster child. I dont think we ever referred to them as foster children. They were our family. Garvin still, why go to so much trouble to build a family so big . Deanna says she did it simply because god gave her the ability to. And dave supported her, not just because of the changes he saw in the children, but the changes he saw in deanna. Dave she just glowed. Even when she was beat tired, worn out, she just absolutely blossomed with taking care of these kids. Garvin up next, a very different kind of summer camp for all kinds of kids. The one thing that makes a common soccer camp anything but. That story in 2 minutes. Steve and youre going to take the ball, okay . Male got one right here for him. Because 100 whole grain oats are incredibly good for you. Because theyre heart healthy because theyre good for kids. And granddads and everyone else in the family. Everything we do is because of what really matters most. The goodness of oats and the people we love. Garvin Summer Vacation means summer camp for lots of kids. But theres a camp in oakland thats different than the rest. Its free for one, but its not just for lowincome kids. And while it looks like a soccer camp, well, steve sparks says its more of a language camp than a sports one, bringing together kids from all different backgrounds. Garvin steve sparks isnt the first to notice a similarity between a soccer ball and our world. Theres the shape, of course, but theres also the knowledge that if you fill it with the right stuff, wonderful things can happen, just like they did for steve. Steve because i finally felt like i got to do my passion. Garvin steves passion for soccer has been with him ever since he was a little boy growing up in the poorest quarter of kingston, jamaica. Even as an adult, though, living in the united states, steves world revolved around soccer. He took advantage of a job in the Airline Industry to travel to the worlds soccer hotspots, bonding with other fans. Even if they didnt speak each others first language, there was always their second to fall back on. Steve from spain to france, and the language, common language i had was soccer. Garvin in fact, coming home from the 2006 world cup in germany, steve was so moved by the ability of the sport to bring people of different backgrounds together, he decided to start a camp back home dedicated to that idea. Steve on my way back on the 11hour flight coming from frankfurt, i sat there and just started scribbling and said, im going to do this. Steve work on this first, then you can dosee . Garvin my yute soccer is now in its seventh year. The weeklong camp held at oaklands Technical High School is completely free for players, but its not just for lowincome kids. That would defeat the purpose, steve says. Steve i think right now, we have kids from Something Like 13 different zip codes. Steve you want to be in the group . Garvin he wants kids from all types of backgrounds to interact with each other in a way they otherwise wouldnt. Male okay, so were going to play another game today. Garvin steves team of experienced volunteer coaches reflect the one world nature of this camp, perhaps giving a bunch of kids from the east bay a passion they might carry with them for the rest of their lives. Steve i remember the difference it made for me. And we might have 80 kids in camp. And if five or ten of those kids come back later on and said its impacted them or whatever it may be, thats filling for me. Male one, two, three. Garvin thanks again for joining us for this bay area proud special. You can see new bay area proud stories every tuesday and thursday evenings in our 5 p. M. Newscast, and all of the reports are on our website. Just go to nbcbayarea. Com and scroll down to the bay area proud segment. And if you wonder where we get these stories, well, we get them from people like you, our viewers. If you know someone who should be featured in our bay area proud segment, id love to hear from you. Go to our website and you can find links to my facebook, twitter, or way to get in touch with me via email. Have a great night. [music] [music] [music] [music] ] announcer the following program is sponsored by operation smile. Every year, hundreds of thousands of children are born with cleft lip and or cleft palate. Dr. Bill magee why should any child, anywhere on this planet, have to live a life of misery. Kathy majette a lot of people think that children that are born with these deformities are cursed. Just imagine a life alone, that nobody wanted to be around you. Norrie oelkers and we had children coming in for screening with brown bags over their head. Theyre never allowed to leave their house unless they have a bag on their heads. Kathy majette some children dont live, because they have problems with eating, and drinking, and die of malnutrition. Mel and they see us as their last resort. Dr. Jill gora every child deserves a fair chance at life, Peggy Stillman it may only take an hour to do something that will change their lives forever. Noreen kessler and you just see a whole new person, a whole new beginning. Its almost like theyre reborn. I cant think of another word but phenomenal. [ music ] roma downey as a mother, i would do anything i could to help my child live a normal life. And im sure you would, too. But what if you couldnt do anything . What if you were totally helpless . Thats the situation for hundreds and thousands of parents in developing countries whose children are born with cleft lip or cleft palate. In the united states, these deformities are corrected shortly after birth. But in many countries around the world, these children are left untreated and are shunned. [ music ] [ childrens voices ] roma downey im in le loi hospital. The volunteer operation smile medical team has come from all over the world to perform surgeries, and parents have brought their children here, hoping that theyll be selected