Xander schultz its incredible. Announcer after a lifechanging trip to help syrian refugees, a couple bands together to bring the Refugee Relief effort full circle. Heres nbc bay areas garvin thomas. Garvin thomas good evening and thank you so much for joining us. The bay area proud series is all about featuring people who are at their best when things are often at their worst. And this first story is no exception, although it didnt start out that way. It started with a San Francisco couple recently going on a european vacation. But then their itinerary changed. Instead of seeing the sights, they witnessed tragedy firsthand and have returned home determined to make a difference. Garvin this is the only type of picture Xander Schultz and zoe papis probably thought theyd be bringing back from their italian vacation last fall. The one they took to recharge and destress after xanders latest startup went bellyup. Xander oh, eegh, i had my soul ripped out of my chest, i think, out of the last experience. Garvin the bright italian sun, though, couldnt blind the San Francisco couple to something happening at that time just across the mediterranean. Syrian refugees by the thousands, risking their lives to come to europe. Xander and zoe couldnt take their eyes off it. Zoe papis we spent our days, instead of laying on the beach, we would be in our hotel rooms doing research, looking at more and learning more about the war and whats happening. Before we realized it, we were, like, spending all of our days doing this and were, like, lets just get out there. What are we doing . Garvin so the pair flew to the greek island of lesbos to volunteer, welcoming and warming those who had survived the dangerous sea journey. Still, they wanted to do even more. But just how . Well, the answer to that was just laying at their feet, literally. Xander its incredible, its garvin the thousands upon thousands of discarded life vests the refugees had used but no longer needed were everywhere. Zoe upon flying into the island, you could see the entire island justall the shores just filled with bright orange. Garvin it was zoe who came up with the idea to upcycle the vests, using local seamstresses who are now sewing the material into wristbands. Thousands have been made already to raise money for the ongoing humanitarian effort. Xander i want this to be a stance of humanity above borders, above religion, above all else. So this is a zoe band. Garvin their hope is that these bands will help buyers make an emotional connection to those who once wore this material. And what refugees once relied on to save their lives, perhaps will come full circle and help them once again. Garvin a san jose man is also using his skills to raise money for a good cause. Its one thats close to his heart. Rich santoros passion for flowers and gardening is legendary in the south bay. Weve featured the fruits of his labors before. But his gift now takes on new meaning, now that hes figured out what is motivating his mission. Rich santoro be careful, its kind of slippery. Garvin the third time, rich santoro is discovering, isnt always a charm. In fact, on this milpitas hillside, its just about the opposite. Rich ah, its a disaster. Garvin for the third year in a row, you see, rich has planted thousands of bulbs up here, which, when in bloom, were supposed to spell out a secret message for passersby, except they didnt bloom, again. Rich look at that, thats completelylook it, completely mildewed. Rich what you see here is 6700 failures. Garvin its all a bit of a surprise, considering rich is something of a maestro when it comes to bulb gardening. Just not up here. Rich in my backyard, im a near expert. Female are those calendula back in the rich yeah, calendula. Yes, yes. Garvin rich is well known in gardening circles as the bulb guy of san jose. Each year, he plants more than 10,000 in his back yard, then opens it up for the public to enjoy the colorful results. Rich did it, he always said, to simply share his love of flowers with the world. Not this year, though. Rich but now its taken on a different purpose. Garvin so what changed . Well, a door closed, literally. And when it did, a picture that had been hanging on richs walls for more than 30 years, crashed to the floor. Rich when the picture fell off the wall, it was a epiphany, and it was a snap of a finger. I knew exactly what we had to do. Garvin the picture, a rainbow, had been drawn by richards son, nicknamed boom. He died of cancer at the age of 6. Suddenly, rich says he realized the garden was never supposed to just look good. It should do good. The rainbow on his garage door this year, meant to match booms drawing, is being built with petals, each representing a 5 donation to fight childhood cancer. Rich no parent should have to bury their child. Justits pretty horrendous. So thats what this garden is all about now. Garvin rich says losing a child taught him a lot about perspective in life, that, for example, 6000 flowers that dont bloom isnt a tragedy, but 10,000 that do might just one day prevent one. Garvin from one man listening to his heart to others listening to anyone. A San Francisco therapist thinks our addiction to technology these days is robbing us of something very important and she wants to give it back to us, for free. Garvin amid the neverending bustle that is a big city like San Francisco, it can be hard for a voice to be heard. Traci ruble hey there, hows it going . Garvin not because of too much noise, mind you. Traci do you wanna sit down and talk and tell your story . Garvin because of too little listening. Traci you wanna talk about it . Garvin at least, thats how traci ruble sees it. Traci you have to not talk. You have to stop talking. I have to stop talking and i have to listen and ask questions. Traci where would you wanna stop . Garvin it was 2 years ago that traci and another licensed therapist decided their listening skills could do good for more than just their patients. They could do a Little Something to help all of us, one nonspoken word at a time. Traci what i wanna give everybody else is a personal sense of belonging, you know. That moment in time when somebody walks down the street and they wonder, does anyone even care that im alive . Does anyone even care what im thinking . Male with me, im all about human interaction. Garvin sidewalk talk is what the idea has become. Traci and her volunteers set up chairs on the street every month around San Francisco. Any passerby is then welcome to take a load off their feet. Male how do you know when someone thinks it over garvin as well as their mind. Female i started film school and realized i wasnt a filmmaker garvin all topics welcome. Female i wish therapy was more accessible to people. Garvin no judgments passed. Lily sloane when people see us on the street, they will not expect, like, any sort of interaction. Garvin traci believes the more we connect with each other through technology, the less of a need we feel to connect personally. And thats not healthy. Traci if there is anything that i feel deep in my bones, that i am, you know, really advocating for its that we actually need each other as people. Traci and were out here listening to people. Garvin even those who dont stop, traci thinks traci think thats weird . Garvin get a Little Something out of the deal. Traci thats all right. Garvin their story must be worth something, they must think, if someones willing to hear it for nothing. Announcer coming up, a veteran helping other vets. Catherine martinellibanks i wont feel complete if i dont reach out and see if theres anything i can do. Announcer how a fellow marine she served with in the 1980s gave her a new purpose. Moksh and just go out there and do it. Announcer plus, changing course. A High School Junior teaches himself and others the power of problemsolving when an ap class wasnt offered at his school. Tom it was a really struggle. Announcer but first, he lost most of his sight, but a guide dog helped take him down a new road, leading to a new mission in life. Im a Customer Relationship my namanager with pg e. Er, ive helped customers like plantronics meet their Energy Efficiency goals. So you save energy and you can save money. Energy efficiency and the environment go hand in hand. And i love how pg es commitment to the environment helps a Community Like santa cruz be a better place to live. And being able to pass that along to my family is really important to me. Just being together and appreciating what we have right here in santa cruz. See how you can save energy at pge. Com. Together, were building a better california. Tom kowalski, lost the fingers on his left hand years ago in an industrial accident. He honestly says that wasnt too much of a burden to overcome. Losing his eyesight years later, though, that was. He only overcame it, he says, with the help from others, both human and animal. And wants now to help them in return. Tom good boy, okay. Forward. Garvin in a world where people talk all the time about counting steps, tom kowalski still speaks in miles. Tom were averaging about 50 miles a week. Garvin in fact, tom and his guide dog dynamo have been up and down the san ramon section of the iron horse trail so many times tom he knows were heading toward the barn, see . Garvin its an open question as to who is leading whom these days. Tom good boy. Garvin no question, tom says though, where hed be without his companion. Tom um garvin tom, you should know, has always been the active type. Running and golf were given but tom was even an expert barefoot water skier. But in 2007, almost overnight, a medical condition took much of his eyesight and almost all of his hope. Tom and it was a really struggle. Initially i had given my wife a date that i was gonna commit suicide about 2 months after this happened. Garvin with the help of doctors and others, tom says, he made steps toward an emotional recovery, but it wasnt until dynamo showed up that he put real distance between himself and depression. Tom there was always something missing and, after about a year, that something wasnt missing anymore. You know, there was just a piece of my soul that was filled in now. Garvin it was san rafaelbased guide dogs for the blind who gave dynamo to tom and taught the two how to work together. So grateful is he for what they did, tom now wants to help them. Tom and dynamo recently completed a halfmarathon together and used their training as a way to raise money for the group. They raised enough to cover three years rent for one of the clubs meeting spaces. The pair are also becoming regular speakers at guide dog for the blind events. Tom i cant thank you enough. Garvin tom wants everyone to know just what a guide dog can mean. And while the path they now travel every day is well worn, its part of a journey tom thought he would never be on. Garvin the subject of our next story describes her younger self as a woman, quote, living in orange county, driving an escalade, and shopping at nordstroms every day. Catherine martinellibanks is now in the east bay and helping us veterans. So what changed . Well, it all started with a phone call from a friend and fellow marine. Garvin the Veterans Memorial building of San Ramon Valley is a place catherine martinellibanks feels very much at home. Perhaps, catherine says, its because she is a much better veteran than she ever was a marine. Catherine thats exactly true. Yeah, i kept my company gunnery and First Sergeant busy. Garvin if catherines superiors could see her now, though, theyd see someone doing an exemplary job helping other vets, organizing events to help them financially, lobbying for their interests in washington and, most recently, working to raise 150,000 so a quadruple amputee marine she has never met can make his home more accessible. Catherine why . Its, like, i dont know but i just have to, like, i just have to, i have to, like, i wont feel complete if i dont reach out and see if theres anything i can do. Garvin it is a calling, catherine says, that began with a single call more than a decade ago. Catherine and i got a phone call one sunday when i was at the grocery store. Soledad jackson i hadnt seen her in years and years. Garvin Soledad Jackson was on the phone. Soledad had served with catherine back in the early 80s and was still serving in 2004 when the marines deployed her to iraq for a year. Though the two had spoken only sporadically over the decades, soledad, living in north carolina, had a big favor to ask of catherine, living in san diego. Come and raise my two kids while im gone. It was a mission this marine couldnt turn down. Catherine put some stuff into storage and i had two cats at the time so i packed them up, and we all three drove. Soledad it was so amazing that she said, sure, ill go do that. Garvin soledad still cant thank catherine enough for what she did. During a time of war, she gave a mother and a marine peace of mind. Catherine and then, of course, theyre having a sleepover. Garvin but catherine says it was she who really got something out of it. Catherine she always sayssole says that i helped her. And its like, i think you really saved my life, and it was. And just from doing that, it gave me just a whole new purpose. Garvin a gift you could say that just keeps giving. Announcer coming up, plenty of kids dream big. But this young boy is already bringing his ideas on helping the homeless to the table. Natthan i was hungry for more. Announcer and shes a onewoman force of nature whos using her skills in arranging flowers to blossom relationships between troubled kids and their moms. Children are often trapped by its troubles. So why not let children work on its solution . Theres a young man from the east bay who thinks he can and some adults who believe it too. Garvin for such a young man, 11yearold Natthan Mesfin sure has some big dream. The one about playing in the nba one day will likely not surprise anyone, thats typical kids stuff, but his other goal just might. The one he has about ending homelessness in his lifetime. It all began two christmases ago while watching tv. Natthan i saw people on the news that are dying because of being too cold so then i just came down here, sat right where im sitting right now. And i just said, we need to do something. Garvin what natthan came up with was raising money to buy sleeping bags and handing them out to the homeless, which is exactly what he did. The first year, 50 bags; the next year, even more; with no plans to slow down. Natthan i was hungry for more. Like, i wanted to get more money, buy more sleeping bags, do more things. Garvin one of the things natthan did was contact the downtown streets team, a nonprofit with a great track record, helping the homeless find employment, and eventually housing. Eileen richardson i started listening to his pitch and how passionate he was and garvin when natthan met executive director Eileen Richardson though, she explained they didnt need the sleeping bags, but perhaps they could use natthan. She nominated him for the nonprofits board of directors. Natthan i was stoked. I was really happy. Garvin eileen says electing an 11yearold to a seat on the board could be seen as a marketing ploy, that is, if the 11yearold were not like natthan. Eileen so hes already a proven fundraiser and then secondly, just talking to him, the ideas he had. There were so many. Garvin he is a young man whose big dreams have already earned him a seat at the big table with nothing but room to grow. Garvin moksh jawa got his first taste of Computer Science and coding in the seventh grade and he says he was hooked. He knew it had to be part of whatever he did with his life. He just didnt know how many others hed be bringing along with him. Garvin Washington High School in fremont has a lot to offer its students loads of activities. And lots of caring teachers. It had everything, in fact, junior moksh jawa wanted in a school when he enrolled as a freshman. Well, everything, it turned out except one thing. Moksh yeah, i was very, very excited to take the course. I was, like, yes, this is the course i need to take. And id come toi get to Washington High School and i find out the course isnt there. Garvin the course moksh really wanted to take was advanced placement Computer Science. He had started getting interested in the subject as a middle schooler and really wanted to tackle it in high school. Not one, though, to let the lack of a formal course stop him, moksh bought a book and taught himself the course. Moksh i figured my way out through it and i took the test in may and i got a five on it which is the highest score. So that was really exciting for me. Moksh and notice how the file name and the, you know, the program name have to match. Garvin it is what moksh did next, though, that is exciting for so many others. He thought his friends could benefit from his work so he started teaching the material after school to about 30 of them. But when scheduling conflicts made it hard to find a time they could all get together, well, moksh didnt let that stop him either. Moksh so i saw an opportunity there and i started to try to build out thebuild out an online course myself. Garvin decoding ap Computer Science, hosted on the udemy website is the free course he created. And it turns out, it wasnt just his friends who were interested. In a little over a year, more than 4000 others from around the world have taken his course, more than half giving it a 5star rating. Moksh to think that, you know, someone in south korea is studying ap Computer Science and using my course is, you know, crazy. Garvin it has been such a hit, moksh followed up with his very own textbook for the course. In a few short years, moksh has become an expert at teaching High Schoolers about Computer Science. And the rest of us, about not letting obstacles stand in your way. Moksh do whatever interests you, whatever problem, you know, makes you think, oh, i can do something about it, just go out there and do it. Announcer coming up, its probably one of the last places mothers wanna go. But see how one womans beautiful tradition makes a difficult visit a little brighter. Every day is probably tough in a way. But mothers day . Thats got to be the worst. But one woman is helping to make the day a little easier. Megan williams says her personal roots are what make it all the more important for giving back on mothers day. Garvin of all the places a mom wants to spend time with her kids on mothers day, Juvenile Hall cannot be anywhere near the top of that list. Megan williams you know, its not the end of your life. Garvin though, thanks to one mom, megan williams, that dim scenario has turned out a bit brighter for thousands of other moms. You see, on the saturday before mothers day, for the past 20 years, megan has been coming here, bringing with her a handful of volunteers shes corralled and hundreds of flowers shes paid for herself. Megan so you have to break it like this and you cover yourself. Garvin they spend the next few hours helping the inmates, both boys and girls, create floral arrangements. So that even though they live behind bars, they have at least a Little Something to give their moms on mothers day. Megan i want to give these kids the opportunity to say, mom, i love you. Garvin its something, megan says, shes never done. One of 15 children growing up in wartorn vietnam, megan says she never had a close relationship with her mother. Megan i never ever gave my mom a hug. Even i want to so much. Garvin its what motivates her, she says, to do what she can so that these kids dont find themselves saying the same thing later in their lives. Megan i wish one of these day, somebody could do that to me, so i could bring me closer to my mom. Garvin just like the bouquets she helped them create, megans approach is a mixed arrangement. In her case, of compassion megan so you are a tough girl, huh . Garvin and comedy. Female hell, yeah. Megan hell yeah . What do you mean by hell, yeah, boy or girl . Garvin yet for all the time and effort megan spends on this, shes not really concerned with what the arrangements look like when theyre done. The flowers, she knows, wont last. She just hopes the bonds they strengthen will. Garvin thank you 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 the reports are on our website. Just go to nbcbayarea. Com and scroll down to the bay area proud segment. If you know of someone who should be featured, id love to hear from you. Go to our website where youll find links to myitte. Have a good night. [music] [music] [music] cc by aberdeen captioning 18006886621 abercap. Com enis really built into theat foundation of the company. Whole foods market is engaged with pg e on many levels, to really reduce energy and reduce our environmental footprint. For a customer like whole foods, saving energy means helping our environment, and we can be a part of that. Helping Customers Save Energy is a very important part of what pg e does. We can pass those savings on to the environment, the business, and the community. Pg e really is an expert in saving energy, and that partnership is extremely exciting. Together, were building a better california. On this saturday night, unprecedented interview. Hillary clinton meets with fbi agents for 3 1 2 hours about her personal email server. And tonight she speak exclusively to nbc news. An american among more than 20 People Killed in a brutal hostage siege. Isis claiming responsibility. Man of peace. Remembering the life and lessons of elie wiesel. The holocaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prize laureate called a messenger to mankind. Encouraging young people not to be violent. And the upset. Meet the american who brought down the worlds top tennis player, a stunning victory and defeat today at wimbledon. Nightly news begins
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