Our first story tonight is about a richmond woman thankful to those who put their lives at risk to help her get where she is today. And where that is, is sitting at the kitchen table, fighting the religious oppression of her people. It is late on a wednesday evening in richmond. Niknaz so, anyone new . Oh, hi annisaw. Gavin and in niknaz aftahis second floor apartment, an underground class is about to begin. Niknaz narzani shiba, do you want to start . Gavin the course title is english for architecture, and it is a case study in giving back. Niknaz so, you saw the file, right . Gavin at least, thats how the professor, niknaz, feels about it. Niknaz i want to give back to this, you know, institute that gave me the privilege of becoming educated. Gavin the institute is the bihe, or Bahai Institute for higher education. Niknaz, you see, is a member of the bahai faith, a religious minority that is oppressed in her native country, iran. Not permitted to attend universities there, members of the Bahai Community began Holding Classes in secret decades ago, in living rooms, kitchens, and basements around the country. At times, homes were raided, professors jailed. But the school continued. Niknaz teaching at bihe in iran means that any day you can go to prison. So, they put their lives in line to teach students, so i always see it as a big sacrifice, and they did that for me. Gavin niknaz graduated from bihe in 2010, and eventually earned her masters in architecture from uc berkeley. Now a working architect, niknaz dedicates early mornings and late evenings to teaching bihe students in iran over the internet. It is risky for niknazs students to even take her class, which is why we wont show their faces. And niknaz, for her part, knows what she is doing likely means she cannot safely return to her home country to visit her family. Niknaz i feel very hard, very difficult. But then, you know, it was my choice, and i made that choice. Gavin niknaz hopes that by shedding light on a school that operates in the shadows, pressure will build on the government of iran to change its position. Until then, though, she will keep teaching long distance, hoping for big change. For our next story, our focus remains overseas, but the mission is quite different. A burlingame woman is looking to help Syrian Refugees who now live in camps in greece. Shes not bringing them food or water, though. She wants to bring them joy. Alexandra so, its got a little less air, but it feels well made, so lets gavin for pretty much her entire life, Alexandra Crist has been serious about playing soccer. Still, shes never kicked a soccer ball with as much purpose as she does these days. Alex, you see, is testing them to see which one is the best fit for her ultimate goal. Alexandra im one person with an idea, and i took action, and the action has snowballed into a beautiful project. Gavin alexs project began, of all places, at the thanksgiving dinner table with her family a few years ago. Syrian refugees had been in the news a lot around that time, a crisis half a world away, alex thought, until her mother put it in perspective. Alexandra mom said, if your grandfather didnt come to this country as a small child, we could all be Syrian Refugees. Gavin those refugees were no longer strangers from a distant land, and they needed her help. But how . Alexandra and so, i just asked for something, i said, what is the thing i could do to help these refugees and make a difference . And then soccer hit my consciousness, and i was like, ah, get them free soccer balls. This is the very first ball, i said bright colors. Gavin alex knew from her previous travels around the world that a soccer ball can do magic when it comes to breaking down barriers and sparking joy. Alexandra these are going to go to the camps and the kids. Gavin so, she rounded up donations and arranged for 750 soccer balls to be manufactured in pakistan, then delivered to a hotel room in greece, where she and some friends would personally deliver them to refugee camps. It was a lot of planning, alex says, that ultimately went just according to plan. Alexandra we just started playing together for the next hour. Just a bunch of boys came over, and then the coordinator came over, and we all just started playing and laughing, and it was great. Male we brought you footballs. Gavin alex understands that soccer balls are not necessary for a refugees survival. Still, she says, they can be essential to their lives. She is already planning her next visit, her next donation. Alexandra i want something thats tough and durable. Gavin just as soon as she finds the perfect ball to do the greatest good. When the floods hit san jose in february, the damage was devastating in several neighborhoods. Many in the Community Stepped up, but one Elementary School class went above and way beyond. Jessica whos got the daily total figured out . Gavin one of the math skills Jessica Friedman expects her fourth graders at hacienda elementary to master is how to estimate. Jessica what is that number again . Gavin though this past month, its jessica who needed to brush up because she clearly underestimated them. Jessica like, super proud of you. They absolutely surprised me, but in the best way, the best possible way. Gavin this all begins with two of jessicas students, roma smith and jenna kang, both of whom live near san joses coyote creek, both of whose families were hit hard by februarys flooding. Roma well, right now im living at my grandma and grandpas house. Gavin at jessicas suggestion, the two girls made a presentation about the flood to the School Student council, telling their stories and suggesting a flood fundraiser. Not for their families, though. Jenna kang but i think we both did it for our neighbors, to help them, because they really do need a lot of help. Gavin the Council Agreed and a school wide goal was set, 5,000. Jessica now, i remember, when they said 5,000, i wasi kind of wanted them to pick something more achievable. Roma who has donations . Gavin still, when spread out among the entire school, all jessicas students had to do to do their part was raise a little more than 200. Roma we thought, oh my god, if we raise that much, were going to be awesome. And now, i dont know what happened. Jessica okay, so youre adding 21. Gavin what happened is they needed more and more sheets for their thermometer, more and more ink, and their best multidigit addition skills. Male one thousand nine hundred fortythree dollars and eightysix cents. Gavin some students raided their savings. Others gave their tooth fairy money. Some gave two, even three times. All victory lap. Male i dug into my piggybank andmy piggybank, and my grandma gave me some. Male yeah, i think it will help them. Gavin they might have started thinking about just their classmates, but the money these students have raised will help many, many more, showing that one type of flood can sometimes lead to another. Jessica they see neighbors in need, and they see classmates in need, and they just want to be a part of the solution. Announcer coming up, one mans gardening inspires a lesson for students at a south bay Elementary School. His story of determination next on this bay area proud special. Him to many unexpected places. One of those, a hillside in milpitas that he hoped would help him share a message with the world. Well, a message ended up being delivered, but not the one he expected. For the past 4 years, up on this milpitas hillside, nature has been teaching rich santoro a familiar lesson. If at first you dont succeed, well, you know the rest. What rich didnt know until recently, though, is that the lesson wasnt meant for him at all. Rich and when she told me what she was doing, it hit me on the way home. Thats when the emotion welled up, and i realized that i was having an effect. Big hole for a bulb. Gavin we first introduced you to rich years ago, sharing how he plants more than 10,000 bulbs in his san jose backyard each winter, then invites the public in for a free peek at the spectacular results the following spring. Female are those calendulas back in there . Rich yeah, calendulas, yes, yes. Gavin its how he got the nickname the bulb guy. Rich be careful, it gets kind of slippery. Gavin we followed richs story then as he tried to bring the same magic to a bigger audience, planting thousands of bulbs on that hillside which, when in bloom, would spell out a message to passersby. Rich its a disaster. Gavin except they never did. Too dry one year, too wet another, and this year, well, more than 6,000 flowers shot out of the ground, but rich they literally ate the bulb on the bottom. Gavin ground squirrels took it from there. Rich so, they had lunch, breakfast, and dinner, on the bulb guy. Gavin from where rich stood, it was yet another disaster. But from someone elses vantage point, it was something completely different. Tapasi roychoudhury the poor guy does it all by himself. Gavin tapasi roychoudhury lives across the street from the hillside, and has watched rich for year try and fail to realize his dream, yet keep coming back. Tapasi i thought, okay, the tulips are not coming on, maybe hell change his mind and hell leave this hill all alone, and hell go away. But he did not. Gavin tapasi says rich inspired her to keep going when she suffered setbacks in her life, and she thought she isnt the only one who could benefit from his example. Tapasi today, im going to talk about a bulb guy. Gavin so, she made a bulb guy lesson plan for her students at the Stratford School in santa clara. Tapasi he went on digging, and digging, and digging. Gavin in between learning about George Washington and abraham lincoln, there is now a little rich santoro thrown in. Tapasi he is not giving up on his project. Should you give up on yourself anytime . Rich man. Gavin rich says itll be a while before he wraps his mind around the strange turn his story has taken. But he has already learned one thing, that the difference between success and failure is sometimes all in how you look at it. Now, an update to a recent bay area proud story we did on an ambitious Home Building project. The walls and roof are now up on a tiny home at john sinnott Elementary School. A Ribbon Cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the project. We first introduced you to sixth grade teacher, rita maultsby, in february, taking the concept of project based learning to the max. She and her students built a real, permanent, 200 square foot home right on campus. Rita maultsby one of my students said to me when i said, the skys the limit, you take your project wherever you want, and this one student raised his hand and said, why is the sky the limit . Why cant we go i get emotional. But, why cant we go higher than that . And when a student says that, then you know that what youre doing is whats really best for your students. And how does a teacher say no to that . Gavin as far as rita can tell, john sinnott is the first Elementary School in the nation to take on such a project. Announcer up next, hes played with jazz greats. We introduce you to a san jose trumpet player helping the next generation find their music passion. And a lifechanging encounter, how a humpback whale inspired a worldrenowned flutist to save an endangered species. I am a First Responder tor and iemergencies 24 hours a day, everyday of the year. My children and my family are on my mind when im working all the time. My neighbors are here, my friends and family live here, so its important for me to respond as quickly as possible and get the power back on. Its an amazing feeling turning those lights back on. Be informed about outages in your area. Sign up for outage alerts at pge. Com outagealerts. Together, were building a better california. Eddie gale is his name. His gift, not only music, but helping kids, sharing his passion with them to help create the next generation of musicians. Eddie gale i see something in here about 1960. Gavin an older musician once gave a younger eddie gale a piece of advice. Eddie to introduce mr. Eddie gale gavin something this legendary jazz trumpet player still follows to this very day. Eddie you know, he said, man, just trust me. Just any time you ever see your name in print, if it was someone you play with or whatever, hold on to it. Concert at a town hall in new york. Gavin that was more than 50 years and 5 volumes of clippings ago. Such things happen when youve been as good as long as eddie has. Eddie this one is a cool gavin still, he doesnt need to read a story to remind him how it all started, as a young boy in brooklyn with his very first horn. Eddie when i got a trumpet, i worked in the day, you know, and played music and live music at night. I would go to the jam sessions and ask, id say, can i sit in . Can i come in . Gavin eddie has traveled the world since, playing his distinctive style of trumpet, recording albums, headlining shows, and backing up jazz legends. Eddie has owned a lot of horns in the process, but never forgets the thrill of the first one. Eddie who plays an instrument here . You play an instrument . Gavin which is what this day is all about. Eddie now, you play that trumpet. Gavin working with a group called united peace relief, eddie is giving away trumpets, 100 of them. Eddie and its free to them, they dont have to pay not one dime. Gavin eddie has spent years working closely with young people. Its the reason in the mid1970s then san jose mayor Norman Mineta gave him the title ambassador of jazz. Eddie take out your horn. Gavin it is something eddie wears very proudly. Eddie i want everybody to make a sound with a trumpet in this room. Gavin music has been good to eddie, and he knows it can be good for others too. Eddie i see music as a wonderful gift from the heavens, from god almighty. Make a sound for me. See . I knew you could do it, i knew. Gavin our next story is also about using music as power for good in the world. Viviana guzman, who travels the world playing the flute, was inspired by this video she captured. It not only changed her life, but hopefully the lives of some endangered creature. One of the great things about paddle boarding is how little you need to do it. Theres a board, a paddle, and a wetsuit. When Viviana Guzman heads out on the water, though, her equipment list is one item longer than most. There is always a flute. Viviana guzman thats what i do. Theres just always a flute on me somewhere, somehow. Gavin its simple, viviana says. She takes a flute everywhere because it has taken her everywhere. Viviana and the flute has always been that way, its always been something that ive just wondered where it was going to take me. And so far, its taken me to 126 countries. Gavin viviana is a classically trained virtuoso, invited to play with symphonies and orchestras around the world. She is used to drawing crowds wherever she plays, indoors and out, and not just with people. Which leads us to what happened one day last summer. Female viviana, she came to you. Gavin viviana, playing on her board off the coast of half moon bay, when a very big fan rushed her stage. Viviana ah, oh my god. Gavin the video of vivianas encounter with the humpback whale has been watched and rewatched more than one million times. Viviana everyone thinks that i was very, very scared, but no. Theres just something i just feel that they are such gentle creatures. Gavin creatures viviana wanted to learn more about. Her research leading to this cute cousin, the vaquita porpoise, the most endangered Marine Mammal in the world. Viviana last month, i heard that it was down to 30. Gavin viviana is now passionate about saving them, producing an album right now, all the proceeds of which will go to saving the vaquita. Viviana says if it werent for that nudge from the whale, her life wouldnt have taken this turn, her music once again taking viviana in unexpected directions. Announcer coming up, walking the runway, design students making customized clothes, how its helping to make the lives of the disabled easier next. But some local College Students are learning fashion can do some good, and their models took to the runway to prove it. Connie ulasewicz this is the 23rd annual runway event. Gavin connie ulasewiczs life has been fashioned around fashion for quite some time, a career in manufacturing, followed by more than 20 years teaching at San Francisco state university. It means connie has been a part of many, many runway shows. But nothing, she says, like the one she hosted this past weekend. Connie i am surprised that it hasnt happened before, but were doing it. Gavin you see, for months, sfsu design students have been creating garments not just with form in mind, but a function, help make one disabled persons life a little bit better. Connie its reinforced what garments and fashion are to me because, to me, the purpose of clothing is to enhance our wellbeing on the earth. Gene chelberg i had a couple ideas. Gavin School Administrator gene chelberg was paired with Students Erin fuller and kinsey thomas. Gene is known around campus not just because of his guide dog, but his sense of style. Hed like to wear his favorite overcoat when it rains, but thats a garment that doesnt normally come with a hood gene and the reason why i need a hood gavin and thats an issue for a blind man. Gene is because i cant use an umbrella. When you work with a seeing eye dog, theyre trained to avoid overhangs and overhead obstacles, like stop signs and branches. And so, if you were to walk around with an umbrella, youre going to defeat that training. Gavin so, erin and kinsey designed a practical, stylish hood to match genes overcoat. Female taking to the runway with his guide dog gavin which gene then showed off as part of the schools annual fashion show. It was just one of close to a dozen pairings of students and the disabled. There was a skirt that resists riding up for a woman in a wheelchair, shorts tailored specifically for a student with one leg, and a snug fitting, stretchable jacket for a vet with ptsd. Male im able to rub my hands against the inside of the spandex so that i have some kind of stress relief. Gavin these are collaborations that are proving to have benefit not just for the models. The designers say it too has changed them, vowing in the future to weave some good into all that they do. You can always see new bay area proud stories every tuesdays and thursday evenings on nbc bay area news at 5 p. M. And if you know someone who should be featured, id love to hear from you. You can find links to my facebook, twitter, or email on our website, nbcbayarea. Com. Just scroll down to the bay area proud segment. Good night. Cc by aberdeen captioning 18006886621 abercap. Com Award Winning interface. Award winning design. Award winning engine. The volvo xc90. The most awarded luxury suv of the century. Visit your volvo dealer today and get up to 4,500 in allowances. Wow means you save 50 or more. There are three stages of wow. Denial. Is this price right . Acceptance. And boooyah wait for it. Boooyah has three os. Grocery outlet bargain market give 5, get 5. Help us fight hunger, july 1st through july 31st. Tiger woods arrested. Brad pitt talks life after angelina, what happened between katy perry and taylor swift. Halfway through 2017. Its been wild. All right, here with me now. Guys, we are going to go through each of the topics made headlines. Start with the biggest controversies of all. We cant get any bigger than, kathy griffin. Her headless photo with trump. When you first saw the photo what did you think . I was like, big mistake, girl. I was trying to find the comedy. This woman can beep very funny. But this was a huge misstep on her part. Yeah, i mean, i dont know she is very funny for a while. This laid out how i felt about pive get, you know wanting to have these political comedies. But you have to be little tasteful with it. Because, you have a job with cnn. Wanted publicity. Got the wrong kind of publicity. Really came become to bite her. Dont think she realized how much it would backfire. Move on to tiger wood. Dui arrest. No alcohol involved. Did admit, taking prescription pills. And dash cam was released. What was the first word that came to mind when you saw the footage . Awe all. Ber