Dr. Shellie Hipsky's

Sometimes it’s the quiet, unsung heroes whose tales must be told and celebrated.  At my last gala event to raise money for the Homeless Children’s Education Fund, a woman of high quality, Myra McNeil was honored with a well-deserved award.  Months prior to An Extraordinary Evening, I traveled with the Social Justice Conference from Duquesne University into  the shelters that I have been working with for years to obtain funding….

HCEF Founder Dr. Joe Lagana and I in one of the 12 Learning Centers in the shelters

I recalled a a quote from my book Ordinary People Extraordinary Planet, that detailed teenager Shannon McNamara’s story about helping 8,000 people in Africa by creating libraries and providing other resources.  She said during the interview…

EXCERPT FROM

Ordinary People Extraordinary Planet by Dr. Shellie Hipsky

“When we started SHARE, we got a list of all the needs in the community, which made people there feel like somebody was finally listening to them.” (p. 77).

Recalling those insightful words, I asked the woman who ran the Learning Center in the shelter, "If you could have any one thing for the kids what it would be?"  Her eyes lit up as she exclaimed "a WiiFit." She explained that it was not safe for the kids to play outside, there was no room, they are on a busy street, and many of them are in hiding from physically abusive fathers.  The WiiFit would provide hours of safe movement and entertainment.  I got on my cell phone as I pulled away from the conference, found a sponsor... and in a week, Dr. Lagana and I delivered the machine to a very happy shelter teacher.

Soon the time arrived to nominate the Educator of the Year for The Robert Morris University School of Education and Social Sciences. I had already seen Myra McNiell in action in the shelters taking care of and teaching children for little monetary compensation and acclaim.  We provided her two free VIP Tickets to the red carpet event which was also attended by the governor. 

I was delighted to see her face as Sheldon Ingram from Channel 4 Action News team read the description about all she had done for homeless kids after obtaining her degree at Yale University...

Priceless picture of surprise by our Educator of the Year!

Myra McNeill  receiving the Educator of the Year Award

Dr. Mary Ann Roth, Dean of the School of Education and Social Sciences at RMU

Dr. David Jamison, Provost Robert Morris University

Educator of the Year for RMU School of Education and Social Sciences, Myra McNeill

Myra stated in a note about our connection, "Thank you so much for making me feel so incredibly special this year.  You are a blessing!"  I feel from the bottom of my heart that people who live and work in the trenches with the children who have extreme needs are the true blessing to our world. 

Who do you know who should be honored for their great work?

CREDITS: Event photos taken by John Colombo

"A brother is a friend given by Nature." - Jean Baptiste Legouve

I watch my kids as they form bonds as siblings.  It’s a beautiful thing to observe.  As I listen as Allie pretends to read to her brother Jake or they play imaginary games together, I am reminded of a humble hero in my life.  It is so easy to make the comparison since they look and act just like us back in the day.  He’s my “baby brother”, John…  Yes. He is over thirty now, but my younger brother… forever. 

John Jacobs has dedicated his life to healing and helping people around the world as a traveling nurse.  When he was in high school he started volunteering in Mexico in Wahaca teaching about basic health care.  Now, he travels to places such as Haiti and the Dominican Republic to support their needs (he also has brief stints in fun city locales such as Boston).  It is these far away jaunts he has been doing for year that have always impressed me as his big sister.   It also amazes me that no matter what remote location he is he always seems to find a way to answer my own nursing questions or drop everything to help me from far away when he can.

This is rooted in our history together. When he was a toddler, I was the only one who could understand him and had to explain what he said. When I was a rebellious teenager, he used to cover up for me (much to my parent's dismay). As an elementary teacher in a special education room, a giant map of the world hung in my room and my students would plot his travels and read the many postcards he would write to the learning disabled kids. Many in this classroom had never been much farther than the trailer park they were living at an reading stories of floating down the Amazon River opened up the world to them. Now Skype allows him to be a super uncle from where ever he may be.  He's always been there for me no matter how far away he is in location.

Fortunately, John always has his camera with him and gets some fabulous shots of people and children.  As an education professor, I delight in showcasing his awesome collection of children from around the world in my office.  Here he is taking a picture of children...

The pictures from around the world include those from almost all the continents.  Here are three of my favorites from his recent trip to the Dominican Republic…

 

 

 

John Jacobs ©

I am proud to call John my brother and my friend.  Now, I will go back to listening to my own children and continue to be amazed at the beauty of sibling relationships.  I would love to hear about others who have witnessed close bonds with siblings.