Jazzmine was seven months old when brought her home, and when she grew up I got a great idea about how we could contribute t our community. “Lord,” I said, “I’d like Jazzmine to be a therapy dog.”

Of course, we both needed training. I was nervous, no question, and so was my dog. A handler’s emotions travel right down the leash. Jazzmine and I failed the first evaluation test three times! We kept trying and finally passed the Good Citizen test. But Jazzmine was too eager, that loving dog of mine. On our first supervised visit to a nursing home, Jazzy tried to climb into a man’s wheelchair!

She’s come a long way since then. We visit assisted-living centers, hospitals and schools here in Huntsville every week. I can’t describe all the rewards. God gave me Jazzmine, and then he gave us a way to serve him.

Visit these sites to learn more: www.petshelpingpeople.com, www.deltasociety.org.

Paint the Town

Rosemary Marbach
Boston, Massachusetts

There’s plenty to see in Boston, especially now that Robert Guillemin, a.k.a. Sidewalk Sam, started up a program called Art Street. With degrees in painting and a stint at the Louvre in Paris, he’s more than qualified. “Working in museums and galleries,” he says, “I missed the human experience.” He loves crouching on the sidewalk with his chalks and creating attention-grabbing art for passers-by.

Some of Sidewalk Sam’s favorite art lovers are inner-city school children who participate in his hands-on projects. Under his leadership, more than 1,000 of these kids recently painted hundreds of doves on the city’s sidewalks. Doves of peace are a perfect symbol for Robert Guillemin. He organizes citizens, government agencies and corporations to work for a common cause and enrich daily life. “Art should bring people closer to each other,” he says.

Click here to learn more.

Good Hair Day

Stephanie Thompson
Edmond, Oklahoma

What was her pride and joy? “Long, thick hair,” confessed 16-year-old Paige Patrick. But this high school sophomore recently parted with 10 inches of her reddish-brown tresses. “It’s something I really wanted to do,” says Paige.

She donated her hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides wigs and hairpieces to children suffering from hair loss because of medical procedures. Paige knows about this firsthand. In 2002 she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and lost her hair after chemotherapy. “I wouldn’t go anywhere without my wig,” she said. “Losing my hair was like giving up a safety blanket.”

Paige let her hair grow out for four years. Before school started last fall, she pulled it back into a pony tail and measured it with a ruler. She had more than the required amount—enough, in fact, for two donations! She and her mom watched with teary eyes as the scissors snipped away, but Paige has a new goal today. “I’m growing my hair long again to make another donation to Locks of Love.”

Click here to learn more.