The Answer Can’t Be Yes Unless You Ask

Florida Orphan Who Pleaded For Family Will Spend
Christmas With Prospective Adoptive Parents.

The 15-year-old orphan who touched millions of hearts with his plea for a family inside a Florida church will spend Christmas with potential parents.

Davion Only, who has spent his life in various orphan homes, is spending Christmas with a prospective adoptive family. The couple is reportedly planning to take Only away during the holiday for his first vacation.

In October, the teen made headlines worldwide when he pleaded for a family to adopt inside the St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in St. Petersburg.

Only, dressed in a dark suit and borrowed tie, told the packed church that he was seeking a family to call his own. His requirements were simple. “I’ll take anyone,” he said. “Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don’t care. And I would be really appreciative. The best I could be.“

Only was born while his mother was in jail and has never had a permanent home, according to the Tampa Bay Times, which first reported about the teen’s plight.

Last summer, Only tried to find his biological mother, but instead found her obituary, the newspaper reported. She had died a few weeks earlier.

Only also appealed to Florida Gov. Rick Scott in November to speak on behalf of all homeless Florida teenagers seeking a family. “Even though I’m going through an adoption process right now at the moment, I still hope that other kids in foster care get the benefit that I’m going to have to be adopted and to have somewhere to call home and to have a bed to call theirs,” he told the governor and his cabinet, according to the newspaper.

While Only’s ordeal has a happy ending, there are 610,042 people who are homeless in the U.S., some 23 percent, or 138,149, are children, according to the government. The states with the highest rates of homeless children are California, Florida and Texas.

This story was originally published by Fox News on December 13, 2013
(link to original story HERE)

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When we go after what we want while treating others with respect, it’s amazing what we can end up with. Well, on second thought, no it isn’t. It isn’t amazing at all…it’s completely normal! Congrats to Davion Only for learning this treasure early in life.

And kudos to his new parents for Giving Themselves Away in HUGE way!

Happy Christmas, Everyone.

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Will Work For Hugs

On Wednesdays—every Wednesday—for 25 YEARS—82 year young barber Anthony Cymerys, aka: Joe The Barber, sets up a lawn chair under a shade tree in a city park in Hartford, Connecticut. He prepares his scissors, towels, and lotion, wires his clippers to a car battery that he brings along, and then waits for his customers to show up. It doesn’t take long. A queue of homeless individuals needing a haircut forms quickly, and Joe starts attending to each and every customer. His fee: a hug!

What an example “Joe The Barber” is for aspiring GYA’ers. Watch this two-minute video, you might need to grab a tissue first, though.

Thank you, “Joe.” Namasté.

(The above link takes you to a CBS site and their obligatory 30-second commercial that airs before the video. I recommend that you endure the commercial—it’s worth it.)

credits (other than Anthony Cymerys, “Joe The Barber”) CBS News.

Just a Pair of Jeans

I have a question for you.

Would you donate a pair of jeans that you don’t/won’t/can’t wear anymore to someone you know who is desperately in need of a pair of jeans? Okay, so I already knew you would say yes. How about to someone you don’t know who desperately needs a pair of jeans?

If your answer is yes to this one, I have a suggestion. Instead of GYA today, how about GYJA today …that stands for Give Your Jeans Away today.

Watch this really short video to get the basics and learn how easy it is.

You don’t have to be a teen to be involved. But it would be great to get teens involved. You don’t have start a drive, but you could. All you HAVE to do is donate just one pair of jeans.

So, one last question. Will you donate at least one pair of jeans …soon …please?

Get all the details about how and where HERE from Do Something.org and Aeropostale

And, feel free to spread the word far and wide. I certainly don’t mind if you post any or all of this on your site. I don’t think Aeropostle or Do Something.org will mind either.

Thank you.

Talk About Spunk…

Once again, determination, attitude, and spunk win the day. Good news is  …well, GOOD NEWS. Last month we heard about Shawana Machado, a 40-year-old woman overcoming homelessness to earn her college degree. Also, there was the story about Gac Filipaj, a 52-year-old immigrant who became a janitor when he arrived in the U.S., learned English, was accepted as a Classics student at his work place (Columbia University), and graduated from the Ivy League school, with honors no less, all while still working as a janitor.

Now we hear of Dawn Loggins, 18 years old, both homeless and a janitor at her own high school, and abandoned by her parents, but now headed to Harvard. We wish her well, of course, but this beautiful determined young woman really doesn’t need our well wishes, because she creates her own luck, and she creates it boldly.

Here’s her story told by CNN’s Martin Savidge.

Congratulations, Dawn. All the best as you set off in August to conquer Cambridge!

more about Dawn:

• http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/06/05/3294329/homeless-to-harvard.html
• http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/07/us/from-janitor-to-harvard/index.html
• http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/06/08/3301078/support-still-pours-in-for-homeless.html

see Shawana’s story here.

see Gac’s story here.

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Homeless 40 Yr. Old Graduate

Congratulations, Shawna. You are what GYA is all about!

Related articles

• Homeless Woman Earns Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology (fox4kc.com)