ANGIE MILES: Today's show is a kind of gift.

Every one of us faces difficulties of varied types.

One thing that can lighten the load, if only a bit, is to see someone else helped along life's way.

Today, we meet people helping and people benefiting.

Some living with disabilities are showing how capable they truly are.

You'll see volunteers each giving from a place of deep caring to encourage and empower talented seniors, while others provide love and nurturing to families navigating loss.

A special edition of VPM News Focal Point is next.

Production funding for VPM News Focal Point is provided by The estate of Mrs. Ann Lee Saunders Brown.

And by... ♪ ♪ ANGIE MILES: Welcome to VPM News Focal Point, I'm Angie Miles.

Today, we share stories of people, maybe friends, maybe strangers, caring for others.

That care might be a hand outstretched to families who've endured a monumental loss or an innovative way to help older Americans.

That is where we begin.

A breakthrough program delivered in senior living facilities is fostering new connections and uncovering hidden talents.

A Virginia nonprofit is championing an evidence-based approach called Opening Minds Through Art.

And together with Leading Age Virginia, they've been leveraging more than $1 million in grant funding to help expand this mind-opening journey.

(indistinct chatter) SALLY GUNN: I mostly do art that is detailed.

I love detail.

ANGIE MILES: When they said to you, "Oh, this is going to be abstract art."

What was your response?

SALLY GUNN: ‘I can't do it.

(laughs) But it's funny.

You get this piece of paper in front of you and all of a sudden the blank paper becomes filled with color and a theme.

It just comes.

It's amazing.

So, doing this kind of art was a stretch for me and I've just kind of let everything loose and it feels good.

CINDY PAULLIN: Art for the Journey is a Richmond based nonprofit arts organization, and the mission is to transform lives through art and community.

And Opening Minds through Art or OMA is a program that is developed by a gerontologist in Ohio that we brought to Virginia and deliver to seniors around the region and beyond.

This program is personal to me.

I was my mother's caregiver.

I felt a sense of not being able to help her as she suffered a stroke and eventually Lewy body dementia.

I cared for her in our home and then I cared for her by visiting her in assisted living.

And every time I drove away from her, I cried because I couldn't find a way to save her from this fate.

So years back, in 2015, when I learned about this wonderful opportunity becoming certified in OMA was life-changing for me.

DIANNE SIMONS: OMA restores energy and love and passion and joy and connection.

And there are so many people in nursing homes who need people attention and they need to exercise their creativity, their minds, and their talents and their abilities.

We do something called Inspirations where the artist is shown a couple of examples of the project that's going to be done that day.

And they're intentionally very different; different colors, different designs.

They all end up unique.

But you ask them, ‘Which do you prefer?

So that's the question the volunteer asks, "Which one do you like better?"

And that involves increased brain activity to move because they have to look left, they have to look right.

And in that process, it requires their cognition and for them thinking.

But there's no right or wrong answer.

STEPHANIE SHANKS: The process of creating a piece of OMA art is structured so that you know what to do at each step of the way.

But choices are also built into the process.

So everybody both feels empowered by knowing that there's a next step that they're not going to have to take a risk that's too big for them but also that they can make a choice and feel really free to choose the blue and the green colors together or the pink and the yellow.

And they know that those will work well together.

So that's an empowering aspect of the failure-free design.

NAN PASCAL: I learned that amazing art can be created by people who have what they perceive as no artistic talent.

And when I invite a resident to participate in an OMA class the very first thing that they say to me is, "But I'm not an artist."

So now I say, 'Good, I'm glad you're not.

I think you're really going to like OMA.'

BARBARA THORNTON: So first I say, 'I can't draw or do nothing like that,' you know?

So, she said, “Just try it.” And once I tried it, you know, I really liked it.

(laughs) I've been doing it ever since.

CINDY PAULLIN: Well, one of our wonderfully talented artists is Mrs. Thornton.

She discovered later in life that she is an artist.

And from what I understand, she never had practiced any kind of art until OMA.

So what's really special is for somebody in their later years maybe octogenarian has discovered that she or he is an artist and can be a professional artist!

BARBARA THORNTON: And we take our time and do it, then we ask, ‘Are we satisfied with it?

You know, and after we finish it and they show it around to everybody, everybody looks at everybody picture.

EMPLOYEE: This is by Ms. Thornton.

It's called “Picket Fence.” (crowd applauds) BARBARA THORNTON: Most everybody clap, make you feel really good.

You know.

EMPLOYEE 2: Can I show you what Anne did?

RESIDENT 1: Oh, that's beautiful.

EMPLOYEE 2: She calls it, “Splash.” MELBA GIBBS: I'm not an artist.

I couldn't tell you Monet from Picasso, but I can see how it impacts those older people when they come in and they are, "I don't really know where I am” “I don't know what I'm going to do."

But by the time they leave, they are smiling, they are remembering things and they are so happy to see you the next week.

(indistinct chatter) STEPHANIE SHANKS: OMA is the Dutch word for grandmother.

So at the root of OMA is this grandparent, grandchild-style relationship.

From there, there's all sorts of things that create a rewarding experience for both sides of the partnership.

Just the fact of attentive presence, two people paying attention to each other for a set amount of time each week, amazing things can happen.

People become known and seen.

And that's true for both someone who might be isolated in a long term care community as well as someone who might be isolated in a dorm room.

Social isolation is really an epidemic.

And so to create a space where people can connect genuinely to enjoy each other's company, to feel human, to feel dignified, to feel creative, to feel accomplished, is just really powerful.

And I've so enjoyed watching it unfold.

NAN PASCAL: But we have had residents with handicaps that participated fully in OMA with just some simple adaptations.

So, it just was the right thing to do.

And I was very, very thankful that they came here and said, "Would you like to do this?"

(laughs) DIANNE SIMONS: And the exciting thing to me was someone with full cognition could work side by side with someone with limited cognition and you couldn't tell who had done which project.

The projects are are failure-free.

OMA changes people.

It changes the facilitators, it changes the people who volunteer.

It changes the artist.

It is transformational.

(crowd applauds) SALLY GUNN: A lot of us have health issues, and it kind of takes your mind off of what you might be feeling and you feel this joyous, happy mood with your art.

And it's a blessing.

It really is.

I just feel like you get transformed as soon as you walk into the OMA room.

And it's nice having a partner with you.

That is very, very special.

I usually come in happy and I leave very happy.

BARBARA THORNTON: And your life should be full of joy and happiness and things.

And don't ever say, “You can't do this.” Just take a step and try.

And once you try, you will succeed.

And you feel good about yourself, that your mind is good, that you can do it, you know?

Hmm.

(laughs) ANGIE MILES: Unlocking human potential is the work of a Richmond area business.

The idea of a bakery as sweet as it is, but add to that recipe, one full measure of the culinary arts for individuals who just need some training and an opportunity to excel.

Senior Producer Roberta Oster introduces us to Kemani at Tablespoons Bakery.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: Welcome to Tablespoons!

How can we help you today?

CUSTOMER: Hi.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: We have some Shark Week cookies.

CUSTOMER: Let's try one of those.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: What else do you have in mind?

CUSTOMER: A banana muffin.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES:You got it, pal.

ELIZABETH REDFORD: Kemani is a baker.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: Banana muffin.

ELIZABETH REDFORD: That is his title with us.

He works, though, in the kitchen, as well as in sales.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: You got it.

ELIZABETH REDFORD: My name is Elizabeth Redford.

I'm the founder of Tablespoons Bakery.

I am a former classroom special educator.

What we get to do every day that's a little bit different, is do hands-on job training and related social skills out in the community for young adults with developmental disabilities.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: As you can see, this is where the magic happens.

This is where customers come and buy some cookies.

This is the dining room.

CUSTOMER: Yeah, I can see that.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: Where customers come in and dine in with one of our baked goods.

ELIZABETH REDFORD: Tablespoons, I like to say, is almost like a satellite public high school.

The curriculum model I've created, and it's been endorsed and approved by the Virginia Department of Education.

So when young adults who are in high school from area school systems join us during their school day, they are spending half of their time in a dedicated classroom site with us.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: Here it goes.

ELIZABETH REDFORD: And then they spend the other part of their time with us out at a job site within the bakery.

We've also been able to become a supported employment site and hire some of our young adults.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: This is our oven where we bake some delicious baked goods.

And this part over there, right next to it, is where we wash our hands right after we get started with what we're going to bake today.

ELIZABETH REDFORD: Kemani came through our program in 2018.

He is somebody who loves all things food and beverage.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: Then I add some sugars into a big bowl.

ELIZABETH REDFORD: He very quickly became our top salesperson.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: And then I like to measure it on the scale, just to be precise.

ELIZABETH REDFORD: I think that so often, people have never really thought about the disability community, what happens to young adults when they graduate from high school.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: Oh, we just did a test bake on the churro cookies.

ELIZABETH REDFORD: We know that there's a great cliff.

We know that there are staggering unemployment rates.

Unfortunately, there is a 70% unemployment rate for young adults with developmental disabilities here in the state of Virginia, and that rate is actually at 80% nationally.

So the work that we are doing is really trying to directly combat that.

We're really tackling this as being able to bridge both the school setting, as well as the business setting together and provide that hands-on job training along with very intentional educational offerings.

But what we don't always talk about are the benefits of hiring from this community, that it is not charity, that these individuals stay in jobs longer.

There's less turnover rate, there's less absenteeism, and there's so much joy and enthusiasm that they inject into the culture of a business.

We are better for having Kemani be a part of our team.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: I'll do the one with the cinnamon sugar, while you try the one without it, and we'll see which one we like best.

ELIZABETH REDFORD: And part of his role with us as a graduate that we've hired, is that he now gets to help us train incoming groups of students.

KEMANI TURTON-JONES: This is our Hall of Fame.

This is Haley.

This is Chris.

This is Cheyenne.

This is Elizabeth.

This is Shelly.

And that's me right down there.

So I've been baking here.

It certainly means a lot since I've been working here for like five years.

It's like a gift, you know, working.

I think it says to me like, I'm a rock star and I'm always proud of what I do in the future.

ANGIE MILES: There are more than a million active duty members of the United States Military.

Individuals who choose to serve and defend the country, even putting their lives at risk to do so.

When a soldier, a sailor, a wife, or a father doesn't make it home, the loss is most acute for their families.

Enter an organization called A Soldier's Child.

MANDI BENNETT: That's me right before I had you, buddy.

ANGIE MILES: So in what ways do you think you are like your dad?

ZEUS BENNETT: My energeticness, my mischief, and they say my face looks like it too.

ANGIE MILES: According to his family, Wade Zeus Bennett is mischievous like his dad.

Zeus carries the legacy of a man he never met in life.

ANGIE MILES: I want you to confess about some of this mischief of yours.

ZEUS BENNETT: Okay.

ANGIE MILES: (laughing) Oh yeah, he's like now we're talking.

ANGIE MILES: This little touch of mischief in this otherwise good kid is actually a source of comfort for mother Mandi, the woman who never dreamed that her husband would not be coming home from active duty.

Staff Sergeant Kenneth Wade Bennett was on his third tour in Afghanistan when he was killed by an improvised explosive device, an IED, in 2012.

He was just 26 years old, and left behind his wife, his little girl, and his baby boy yet to be born.

ANGIE MILES: Tell me about the day you learned that you had lost Wade.

MANDI BENNET: I think so many of us think it going to happen like in the movies, and it's not.

I wasn't actually even notified by the military.

It was another wife that told me.

I remember finally seeing that car pull up, and my mom saying, "Mandi, they're here."

And I said, ‘I don't want to answer that door.

And I remember just standing there looking at these people, just not wanting them to say anything, just hoping they wouldn't say a word.

And you know, then they say the words you never want to hear and you know, you think of every other possible thought, maybe it wasn't him, and then you don't want it to be somebody else.

And the world just really, my life got divided.

It was before and after, and still to this day I still divide our lives into oh well that was before I lost my husband, and well this is after I lost my husband.

I mean 11 years later, and that still will, I think, always be a giant division in my life.

ANGIE MILES: On this 11th anniversary of losing Wade, his family remembers, but every day they work hard to keep his memory alive, to cherish every good thing about him.

LILA BENNETT: He wanted help people.

I mean that's why he went into military.

He also wanted to see things blow up, but he mostly wanted to be there to help people, and I was little, I didn't understand it at the time, but now I understand he wanted really to help people.

He was amazing.

ANGIE MILES: In the years since Wade's passing, the Bennetts say they've received an incredible amount of love and kindness from individuals who knew Wade.

LILA BENNETT: Like at school when it's like Father's Day, you're supposed to make your dad a card.

Situations like that and when it's like daddy-daughter dances.

Luckily some people from the units will come with me and they'll dance with me and it's just so much fun.

ANGIE MILES: Mandi says the kindness has poured in from strangers as well.

And at the top of that list is A Soldier's Child, a Tennessee based nonprofit that remembers the sacrifice of Gold Star Service Members by remembering their families.

A Soldier's Child founder, Daryl Mackin talks about the little boy on the organization's webpage.

DARYL MACKIN: That boy's Christian Golczynski, and his grandparents were my neighbors here in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

His father was Marine Staff Sergeant Marcus Golczynski, who was killed by Sniper Fire in Iraq March 27th, 2007, which was only about, I think two weeks before he was supposed to come back from his second tour of duty.

ANGIE MILES: Mackin quotes a letter written by Golczynski explaining why he served and risked his life for the country.

DARYL MACKIN: He said, "We are warriors, and as warriors that have gone before us, we fight and sometimes die so our families don't have to.

It is our unity that has allowed us to prosper as a nation."

So he asked us, those of us that live in this country free off of the sacrifice of men and women that laid down the lives for our freedoms.

He says stand beside us.

ANGIE MILES: The idea for A Soldier's Child came to Mackin as he stood in his neighbor's garage and was asked this question by Marcus's father.

DARYL MACKIN: He said to me, "Did it matter, and does anybody even care?"

And he left me standing in his garage that night.

I consider myself a Christian patriot.

I love this country and I love the men and women that wear the uniform.

And I thought to myself, and as a veteran, that I never thought of the families that were left behind.

(child screaming) >>Go, yeah!

ANGIE MILES: That was the beginning of an organization that honors thousands of fallen service members by making a commitment to nurture and mentor their children.

ANGIE MILES: What has A Soldier's Child meant for your family?

MANDI BENNETT: So finding out with A Soldier's Child and all the outdoor camps that they do has been huge.

It was really so exciting to see my daughter's face light up the first time I picked her up from that camp two years ago, and how excited she was.

They just blossomed when they were there.

And that's from a mom's standpoint, giving them something I can't.

I don't know how sometimes we got so lucky to find organizations like this.

ZEUS BENNETT: I like that you get to go out, have no electronics that are distracting you, and have people that you can relate to.

It's just lots of fun.

You get to go out there with different kids that have felt the same experience of you.

ANGIE MILES: A Soldier's Child holds hunting and fishing camps and other special events for Gold Star Children throughout the year.

These experiences are unique as these children are grieving a very specific kind of loss MANDI BENNETT: It's something that I feel like is so healing in different ways, and they can feel normal for a few days.

They don't have to feel like they have to hide this or be sad because it's not their dad that gets to take 'em hunting for the first time.

'cause they know all the other kids there are also going through this and experiencing this loss with them.

ANGIE MILES: And then there are the birthdays.

A Soldier's Child sends specially requested birthday presents to about 250 children each month.

LILA BENNETT: They decorate a package specially for each kid.

And it says "Don't open till your birthday."

And there's fun gifts.

There's really corny dad jokes that I always love to laugh at.

It's lots of fun to get that on your birthday and see it.

ANGIE MILES: Heather von Lowe is another Gold Star Parent whose children have benefited from A Soldier's Child.

Her husband Dustin, died of cancer in 2009 after having been exposed to the burn pits in Iraq.

HEATHER VON LOH: We would travel from Nebraska to Tennessee, and it's 15 hours we would drive, and we would come to the camps.

And Grace, my daughter, she absolutely just fell in love with everybody.

And my son, when he started coming to camp, it just really helped him to mature because he is the only boy in our family and he never got a chance to meet his dad, because I was pregnant with him at the time of my husband's death.

After about five years of traveling back and forth, we decided with prayer that it was time to move.

And so here we are.

ANGIE MILES: Here she is, now Director of Programs for A Soldier's Child helping to further the work to reach more Gold Star Children.

Mackin says, the pivotal part of the program is remembrance with honor, DARYL MACKIN: You're honoring these families, and by doing so, celebrating these children's birthdays every single year and giving them that message that you know, we see you, and you're not invisible.

It did matter, we do care.

ANGIE MILES: Mandi Bennett and her children are among thousands of Gold Star Families receiving that message.

As she shows the precious keepsakes in what she calls her Wade room, she expresses appreciation that others know what she knows, that her husband's life and sacrifice still matter to the country he died to protect, and that their children matter as well.

ANGIE MILES: It may be that the person who understands loss best is the person who's experienced it.

That is the case where a King William County man who has turned his losses into great love for others, and now, his generosity has come full circle.

News Producer Adrienne McGibbon brings us the story of an invincible Virginian.

ADRIENNE McGIBBON: Justin Spurlock loves cars.

JUSTIN SPURLOCK: I've just been around cars all my life.

I guess it's a guy thing.

My hobbies are just fishing and being around a lot of racing.

ADRIENNE McGIBBON: His passion runs so deep that not even a life changing accident could change his mind.

JUSTIN SPURLOCK: Yeah, it's kind of like a bike, you know?

You fall off it, get back on it and go again.

It's a traumatic experience, but you got to just keep going.

ADRIENNE McGIBBON: He fell asleep at the wheel and woke up paralyzed from his chest down.

It took years to relearn how to manage everyday tasks and how to get around.

But once he got going, he had an insatiable drive to help others.

Justin heard about a teenager named Cole with a spinal cord injury, and he reached out to offer his help.

JUSTIN SPURLOCK: I sat down with his dad that day.

He's like, "All right, let's make it happen."

That first show was my first car show I had put on, and we registered 400 cars that day.

ADRIENNE McGIBBON: The proceeds from Justin's first car show helped pay for an adaptive vehicle for Cole.

JUSTIN SPURLOCK: And that turned out real, real good.

ADRIENNE McGIBBON: It was so good that Justin decided to do it again for another person with a spinal cord injury.

And then another.

Next, Justin started raising money for paralyzed veterans.

In total, Justin estimates he's raised over $150,000 for others.

He says, growing up, his grandparents taught him to always give a helping hand.

JUSTIN SPURLOCK: So they were always like, You know, you work for what you get.

You know, you do right by people.

You don't see race.

You don't see, you know, sex or anything like that.

You just be a good person and just help them out.

ADRIENNE McGIBBON: And now, after all that giving, it's Justin's turn to be the recipient of generosity.

JUSTIN SPURLOCK: Thanks, bro.

KEVIN ENGEL: You can read over his resume and see how hard he has worked to help others and to do good work for the community.

And why would you not want to help a person that worked so hard to help others?

ADRIENNE McGIBBON: Kevin Engel has known Justin most of his life.

As a teen, Justin coached his son in roller hockey.

KEVIN ENGEL: We had to work for a good while to get him to agree to let us find a way to let others give back to him.

He lived with his grandparents, and he wants to be independent.

And with that spirit of not having any limits, he should have his own home.

ADRIENNE McGIBBON: So that's how Justin ended up throwing a car show for himself, helping to raise money to build his dream home.

JUSTIN SPURLOCK: It's a different feeling knowing that what I've done for other people, and now the favor is being returned back to me.

The hardest part was accepting it.

And even till this day, it's an uncomfortable feeling, but it's a good feeling.

And if you want to grow, you have to be uncomfortable.

(cement mix whooshing) ADRIENNE McGIBBON: With donations and help from volunteers, construction has already begun on Justin's future home.

It'll be built to his needs and, of course, will include a massive garage.

Engel hopes it'll be the start of the next chapter for Justin.

KEVIN ENGEL: And certainly put him in a better position to do even greater things as far as being able to give back.

ANGIE MILES: Seeing love in action can work wonders.

It can remind us what is worthwhile about life and challenge us to do more for others.

We hope these stories of resilience, responsiveness, and deep reserves of generosity have been encouraging for you.

You can find more of our stories online, vpm.org/focalpoint.

I'm Angie Miles inviting you to join us again soon.

Production funding for VPM News Focal Point is provided by The estate of Mrs. Ann Lee Saunders Brown.

And by... ♪ ♪