Teen Works to Follow Dreams

The Chicago Defender has a great story about a south side teenager who is working hard to make his dreams come true, despite all the hardships he's had to face.

18-year-old LaSean Lyles Jr. just returned from the 2010 Disney Dreamers Academy in Florida. He was chosen from thousands of applicants to be a part of the mentoring program sponsored by Steve Harvey based on an essay written by his Mom. It detailed his life, including an early disability and being the victim of a mob attack. Lyles tells the Chicago Defender he made a promise to his mom after that attack:

"Ma, I'm not ever gone give up. They jumped me but they didn't take my pride."

Read more about how Lyles is rejecting a life of gangs and violence and pushing toward his dream of being in the NBA.

Here's the link to a very inspiring story by Rhonda Gillespie: Good kid turns dreamer at Disney academy

Sharing Love of Books

Time to meet another inspiring kid! This is 11-year-old Lexie Ziolkowski from Huntley. The sixth grader is kicking off her second book drive to collect books for needy kids across the country. I talked to Lexie on the phone this week and it was immediately clear that she loves books! She told me she wants to share that love with other kids who may be less fortunate and not have access to books.

Lexie got the idea to hold a book drive after meeting NASCAR driver Kyle Busch a couple years ago at a race in Wisconsin. Afterward, she went online to learn more about him. That's when she found out about the Kyle Busch Foundation and saw that it was asking for used books.

"I had read a lot of my books already and enjoyed them. I wanted to share them with other kids," Lexie told me.

Her parents, Tom and Tracey Ziolkowski, remember when Lexie came into their room with the idea for a book drive. "She dragged her books in on a blanket," said Tom. "I was just impressed and amazed. More than anything, so proud of her."

Lexie collected books from kids at her school and people in her community. She got more than 2,000! In October, she packed them up in a van and took a road trip with her parents to North Carolina to hand deliver the books to the foundation headquarters.


Kyle Busch personally thanked Lexie for her help. He also thanked her on his website:

"For someone to organize and execute a book drive that will help less fortunate kids-- some of which are her own age-- is amazing. It says a lot about her heart and her family to put something like this together."

Lexie is already putting the wheels in motion for a second book drive. She plans to head back to North Carolina this October with another van full of books. Her goal is to collect more than 4,000 this time and she's adding a new twist. She's written stacks of letters to politicians and celebrities asking them to donate their favorite children's book signed with words of encouragement for the kids. She also has a website online now to help spread the word.

Lexie told me she loves to read because she can use her imagination. Now, less fortunate kids will be able to immerse themselves into the pages of her books and let their imaginations take them to new places, briefly forgetting any troubles they may be facing.

Check out her website to donate!

Share Your Favorite Inspiring Quotes!

Let's inspire each other today! It's time to share your favorite inspiring quote, song lyric or poem. There are some pretty good ones out there! Sometimes just one sentence or paragraph can do so much. It can motivate you to be a better person, inspire you to spread kindness or even just help get you through the day ahead.

So lets hear what inspires you! Share your favorite quote below in the comments section:)

Give your quote, your name and tell us where you're from!

I'll kick us off...

Free Pancakes For My BDay!!

You can get a free short stack at IHOP tomorrow on my birthday!! OK, OK... it is my birthday, but the free pancakes aren't because of me:)

IHOP is teaming with Children's Memorial Hospital to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network. The pancakes are free, and in return they ask you to leave a donation.

Have a great "National Pancake Day"!


IHOP Pancake Day Info: TUES FEB 23, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Find an IHOP near you

Info on the Children's Miracle Network

One Big Shot

CBS 2 has a story about a 12-year-old with special needs who recently got a big confidence boost . Tom Erickson was given an opportunity to play in a basketball game with a team at the Northfield Park District. He was born with a heart defect and has visual and spacial disabilities. Nonetheless, he started the game and made the very first shot. Everyone cheered like crazy.

Reporter Dana Kozlov wrapped it up best:

"the littlest moment in one life can make the biggest difference in another"

Watch the CBS story to see how everyone reacted to the basket: Basketball Game Was Best of 6th Grader's Life

The story reminded me of one that CBS's Steve Hartman did back in 2006 about an autistic boy who scored 20 points in four minutes at a high school basketball game. He was just the team manager, but was allowed to suit up for the last game. If you haven't seen the story, it's definitely worth your time!!


Watch CBS News Videos Online

DePaul Gamer Creation

A group of DePaul students called the "DePaul Game Elites" have created a computer game that's gaining international attention.

The Independent Games Festival just chose their game as a finalist for its international student competition. It got top 10 honors out of 190 entries from all over the world. If that's not impressive enough, the really neat part is that they made the game in just six months!

Alex Seropian, the teams faculty advisor, says typically a game like the one they made can take 12 to 36 months to create in a professional studio. "That these students went from a vague concept to finished product in just five months, working over the summer, is a sign of their skill and a tribute to their commitment," says Seropian.

It's pretty inspiring to see what a group of classmates can come up with when they put all their separate skill sets together. "It took a ton of cooperation and ingenuity on the teams part," says Project Lead Jason Pecho.

Matt Lazar, producer of the project, says in June they were all just a group of students. "At the end of November we became an efficient and disciplined development team. That's because we all learned on the job and grew as a team. It was really special to see that happen as a producer."

Team members hope all the hands on experience will help them get jobs in the gaming industry after graduation. Until then, they're putting everything they've got into making their current project the best it can be!

Calling all Gamers



So are you a gamer? Do you want to see what their game is all about? It's called Devil's Tuning Fork and you can download it here to try it out for free. It's based on the sound signals used for navigation by dolphins or bats.

The story line: It's about a mysterious epidemic that causes children everywhere to fall into comas. One child wakes up in an alternate reality. It's up to that child (the player) to determine the cause of the epidemic and save the other children. Using the magical "devil's tuning fork" the player can perceive sound waves and find the children.

Enjoy!

I've Got Olympic Fever

GO CHICAGO!!

Shani Davis wins Gold! You'll see him on the front page of the Sun Times this morning. Chicago's Shani Davis took the gold in the Men's 1,000 Meter Speed Skating competition. Check out the Sun Times article about Davis here: Shani Davis the gold standard


Also, Naperville native Evan Lysacek is in the running for the gold in Men's figure Skating!


During Tuesday's short program, he scored a career best putting him in a close second place. Tonight's long program will decide the winner. Check out an article in the Tribune today about him: Evan Lysacek is ready


On a "Non-Chicago" Olympic sidenote...did you see Shaun White's halfpipe performance?!?! AMAZING! Click here to watch both of his runs

Young People Inspire Too!

I love hearing stories about young people who step up and make a difference. So I was excited when I heard about a 6th grader from Chicago who decided to hold her own fundraiser for Haiti.

Hailey Crowley told me she was watching the news and saw all the pictures of devastation after the earthquake hit Haiti. "I felt like I wanted to help. I felt sad for them," she said.

She remembered seeing chocolate bars with personalized wrappers at a recent family members baptism. That's what sparked the idea to sell chocolate to raise money.

"It was all her own idea," said her mom Mary Kay. Mary Kay and her husband Doug helped Hailey contact a print shop at St. Xavier University, Copy Catz, to make wrappers for the chocolate. The shop was so moved by Hailey's thoughtfulness, it decided to donate all the wrappers for free.

Hailey says she went door to door to sell the candy bars. She also sold them at her school, St. Cajetan, and at family parties. She was pleasantly surprised when some people donated $20 and only took one candy bar. Hailey raised $210 and just sent the money to UNICEF.

It's just a small portion of the millions of dollars people have donated to relief efforts from around the world. But it's those small portions that matter.

And what matters even more is that a young kid saw people in need and went into action to help. A reminder to us all that one person's small act of kindness can inspire others to open their hearts as well.

Russian Brothers United

I recently met two adorable little boys who were adopted by a DesPlaines couple. The biological brothers were raised in two separate buildings at an orphanage in Russia and never knew about each other. They met for the very first time on the day they were adopted.

It's hard to imagine that the two boys could have walked past each other one day on the street, never knowing they were brothers. Watch how the wonderful Thomasino family was formed!

Photographer: Jordan Arseneau

Reporter/Editor: Sarah Jindra

An Olympic Lesson

An Olympian from Plainfield is helping teach elementary students that anything can happen if they work hard and follow their dreams. Students at Lakewood Falls Elementary School watched a video of 23-year-old Lisa Chesson talking about her upcoming quest for gold at the Olympics with the USA Women's Hockey Team.

It was extra special for the students, because their secretary, Mary Ann, is Lisa's Mom. You can read about the Olympic parade the school had for Mary Ann in a Herald News article. It says the proud mom wiped tears from her eyes as the students walked by wearing red, white and blue.

The school used it as a teaching moment and social worker Jennifer Brasfield compared the students to Olympians. The article says:

"The Olympians also follow a motto. Their motto is swifter, higher, stronger," she said. "Today, I hope you return to your classrooms full of Olympic spirit and do your best in every event you participate in."

You can check out the full Herald News article by Catherine Ann Velasco: Let the Games begin.

Mary Ann and her husband, Jeff, plan to blog about their daughters Olympic journey while in Vancouver. They set up a website and on the main page you see a picture of Lisa geared up on the ice with the words "A great inspiration to many people" below the photo.

According to the Chesson's website, their 23-year-old daughter began skating on a pond in Plainfield at three years old. She says she used to wear her brothers hockey sweats to her figure skating lessons and always wanted to play hockey because that's what her dad and brother did. Now, she's representing the USA at the Olympics on the women's hockey team.

Women's hockey was added to the Olympics in 1998. That year, the USA took the gold and it inspired Lisa Chesson.

She's now doing the same for others. She hasn't even stepped onto the Olympic ice yet, but she's already inspiring even the youngest of fans to reach for their goals.



Want to see other Chicago area natives who will be representing the USA in Vancouver? Check them out here!

Bowling for Eric

I saw a really moving story on ABC 7 about a high school bowling team that dedicated its state win to a team member who passed away.

17-year-old Eric Brander died on December 11 after a car accident. Afterwards, his teammates at Plainfield South set out to win state for him because that's what he always wanted. Well, they did just that and celebrated the victory last week.

Watch the story by ABC7 here: Plainfield So. team overcomes grief for big win

The Herald-News also has a really nice write up about the teams win. The story highlights the celebration the team had last Monday. The athletic director said Brander was with the team the whole time:

"We had six bowlers," he said. "Our sixth man was Eric Brander. When we lost him Dec. 11, we did not lose his spirit, his strength, his inspiration. He will live in these guys -- and in many of you -- forever.

You can read the story by Dick Goss here: Eric, this state championship is for you

Also, someone posted a video montage on YouTube of what's happened since Eric's death. It's clear he impacted many lives and will continue to do so.

Naperville Celebrates Payton & Saints

Last night, friends of Sean Payton gathered in Naperville to watch their former classmate take the Saints to a Super Bowl victory! Payton went to Naperville Central and still keeps in touch with many of his friends from the high school. In a Naperville Sun story, Payton's friends share how proud they are to watch him succeed. Here's what one friend had to say:

"It's so great for us to see that because we know how hard he's worked and all the sacrifices he and his family have made," Jeni Rogers said. "So when we see him, we feel such a sense of pride. We're so happy for him."

Always inspiring to see a local guy make it big;) Check out the full Naperville Sun article by Paul laTour: They were with him in spirit

On a "Super Bowl Sidenote"....

How touching was it to see Drew Brees and his little boy after the win!?!?! A proud Brees mentioned how great it was to celebrate the victory with his son. He had tears in his eyes as he held the little guy;)

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Happy Friday! Time to make you smile:)

This has nothing to do with Chicago, but I thought it would be fun to post inspiring songs every once and awhile! "Empire State of Mind," by Alicia Keys and Jay Z is already a really moving song. But it gets even better when these kids sing it! They get so into it... I love the passion in their voices and faces!! Any suggestions for other inspiring songs????

Helping Chicago's Homeless

The Chicago Tribune ran a great story today about a Chicago group that rides CTA trains looking for homeless people in need of help.

Social workers for the group, Thresholds, go out with extra gloves and socks to pass out to mentally ill homeless people they encounter on the trains. They form relationships with many of the people and then work to help them find shelter, employment and any services they may need.

I give lots of credit to the Thresholds workers. That's not an easy job, and they seem to do it with such care and compassion.

Check out the full Tribune story about their efforts. It's a really well written article by Kristen Schorsch: Thresholds workers ride rails in outreach effort

Click here for more information on Thresholds

Run, Bruce, Run!

An Elgin man is running across the country to raise money for the Community Crisis Center in his hometown. Since he's in Mississippi right now, I talked with him on the phone and added some pictures he's shared on his site. Check out his inspiring story below:






For more information on Bruce's Run, check out the links below:

Follow Bruce's Daily Journal entries at the United States Run Site
Listen to Bruce's Audio Updates
Follow Bruce on Twitter
Follow Bruce on Facebook

Donate to Bruce's cause, The Crisis Center in Elgin