Some, they want retaliation. But youre about to meet one young man who chose a different path. Reymond pardini is a 16yearold junior at haywards Mount Eden High School, and he came up with a bright idea to honor his friends legacy. When violence takes the life of someone close, revenge sometimes feels like a good response. An eye for an eye, a fair deal. That is not, however, how reymond pardini sees it. Reymond i wasnt angry, i was sad. Garvin last august, reymonds friend, Kionta Murphy jr. , a Mount Eden High School graduate with plans to join the marines, was shot and killed while walking a female friend home late one night. At vigils that followed, reymond heard whispers from some who wanted to take matters into their own hands, and not leave justice to the police. Reymond that shocked me because thats not at all how i saw kionta. I didnt see him rolling with that kind of crowd of people who would try to put themselves above the law because thats not how he was. Garvin reymond decided, a much more fitting response to such a dark act was to shine a light, literally. You see, while revisiting the spot kionta was shot, reymond noticed just how dark it was at night. He contacted the city to see what he could do about it. A list of rules followed about making measurements, taking photographs, and collecting signatures, all of which reymond spent weeks following. Reymond it was more than just, you know, doing something. It was helping communities and people. Because i didnt know they were going to do all of this. Garvin reymonds petition asked for lights to be added to a single pole near the crime scene. The city responded, though, with much, much more. Last week, lighting improvements were completed up and down the block. This admittedly shy 16yearold had gotten the attention of his city leaders, and earned their respect in the process. Tasha well, i think what a positive role model this kid is. Garvin Tasha Decosta is a sergeant in hayward pds investigations division. Tasha this young man chose to take a different course of action, to do better for the community, to make the community safer. Garvin reymond says he never expected his plan to work so well, though hes happy it did. His was just a simple hope that this spot never be darkened by violence again. Reymond that was the reason it happened. And i guess when i look at the lights, itll remind me of him. Garvin now to a berkeley man who is a shining example of using two big talents to make a big difference in other peoples lives. Chuck katis is a magician with something up his sleeve. But its not what you might think. Its not cards or a handkerchief. Its something very special. Chuck so, the first thing im going to do is show you how magicians find your card. Garvin chuck katis has been very busy practicing these days. Hes got more than one big event planned this summer. Chuck but if i have the ace here, wheres the nine . Garvin theres the magic show hes putting together, one that will support his nonprofit, helping sick, hungry, and homeless children. Chuck was just a kid himself when he became fascinated by magic, though it wasnt until his sister was in the hospital and his magic tricks helped keep her spirits up that chuck realized it was a talent he could use for good. Chuck i realized that it was something that was meaningful to me, and the floodgates opened. Garvin it started chuck down the road to forming the magic of miracles, performing and teaching magic to kids in hospitals and homeless shelters. Chuck if this magic could take them out of that situation for even a second, it would have been totally worth it. Garvin chuck sometimes wishes he could devote all his time to magic. But then there is that other event hes been preparing for this summer, a Little Something called the olympic games. Chuck, you see, is a cal grad, an american recordholder in the medley relay with his goggles firmly fixed on rio. Chuck i want to make the olympic team. I want to go represent the us. Garvin chuck believes his two passions arent as different as they may seem. Mastery of either takes untold hours of practice. Whats more, chuck is certain that doing one helps the other. Making the Olympic Swim Team would certainly bring attention to his nonprofit. And working with children in need, well, that provides an extra kick in the pool. Chuck and i think receiving that strength and energy back from them makes everything i do worth it. Garvin chuck, it would seem, is a magician with a Little Something extra up his sleeve, particularly when he isnt wearing any. Now to winter sports, and two teenage ski racers who share a talent on and off the mountains. The walnut creek young women saw plenty of cold weather gear left behind at ski resorts, so they did something about it in a very big way. Its a heavenly recipe for big crowds. Take a week of school vacation, add a few feet of snow topped off by some warm sunshine, and youll have thousands packing their gear and heading to the mountains. Of course, not all that gear makes it back home. Katrine kirsebom we still lose stuff. Still do. Garvin katrine kirsebom and Corinne Hindes have each been skiing since they were little girls. Now, both 16 years old, they are experienced racers, which means they spend enough time on the mountain to take it for granted that people lose things now and again for no good reason. That is, until these girls came up with one. Corinne hindes and its an idea that no one has really thought of before. Garvin take all that good quality winter gear that was filling up ski resort lost and founds, and find it a good home back home in walnut creek. It started when the pair were just 11. Corinne we kind of noticed, like, Homeless People in the streets, and we noticed that they werent really wearing any warm clothes during the winter, and that they were kind of just wearing tshirts and ripped jeans. Garvin so, katrine and corinne began their very own nonprofit, collecting the warm clothes and donating them to the homeless. Katrine it just, like, snowballed, i guess. Corinne ready . Dump it all out. Garvin warm winters now collects from 30 ski resorts in 12 states, and 1 in australia. In 5 years, theyve collected and donated close to half a Million Dollars worth of clothing. It is a total that makes these young women feel good, though not quite as good as seeing someone in their hometown in a jacket they gave them. Corinne it feels really good. It makes you feel like youre actually making a difference. It makes the whole situation very real, and it kind of brings you back to reality and shows you that, like, youre actually impacting someones life. Garvin proof these two have discovered that you can get a warm feeling by giving others the very same thing. Both girls have been recognized for their work, corinne most recently honored by the gloria baron award for young heroes. Announcer coming up, hes not just a marine, hes a singer and songwriter. And hes using his voice in hopes of helping other veterans who struggle with ptsd. Plus, we introduce you to a San Francisco couple who knows the true meaning of giving back. Michael hofman if we can, especially for the tourists, give them the feeling that there are people who care about them, then its just going to make a much bigger difference. Announcer up next, a man honors his beloved dog by giving away something for free. And for good reason. So, when a hayward man decided to give something away, he didnt think too many people would respond. Chris sontagratti was wrong. And youre about to see how his act of kindness has snowballed into a project thats priceless. This is the story of a man and the dog he loved. The man is chris sontagratti. If youre wondering where the dog is, well, thats where well begin. Two years ago, cancer claimed the life of chriss 12yearold boxerrottweiler mix, his best friend with the funny name. Chris people would say, why do you keep saying everything to your dog . What are youare you calling your dog everything . Yeah, thats my dogs name. Garvin chris says he literally picked everythings name out of a hat when he got her as a puppy. It turned out to be as perfect as it was random. Everything became just that to chris. Chris i guess some people have religion, and some people have, you know, their materialistic things. But for me, it was the dog. Garvin during some tough times in the past, tempted down some dark roads, one thing, chris says, always kept him from going too far astray. Chris and any time i got into troubled water, she was, like, extra reason for me to make sure to get out and stay out. No matter what, i had her as, like, this responsibility, and i never let that go. Garvin you can imagine what it was like for chris to lose her. Two years later, it still hurts. Chris this is, like, my favorite picture i have of us. Garvin but if time wouldnt heal the wound, perhaps kindness might ease the pain. Its why last month, christ put this post on instagram, promising to send anyone a free tennis ball if they just promise to use it to play with their dog, like chris wishes he could his. He started with 100 balls and low expectations. Chris i figured i was going to be sitting in my room with about 80 or 90 tennis balls, but it didnt happen like that. Garvin chris exhausted his initial supply practically overnight, and now has a waiting list hundreds of dogs long, people from around the country, even the world, sending in requests with notes of thanks and encouragement, and then sending back proof of chriss good deed. Chris it wasnt just about everything, you know, and myself. It was about affecting other people and, like, getting them in contact with their pets. So, that may be just a backyard dog on a chain, you know, so hopefully theyll let the dog off the chain and throw the ball or something, yeah. Garvin its a lesson all of us can learn from, really. If you ever feel like youve lost everything, just throw a little love out into the world, and watch it brought right back to you. Car breakins have hit epidemic levels in San Francisco. You see evidence of it all over the city in the form of shattered glass on streets and sidewalks. But when that crime wave hit a popular tourist spot, one local couple decided to give back to the victims, literally. The view from twin peaks is one of the nicest things about San Francisco. Its why thousands come here every single day. But should these folks ever want a glimpse of something even better, all they have to do is look down and see whos coming up the hill. Michael boy, what a beautiful d ay. Garvin Michael Hofman and janet moyer have lived in the shadow of twin peaks for 33 years. About a decade ago, in search of exercise, they began weekly hikes to the top. They soon discovered something along the way, a lot of litter, so they started picking it up. Michael if you live in a place that you love, you want to make sure it always looks good. We can tell how much fun everyone had by how much garbage, you know . Garvin turns out the pair could also tell how little fun someone had. A few years ago, michael and janet say they say evidence of a spike in car breakins, not just glass on the ground, but purses, wallets, and backpacks in the bushes nearby. Michael the scenario is someone smashes and grabs, drives away, drives down here, somewhere along here, and then throws everything but the money out. Garvin emptied of money, but not of value. Inside, michael and janet discovered many drivers licenses, credit cards, passports, even medicine, things people would certainly want back. So, they did what they could to make that happen. Michael its a little bit of forensic analysis. Garvin over the years, janet and michael estimate they have reunited dozens of tourists and locals with their belongings. Janet moyer a lot of them are in tears. Garvin michael and janet say, like the litter cleanup, its an expression of their love for the city, and their hope that when visitors leave, they rave about more than just the views. Michael if we can, especially for the tourists, give them the feeling that there are people who care about them, then its just going to make a much bigger difference. Garvin some of their lost and found stories are truly amazing. In one case, the couple found a taiwanese passport, went to the consulate on a sunday to deliver it, and literally ran into the person who lost it, someone who had a flight later that day. Announcer coming up, wines can be described as having a lot of body, but colby red truly has a lot of heart. Colby groom i wanted to give back to the community that saved my life. Announcer but first, an iraq war veteran uses his singing and songwriting talents in hopes of saving fellow veterans. John preston and the goal isnt to make people aware this time. The goal is to catch the ones that might be thinking about it. Announcer and his mission hits especially close to home. Were back in 2 minutes. Veterans have with posttraumatic stress. A marine and musician from danville has dedicated his life to sounding the alarm about the devastating results of ptsd. We first introduced you to him last year. And normally when we do updates, its almost always good news. This time, however, theres sadness involved, but also a promise, a promise john preston is making to keep moving forward no matter what he has to overcome. Its not going to take very long for you to realize im no fool. Garvin it was a year ago, and clearly things were just about to happen for john preston. The danville marine and iraq war veteran had just rebooted his music career, and people were beginning to take note of his songs and the message they carried. More americans, john believed, needed to know about the tragedy that was 22 veterans a day committing suicide. John a number that, the first time i heard it, completely blew my mind. John it is for veterans with ptsd. Garvin so, for the past year, while still working as a palo alto firefighter, john has poured everything he had into getting the word out. John my last, what, year and a quarter had been fighting for ptsd, you know, and talking about veteran suicide. Garvin it was work that was paying off. Music sales were better than ever, a music video of his latest song viewed hundreds of thousands of times, john being asked to perform, speak, and write on the issue of ptsd on a national level. Yes, things were happening just as john had planned them, but life has a nasty way of sometimes not following the tune. John and this is in january, it was january 13th. My brother was a marine. Garvin johns older brother mike was a Police Officer in their home state of kentucky. Like so many veterans john knew, mike also suffered from ptsd. John he kissed his children goodbye, and he got in a car, and he drove down the street, and he took his own life. Garvin of all the lives john has been trying to save, he couldnt save one of the ones closest to him. It was enough to make him quit trying at all. John i said it out loud, garvin, i did. I literally said, i failed. Garvin but john is a unique combination, a singer and soldier, with always one more song, one more battle left in it. John and the goal isnt to make people aware this time. The goal is to catch the ones that might be thinking about it. You know, the goal is to remind them of how special they are, and how important they are. Announcer coming up, hes not even old enough to drink, but hes already making a mark in the wine world. Colby sometimes, i say it spiraled out of control, but in a good way. Announcer youll meet the boy behind colby red, and the heartwarming way hes giving back. You make lemonade, right . What if it gives you grapes . Well, if youre one wine country family, you make a lot of money for charity. Darrell groom has made a name for himself as a winemaker not just in sonoma county, but in his native australia. The wines he has made are loved by many. The one hes making now, though, has his heart for some very good reasons. Taking the best the world can give and making it even better, its what great winemakers do. And darrell groom, everyone seems to agree, is one of those. Darrell just the fruit, it jumps out of the glass. Garvin though making the best out of something bad, well, darrell and his wife lisa appear to be masters of that too. The bad thing in this case, their son colbys aortic valve. Darrell but we always knew that hed have to have an open heart surgery. It was just a matter of when. Garvin that surgery came when colby was just eight. Problem was it didnt work. And he went under for a second open heart surgery just months later. Lisa groom colby really had to face his own mortality. And you know, it kind of burst his childhood bubble, im sure. Garvin ten years later, and darrell now pours almost all of his winemaking talents into a single wine called colby red, named for his son. Proceeds from the sale of colby red go to heartrelated charities. And just 5 years in, they are closing in on 1 million raised. Lisa yeah, annual sales are about 25,000 cases a year now, so thats Pretty Amazing for us. Garvin and that, believe it or not, is not even the best part of the colby red story. The best part is that it was all colbys idea. Colby i wanted to give back to the community that saved my life. Darrell colby comes in one day, hes 11 years of age, and he says, dad, dad, dad, can we make a wine together . Garvin colby says he was so grateful to have survived his ordeal, he just wanted to help others do the same. The first year, he and his dad made just 2 barrels of colby red, raised just about 500. It was, however, the start, they say, of something big. Colby sometimes, i say it spiraled out of control, but in a good way. Im so proud of it every day for what has become what im able to do for others. Garvin colby, now 18, is a regular speaker at charitable events, crisscrossing the country, sharing his story, letting others know that when life gives you lemons, you can do a lot better than lemonade. Thanks again so much for joining us for this bay area proud special. You can see new bay area proud stories every tuesday and thursday evenings in our 5 p. M. Newscast, and all the reports are on our website. Just go to nbcbayarea. Com and scroll down to the bay area proud section. If you know someone who should be featured on our bay area proud segment, i want to hear from you. Just go to the website and youll find all my Contact Information right there. Have a good night. Is tori signing up for real housewives and are more babies on the way for her and dean . And Jamie Lynn Sigler feeling relief after announcing she has ms. We will get to all that. We start off our special in new york with scott evans interview with mariah carey. Her boyfriend proposed with a massive ring and now she is getting set to resume her las vegas show at ceasars. It was in her suite where i had a oneonone with mariah. Did you know this was coming . Darling, it is an engagement ring. We have to receive it with pride and happiness. It is so pretty. Do you know for me, i cant imagine wearing that on my finger. Walking through a crowd with a ring on your finger is a bit daunting. You know, its hard to take it off because i love it so much. I hear that. I hear that. That diamond and platinum ring is 35
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