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Make A Difference Project

Archives for February 2018

A Veteran Named “Smiley” Gets His Smile Back

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nH-YVDjQiY&w=560&h=315]

 

It’s hard to live up to the nickname “Smiley” when you’re not confident about your smile. That’s exactly the situation volunteer Fireman and EMT, Larry Kleiman was in when he showed up for a dental consult at the office of Dr. Michael Tischler last year.

Kleiman, a veteran who did two tours in Vietnam, arrived at Dr. Tischler’s office with almost none of his natural teeth left. After hearing about his lifelong service and getting to know him personally, Dr. Tischler decided that he needed to help.

At his next appointment, Kleiman, who knew he couldn’t afford the procedure he needed on his fixed income, was informed that he would be getting a new set of teeth, free of charge, as recognition of his years of service and helping others.

“Everything about him was just the kind of person that you wanna help,” Tischler said.

The $60,000 “Teeth Tomorrow” procedure, which is a cutting-edge system, gave Kleiman his teeth and his confidence back after years of mental and physical discomfort. His new smile is infectious and reminds us all that good deeds always come back around in one way or another!

VIA: Inside Edition

 

 

We Challenge You to Support Your Local First Responders!

 

I’m sure some of you are reading our latest social media post about the cat and thinking “Really Ziz? A Cat?!”  As a dog guy myself, I’m thinking, “how does a cat make a difference in the world?”  The answer is, the cat doesn’t, but the firemen do; and that cat makes a difference to the firemen.

These men are running into burning buildings, while everybody else is running out.  They are the first ones there when somebody falls at home and needs help, or when there is a car accident that requires the Jaws of Life for a rescue.  Imagine the everyday stress of being a fireman or any first responder for that matter.

I want to say THANK YOU to all of the first responders with our first Make a Difference Challenge:

  • Do something nice for the first responders in your town, and tell us about it below. Be sure to take pictures!
  • SHARE this post and encourage your friends to do the same!
  • Whoever has the best story I will personally give $1,000 to that first responder group (whether it be a firehouse or police station, they can donate it as they see fit)

Once again, THANK YOU to all the first responders for making a difference in the lives of so many people.

-Ziz & The Make a Difference Project Team

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More Than Just His First Car

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_5toiVBIq8]

 

When 15-year-old Justin Rozier was thinking about getting a car, he told his mother he would love to have any car that his dad once owned.  Justin doesn’t remember his father, Army 1st Lt. Jonathan Rozier, who died in Iraq in 2003 when Justin was just nine months old.

“I don’t know, just knowing that he had it — it’s a whole lot different than just any other thing,” Justin said.

Justin’s mother, Jessica, turned to Facebook and posted the VIN number of Jonathan’s 1999 Toyota Celica, which she was forced to sell shortly after his death, with a note asking for help. She knew it would be a long-shot, but she also knew that she had to at least try.

Help came from Pleasant Grove, Utah, where local residents not only found the model, but the actual car Jonathan Rozier had once owned.

Kyle Fox, who runs a nonprofit called Follow The Flag,  raised enough money to purchase the car and assembled a team of volunteer mechanics to fix it like new – all without Justin’s knowledge – and drove the car from Utah to Texas to surprise him for his 15th birthday.

Justin tried to explain what this moment meant to him, but words could not do it justice.

“It’s a link to the past for him. It’s a big thing for me too. I never got to see him come home. So that just one moment right there was — I think I needed that,” Jessica said.

This amazing story of selflessness played a major part in the creation of The Make a Difference Project. Kyle Fox and Follow the Flag exemplify everyday heroes that bring people together to make a difference in the lives of others. Amazing work by all involved!

 

Story via: CBS Evening News