7 Good News Stories: So, You Want A Parade; An Oscar Story With 'Sole'
ACROSS AMERICA — About three years ago, Anthony Scuderi put it out there: “If I ever reach 99 or 100,” the West Islip, New York, man told his family, “I want a parade to come down the block.”
“He may have been kidding,” his daughter, Maria Scuderi, told Patch’s Maureen Mullarkey. “But I took it seriously.”
The World War II veteran’s 99th birthday was Thursday. To mark it, his family threw a spectacular parade. Everybody who’s anybody showed up — local dignitaries, the local fire department, the highway patrol and local police, and out-of-state friends and family. In all, the parade past Scuderi’s house was 30 vehicles long.
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When you know his background, it’s easy to see why. » A Patch Exclusive by Maureen Mullarkey for West Islip Patch
Citizen Diplomacy Through Chess
Twins Kaleb and Kyle Lancman, sophomores at New York City’s Stuyvesant High School, have a gambit to help the children of New York City’s asylum seekers achieve the American dream: chess. The Migrant Chess Center (top photo), which meets four days a week, “is not just a chess program, but also a family we’re trying to build,” Kaleb told Patch’s Matt Troutman. The program is only three months old, and already it’s a popular meeting spot for families to learn a new skill, make friends and feel at home. The twins, whose family hails from Argentina, said they were inspired by the struggles of upwards of 50,000 asylum seekers bussed to New York City from southern states to face a litany of new challenges. “We thought it would be a good opportunity to help them get a sense of community,” Kyle said. “Help them meet new people and help them learn English.” » A Patch Exclusive by Matt Troutman for New York City Patch
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An Adaptive Trike For Dixie
Someday, you may see Dixie Mae Barclay standing in front of the American Idol judges, belting out Britney Spears, or maybe Taylor Swift. The 3-year-old from Peotone, Illinois, loves to sing and has an impressive stage presence, her mom, Jessica, told Patch’s Lauren Traut. But that’s a far-off dream. First things first. For now, her family would just like for her to be able to ride a tricycle. The pigtailed preschooler was born with spina bifida and currently stand or walk on her own, but an adaptive bike could change everything, now and in the future. She’s among hundreds of kids in the running for adaptive bikes in Michigan-based nonprofit Friendship Circle’s Great Bike Giveaway contest. Besides giving Dixie hours of “joy and excitement and freedom,” her mom said, the adaptive tricycle meshes with Dixie’s therapy goals “by building up her strength to hopefully one day be able to walk and stand.” » A Patch Exclusive by Lauren Traut for Manhattan Patch
‘Best Cry I’ve Ever Heard’
The call was one every cop fears. A 3-year-old boy was trapped in a car submerged in a south Florida canal. “But this [call] was different because as a father, when you hear a child’s under water in a vehicle and their parent can’t get ’em out, the first emotion that clicks in your head is ‘go,’ ” Miami-Dade Police Sgt. Edward Webster said in a video account of the rescue. The car was difficult to get to, and rescuers had to walk into the canal to reach it. By the time they reached the toddler, he was unresponsive. Police Officer Julian Reyes practically willed the child back to life, holding his head as she reassured him, while others worked to resuscitate him. Finally, he took a breath and cried. “It was the best cry that I’ve ever heard in my life,” Officer Junior Clervil said in the video. » By Tiffany Razzano for Miami Patch
This Oscar Story Has ‘Sole’
Bed-Stuy, New York, designer Amira-Dior Traynham-Artis (top photo) would never have guessed one day she’d share her shoes with Hollywood’s biggest stars, and certainly not before her 15th birthday. “When I first started,” she told Patch’s Emily Rahhal, “this was only a dream.” But there she was, handing out her original Lane 1 shoe designs to Academy Award nominees during Oscars-week gifting suite in Los Angeles. » By Emily Rahhal for Bed-Stuy Patch
Speaking Of The Oscars …
Steven Spielberg, the seminal director behind “Jurassic Park,” “E.T. the Extra Terrestrial,” “Jaws” and other blockbusters, hasn’t forgotten an important slice of his childhood in South Jersey. He set “The Fabelmans,” his 2022 autobiographical film nominated for several Academy Awards, in Haddon Township, where his family lived for a time. Camden County officials recently placed a historic marker commemorating the place where he saw his first movie at age 6, the former Westmont Theater, now a fitness club. “For a budding storyteller, that theater was kind of a place of worship, and when my dad left RCA in Camdem to join GE in Phoenix, Arizona, I sadly knew I’d be leaving the memories of so many great afternoons and weekends in that place behind.” The director said he plans a visit to his hometown “very soon.” » By Nicole Rosenthal for Haddonfield-Haddon Township Patch
Rare Outcome For Rare Disease
Brain-eating amoeba disease is rare. It’s rarer yet for people to survive it. Yet Florida 13-year-old Caleb Ziegelbaur, who contracted Naegleria fowleri, as brain-eating amoeba is scientifically known, while swimming in Port Charlotte, Florida, last July, has returned home after nine months of treatment, the last seven at a Chicago’s Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, which treats and provides rehabilitation for children and adults with complex conditions. “The Ziegelbauers are looking forward to finally being together again for real,” the organizer of a fundraiser said on GoFundMe. » By Tiffany Razzano for Sarasota Patch
You Go, Girl!
We dare you not to smile when you watch this video of a 4-year-old girl with all the right moves who brought out her inner color guard self when she mimicked the Bowie State Sensations during a performance last month at Georgetown Hill Early School’s Darnestown campus. People on the internet ,can’t get enough of the “little dance machine,” the school wrote on Instagram. Color guard captain Mikaella Steward made the moment even sweeter when she noticed the little girl, a student at the school, mimicking her. “I decided to make my moves slightly easier to see if she could really catch on to what I was doing,” Steward told a local TV station. “It was just the cutest little thing ever.” » By Megan VerHelst for Bowie Patch
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