| Today the Miami Herald ran their annual pro | | | | Thelma would volunteer to write the weekly |
| and college football special edition. It was | | | | church bulletin and the monthly newsletter-- |
| an amazing thing to see and hold-- it could | | | | something that required many late hours at |
| easily replace light dumbbells for a workout. | | | | home on a manual typewriter. Since this was |
| It had 6 sections, 74-pages with full color | | | | long before the computer age, frequent last |
| full depth covers of serious, stoic players. | | | | minute changes meant using lots of Wite-Out |
| Only one guy was frowning this time-- | | | | and laborius retyping into the wee hours of |
| probably because he was a college player and | | | | the morning to prepare the "mimeograph" |
| wasn't getting paid copious amounts of money | | | | stencil for printing. Yet, her son never |
| yet. Daunte Culpepper, the new Dolphins | | | | heard her complain. She was always cheerful |
| quaterback was almost smiling which is | | | | right up to the end when a heart attack |
| understandable since he has a lot on his mind | | | | finally killed her through the side effects |
| right now considering the still questionable | | | | of muscle atrophy brought on by the stress of |
| strength of the repair to his devastating | | | | living for 25-years with useless legs.In all |
| knee injury (something local TV still likes | | | | deepest sincerity, MVB presents the first |
| to show over and over again and something we | | | | "Thelma" award to David and Sherrone Jenkins, |
| still can't watch). Now don't get us wrong, | | | | parents of their slain 9-year-old daughter |
| the staff at MVB loves football. We believe | | | | Sherdavia. Cut down on July 1st in a shootout |
| it is the nearly perfect game that combines | | | | between thugs in a Liberty Square public |
| suspense, action, brute strength and violence | | | | housing complex, Sherdavia, a bright-eyed |
| with athleticism and balletic beauty. But | | | | chess champion and a student who aced her |
| that doesn't mean we aren't tired of seeing | | | | FCAT test, was destined for greatness. How |
| athletes made into heroes. It is our | | | | her parents were able to continue on |
| contention that our community should also | | | | continuing on was an amazing thing to see as |
| allocate time and media space for the unsung | | | | the media covered the story. Living in the |
| heroes, the ones "who live lives of quiet | | | | projects is a day-to-day struggle. Keeping a |
| desperation," who get up every morning to go | | | | family together compounds the difficulty. We |
| to work to make ends meet, who struggle to | | | | learned that the Jenkinses were able to do |
| keep a family together despite working for | | | | this and more by guiding their children by |
| minimum wage. ABC News recognizes the worthy | | | | example. We remember reading that Mr. |
| in their Friday "Person of the Week." The | | | | Jenkins, a security guard, first heard about |
| Miami Herald and local TV could do the same. | | | | the shooting at work. Not having a car, he |
| These kind of awards and recognition are not | | | | had to walk and take busses back home. In the |
| only good for the spirits of those being | | | | one-and-a-half hours it took him to get home |
| honored, they're good for us too because they | | | | all he could think about was what he might |
| remind us, if nothing else, that someone a | | | | find there. In the aftermath and under the |
| lot like us-- maybe even someone who is worse | | | | media spotlight the parents showed uncommon |
| off than we are-- can make the effort to not | | | | composure and Mr. Jenkins in particular |
| only keep on keeping on but takes it a step | | | | humbled us all with his off-the-cuff |
| further by giving something back to the | | | | eloquence. Since that time through the |
| community.With that in mind, we would like to | | | | "kindness of strangers" and Mr. Jenkins' |
| bring recognition to those in our community | | | | boyhood friend, U.S Rep. Kendrick Meek, the |
| who really deserve it. We can't gurantee an | | | | family has gotten a second chance at having a |
| award each week but when we are reminded by | | | | happy and fulfilling life: they now have a |
| one or more people who continue to "put up | | | | home of their own, a duplex with a lawn and |
| the good fight," you can bet they will be | | | | trees and a front porch far from the |
| recognized with a "Thelma Award." Named in | | | | projects. Now, only time and their faith and |
| honor of the mother of one of our staffers, | | | | the effort they put in every day to get out |
| this remarkable woman recieved her | | | | of bed and get along will help them distance |
| recognition in the late fifties when the | | | | themselves from what once was to what can |
| Miami News (the long gone but not forgotten | | | | be.The Miami Herald has created a commendable |
| afternoon paper) ran a pictorial on her. | | | | multi-media site that includes a timeline of |
| Readers discovered that she had given birth | | | | articles with still photos, video, and music. |
| to two boys. The second one died at 17-months | | | | It is quite moving. To see it, please click |
| in her arms from complications due to | | | | here.Except in terms of reaching a larger |
| cerebral palsy. Less than a year later she | | | | number of viewers, the "Thelma" award is not |
| caught the polio virus and was never able to | | | | so different from the ABC News "Person of the |
| walk again without braces and crutches. Her | | | | Week." It comes with no financial honorarium |
| husband died when our staffer was only | | | | but in a case like this, an award as such is |
| 14-years-old. Without a car and "depending on | | | | little more than meaningless self-referential |
| the kindness of strangers," life got tough. | | | | hubris on our part without attaching money to |
| Still, her son reports that she never | | | | help the family along. So, if you want to |
| complained and was in fact cheerful | | | | extend a helping hand to this deserving |
| throughout her life. Despite her handicap, | | | | family, please join us by writing checks out |
| she was for years the neighborhood organizer | | | | to David and Sherrone Jenkins, C/O Audra D.S. |
| for the March of Dimes and Muscular Dystrophy | | | | Burch, South Correspondent, Miami Herald, One |
| where she made sure volunteers went | | | | Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132. Please enclose |
| door-to-door soliciting money to fight those | | | | the check and any personal correspondence to |
| diseases. Despite all the bad deals life | | | | the parents in a separate envelope so that it |
| handed out to her, she still managed to not | | | | can be given to the family unopened.D.C. |
| only hang onto her faith, but gave large | | | | Copeland is a writer and award-winning |
| amounts of her time to her church as its | | | | artist. When visiting Copeland's personal |
| kindergarten secretary where she earned a | | | | website and blog you will discover that |
| small salary that was able to keep food on | | | | Wayne Cochran is the Patron Saint and that |
| the table and a roof over their heads. The | | | | many people consider it to be "The Rodney |
| church got the best part of the deal because | | | | Dangerfield of Blogs. |