Flintern: July

April 20 became one of my happiest moments this year as I discovered I was going to be a Flintern.

In the joy I felt then, I could have never anticipated the respect and appreciation that I would developed for this community of Flint, Michigan.  

After being here for almost a month, I have observed their love and strength. There are so many bold, vibrant individuals who are working to bring their community together. 

These people have suffered more than most, but amidst their hurt, they continue to take a stand for their dreams. 

Every day, this place and the people here challenge me and teach me new things. They are my inspiration, and I'm excited to see what I'll learn from them in these upcoming months. 

The community of Flint gathers with law enforcement officers outside the Genesee County Jail during a protest organized by Ebenezer Ministries on Sunday, July 17, 2016 in downtown Flint. The protest promoted unity and respect between the community and law enforcement officers after the Baton Rouge shooting that left three police officers dead.

“Dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It is hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change. Dreams are like hope; we need both of them in order to see a different tomorrow.”

— Bishop Urundi Knox of Ebenezer Ministries in Burton

Check out the story: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/07/flint_pastors_and_officials_ca.html

“Due to the circumstances, there will be no trash pick-up in the city starting this Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. Until a new agreement is officially in place, we ask the residents not set their trash out at the curb to prevent animals from disturbing it and making the situation worse.”

— Statement sent by Flint spokeswoman Kristin Moore.

Check out the story: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/07/mayor_says_there_will_be_no_tr.html

Julia Brown, 8, carries bags of groceries to be distributed while volunteering with her Girl Scout Troop 74022 during the Mobile Nutrition Pantry on Thursday, July 7, 2016 at West Court Street Church of God in West Flint. The Mobile Nutrition Pantry provides a variety of lead-mitigating foods to communities in need of good nutrition and that have limited access to grocery stores. 

Check out the story: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/07/mobile_food_pantry_offers_lead.html

 "They came in and they checked everything and I thought the guy said everything was all right," Harris said. "Next thing I know, these people are coming in and telling me they were going to replace my pipes. I [still] have to stop and think, can I use the water for this? Can I use the water for that? I still take my showers, I guess it's safe, and I still wash my dishes, but I'm afraid as far as food is concerned - cooking and preparing food with that water - I still can't use it. They told me to wait until they notified me. I just wonder what was the point of replacing it if I still can't use [the water]...I'm still getting the water tested." City Spokeswoman Kristin Moore said the service line was replaced at the request of Marc Edwards of Virginia Tech, who is working with the city. 

Check out story: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/07/council_votes_to_move_forward.html

Officers investigate a crime screen after a shooting at Grand Oak Apartments in Grand Blanc on Tuesday, July 26, 2016.

“A court case involving nearly $1,800 in unpaid rent is part of the investigation into a shooting that left two women dead and forced doctors to deliver a baby several weeks early.”

— Dominic Adams, of The Flint Journal

Check out story: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/08/court_case_between_resident_an.html

“We want the kids to run toward us rather than away from us.”

— Michigan State Trooper Amy Belanger

Check out story: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/07/state_police_aim_for_strong_co.html

“It gives (the community) a time to feel safe because sometime not everyone always does feel safe to come out.”

— Jay Rowland, project coordinator for the Neighborhood Art Parade

Check out story: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/07/neighborhood_art_parade_draws.html

“We are really connecting with the land and each other.”

— Deb Hamilton, Edible Flint Garden Starter Coordinator

Check out story: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/07/bull_riding_steer_wrestling_dr.html

“We all have the same goals and commonalities.”

— Muralist Ariel Sammone, of Flint

An Innocent City

Taryn Shappell, a San Franciscan mother of three, helps her oldest son, Benton, 3, put on his shirt to get ready for preschool while her 21-month-old twins, Ezra and Eve, play on the iPad. San Francisco has one of the lowest child per capita percentages of any major city in the United States. Less than 14 percent of the city’s population is under the age of 18. The real estate prices continue to rise as new tech businesses move into the area, which puts pressure on families to move away from the city because of the high costs for limited space. The “middle class” San Franciscan family has become a scarcity.

“It feels like there’s a divide of people who come in for the short term to make money, but they never plan to stay,” said Taryn Shappell, a San Francisco resident. “And then there’s folks like us, who hope to be here for the long haul.” Shappell and her husband, Jarrod Shappell, moved to the Bay area in 2009 for their work. Four years ago, the couple settled into their current two bedroom apartment in San Francisco after finding out they were expecting their first child. About two years later, the couple found out they were having twins. “Figuring out how to raise a family, especially with more than one kid, it’s like a secret club,” Shappell said.  Shappell said that it’s fairly easy to find a family with one child, two is rare, but having three children is practically unheard of in the city.

Shappell carries her twin 21-month olds, Eve and Ezra, down the stairs of their home in San Francisco to take her oldest son, Benton to preschool. “I love San Francisco,” Shappell said. “I can’t imagine moving.”Shappell said that the only reason she and her husband would consider moving their family were for their children’s education. The public schools work from a lottery system while the private schools are incredibly expensive. “It could cost us nearly $60,000 to send our kids to a private school for kindergarten,” Shappell said. “That’s more than what it cost for me to get my master’s degree.”

“Even though this city’s challenging because you rub shoulders with different people all the time and you don’t have a lot of personal space…I don’t think it’s healthy for people to be alone,” Shappell said. “I think that people are at their best when they are caring for each other and handling conflicts with each other.”

“One of the biggest challenges is that there aren’t many families here, [so] there’s not a lot of empathy for what it’s like to go to the grocery story with three kids and there’s not ramp places for strollers, there’s not doorways that are wide enough for strollers, there’s not grocery carts with more than one seat in it for a kid…and there’s rude looks from strangers like if my kids get to close to them on a bike or something,” Shappell said. “People don’t get it.”

Taryn encourages Ezra to grab a bell during music class with the other children while Eve lies on her lap. “For my kids…they are going to lean more about conflict resolution, and setting boundaries, and privacy, and living in a community, and what they do is important and matters, and they have a contribution to make,” Shappell said. “They’re going to learn that way more in our house and this town than they would living in a giant room with a walk in closet all to themselves. They wouldn’t learn those lessons the same way.”

Every Wednesday, Taryn meets up with other moms in the city for a play date. “It was a little slow going at first,” Shappell said about finding her network of friends. “I didn’t know this at the time, but there are really two San Francisco’s; there’s the tourist San Francisco and there’s the local’s San Francisco. People that live here don’t hangout at the places the tourist’s go…so once I figured that out and realized I was in the wrong places to make friends…that helped.”

Taryn plays with the twins, Eve and Ezra, on a playground in the city. “San Francisco’s is a big city, but…everyday I run into people I know,” Shappell said. “It’s a really fun way to live, and it feels very safe and very small.”

Taryn's husband, Jarrod Shappell, FaceTimes his family while he is working in L.A. for business.

Taryn asks her oldest son, Benton, and daughter, Eve, if they want to come outside to help her water the plants and pick blueberries from their little garden on the back deck.

“San Francisco has this bad reputation of being a place of debauchery that’s all about sex and drugs, but it’s really not,” Shappell said. “It’s about love and freedom of expression.”

Eve dumps "mud potion" on her twin brother, Ezra, while playing on the back deck of their home in the city.

Barb Feiereise, Taryn's mother-in-law, plays with Benton while she babysits, so that Taryn could meet up with friends that evening. Feiereise took a job in San Francisco shortly after the couple moved out there. Taryn said she feels incredibly fortunate to have them so close and to help with the kids. "They have been such a blessing to us," Shappell said. "The cost to hire a babysitter is outrageously expensive."

Taryn gives Eve a kiss as she wakes up from her nap. “The high schoolers that I’ve met and have lived here their whole lives, they’re the first ones to say I will never touch a drug because I see what drugs do to people, and I’ve seen that my whole life. Maybe it’s a loss of innocence, but I also think, for me the trade-off is a positive one for a more sophisticated view of the world and how to live in the world,” Shappell said. “It’s different, but I think it’s a good different.”

Art Refuge

The Art Therapy Institute of North Carolina started its first refugee art groups seven years ago, which was shortly after Dacy Poe and her family moved to North Carolina. Dacy is a seventh grade Burmese refugee and was one of the first students to be apart of these refugee art therapy classes. She has used the art therapy program as a way to express her feelings and cope with her transition to the U.S. 
With the help of her art therapist, Hillary Rubesin, Dacy put on her first solo art show for friends, teachers and family members to enjoy and to better understand the meaning of her artwork. 

Beau's Coffee Shop

Having two children with Down Syndrome, Amy Wright was inspired to open Beau's Coffee in Wilmington, N.C., as a way to create jobs for people with Intellectual and Development Disabilities (IDD). Only about 30 percent of adults with IDD are employed. Wright wanted to create an opportunity for these individuals to contribute to the community, and to show their value and potential. 
“The takeaway…is maybe we’ve changed one heart or one mind," Wright said. "We’ve given somebody some new perspective, and...maybe they’re going to go back and try to figure out a way that they can integrate someone with a disability into the workforce.”

The Gentle Hunter

Rob Gray started the Orange County Outdoors Ministry as a way to serve those within his community suffering from hunger.  

Gray said he was shocked to learn that about 20 percent of children in Orange County live in food insecure homes and wanted to help make a change.  

"I can't describe the feeling I get when I walk into someone's home and place venison into an empty freezer," he said. 

UNC's Exhibition Game

NPPA's student chapter at UNC hosted a sports workshop this weekend. Here's the package I put together from Friday night's game. It was a great first time shooting basketball! UNC defeated Guilford 99-49 during their preseason exhibition game at the Dean Smith Center. Go heels! 

UNC fans cheer during the North Carolina team intoductions before their season's opening  exhibition basketball game at the Dean Smith Center on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015. UNC defeated Guilford 99-49.

Joel James of the North Carolina Tarheels goes up for a layup as Will Freeman of Guilford attempts to block the shot during the men's preseason exhibition game at the Dean Smith Center on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015. UNC defeated Guilford 99-49.

North Carolina's Coach Roy Williams strategizes during the men's preseason exhibition game against Guilford at the Dean Smith Center on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015. UNC defeated Guilford 99-49.

North Carolina players sit on the bench ready to be called into the game during their preseason exhibition game against Guilford at the Dean Smith Center on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015. UNC defeated Guilford 99-49.

North Carolina's Luke Maye dunks against Guilford during their exhibition game at the Dean Smith Center on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015. UNC defeated Guilford 99-49.

From left, Justin Jackson, Marcus Paige, Theo Pinson and Brice Johnson cheer from the bench during their exhibition game at the Dean Smith Center on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015. UNC defeated Guilford 99-49.

Rawle Alkins poses for a selfie with UNC fans during their preseason exhibition game against Guilford at the Dean Smith Center on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015. UNC defeated Guilford 99-49.

When you find a little light...

Researchers study sharks off the NC coast

Chuck Bangley and his crew venture off the NC coast to search for sharks to catch, tag and number. In the wake of an increase in shark bites on NC beaches, researchers are confident that the large shark population has been decreasing for years.

Raleigh Police Department sponsors Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities league

Raleigh police detective Leonard Harrington coaches a little league baseball through the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities in an effort to help children grow in character and baseball skills.

Loving Refuge

Kim Taresco knows her calling. After dealing with a lifetime of health problems, she has discovered her strength comes through loving others. Unable to have children of her own, she became a second mother to many of the disadvantaged youth within her community. 
As the executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Halifax County, her mission is to inspire the youth to reach their potential and take advantage of the opportunities around them. Her commitment to this mission defines her life. 
Kim goes beyond expectation by sacrificing her own needs in order to invest in the lives of those around her.