The NY Times reported, on 21 June 2014, about a gym being operated by Martin Luther King Addo, a bodybuilder and personal trainer who was raised in Ghana in West Africa. Mr. Addo opened his gym next to an apartment building in Manhattan and specially tailors much of his work to the residents in their 80’s or even 90’s or have disabilities, helping them to improve their walking, balance, strength and stamina. According to the Times, “Raised within the Ashanti tribe, Mr. Addo was always taught that improving the lives of one’s elders is of the highest virtue.” The full story can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/21/sports/a-chiseled-bodybuilder-now-shaping-frail-clients.html
Meanwhile, Matt Lorenzetti, the Supervisor of fine and performing arts at Linden High School (NJ) met Herman Zeitchik, a 90-year old D-Day veteran, at the National Memorial Day parade in Washington DC. Zeitchik missed his Linden High School graduation in 1944 because he was called up for military duty and sent to France. Lorenzetti persuaded the school’s administration to arrange for Zeitchik to attend the high school’s recent 2014 graduation ceremony in cap and gown. The full story can be found at http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2014/06/post_33.html
It’s never to late to find a way to reach out and do something meaningful. As John Prine wrote in the chorus of his great song “Hello In There” (c):
“So if you’re walking down the street sometime,
And spot some hollow ancient eyes,
Please don’t just pass ’em by and stare,
As if you didn’t care, Say, “Hello in there, hello.”