The following is a guest post from Rich Patch, a field producer for Turning Point. Watch new episodes of Turning Point every Tuesday at 10pm ET/8pm MT on BYUtv.
Last spring we arrived to a ‘soccer field’ in East Los Angeles. Traveling and working with the Turning Point film crew means each day is different, but this morning's schedule would be fun. It was before 8am on a beautiful weekend morning, and as the soccer players started showing up we got ready to film a unique team practice.
In about 20 other cities, similar teams were gathering for similar team practices as part of the Street Soccer USA league. The terms "soccer team" and "league" connote certain images of uniformed or professional athletes. The players arriving this particular morning didn't look so much like a typical team of athletes, but rather a mismatched collection of silverware. They were different sizes, some wore basketball gear, not everyone had cleats and a few seemed better suited for a defensive lineup in football. This particular field was a long and narrow public recreation park, located under tall towers of power lines. It wasn't quite picturesque, but had a lot of open grass for practice games. Ironically, the team stretched and began the first warm-up exercise off of the grass, on the only slab of smooth concrete at the location: the basketball court. Street Soccer is played differently than what you are likely familiar with. The teams are smaller, the 'field' is smaller and is, well, a street. All of this means the ball, and the game, moves very fast.
As an added perk to our day, Lawrence Cann, Street Soccer USA's founder, was attending practice today too. Lawrence lives and works in New York City, and will quickly tell you that soccer is one activity he's loved since childhood. He knows the importance of practice and how it relates to performance. He always enjoys the opportunity when he can to visit other teams and train with the them.
As that small cement court filled with players doing handling and speed drills, it was obvious these guys had real skills. But, more than just ability, here was a group of guys that had drive and direction. This opportunity to play was a big deal to them, more than just a weekend game. They were taking the drills seriously, and having a lot of fun in testing themselves. After all, this was a beautiful day, and this LA team has the USA cup on their schedule in a few months.
Street Soccer is very cool to watch, and as we got to know more of the players, the 'street' part of the distinction meant more than just the field of play. Here was a group of young men that much of the community had already given up on, or doesn't know what to do with. A demographic that, as Lawrence knows well, has had a difficult past, but amazing potential for the future. Teamwork and dedication is about to lead them to success. Oh, and they play a little soccer in the process.
This is a guest post from Ethan Vincent, Turning Point director. Ethan's post was originally published in June 2011. Watch the newest episode of Turning Point on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 10pm ET/8pm MT.
From the moment I met Sister Teresa Fitzgerald, or “Sis Tesa” as her many employees call her, I knew I was in the presence of greatness. It wasn’t just her firm handshake, her strong New York accent or the way she could instantly break into laughter that had me hooked. It was her stoic and silent ability to peer deep into the heart of the matter and sympathize. Sis Tesa runs an organization called Hour Children which helps female ex-convicts reunite with their families, continue their education and reintegrate into a society that allows little to no room for anyone who has served time behind bars. Beyond the statistical successes of Hour Children (lowering the arrest rate of local ex-cons from 30 to 4 percent, for example) Sis Tesa has created a utopia for women where only the present and future matter.
She took me on a tour around the block, bursting into thrift stores and beauty parlors, where a variety of women stopped their work, smiled and chitchatted with us. Sis Tesa introduced each woman with a joke, and the affinity they had for each other was evident within seconds. Their history is mostly defined by years of struggle, both inside and outside of the prison system. Some work on being a better mother while incarcerated and others take care of the children left behind by imprisoned women. When mothers are arrested, sentenced and put in prison, where do their children end up? Often the support system is lacking and children are placed in foster care or given up for adoption. Many mothers have no way of reconnecting with their children after they have served their sentence. No one will give them the time of day and legal matters are quickly dismissed when their history of prison time comes into play. However, with the help of Sis Tesa, one of the female prisons in upstate New York offers a nursery program for inmates, allowing mothers to stay with their children for the first 18 months of their lives. There are only five state penitentiaries like this in the U.S. In addition, Sis Tesa helps temporarily place many of the children, closely tracking their progress and assisting in temporal needs, waiting for the mother's return. It truly is an amazing program.
As a documentary filmmaker, you are always in search of moments, slices of reality that pierce, move forward and transcend the everyday. With Sister Teresa’s story there was nothing lacking and many surprises were waiting just around the corner. When the producers of Turning Point mentioned that we would be spending time with the inmates of the Taconic Correctional Facility in Bedford Hills, New York, the usual images of a harsh prison environment á la MSNBC’s Lockup came to mind. Though Taconic is not a high security facility like those on sensational TV shows, entering the nursery area with Sis Tesa altered my perception of female inmates forever. Escorted through the many razor-wired gates and mesh doors, we entered the first floor of the nursery area where women spent time with their toddlers, playing, reading, chatting with other women and generally doing what all good mothers want: spending time with their children. I remember this little one-year-old taking his first steps and all the women in the nursery clapping, cheering and participating in the event. It was then that the green inmate garb began to fade, and my preconceived notion of the uniformed female criminal crumbled into this primal image of a loving mother taking pride in her child. Amid this celebration for the toddler, Sis Tesa, always teaching, training and encouraging, took the time to talk about the responsibility of a mother, aimed mostly at a young woman named Nicole, who was to be released from prison with her son the next day.
We were there filming, of course, that next day. Gates opened, guards escorted Nicole for the last time and we filmed Nicole hugging Sis Tesa and struggling to secure the seatbelt to the car seat of her son, like any new mother would. I have to admit in my pessimistic nature, there was a part of me that thought, Well, good luck with this. Let’s see if you can really pull this off. I was still judging. But Sis Tesa carried herself with the exact opposite emotion. Her message that morning was simply, Your future starts now. Let’s get to work.
Days later, I conducted one of my most emotional interviews with Joanna Flores. She runs the educational center at Hour Children and has this amazing, polished presence. She's always dressed in full business attire, looking sharp and professional. We filmed her sending her twelve-year-old son off to school and taking her daughter to kindergarten. In a moment of spontaneity, while putting on makeup in the bathroom, she revealed with tears in her eyes that she was going to finally tell her son about her prison past. I remember thinking, Oh yeah, that’s right. You’re an ex-con, because I had literally forgotten about it. Moments later, Joanna revealed that she was lured into smuggling diamonds from Tijuana to New York, only to be arrested with five kilos of cocaine at the baggage claim of JFK Airport. Bitter tears of regret streamed down her face and I found myself truly sympathizing with her younger self, this naïve teenager from Mexico, who was trying to support her impoverished family by taking a job that had seemed like the perfect fix. Four years later, and after having been transferred through six different correctional facilities, Joanna had taught herself English, taken business courses and stayed close to her son, ready to embrace the future. When Joanna was released, Sister Tesa was there to receive her with open arms, ready to help another young mother.
Sis Tesa reminded me in a quaint chapel in Queens that giving others hope—seeing beyond the mistakes of their past and offering everyone a clean slate—is what Christ was and still is all about. She taught me on a very personal yet pro-active level just how important it is to give others that feeling of hope, compassion and encouragement, but most importantly to actually do something about it. In essence, that is what BYUtv's Turning Point is all about. We cannot be unaffected by this driving force of service that creates characters like Sister Teresa Fitzgerald. And believing in yourself is just as important as believing in others. Seeing the good around you and the good in people is the first step towards the strength that will allow you to change things, to find your own 'Turning Point' and to create that utopia that Sister Teresa did—where only the present and future matter.
Do you know someone with a Turning Point story? Click here to find out how to submit their story to BYUtv.
This is a guest post from Gordon Huston, Turning Point director. Gordon's post was originally published in September 2011. Watch the newest episode of Turning Point on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 10pm ET/8pm MT.
The story of Bill Gross and the genesis of his organization, Farm Rescue, is truly inspiring. However, you can’t appreciate the magnitude of what Bill and Farm Rescue are doing until you understand the battles that farmers constantly fight to not only bring food to America’s families, but to provide for and protect their own families as well.
Before directing this story for BYUtv's new series Turning Point, I thought that the small family farm was a thing of the past. I thought the only farms left today were owned by huge corporations and that they were run with enormous crews of men and vast reserves of cash. Was I ever wrong.
While far too many of America’s family farms have disappeared and taken whole communities with them, most American farms are still small operations. They vary in size from a few hundred to a few thousand acres, and they are commonly worked, planted and harvested by a single family. To these families, farming is not just a job; it is their life. They cannot imagine doing anything else. They have a love for the land and for what they are doing that is profound, and they are willing to face both man and nature year after year in a battle where they are almost always the underdog.
The possibility of a crop failure is always a reality. Events out of a farmer's control can conspire to destroy all of his efforts. Many farms cannot survive even a single crop failure.
Bill Gross experienced all of this as he grew up on a family farm in North Dakota. He saw his parents struggle to survive the difficult times. He saw his neighbors’ farms fail. He saw his hometown literally disappear. While he loved farming, he and his brother had to leave the family farm to seek education and employment in order to survive.
Bill is now a 747 Captain for UPS, and when you meet Bill for the first time it’s easy to be a bit intimidated. He possesses all the characteristics of an airline captain. He is punctual, confident, organized and in control of the job at hand. However, you only have to visit with him for a few moments to learn that while he has the mind of a 747 captain, he has the heart of a farmer with a deep love for the farm families who work the land.
As he flew over the farmlands of America, he often turned over ideas in his mind of how he could help these families. I’m not going to give away his journey here, but it ended up with the creation of Farm Rescue.
Simply put, if a farmer cannot get his crop planted or harvested because of illness, injury or natural disaster, Bill and Farm Rescue are ready to help. Bill and his volunteers will arrive at a farm with state-of-the-art equipment, and work around the clock as necessary to either get the seeds in the ground or the crops out of the field. Since 2005, they have helped countless farmers weather difficult times.
We followed Bill around for a week to get to know him and the families that he is helping. While it meant that we went without sleep for most of the week just to keep up with him, we found family after family who expressed their gratitude to Bill for saving not only their farm, but their family. Yeah, there were a lot of tears shed. There’s a chance that even some of the crew may have teared up a time or two, but I’m not confessing to anything.
While we drove hundreds of miles across the state in the middle of the night, ate food that was strange to us, longed for just a few hours without the howling wind, froze in the cold rain one day and sucked in the dust churned up by the tractors the next, this story was worth every bit of effort that we put into it. From Bill to the volunteers to the farmers themselves, Farm Rescue’s adventures are full of extraordinary people. As a director, it was a privilege to tell their story.
I sat on an airplane yesterday next to a woman and a dog. A big dog. Willow, a Labrador Retriever, could barely fit on the floor curled up next to her owner. The flight attendants pretended not to notice that Willow could neither squeeze underneath the seat in front of her nor buckle up in her seat (yes, Willow had her own seat). But she was sleeping and quiet and adorable, so no one said anything.
Willow's owner, whose name has left my brain forever, talked to me about Willow's important job at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego County. You should first know that Willow's owner served as a nurse in the United States Air Force for many years. After returning from Iraq recently, she began suffering from severe posttraumatic stress disorder. She told me how difficult it is for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, who witness horrible carnage every day. Friends are wounded or die in battle. The elements are brutal. And, perhaps most tortuous of all, no one ever feels safe anytime, anywhere. She stressed that there is no place to feel safe in a war zone -- not sleeping, not eating, not exercising, not praying. That perpetual sense of dread and paranoia can drive a person mad, and many soldiers do develop crippling mental and psychological disorders that stay with them for decades. She told me that 18 veterans in the United States commit suicide every day (if true, that's more dead veterans in America in one year than all the solders killed in battle in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001). The U.S. government estimates that 20% of solders return home from Iraq and Afghanistan with some form of posttramatic stress. But this woman believes the percentage of mental disease is much higher among veterans.
What is to be done? Well, that's where Willow comes in. When this woman returned home with PTSD, the military gave her Willow as a special companion to cope with her anxiety. She now works at Camp Pendleton as a clinical therapist who helps other struggling soldiers deal with mental disorder -- and Willow is right there with them. She told me about how the dog has a remarkable effect on distressed soldiers. Willow walks over and sits next to the soldiers in therapy, placing her head on their laps and loving them with the unconditional affection only a canine seems to possess. The soldiers open up and are able to talk and cry and heal in ways not seen before Willow came. Many of the vets are also given dog companions. How a dog can change a troubled soldier's life! She gave me examples of men who come home from war and were paralyzed by fear and misery. But then these sweet animals are licking their faces first thing in the morning, replacing a lot of the sadness and loneliness that the veterans feel with surprising optimism. Next thing you know, these solders are out walking their new friends, meeting other dog lovers, socializing, talking, laughing, enjoying life again. The dogs don't fix all their problems, but they can bring back a sense of safety that war ruthlessly robbed.
Willow and her owner also travel around speaking to organizations about the importance of addressing mental illness and the benefits of animal therapy. I was surprised and excited to see a recent episode of Turning Point that also deals with the topic of animal therapy, particularly the amazing effects that dogs have on physically injured children. You can watch the episode below.
Do you know someone who has found healing through animal therapy? Share your experiences in the Comments section below.
Have you ever had a teacher or counselor in school that influenced your life in a positive way?
For me, my fourth and fifth grade teachers (Mrs. Searcy and Ms. Sanford, respectively), had a profound effect on my adolescence. They instilled in me a desire to read frequently, to be creative and to embrace life's challenges with tenacity and optimism.
For the children at Whitney Elementary School in Las Vegas, Principal Sherri Gahn is going above and beyond her duties as the school's administrator. She has turned her campus, largely populated by poor and homeless children, into a refuge of learning, laughter and hope. Watch the inspiring Turning Point episode in the video above to see how this one woman is successfully battling the poverty and poor performance that plague this humble Vegas neighborhood. It's truly miraculous what she's been able to accomplish, and the lives she's been able to change.
You can also watch this episode of Turning Point tonight (Monday) at 10pm ET/8pm MT on BYUtv.
This is a guest post from Steve Olpin, Turning Point director. Watch the newest episode of Turning Point on Monday, Jan. 23, at 10:00pm ET/8:00pm MT.
The Circus Project is an organization started by a woman in Portland, Oregon to help homeless and at-risk kids get off the street by teaching them circus arts. When I first was told about this story in a pre-production meeting I could not wipe the smile off my face…and the smile stayed on my face every time we shot anything to do with this episode of Turning Point.
The kids in this episode are legendary kids, strong kids, funny kids, kids full of life, kids that let their passion show on the circus equipment high above the gym floor. Jenn Cohen, professional circus performer and the founder of The Circus Project, mostly has her feet on the ground these days as she helps kids and leads them into a better life by teaching them the wonderful world of the circus. Jenn expects a lot of these kids, and the kids we filmed had accepted the challenge. Our crew of three, producer Rich Patch and second cameraman Ty Arnold, followed the story of these kids by filming them in the gym, the train, the parks of Portland and the freeway overpasses that some of them slept under. We also filmed Chinese circus legend Lu Yi in San Francisco.
After 20 years of documentary filmmaking, Turning Point has been the most rewarding project I have worked on, and focusing on these kids as they made this important step was inspiring. Watching people like Jenn Cohen can change your life; she changed these kids’ lives and I would guess that she has been changed too. Get ready to smile and enjoy the story of a big-hearted superstar in another episode of Turning Point, and see some cool circus stuff too.
Watch Turning Point on Monday, Jan. 23, at 10pm ET/8pm MT on BYUtv.
The following is a guest post from Tom Morrill, Turning Point series line producer.
I now have a greater appreciation for the span of five days. I recently witnessed a home remodel that took only—you guessed it—five days. I always hear people talking about how it took forever to build their own homes. But not for Heart 2 Home. Last year, they built an entire house in 11 days! Tell that to your contractor the next time the delay is blamed on sub-contract this or concrete that.
Being a part of Turning Point is a constant blessing. I have the opportunity to meet so many fantastic people and observe their service, their dedication, and their willingness to give. My latest friends are Greg Adamson and Tiffany Berg of Heart 2 Home, an organization that finds people with a housing need and then gets the job done with the help of volunteers and generous donations.
Imagine that you’re Katie, a single mom in a wheelchair, living in a house that wasn’t built for wheelchairs. Each day you have to get yourself ready and get your kids off to school. Then you try to wash the dishes even though you can’t reach the sink, or fold the laundry on the couch because the countertops are too high. Or imagine that you are Corey and Leisha, caring for two teenage sons who have muscular dystrophy, a debilitating disease that renders them unable to do hardly anything for themselves. And now your sons weigh enough that it takes both of you to move them from their beds to their wheelchairs and back again. Then after they’re asleep, you need to wake up 10 times a night to move and adjust them so they stay comfortable and safe.
Heart 2 Home found these families and remodeled both of their homes—at the same time!
Greg and Tiffany couldn’t be better examples of community heroes and I'm excited to see them in the newest Turning Point episode. These are people who look for opportunities to help those around them and get to work.
I’m currently in Chicago filming another great story about a lady name Brenda who is helping people find jobs. Stay tuned—we've got all sorts of great Turning Point stories coming your way...
The newest episode of Turning Point (click the video above to watch) tells the story of The Gentle Barn—a home to 130 animals that have been rescued from severe abuse and neglect. Once the animals are rehabilitated, they stay at the barn for the rest of their lives and serve as ambassadors helping to heal abused children. The Gentle Barn is host to kids in foster care, on probation, in gangs, on drugs and from the inner city, as well as school groups and special needs kids and adults. The kids learn more about kindness, compassion and patience through their interactions with the animals.
We love animals here at the STG Blog, so we wanted to post some of YouTube's funniest and most interesting videos of animals before we watch tonight's episode of Turning Point.
First up, take a look at the largest animal to ever live on our planet—larger even than the dinosaurs:
Dogs are much more resourceful than we give them credit for:
In case you missed Monday night's big burst of season premieres on BYUtv, we've embedded the full episodes in this blog post. Take a look below:
American Ride: How unlikely is the founding of America? A government for the people, by the people, is formed during the Second Constitutional Convention.
The Song That Changed My Life: Duncan Sheik, the popular singer and composer who is best known for his 1996 hit "Barely Breathing", opens up about his successful career.
Turning Point: Diveheart helps people with disabilities imagine their possibilities through scuba diving, giving them emotional and physical empowerment.
Listen: Travel to Seattle and Chile to meet two middle school boys from different worlds as they negotiate the unpredictable realities of growing up.
You can find true Christianity in the life of Brenda Palms Barber. By giving hope to those that no one else wants to help, Brenda has been recognized as one of the leading humanitarians in Chicago. Her nonprofit organization, the North Lawndale Employment Network, offers full-time transitional jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals and others with significant barriers to employment.
You can watch Brenda's story, and meet some of the ex-convicts she helps, on a new episode of Turning Point. Tune in on Monday, May 21, at 10pm ET/8pm MT on BYUtv.
In the meantime, watch Brenda describe her work in the YouTube clip below:
A famous poet once called autumn "the year's last, loveliest smile." Here at BYUtv, we couldn't agree more. From comedy to history to music, watch BYUtv this fall for a host of new and original series that we're sure will give you reason to grin.
BYUtv's first sketch-comedy series will have you rolling with laughter, and showcases the talent of former BYU Divine Comedy stars. Follow Mallory, Jason, Matt, Whitney and others as they poke fun at awkward, funny, scary and relevant human experiences in hilarious comedy sketches. Take a sneak peek here.
One of BYUtv's most talked-about shows, tag along with host Stan Ellsowrth on his Harley Davidson as he travels to historical sites throughout America. With his gruff, candid style, Stan gives fresh life to stories you thought you knew and history you'll want to remember. American Ride was recently nominated for an Emmy Award.
This original series from BYUtv features famous musicians who reveal the songs that changed the direction of their careers and influenced who they are as people and artists. On Monday's season premiere, England-born singer Howard Jones shares highlights from his long and successful time on stage.
In one, small moment, the course of a person's life can change drastically. Watch Turning Point to meet people who adopted extraordinary lives of service because of one defining moment, and how their brave decisions are blessing the lives of thousands of others.
Think your life is boring? Think again. Join host Todd Hansen on The Story Trek as he travels to random communities around to U.S. to prove that every person has an interesting story (even if they don't realize it yet). The series was also nominated for an Emmy Award this year.
The District is the first reality show on television that follows real LDS missionaries as they proselytize, serve and learn. In this unscripted, actor-less documentary series, you'll meet eight young men and women who serve LDS missions in San Diego, California.
When Israel and Danielle Paskowitz discovered their son had autism, they didn't know what to do. Isaiah, who was diagnosed at age three, suffered from sensory overload--something many autistic children experience. Simple sensations could overwhelm him.
A former competitive surfer, Israel had an idea. With Isaiah on the front of his surfboard, and "Izzy" steering from the back, the two spent one day day surfing together. Surfing had a profound impact on Isaiah. Israel and Danielle decided they wanted to share this unique therapy with other autistic children, so they began to host day camps at the beach where autistic children and their families could be exposed to a completely new experience of surfing.
Today, the Surfers Healing organization aims to help autistic children cope with the power of the sea. Learn more about this remarkable effort on the season premiere of Turning Point, Monday at 10:30pm ET/8:30pm MT on BYUtv.
The following post was written by one of Turning Point's directors, Steve Olpin.
Brighter Future Workshop is a little like Santa's workshop. The workshop is a brightly lit room full of sunshine and smiles. The sunshine floods into the room through the massive skylights in the ceiling. Workers are happy and there is a lot of laughter. Even the Brighter Future Workshop logo is a smiling sunshine.
So what do they to at Brighter Future Workshop? They hire disabled and disadvantaged people to refurbish, repair and recycle wheelchairs and other mobility equipment. They work hard and turn out a massive amount of equipment. They also have a lot of fun. Work breaks are filled with foosball, snacks, music, art and lot of goofing around. Then it's back to work. There is discarded equipment stacked to the workshop's ceiling -- equipment that needs a lot of elbow grease. It's given new life, and in the process, disabled and disadvantaged workers are also given a new life and a sense of pride in a job that really matters.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
As a small film crew we traveled to Lancashire county in North West England and embedded ourselves into the workshop for a week. It was like falling in love, and the smiles were contagious. Peter and Jackie run the show there and they are inspirational.
What was the eureka moment that started this whole thing that is helping so many people? Well, that is a perfect reason to to tune into Turning Point on BYUtv, Monday at 8:30pm MT. This episode is a heart-warming story about what happens when people dedicate their lives to helping someone other than themselves. Remember it is about the smile: you will see it on their faces, their shirts, everywhere at Brighter Future Workshops you will see smiles. Also prepare to meet Paul Miller, a guy that knows how to work on a wheelchair like nobody else.
Narayanan Krishnan was living the good life in his hometown of Madurai, India, working as a chef at a five-star hotel. But one day he encountered a desperately poor old man living on the streets, and decided he could no longer go about life without doing something for the poor and needy in his city.
So Narayanan started Akshaya Trust, a small volunteer organization in Madurai that feeds 500 sick and homeless people breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day of the year. He started the project with his own personal savings, and has fed almost two million people since 2003.
Narayanan's deep and genuine love for the people he serves is awesome to behold. Watch BYUtv this Wednesday at 10:30pm ET/8:30pm MT for a new episode of Turning Point, featuring Akshaya Trust.
And check out the short clip below from CNN with Narayanan:
Floating Doctors is an organization that brings critical medical supplies -- and a unique “floating clinic” -- to remote communities desperately in need of help. Watch a new episode of Turning Point on Wednesday at 10:30pm ET/8:30pm MT to learn about the amazing work this group does, and the amazing people they heal.
Watch BYUtv on Wednesday at 10:30pm ET/8:30pm MT for a new episode of Turning Point, featuring Row New York -- an organization based in Long Island City that facilitates rowing opportunities for youth from troubled communities. By learning to compete in rowing, the young people don't just receive great exercise. They acquire learning experiences that build confidence and friendship, and prepare them for potential collegiate scholarships. More than 2,000 participants engage with Row New York each year.
Here's a video from Row New York with some of the girls who participate in the program. They mention a few of the reasons why rowing is changing their lives for the better. Tune in to BYUtv on Wednesday for a closer look at the founders of Row New York and what drove them to pursue a life of helping kids in need.
In the northeast of England lies a stable where people come not just to ride horses, but to change lives. Watch a new episode of Turning Point on Wednesday at 10:30pm ET/8:30pm MT to meet the good folks of Stepney Bank Stables, located in Newcastle upon Tyne. It's a special place where disadvantaged adults and youth come to interact with the horses, gaining self-confidence and employment opportunities in the process.
Watch the YouTube clip below to meet some of the volunteers at Stepney Bank Stables. And don't miss Wednesday's new Turning Point!
The newest episode of Turning Point (click the video above to watch) tells the story of The Gentle Barn—a home to 130 animals that have been rescued from severe abuse and neglect. Once the animals are rehabilitated, they stay at the barn for the rest of their lives and serve as ambassadors helping to heal abused children. The Gentle Barn is host to kids in foster care, on probation, in gangs, on drugs and from the inner city, as well as school groups and special needs kids and adults. The kids learn more about kindness, compassion and patience through their interactions with the animals.
We love animals here at the STG Blog, so we wanted to post some of YouTube's funniest and most interesting videos of animals before we watch tonight's episode of Turning Point.
First up, take a look at the largest animal to ever live on our planet—larger even than the dinosaurs:
Dogs are much more resourceful than we give them credit for:
In case you missed Monday night's big burst of season premieres on BYUtv, we've embedded the full episodes in this blog post. Take a look below:
American Ride: How unlikely is the founding of America? A government for the people, by the people, is formed during the Second Constitutional Convention.
The Song That Changed My Life: Duncan Sheik, the popular singer and composer who is best known for his 1996 hit "Barely Breathing", opens up about his successful career.
Turning Point: Diveheart helps people with disabilities imagine their possibilities through scuba diving, giving them emotional and physical empowerment.
Listen: Travel to Seattle and Chile to meet two middle school boys from different worlds as they negotiate the unpredictable realities of growing up.
You can find true Christianity in the life of Brenda Palms Barber. By giving hope to those that no one else wants to help, Brenda has been recognized as one of the leading humanitarians in Chicago. Her nonprofit organization, the North Lawndale Employment Network, offers full-time transitional jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals and others with significant barriers to employment.
You can watch Brenda's story, and meet some of the ex-convicts she helps, on a new episode of Turning Point. Tune in on Monday, May 21, at 10pm ET/8pm MT on BYUtv.
In the meantime, watch Brenda describe her work in the YouTube clip below:
