The Tragic Impact of the Loss of His Father Inspires Titans Center Ben Jones

Published on by GMHLeave a comment

Ben Jones, Center, Tennessee Titans (Photo: Tennessee Titans media guide)
When he was only 10 years old, Tennessee Titans center Ben Jones experienced tragedy that no boy ever should have to endure. Ben’s father was killed in a helicopter crash.

Steve Jones, Ben’s dad, worked as a forester in Brent, Ala., and was traveling on a helicopter inspecting timber when his aircraft went down. The crash killed both Steve and the pilot.

The Brent community came together to help support the Jones family in their time of need, and it’s something Ben has never forgotten. The Jones family also began to work in the community to give back as well. The acts of giving Ben witnessed made a lasting impression on him. Jim Wyatt, Senior Writer/Editor of TitansOnline.com, quotes Ben as saying, “You learn from experiences like that and it makes you want to help when you get a chance.”

To read all of Wyatt’s story, go to: Titans Center Ben Jones Gives Back.

An Inspirational Christmas Image

Published on by GMHLeave a comment

Photo by Jody Grenier
Photo by Jody Grenier
Out of Syracuse, New York, comes this evocative photo of a Christmas tree in the city’s Clinton Square that has been shared thousands of times and which the amateur photographer has said was a mistake.

Jody Grenier took the shot but said he forgot to wipe his lens of raindrops before making the image. (Click the photo to see a larger version.) A pretty impressive mistake. The photo, titled “Cities Christmas Tree,” can be ordered through Grenier’s web space on 500px. Read more of the story at Syracuse.com, and see more of Jody’s work and order this or any other of Jody’s photography here: Jody Grenier, 500px.

Kids These Days!!!

Published on by GMHLeave a comment
Mattel Children's UCLA / Twitter
Mattel Children’s UCLA / Twitter

Barbara Diamond at littlethings.com wrote a story recently about a 12-year-old girl who has cancer and how UCLA’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity befriended her in an amazing way.

Lexi Brown, 12, was in a room at the Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA that happened to be directly across the street from the SAE frat house. When Lexi and her mom hung a sign in the room’s window asking for pizza delivery, they could never have imagined the response they would get from the young 20-year-olds living at the fraternity.

Read the story at littlethings.com.

Wide Receiver Joe Anderson’s Dream

Published on by GMHLeave a comment
Joe Anderson / Instagram
Joe Anderson / Instagram

Joe Anderson has a dream, and he has been relentless in trying to follow it. He is a wide receiver who went undrafted out of Texas Southern University in 2012 but was able to catch on for a little while over the past few years with the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles. But he’s now a free agent, unsigned, and he wants a job badly. His old wide receiver job. So he went to the Houston Texans’ facility with a cardboard sign that read, “Not homeless … but STARVING for success. Will run routes 4 food.”

He posted a photo of himself (top) on Instagram, and it got picked up and went viral. It’s a great story, with many inspiring elements as told by SB Nation:

Joe Anderson Is Following a Dream, and It Took Him to the Texans’ Doorstep

Nick Woodman, 37: GoPro Billionaire

Published on by GMHLeave a comment

GoPro-ForbesAn inspiring business story from Forbes of the man behind the GoPro camera and how he became a billionaire by age 37: The Billionaire Behind GoPro: The World’s Hottest Camera Company.

He slept in his VW minivan, surfed, hit trade shows and kept improving on his idea. His first year sales were $350,000. In 2012 they were at $521 million, and the San Mateo, Calif. firm currently is valued at $2.25 billion.