We had quite an adventure and thanks for sharing in our most amazing journey of the year!
To wrap up our efforts, Hoa Quach from San Diego News Network, generously offered her time ad services to help chronicle our story. She posted a blog on our behalf upon returning from DC, and here is a final reflection on the events of our trip. Following the blog post is an addendum to the blog which clarifies the Peter and Michael Almendarez Spirit Award.
Thanks to all who supported us!
http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-29/news/local-county-news/downtown-hillcrest-mission/zoe-randall-local-students-are-back-from-dc
Here is a message from Warren Hegg about the award:
“The Peter and Michael Almendarez Memorial Spirit Award is presented to the individual or group who most exemplify the character and courage of the two brothers who helped launch the original Stories of Service program back in 1998.
Peter and Michael both suffered from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a hereditary disease of the muscles characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakness and the death of muscle cells and tissue. Symptoms usually appears in young boys 2 to 6 years of age, who typically require a wheelchair by the at of 10 to 12, and die in their late teens or early 20’s.
The Almendarez brothers were in the room the night in June 1998, when we announced the project to a group of more than 80 WWII veterans and their families, and it was Peter who persuaded Jack Thatcher that night that he should tell his story to honor those who did not return.
Peter and MIchael worked diligently with several of the first vets during that summer, until we were able to recruit new people to assist them.
You can catch a glimpse of Peter and Michael in the 1998 CNN news clip about the program, working at their computers with Howard Bjerke in the foreground and Daniel Hegg standing at their side (Daniel, Ryan’s younger brother, was later to become a veteran himself, serving as an Army Ranger in both Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003).
When Peter died in 2001, Jack Thatcher produced a digital story in honor of his friend and mentor, which was shown every Memorial Day in Silicon Valley, along with Jack’s. When Jack died of cancer a few years later, his memorial was held on Peter’s birthday. Michael Almendarez passed away the following year.
So, as you see, the Spirit Award is a tribute to those who have given their all to the program, and have helped inspire others to follow their example of preserving the stories that educate and inspire us all.
It is our hope that you and your students will always remember how special you are, by having stepped up to do your best to sustain and grow the program that these two young heroes so deeply loved.
Please share this story, and know that both Peter and Michael are watching with pride as together we make San Diego a national model of what Stories of Service can be.”
HTMMA Multimedia Class Blog 