![]() In 1988, the United States Olympic Committee named Ruffalo as the Disabled Athlete of the Year for athletic, civic,Īnd professional accomplishments. He has earned 17 international gold medals, won 32 national titles, setĩ world and 15 national records, and has won 13 USA Track and Field Master’s State Titles against sighted competitors. Titles in shot put, discus, javelin, and powerlifting. In addition, Ruffalo has won numerous honors and awards for his athletic ability. In 1994 he was selected as one of five educators from the United States to be inducted into the ![]() Ruffalo continues motivating every audience to a high level of inspiration while speaking to Fortune 500 companies, Vice President Al Gore presented the award to him on nationwide television. Teacher Awards, Ruffalo was named both the Outstanding Coach of the Year and the Outstanding Teacher of the Year ofġ995. Ruffalo is a true role model for all ages.Īt age 32, Ruffalo lost his eyesight but never lost his“vision.” At the Walt Disney Company/McDonald’s American Rich is a dynamic motivator, author, educator, and internationally recognized athlete who inspires a wide range ofĪudiences everywhere, from children to adults and students to business gurus. Our guest on this episode is Rich Ruffalo. In his retirement, he works with juveniles and young adults in an urban prison system using his extensive experience in research and lecture with that population to reach, teach and motivate his students to embrace education as a catalyst for restored hope and adoption of an altered perspective, and hopefully, a changed life. He has spoken to groups acrross the country and has visibly touched the hearts and minds of students, parents, teachers, PTAs and more. For the most part, his life was one of searching for acceptance, recognition and respect.Ĭornelius served as a classroom teacher and as administrator in both elementary and secondary schools. He tried repeatedly to prove his intelligence and natural gifted talents, but met with disapproval and discouragement. They misunderstood and often punished him unfairly. His gang membership alienated many adults in his life. The horrific treatment by the adults in his life played a large part in the bad life choices made. He joined a gang to gain acceptance and experienced more than his share of physical and mental abuse. What had they been through? How had they overcome their challeges?Ĭornelius Barker suffered from the lack of parental love. It was part of my series called "Dialing From Dialysis." I had reached out to some of the people in my life who had been through major adversity and came out the other side to do great things and help others. TikTok: episode consists of a never before heard interview with Cornelius Lee Barker recorded on Septemfrom my dialysis chair. But now, after losing my own husband to suicide, those kind of statements upset me. I didn’t know much about it, so I nodded and continued about my day. “It could catch on and glorify it,” a former boss once told me. “We can’t publish anything about those deaths,” they’d say. ![]() With the topic of suicide, there is a healthy fear of contagion, or, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines it, “a process by which exposure to the suicide or suicidal behavior of one or more persons influences others to commit or attempt suicide.” Having worked in media for years myself, I often heard whispers of the fears behind contagion. Stories highlighting these issues often include risk factors, prevention tips, survival and hope. Now, compare this to stories about other leading causes of death – think heart disease, cancer, stroke, or diabetes. Stories surrounding the topic of suicide tend to be easily found and often deal with high-profile deaths, or deaths which were publicly visible to a community. Suicide isn’t just a word we whisper in the darkest corners of griefis a leading cause of death in the United States. The following information was taken from the organization's website: Through the processing of her own pain, Jenn was "called" to make a positive impact on the community and world. Jenn, an award-winning journalist, lost her huband to suicide in 2021. Today's guest is Jenn who founded an organization called Hope is a Survival Skill which is dedicated to sharing stories of hope after a lived (suicide) attempt or after the death of a loved one to suicide. ![]()
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