Maysaa Khalaf, 19, is from Iraq. Behind that simple sentence is a story – both harrowing and uplifting. Xinrou Tan, 29, is from Malaysia. Another simple string of words, another incredibly inspiring story. Fate brought both to Lincoln as young women. They met in 2017, at Catron Camp and Retreat Center in Nebraska City, where
Between full- and part-time jobs, active involvement in his church and passions for cooking and photography, Garry Floyd, 50, doesn’t have a lot of time to stop and smell his roses – but he has learned to enjoy them in motion. “Walking has really helped me to see the town and how beautiful things are,”
Wade Whitsel knows what it’s like to receive that phone call. “It’s pretty mind-boggling,” he says. Over the last 10 months, the 50-year-old resident of Rosalie, Nebraska, has flashed from ominous test results to a biopsy to that call confirming an aggressive form of prostate cancer. A radical prostatectomy in May gave way to seven
Brittne Westerman-Evert, 31, has a relentless resume – collegiate wrestling on scholarship, intense mixed martial arts training and competition and a decade of service in the U.S Navy. “I’ve always wanted to be the best, and my parents taught me that you have to work hard to be the best. That’s just what I’ve always
Dennis De Leon drove by the office three times before working up the nerve to step inside. The implications of that decision – choosing to engage the Literacy Council of Grand Island – would not only alter his life in a profound way, it would ripple to impact many more. “It’s really important we try
"I learn from the kids. We're like family," says 76-year-old Foster Grandparent Joe Mattox, Papa Joe. He tutors elementary-age students at Wilson Focus School three days a week. "I tell the kids all the time, 'You're going to be one of the smartest kids in the school.' " Fearlessly. That’s how Joe Mattox, 76, served
Maggi Welch has a couple of gigs on tap this particular May afternoon – such is the life of the 71-year-old lead singer of a traditional Irish music band, the Flat Rock Irregulars. “To say we’re an eclectic group is putting it mildly,” Welch says. The intrepid North Platte musician has collected a number of
Diane LeDoux, Deb Ratzlaff and Mary Smith have more in common than proud grandmother status. They’re all advocates for Greater Omaha’s outdoor amenities; active proof that you can venture affordably with the grandkids, often times with no more cost involved than a picnic lunch and a state park permit or an annual membership to a
Retirees Scott and Trudy Darling are treating themselves to the world, a reward for a job well done during their pre-retirement years. “It was such a busy time raising three kids and working, but we always talked about the places we wanted to go. That’s what we’re doing now,” says Scott, 69, a former vice
Teresa Rogers loves to ride motor bikes, build forts and sleep out in the tent. “I’ve been ziplining,” she says. “I’ll do whatever they do.” It’s not peer pressure driving 64-year-old Teresa; it’s intergenerational relationship building. The brick-and-mortar is active engagement with an 18-year-old granddaughter and three grandsons, ages 12, 11 and 7, whom she
