Brink of Greatness | America Out Loud News

This story starts at a doorstep back in 1991 in the country of Romania. Baby Hannah was left hours after birth, umbilical cord still attached to her tiny body. When Hannah was discovered, she was still bleeding, but alive⏤as the homeowners called the authorities with the news.

Hannah Elisabeth Dougherty

Alone, lost with an uncertain future... Hannah would say, "the despair and loneliness would surface throughout my middle school years when I began to understand my adoption and experience the trials and triumphs of growing up."

The orphanages in Romania were overloaded with babies. What are the chances that an American couple would find their way to Romania in search for a daughter to love? The story of Hannah from that doorstep to a new life in America might only happen in fairytales⏤consider this a real life fairytale.

The story continues on the Brink of Greatness Podcast…

The Next Leap Forward

Hannah Elisabeth Dougherty founded GenUp Sports in 2018, with the goal of serving and giving hope to disadvantaged and at-risk youth in the Texas area, through educational scholarships and leadership programs.

GenUp’s staff and volunteers know firsthand the benefits access to physical enrichment activities, mentorship, and peer support provide children and young adults. GenUp’s programs enhance lives by providing the resources and accessibility necessary for them to thrive through sports and a healthy lifestyle. They also provide the one on one attention children and teens need to build confidence, develop trust, and instill the leadership skills necessary to thrive as adults and serve their communities.

Please DONATE here: https://genupsports.org/donate-1

For Further Insight:

Website: https://genupsports.org/

Seconds can make the difference between life and death.

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time can change the outcome as well.

Having trained personnel with the proper equipment for treatment close by is often the deciding factor.

At just 17 years old, Mike Papale was in a life and death situation. At one point his brother John heard that he had died. It was that serious, and if it wasn't for Bob hearing the call next door, chances are Mike would not be here today. There was no AED on site, but fortunately for Mike--Bob, an EMT working nearby was able to get there in time to perform CPR for eight minutes. 

Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy can and will attack at any age. You've seen the stories where a young athlete, seemingly in great health, goes down for an unexpected heart problem!

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is an equal opportunity killer. It strikes victims of all ages, colors, ethnic backgrounds, sizes and shapes at any time of the day or night and without regard to their religion. There are rarely any symptoms or warnings, and for most, their first symptom is their last. The electric shock from an AED within five minutes is the best chance a victim has. If this shock isn’t given in ten minutes, they stand little chance of surviving.

Mike Papale was in pursuit of his dream of being a basketball player, when he was knocked down in the prime of his life from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He found himself in a hospital bed with his mom by his side when he woke--without the realization of what had just happened. 

"Earlier that morning I had been battling on the basketball court; now I was battling for my life", explains Mike, "For the next three days, I was unaware of everything. The hospital revived me, but there was still the question of whether I would have brain damage."

There would be more setbacks along the way as Mike's dream was shattered... or was it?

The story continues on the Brink of Greatness Podcast…

The Next Leap Forward

It is easy to get trapped on a path where you didn't expect to find yourself. Life has a tendency to change things up on us; especially when we least expect it.

The morale of this story; when live throws you a curveball... hit it!

In the story of Brink Thinker Mike Papale, he hit the curveball and swung for the fence...

"Once my recovery period was over, I once again felt as though I needed to do more to help others. I had been blessed with two different situations in my life where I was fortunate to survive. This is where the idea for the In A Heartbeat Foundation came. With the help of family and friends, I decided it was time for us to start our own nonprofit foundation with one goal in mind: to save lives." - Mike Papale

For Further Insight:

Website: http://www.michaelpapale.com/

The Foundation: http://inaheartbeat.org/

"When I stood on the starting line at the Boston Marathon two runners down from Alberto Salazar (then the world record holder) and Bill Rodgers (four-time winner at the Boston Marathon), I wondered, 'Dick, what in the heck are you doing on the same line with these guys?'"

It was at that moment that an inner voice spoke to Dick Beardsley with a reassuring message.

"Dick, you deserve to be here, you've done the work."

If the name Dick Beardsley seems somewhat familiar to you, then you might be remembering the 1982 Boston Marathon. Beardsley was in a squeaker of a race with Alberto Salazar, fact is, it was the closest finish in history of the marathon, as both runners broke records. The most memorable moment of that race was when a motorcycle cut Beardsley off near the end of the marathon, a marathon which he lost inside of two seconds. You have to be thinking, how did Beardsley ever get over that race! Was he able to accept the results and move on with his life? And how is the man doing today?

It was years later in 1989, when Dick was working at his dairy farm, that a tragic accident with a tractor would change his life forever. Although he managed to stop the equipment, the damage was done. "To this day, I still don't remember how I did it," Dick recalls. "I broke all the ribs on my right side, my right arm, mangled my left leg, and beat up my head pretty badly. I was crawling on my belly toward the house when I was found. I was laid up for five months."

That would begin a dark and challenging chapter of Dick Beardsley's life. He was involved in three serious automobile accidents. Blind-sided by another driver, and Dick spent 15 days in the hospital with an injured back and neck. Another time, he was hit by a truck, which put him back in the hospital for two weeks. A month later, again in a fierce snowstorm, he was in an accident, and rolled his vehicle numerous times, damaging his already tender back and neck. He underwent three back operations and knee surgery.

Each time, Dick was prescribed medication for the pain. At times, he was taking as many as 90 pills a day. "I knew I was addicted," Dick recalls. "But at the same time, I was in denial." 

His addiction had spun out of control, big time. "My whole world revolved around pain medication."

Dick Beardsley was arrested September 1996. Charged with forging prescriptions, he was sentenced to five years' probation and 460 hours of community service.

This moment was a clarion-call that something had to change!

A story of life's worse moments, including the suicide of his only son, Andy, and how one man survives it all. Now only does he survive it all, but his outlook and optimism will give you hope and appreciation that life's blessings are bigger than any one moment!

The story continues on the Brink of Greatness Podcast…

The Next Leap Forward

Wow! What an incredible story. I hope you get as much out of it as I did. My sense is that we've picked up a great new friend in Dick Beardsley. I want to use this time to fill you in on some of the cool things Dick is doing in the world today.

Motivational/Inspirational Speaker • Suicide Survivor of Loss • Farm Accident Survivor •  Prescription Drug Addiction Survivor • Record Breaking Marathon Runner • Famous 1982 Boston Marathon Runner •  Minnesota Native •  Author  •  Fishing Guide • Innkeeper • Husband •  Father •  Subject of a feature film.

Dick Beardsley is one of the world’s most extraordinary, well respected, and compelling motivational / inspirational keynote speakers. Dick's inspirational international best selling autobiography Staying the Course, A Runners Toughest Race and the subject of the best selling book Duel in the Sun:  The Story of Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon. Dick is also the subject of a feature film being produced entitled Against the Wind.

Dick has been the keynote speaker at Fortune 500 companies, non-profit organizations, conferences, conventions, corporate events, fundraisers, galas, sporting events, prisons, schools and drug treatment centers, to name a few.  Anywhere motivation, inspiration and hope is needed. Dick has spoken to countless number of groups all over the world, ranging in size from 5 people to 15,000 people.

For Further Insight:

Website:  https://www.dickbeardsley.com/

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dickbeardsley

As Promised, the link to Dick and Jill's Bed & Breakfast: https://www.lakebemidjibandb.com/.

Seventeen years ago, Greg Buzek was working as a Product Development Manager making anti-theft devices. They were the type of devices designed to deactivate if merchandise left a store without being purchased. Greg made a very good living at this, but found himself completely unfulfilled inside. Something wasn't quite right in his life.

It was at a casual lunch one day with the Pastor from his church, when the first seeds would be planted. Pastor Kelly Lyons worked with small groups and missions at the church, and he needed help. He asked Greg to work in missions, and although Greg was engaged in the talk, internally, he was full of fear:

"I’m a business guy, I have nothing to offer."

Before he got back to his desk that afternoon, he was fired from his job!

"Okay Lord, you have my attention."

But now what?

It kept coming back to helping the people of Liberia. Yet, Greg knew nothing about Liberia. So Greg prayed about this big decision in his life, "Lord, All I know about Liberia is that Chet’s over there, and he’s had malaria three times, been shot at, had an AK47 pointed at his chest from an 8-year-old - If I need to go to Liberia, you’ll need to make it real clear to me".

As Greg was driving home, he sees a man pushing his car up the road. Something tells him to stop and help the guy out. When Greg gets out of the car, he notices a bumper sticker that might as well have been a red-neon lit sign that said:

“I Support Liberia”

What are the chances? This man was from Liberia. As the two men were talking, the stranger explains to Greg that Liberia is in real bad shape and going into a Civil War. Greg explains that he has had it on his heart to go to Liberia, the stranger tells Greg he is nuts!

Greg Buzek was still not excited about this crazy idea of going to Liberia, but the evidence was starting to stack up against him.

Chuck Smith, the Senior Pastor, explained to Greg "Beware of signs and wonders. Make sure you have scriptures backing up whatever you believe God is calling you to do".

Just days later, in his studies, the first scripture presented was Genesis: 12:1; Get thee out of thy country. The next five scriptures all has a similar message.

Greg Buzek's life was about to change and would never be the same again...

The story continues on the Brink of Greatness Podcast…

The Next Leap Forward

Broken families, illness, poverty; there are over 143 million orphans around the globe. A few startling facts from UNICEF tell a story... 

A Child dies every 5.2 seconds, that is over 16,000 children every single day. In the New York Foster care system, 60% of the children who age out end up in a homeless situation. More children age out of care systems in one week than are adopted in an entire year. The stats could go on forever, but they all end in one conclusion:

Far too many children are suffering unnecessarily; disease, famine, lack of resources, crime, trafficking. If we are to put a dent in this worldwide problem, it will take an army of many, but it starts with one!

Greg Buzek recognized this need and through his faith and trust, he took the leap forward to make that difference. Retail Orphan Initiative was born to raise awareness and provide real-life solutions by combining the resources of many with the art of streamlining to that critical moment of need. They not only do this in over 24 countries, but they also focus efforts in the United States. 

Retail Orphan Initiative has interacted in over 188 Projects, raising millions of dollars, rescued 1,200 girls, helped support 1,412 Adoptions, built 19 schools, worked on brining clean water to communities. It's an impressive list of accomplishments that change on a daily basis depending on the need. The Brink of Greatness salutes our Brink Thinker Greg Buzek and the incredible team that is working for the good of humanity!

For Further Insight:

Website: https://www.retailroi.org/

DONATE: https://www.retailroi.org/donate/

Jake Clark enlisted in the Army at 17 years old; he served five years and then went onto become a Los Angeles Police Officer and FBI Agent. He reenlisted after Sept 11th, and then spent another four years in the military, deployed with the California National Guard for two tours in Kosovo.

First we need to understand the severity of the problem. Jake calls it a 'suicide epidemic'. It is a certifiable crisis, no doubt. The most recent VA study shows that 20 warriors are lost each day. Since 1979, that equates to 263,000 veteran suicides - more than WWI, Korea and Vietnam combined. 800,000 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress at this very moment.

Like too many of our warriors, Jake struggled with civilian life, he had serious alcoholic problems, lost his job and was struggling with recovery. Life was spiraling out of control. It wasn't just one thing, Jake's problems seemed insurmountable - which put him on a suicidal path to becoming another national statistic. 

Jake began practicing transcendental meditation after taking a course partially subsidized by Oprah Winfrey. "Oprah played a big part in saving my life," explains Jake. "I knew that the suicide problem was not going to just go away and I took away permission from myself to be okay with the status quo; the other being calling myself on my own bullshit, meaning to stop seeking material solutions for spiritual problems; to accept what I’d known for some time now: that in order to find what I was really looking for in life... that I had to help enough other people get theirs first."

Jake Clark is about as raw and authentic as you can get. There are some profound elements discussed on the program that you will want to think through and consider for your own life. This broadcast you're about to hear can and will change your life friends!

The story continues on the Brink of Greatness Podcast…

The Next Leap Forward

"The synthesis of these critical moments of discovery - known as anagnorisis - changed everything," says Jake. The reversal of fortune and change in my circumstances amounted to an insightful quantum change; a profound “aha” moment that left me stunned; a moment over which I will never get."

Jake put on the first Save A Warrior cohort in September 2012. They've just completed the 65th Cohort at Save A Warrior, having hosted more than 700 active duty, returning Veterans & First Responders.

Save A Warrior​™ is a meaningful conversation about the nature of human experience. A nationally-recognized program, that offers novel, judgment-free solutions to returning Veterans, Active Duty Service Members, and First Responders with Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS). “Everybody who comes [into the program] is suicidal,” Clark said. “You ask them, ‘What’s going on?’ They say, ‘I’m taking pills, I can’t sleep, my wife is threatening to leave me.’

The Project’s motto is “Play like your life depends on it.”

Please DONATE here: https://saveawarrior.org/donate/#donate-1

For Further Insight: Website: www.saveawarrior.org

Homelessness is a worldwide problem, a national disaster, and a drain on local communities.

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. There are many origins of this famous quote - Chinese, Native American, Italian, Indian, or Biblical, Lao-Tzu, Maimonides, or Mao Zedong. Where ever it originated may be unclear... but what is clear, is the power behind those words.

Homelessness continues to be a topic of great interest across the nation. There are many excellent groups, organizations and people trying to combat the growing epidemic. The more you feed the problem however, the more it remains the status-quo.

You are about to meet an organization out of Forth Worth, Texas, that has discovered the art of teaching people to fish. Chief Executive Officer, Toby Owen, explains how Project Clean Slate has become the starting place for the journey home for many homeless people. This could very well be a case study for the nation as countless communities struggle with homelessness.

The Presbyterian Night Shelter and Project Clean Slate welcomes anyone without a home. And then they help them find one. They do much more than provide free access to safe shelter and a warm meal however, they provide hope and a future through case management, employment help, counseling, housing assistance and other programs.

The story continues on the Brink of Greatness Podcast…

The Next Leap Forward

The Presbyterian Night Shelter was started by a group of Presbyterian ministers as an overnight shelter for the county’s homeless population, providing spiritual guidance for those who seek it through a full-time chaplain and the Hope Chapel for Bible study and worship. And while their emergency shelter services are still available to anyone who needs them, they’re equally focused on helping guests find their own permanent housing.

Please DONATE here: https://giving.journeyhome.org/give/180277/#!/donation/checkout

For Further Insight:

Presbyterian Night Shelter: https://www.journeyhome.org/

Program Clean Slate: https://cleanslatedfw.org/

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_JourneyHome

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PresbyterianNightShelter/

"Finally, I met a guy who wanted to get to know me as a friend. He wasn't hitting on me, he didn't need money, he was completely self-sufficient. He saw something in me. I'd never had anyone mirror back a positive image of me, ever. I’d always looked at other people, regardless of their position in life, and I assumed they looked down on me. That they could see that I was garbage," explains Lisa Kirk.

What happens when you have no self-esteem and it seems the cards of life are stacked against you? It can be a long plummet downward.

Lisa Kirk grew up in an outwardly perfect family - truth is, it was anything but that. Alcohol, drugs, failed relationships, abuse, both physically and mentally. Lisa found herself in the downward spiral in a life that was completely out-of-control.

It all came to a tipping point when her live-in-partner did the unthinkable...

"One night, after I fell asleep, he was super high on cocaine, he found my hiding place and stole all my money. He continued to get more violent and he ended up getting into a fight with a neighbor after a drinking binge. We were eventually evicted. This screwed up my credit and my rental history. The first night we went to stay with some people he knew, and when I saw that it was basically a drug house, I lost it. We were at the top of the stairs and he punched me square in the face; I fell backward down the stairs. I couldn't see, I literally thought I was going to die. I left that night, I had what I was wearing and a couple of bags of clothes in my car. I parked behind a building in the industrial area. I had to keep starting my car throughout the night because it was so cold.  So here I am, injured from being pushed down the stairs, but all I thought about was how I left him without money and that I had failed him. I had zero self-worth."

The story of how Lisa Kirk turned her life around continues on the Brink of Greatness Podcast…

The Next Leap Forward

We are inspired on the Brink of Greatness to help get the word out, and to make a difference in the world on the plight of homeless-beings! Lisa has one of the most unusual and fascinating ways of connecting to these lost souls.

Society is too focused on people's past or background, and that is the true problem behind homelessness. It is the obstacle that keeps people from rejoining life. Everyone can change if given the opportunity. These people aren't monsters or losers, They're important.

Find our more about Lisa at  http://Quora.com .

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamlisakirk

Kathy & Roger Flynn were so excited at the birth of their first child,

their beautiful daughter Ansley Sara Flynn.

"Shortly after this joyous occasion we were suddenly approached by our pediatrician stating, “I hear a heart murmur, but feel like it is innocent however, as a precautionary measure we have arranged a pediatric cardiologist for an evaluation”. Within a few hours the cardiologist came into our room and said, “I have no other way to say this, but your daughter has severe congenital heart disease and may not make it through the night”. Within just a few hours our lives were turned upside down. The baby I had just held in my arms and nursed was now in the ICU fighting for her life.

As we walked into the ICU to see her for the first time since the horrific news - tears were streaming down my face and all I could think of was protecting her. All of my mommy duties had just been taken away no sooner than I got them. I was confused, concerned and in shock. The only thing I had left to give her was my love, a gentle touch and my tearful prayers. At that point I began to be grateful that I had carried her for 9 months, held her for 2 days and I that would have her for eternity… then my spirit kicked in... I was going to fight with all my might to save her. My baby’s life meant something, and it wasn’t going to end this way. I became a prayer warrior and claimed healing for my baby. I knew she needed me to be strong and became her advocate. This sweet baby was in a fight for her life and I was going to be beside her fighting along with her to save her."

Ansley Sara Flynn

The news was devastating. After a short visit with their daughter Ansley in the ICN, the doctors came in and delivered the news. They had three choices. They could elect no medical intervention and take Ansley home to die; they could take a chance with experimental surgery; or follow the path of a potential heart transplant.

The story and journey of Ansley and her parents, Kathy and Roger Flynn continues on the Brink of Greatness Podcast…

The Next Leap Forward

Over 40,000 babies are born in the U.S. with heart defects every year. One in 100 people are born with Congenital Heart Defects. The Flynn's wanted to do something about this and make a difference in the world, and so they did. 

Kathy & Roger Flynn Build a Legacy at Camp Braveheart in the name of daughter Ansley! 

"Roger would handle fundraising, My job managing director/Camp director, Ansley’s nurse would coordinate the medical team and a special child life coordinator would assist with the agenda/theme of camp. The four of us would work hard to pull off the impossible camp for heart kids with special needs.

The name of our first camp was “Heart Camp”. Heart Camp was set for the first weekend in October 1995 where 25 kids and 25 volunteers would connect and have the time of their lives while growing in confidence and love for one another. Our first camp was a huge success! The second year 1996 was even bigger with 50 kids and 40 volunteers. It brought certain challenges for us personally because Ansley had her 3rd open heart surgery which was a big surgery and she had been in the hospital for a month. But we were determined and by the grace of God we pulled it off. It was at the 2nd camp we realize camp needed its own special name. This awesome place deserved an awesome name so we come up with 3 names and the kids voted on Camp Braveheart!

Life can change in the blink of a moment, and when you least expect it. Sometimes it is an ordinary everyday event that goes bad. Fact is, many of these encounters happen within a few miles of your home even.

It was May of 2017, when Aspen made a typical stop at a Subway sandwich shop, just miles from her home in Tucson, Arizona. She was abducted at knifepoint from a man with a criminal past; she was brutally and sexually assaulted throughout the course of many hours. 

It was the phone call that would change everything, when Craig Sawyer and his wife received the call that would turn their life upside down!

Craig Sawyer and his family knew immediately that they had to do something to answer back, and they did.

This is an incredible story of courage and faith, and how one man, his family, and a community of citizens can make the ultimate difference...

The story continues on the Brink of Greatness Podcast…

The Next Leap Forward

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ― Edmund Burke

Child Trafficking is the fastest growing enterprise in the world, as Craig points out on the broadcast, it is even more lucrative and active than the narcotics industry. 27 million children worldwide are victims of Human Trafficking and Sex Slavery. It is a$150 billion dollar industry.

The Untied States has the highest child rape consumption in the world, some of this growth can be credited to the point of accessibility. Through mobile phones and apps, technology creates a vulnerability factor that can be difficult to defend.

Veterans for Child Rescue was founded specifically to help bring an end to child trafficking.

For Further Insight:

Website: https://vets4childrescue.org/

PLEASE DONATE HERE: https://vets4childrescue.org/pages/donate

“I used to walk to work every day in Crystal City,” Snyder says of the area in Northern Virginia near the Pentagon. Each day, she encountered veterans like Clarke, whose situation astounded her. “I couldn’t believe it. He was homeless, right here in my area.”

That is where the story begins. Lieutenant Colonel Deborah Snyder served for 22 years, US Army, UH-1 Huey Test Pilot, UH-60 Blackhawk Pilot. Her passion to serve was at the center of her military career; so much that, in retirement she found herself with that same desire back here at home. This time it would be to serve and honor our military vets that were most forgotten.

There are approximately 68K Veterans living in transitional shelters, in tent cities and on the streets. “I don’t think we should have homeless vets,” says Snyder, "It’s a fixable problem.”

Lloyd Clarke, a Vietnam-era vet found himself homeless at 66 years old, Snyder and Operation Renewed Hope Foundation assisted in finding him a new home. “She’s very serious about helping the veterans,” states Clarke.

Operation Renewed Hope Foundation (ORHF) is a Veteran-let nonprofit organization providing quality housing and supportive services to homeless Veterans. ORHF partners with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The organization arranges for permanent housing for homeless Veterans, they provide vehicles, and assist with health care and other services. 

“At night when I lay down, I see a ceiling over my head,” Snyder says. “I think of these vets who see the inside of a car or a tent. It’s really nice to see someone go from living in a shelter or in a vehicle and see them happy.”

The story continues on the Brink of Greatness Podcast…

The Next Leap Forward

The 5 words that motivate Deborah Snyder; from the mouth of a veteran... “She has changed my life”. 

Mother Teresa summed it up well – “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”

For Further Insight:

Website:  https://operationrenewedhopefoundation.org/

Donate Here:  https://operationrenewedhopefoundation.org/how-you-can-help/make-a-donation/