I usually post on Thursday's, but I'm sneaking one in today...
I met Jane Boal five years ago when she was doing an “Unsung Heroes” segment on Shawn Harrington. Shawn lost his Mom, Frinda, and she became an organ donor. Shawn and his Mom, and their story, became a focus for Gift of Hope and the Illinois Secretary of State – and Shawn became a wonderful proponent of organ donation. I was brought in to lend a recipient’s perspective, and personally, to give Shawn a hug.
Jane and I exchanged a few emails after the piece aired in 2003… Five years later, I got an email from her telling me that I’d sent her one of the nicest emails she’s received about her work and what’s important to her, and asking if I was still volunteering for Gift of Hope.
I let her know that I was speaking the next day with Tim Joos, and I told her about Tim and his beautiful daughter, Samantha. It was too soon to coordinate coverage, but we got together a few weeks later and did our presentations for her while she and a camera man filmed… I knew Tim and I told our stories well from the tears on her cheeks as she watched us…
Jane's story aired Friday night during the 9pm news on WGN-TV. Jane has put together some beautiful, passionate pieces for WGN, but I didn’t know how she was going to stuff 90 minutes of tape into a few minute segment – I think she did a good job:
“Chicago’s Very Own” focuses on Chicagoans doing something special. I love that Joan ended focusing on Kari and Samantha – letting people know what they did for others, and that they are “Chicago’s Very Own.”
I know that Kari is Algona, Iowa’s very own – but in my heart she'lI always be our very own too…
