Dollie McLean, the executive director of The Artists Collective, established the North Hartford performing and visual arts cultural center nearly 43 years back with her late husband, jazzman Jackie McLean. The center today faces grave funding deficit and is said to close by mid-2019, but Mclean said she remains hopeful.
On October 31, 2018, More than 8,000 Southwest Florida residents greeted President Donald Trump at his rally where he campaigned for top Republican candidates Ron DeSantis for governor and Rick Scott for U.S. Senate at Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla.
Grass patches float on the Townsend Canal located near the irrigation pump station of the Caloosahatchee River (C-43) West Basin Storage Reservoir Project in Hendry County. The project, which is located on 10,500 acres of former farmland, will provide storage needed for the estuary by capturing and storing local basin runoff and will also regulate releases from Lake Okeechobee. The project is due to be completed in the year 2022.
“I was lying there dying," Josh Heine said. "It felt so good for me to close my eyes. As if someone was rubbing the back of my head saying, ‘It's okay. Just let go. It's fine.’" Heine's still recalls the last few moments of consciousness after the fatal car crash that left him with quadriplegia at the age of 18. For Heine, simple things in life may be challenging but, they are not impossible. "I do not have difficulties. I am not weak or incapable," Heine said. "I am just unique."
While waiting in line to enter President Trump's rally, Lee Stein grabs his significant other, Ashley Stein while a nearby supporter snaps a photo of them on October 31, 2018, at Estero, Fla.
Sharon Kaltenborn reacts while sharing a story with her friend during the 15th annual Hats in the Garden fundraiser luncheon at the Naples Botanical Garden. The yearly fundraiser officially marks the kickoff to the social season in the community.
On September 13, 2017, when hurricane Irma had her landfall in Florida, the wrath of her eye swept through Mason Martin's farm in Labelle. Once Irma's fury had taken her toll, Martin remembers looking over to his farm and seeing broken branches and uprooted plants. Over the next two month, he said, he draws a blank on what life was like for him, all he recalls is working tirelessly to help his farm. "In the end, you decide if you want to run away from it or fix it," Martin said. "I decided to fix it."
Brianna Lewin wants to grow up and join the military to fight for her country and work at a group home, taking care of older people. Fourteen-year-old Lewin grew up in the troubled neighborhood of North Hartford. While crime and drugs are rampant near her home, Brianna wishes for a new home and a new beginning. "People kill each other here," she said. Someday, Lewin hopes to move out and have a better future for herself.
Moments before the start of the March for Our Lives rally in Calvert City, Ky. student survivors of the Marshall County High School shooting gather in an embrace to support and encourage each other while practicing speeches for the rally. From the left, Cloi Kennedy, Hailey Case, Lela Free, and Seth Adams were a few feet away from the Commons where the shooter opened fire on January 23, 2018. "That high school no matter how much they renovate it, no matter how many times they wax the floors, I will always be able to picture the blood that was there," Lela said. "It can never truly be washed away from Marshall County."
Khai Vu gets a haircut from his aunt Vang Vu Nguyen, on a Saturday afternoon while his brother and father wait in line. Khai and his family recently moved to Bowling Green, Ky. from Vietnam to live with their family who now resides in the United States.
Seven-year-old, Lukas Bisek, jumps over a puddle of water from a freshly washed boat at MarineMax Naples on a cloudy afternoon.
Crouching over in the corner of the ladies' restroom Kenzlie Walden,6, gets ready for the Little Mister and Little Miss Monroe County Fair beauty pageant in Tompkinsville, Ky. Kenzlie pulled out an eyelash curler from her sister’s makeup bag and demanded her eyelashes to be curled so that she can "look pretty for the show."
Middle Linebacker of Naples High School, Marc Viechec, sits by himself, sobbing, during the third quarter of the Class 6A state semifinal game against Miami-Northwestern Senior High. The intense match ended in Naples High School's defeat with a score of 7-40.
Bryna Sims had always battled depression, anxiety, ADHD, and PDD in isolation but, the effects of her mental health problems hit when she began college in 2013. With support from friends, family, and medication, today, Sims finds confidence in talking about mental health freely and openly. “I am not a coward about my pain,” she said.
From the left, James and Harold Copas sit on the front porch with their mother Mildred Walker, in Tompkinsville, Ky. as they enjoy the summer breeze.
Richar Small is an assistant professor of glass blowing and casting at the San Jose State University has always loved the material glass from a very young age. Small has always been drawn to the material - glass and its uniqueness. "I know I will never master glass, and hence, I will never get bored,” Small said.
Dave Cornelisse, 69, enjoys the afternoon sun in his backyard pool. Cornelisse lives his retired life singing at karaoke bars and offering hand-made origami animals to strangers. Today, his only motto is to make people smile spread a little joy. "I want to leave behind lots of paper animals and positive energy," Cornelisse said.