Certified Executive Coach/Communications/PR/Thought Leadership Expert/Love to Help People and Help my Community
Joined April 2009
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Tina Wilson retweeted
Amazing true story:
On a pouring Sunday morning in Georgia in 2014, TunDe Hector hit rock bottom on the shoulder of a slick highway. Enduring a painful divorce and severe financial hardship, she watched helplessly as her fuel gauge dropped to empty and her car sputtered to a halt. She had a single $5 bill in her pocket, an empty gas can in her hand, and miles of cold rain between her and the nearest filling station.
Minutes later, Chris Wright drove past on his way to church with his family. Spotting the solitary woman trudging through the downpour with a gas can, he felt an unmistakable tug on his conscience. After dropping his wife and children off at the church doors, he looked at his wife, Carmen, and said, "I have to go back. I have to help her."
Chris turned his vehicle around, pulled onto the shoulder, and offered TunDe a dry seat. He drove her to the nearest gas station and paid to fill her container. As they pulled back up to her stranded car, Chris felt another quiet prompting inside his chest telling him to empty his wallet. He reached into his pocket, pulled out $40, every dollar he had on him, and pressed the folded bills into her hand. TunDe wept right there in the passenger seat, thanking a man whose name she did not even know before they parted ways.
Three years later, in the summer of 2017, tragedy struck the Wright family. Chris’s mother, Judy Wright, entered the final, devastating stages of Parkinson’s disease. Doctors informed the family that she had only weeks left to live and required immediate, round-the-clock hospice care at home. The family arranged for a private nursing aide, only for the scheduled caregiver to cancel at the very last minute.
In her place, the agency sent a replacement certified nursing assistant: TunDe Hector.
Neither TunDe nor the Wright family recognized one another when she walked through the front door. Over the following days, the family watched in awe as TunDe cared for their dying matriarch with extraordinary gentleness, dignity, and warmth. She spoke softly to Judy, prayed over her bed, and treated her with the devotion of a daughter. During quiet hours beside Judy’s bed, the family learned that TunDe dreamed of finishing nursing school, though she was currently locked out of registering for classes because she owed tuition money she could not afford.
One afternoon during a shift change, the conversation turned to how faith carries people through impossible seasons. TunDe began telling the family about the lowest day of her life three years prior, describing how she had run out of gas in the pouring rain with only five dollars to her name, and how a kind stranger had circled back from church, bought her fuel, and handed her every dollar in his wallet.
Across the room, Chris Wright froze. His jaw dropped, and tears immediately welled in his eyes.
"TunDe," Chris whispered, his voice breaking. "That was me."
They both removed their hats, looked closely at one another, and broke down crying in the middle of the living room. The woman Chris had rescued on the side of a lonely highway had been sent back into his life three years later to comfort his mother in her final days on earth.
Two weeks later, on July 9, Judy passed away peacefully. It happened to be TunDe’s birthday. Even though she was off duty and celebrating with her own loved ones, the second TunDe received the phone call, she left her birthday party and rushed straight to the Wright home to comfort Judy’s widowed husband and prepare her friend one last time with dignity.
Overwhelmed by her selflessness, the Wright family decided that simple thank-you notes were nowhere near enough. When they wrote Judy’s obituary, they included a special request: in lieu of funeral flowers, please donate toward TunDe Hector’s nursing school tuition.
They set up an online fundraiser hoping to gather $1,000 to clear her past-due class balance. Within 45 minutes of going live, the fund surpassed its goal. Within days, the story of their full-circle encounter spread across the country, and strangers donated over $34,000, enough to pay for TunDe’s entire nursing degree. A single forty-dollar bill given in the rain had returned years later as priceless grace when a family needed it most.
Tina Wilson retweeted
Tell me about the "Islamophobia".
Tell that to the 7-year-old me, who was forced to wear this (photo on the right) to school every day since she was 7 years old.
Tell the 8-year-old me that she was about to be molested by an adult man in a very conservative neighborhood on her way to school, and that if she didn't run fast enough and the school wasn't close enough, who knows what would happen to her.
Tell me my entire childhood wasn't taken away from me.
Tell me my adolescence in Iran was not filled with terror.
Tell me I wasn't oppressed and abused and that I'm just a "Islamophobe."
Tina Wilson retweeted
This is pretty cool. @virginia_tech needs to follow suit. No job after college? JMU will let struggling grads come back for free richmond.com/news/local/educ… via @rtdnews
Tina Wilson retweeted
Aurora Human Trafficking Unit Nets 28 Arrests, 29 Recoveries in Year 1
It’s been one year since the Aurora Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit was established and already it has proved itself to be a force multiplier in the agency’s mission to reduce victimization and stop exploitative behavior.
In its first 12 months of operations, the Human Trafficking Unit launched 53 investigations, arrested 28 suspects and recovered 29 survivors of human trafficking activity, 15 of which were minors. The Human Trafficking Unit has recently grown to three detectives with a supervising sergeant.
“When we set out to create a dedicated human trafficking unit, our mission was clear: put survivors at the center of our investigations while taking a targeted approach to identifying and holding traffickers accountable,” said Investigations Bureau Cmdr. Marc Paolino. “In its first year, this small, highly focused team has made a significant impact, particularly in protecting vulnerable victims and disrupting the sexual exploitation of minors.
“The work they’ve done has made our community safer and sent a clear message that the Aurora Police Department will aggressively pursue anyone who exploits others for this type of heinous, criminal activity.”
Among the 28 suspects arrested is Marshae Wheelock, 24, of Aurora, who is tied to numerous human trafficking and sexual exploitation cases over several years involving multiple child victims. Wheelock currently has three active court cases in Arapahoe and Adams district courts.
In Arapahoe District Court, Wheelock is charged with trafficking a minor for sexual servitude, pimping a child, pimping, pandering prostitution and engaging in human trafficking for sexual servitude. Wheelock recently accepted a plea deal with the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and is scheduled to appear Nov. 6 in court for sentencing where he faces eight to 16 years in prison.
Wheelock has two active cases in Adams District Court. In one, he faces similar charges of trafficking a minor for sexual servitude, pimping a child and pimping. Wheelock also has agreed to a plea deal with the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. He is scheduled to appear Nov. 10 in court for sentencing where he faces 10 years in prison.
Wheelock is charged with victim intimidation in his second Adams District Court case; crimes investigators determined he orchestrated from jail. Wheelock also accepted a plea deal in this case and faces two to six years in prison.
“Marshae Wheelock represents the type of offender the Human Trafficking Unit was created to investigate; someone who repeatedly preys on vulnerable children,” said Deputy Chief Mark Hildebrand, who oversees the Aurora Police Department Investigations Division. “I’m proud of the work our investigators did to identify this pattern of exploitation and build these cases to ensure he cannot victimize another child in our community.”
In another case, Human Trafficking Unit investigators engaged in February in an undercover operation involving a 16-year-old girl. Investigators recovered the teenager and later identified three suspects involved in the sexual exploitation of the 16-year-old for financial gain.
Investigators arrested Aja Abney, 20, of Centennial, Dasjuan Goode, 38, of Aurora, and Damara Hester, 32, of Denver. All three face charges in Adams District Court.
Abney, who is free on $30,000 bond, faces charges of trafficking a minor for sexual servitude, pandering a child and attempted pimping of a child.
Goode, who is in custody on $75,000 bond, faces charges of trafficking a minor for sexual servitude and pimping a child.
Hester, who is free on $20,000 bond, faces charges of pimping.
All three cases are early in the court process.
The Aurora Police Department is one of a few agencies in Colorado to create a dedicated Human Trafficking Unit. Established in September 2025, the Human Trafficking Unit is partnered with the agency’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit to leverage already-established local, state and federal partnerships and investigative resources through the Colorado Cyber Guardian Task Force.
The investigations are active and ongoing. Anyone with any information about the above suspects or other victims not yet known to law enforcement is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720.913.STOP (7867). Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
ALT Booking photos of suspects on a blue background.
Tina Wilson retweeted
“College Football: there’s nothing like it.”
Come back soon, @JoshPateCFB! 🫡🤝
Tina Wilson retweeted
As someone who has seen the Enter Sandman entrance live countless times, it is a spectacle every single time
Tina Wilson retweeted
Meet the newest member of the Corps 🐾
Introducing Growley IV, call sign Bedford. Named in honor of the Bedford Boys, Bedford's name carries forward a legacy of courage, service, and unwavering loyalty.
ALT Alt: An adorable lab puppy looks up while sitting at the feet of a line of first year cadets in uniform. Additional info: Bedford will spend the next year completing his initial training and will join cadets on Upper Quad next fall. He will officially report for duty in the fall of 2028 after a year of shadowing Growley III, call sign Stryker. Once Bedford assumes Growley duties in Fall 2028, Stryker will begin his well-deserved retirement and will be cared for by a former cadet handler. Legend says the original Growley was a beloved Depression-era dog cared for by cadets sharing breakfast scraps. He returned to Virginia Tech in 2016 when Echo Company introduced a new furry friend to boost Corps morale and serve as an ambassador for the Corps.
ALT A yellow lab puppy walks on a turf football field with a wall and VT logos in the background
ALT A lab puppy sits next to an adult lab on a turf football field
Tina Wilson retweeted
A remarkable story and a testament to the American Spirit.
Tina Wilson retweeted
Such a lovely tribute to our canine
friends who risked their lives and
made many human lives, just a
little bit better on 9-11 and after.
Good bless all of you sweet babies ♥️🐾
Tina Wilson retweeted
Sharing a post 🙏🥹🐾🐕🦺
On September 11, 2001, dogs served in different ways across the World Trade Center disaster — searching rubble, detecting danger, and guiding people through smoke-filled stairwells to safety.
Apollo, an NYPD German Shepherd, searched the ruins of Ground Zero alongside rescue crews.
Bretagne, a young Golden Retriever with Texas Task Force 1, worked through dust, twisted steel, and devastation. Years later, she became widely remembered as the last known surviving 9/11 search-and-rescue dog.
Jake, a black Labrador who had once been abandoned and badly injured, grew up to become a certified search-and-rescue dog. After 9/11, he spent days working through the wreckage at Ground Zero.
Sirius, a Port Authority Police yellow Labrador trained to detect explosives, was inside the World Trade Center that morning. His handler, Officer David Lim, secured him before rushing to help others evacuate.
Lim survived.
Sirius did not.
He became known as the only police dog killed in the 9/11 attacks.
And then there were Roselle and Salty.
They weren’t searching the rubble.
They were guide dogs.
Roselle helped her blind handler, Michael Hingson, escape from the 78th floor of the North Tower.
Salty helped his blind handler, Omar Rivera, descend from the 71st floor.
Through darkness, noise, fear, crowded stairwells, and chaos, they kept moving.
Six dogs.
Six very different stories.
Search dogs. Police dogs. Guide dogs.
None of them knew the meaning of terrorism.
None understood why that morning had changed America forever.
They simply did what they had been trained to do — and stayed beside the people who depended on them.
More than two decades later, their names still deserve to be remembered.
Apollo. Bretagne. Jake. Sirius. Roselle. Salty.
They searched.
They guided.
They served.
Never forget September 11, 2001. 🇺🇸🐾
#September11 #911 #NeverForget #GroundZero #SearchAndRescue #K9 #GuideDogs #HeroDogs #Apollo #Bretagne #Jake #Sirius #Roselle #Salty
Tina Wilson retweeted
After the 9/11 attacks, hundreds of search‑and‑rescue dogs were deployed to Ground Zero alongside human first responders. These dogs were highly trained to locate survivors in disaster zones, and many had spent years practicing scenarios where their searches ended in successful “finds.”
But at Ground Zero, the reality was devastating: day after day, the dogs found only deceased victims. Their handlers began noticing troubling changes, dogs growing visibly sad, confused, and even reluctant to continue searching. For animals conditioned to believe every search should end in saving someone, the constant absence of survivors felt like failure.
Handlers quickly realized the emotional toll was becoming dangerous. Rescue dogs rely heavily on morale, praise, and a sense of accomplishment to stay motivated and focused. Without those positive outcomes, some dogs began showing signs of depression: lowered tails, reduced appetite, and decreased enthusiasm for work. To protect their mental well‑being, handlers started staging mock rescues.
They would hide fellow rescuers in accessible spots so the dogs could “find” a living person, receive praise, and regain confidence. These staged successes weren’t just kindness—they were essential to keeping the dogs effective in an environment filled with trauma.
This practice became a quiet but powerful example of the bond between handlers and their dogs. Even in one of the darkest moments in modern history, rescuers recognized that emotional care mattered, not just for humans, but for the animals who worked beside them. The staged finds helped maintain morale, restored the dogs’ sense of purpose, and allowed them to continue contributing to the recovery effort.
One of the most remembered dogs at Ground Zero was Bretagne, a golden retriever from Texas who worked tirelessly through smoke, twisted steel, and unstable debris. Her handler later recalled how Bretagne would gently nudge exhausted firefighters, offering comfort before returning to the rubble to search again.
She wasn’t just looking for survivors, she became a source of emotional support for the human crews, sensing when someone needed a moment of connection. Years later, when Bretagne returned to New York for her 16th birthday, firefighters lined the street to salute her, honoring not just her work but the quiet compassion she brought to one of the darkest sites in American history.
#archaeohistories
Tina Wilson retweeted
From Karl Streed -
I BET YOU DIDN'Y KNOW ABOUT THIS: AFTER FLIGHT 77 HIT THE PENTAGON ON 9/11, THE FOLLOWING HAPPENED.
A daycare facility inside the Pentagon had many children, including infants who were in heavy cribs. The daycare supervisor, looking at all the children they needed to evacuate, was in a panic over what they could do.
There were many children, mostly toddlers, as well as the infants who would need to be taken out with the cribs. There was no time to try to bundle them into carriers and strollers.
Just then a young Marine came running into the center and asked what they needed. After hearing what the center director was trying to do, he ran back out into the hallway and disappeared. The director thought, "Well, here we are, on our own."
About 2 minutes later, that Marine returned with 40 other Marines in tow.
Each of them grabbed a crib with a child, and the rest started gathering up toddlers.
The director and her staff then helped them take all the children out of the center and down toward the park near the Potomac .
Once they got about 3/4 of a mile outside the building, the Marines stopped in the park, and then did a fabulous thing - they formed a circle with the cribs, which were quite sturdy and heavy, like the covered wagons in the Old West.
Inside this circle of cribs, they put the toddlers, to keep them from wandering off.
Outside this circle were the 40 Marines, forming a perimeter around the children and waiting for instructions. There they remained until the parents could be notified and come get their children.
The chaplain then said, "I don't think any of us saw nor heard of this on any of the news stories of the day. It was an incredible story of our men there.” There wasn't a dry eye in the room.
The thought of those Marines and what they did and how fast they reacted; could we expect any less from them? It was one of the most touching stories from the Pentagon.
It's the military, not the politicians that ensures our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It's the military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag.
If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and appreciation for the military, please pass this on and pray for our men and women, who have served and are currently serving our country, and honor the memory of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice!
God Bless The USA!
Never forget!!!
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
The account of 40 Marines rushing to evacuate Pentagon daycare children in cribs and form a protective perimeter like covered wagons on 9/11 is a debunked fictional story that first circulated years later.
snopes.com/fact-check/pen…
nps.gov/gwmp/learn/his…
congress.gov/congressional-…
Tina Wilson retweeted
Whoever runs this account, thank you for @Trail_Cams. Absolutely magical. Makes my day whenever I visit.
Tina Wilson retweeted
This was filmed last Monday morning at Veterinary Clinic in Richmond, Virginia.
The officer is Sergeant Paul Greer. He's 44 years old with the Richmond Police Department.
The dog is a nine-year-old German Shepherd named Kodak. Paul's K9 partner for eight years.
Paul and Kodak were paired when Kodak was fourteen months old. They went through sixteen weeks of handler training together in Chesterfield County. They worked patrol, search operations, and community events together for eight consecutive years. Paul estimates they logged more than eleven thousand hours on duty together.
Kodak retired from active service fourteen months ago when his health began declining. He went home with Paul, as K9 partners typically do when they retire. Paul converted the back bedroom into a dog room. Kodak slept on a memory foam bed beside Paul's side of the bed.
Over the past several months, Kodak's condition worsened gradually. His mobility declined. His appetite became inconsistent. Paul's veterinarian, Dr. Sarah Malone, had been monitoring Kodak carefully through regular visits and was honest with Paul each time about what she was seeing.
Last Sunday evening, Paul sat with Kodak on the back porch for a long time. He called Dr. Malone afterward.
The appointment was Monday morning at nine.
Paul wore his uniform. He told his wife he wasn't sure why, exactly. It just felt right. Like Kodak had always known him in it. Dr. Malone and her technician gave Paul as much time as he needed. He sat on the clinic floor with Kodak in his arms for a long time before Dr. Malone prepared anything.
Paul's wife stood in the corner filming quietly. She knew Paul would want to remember it.
Paul was holding Kodak close, talking to him quietly, when Kodak did something that made everyone in the room go still.
Kodak lifted both front paws. Slowly. With great effort. And placed them on Paul's shoulders.
He held on.
Paul pulled Kodak closer and pressed his face into Kodak's neck. Neither of them moved.
Dr. Malone paused. Stood completely still. Her technician stepped back.
The room was completely quiet.
Paul stayed there holding Kodak for a long time after that.
Dr. Malone told us: "In twenty-two years of practice, I have never paused during a procedure. I paused Monday morning. That dog raised those paws with everything he had left. That was not a reflex. That was a goodbye. And I wasn't going to rush it."
Paul's department honored Kodak with a formal tribute on Tuesday. A post on the department's community page has been shared over forty thousand times.
Paul told the department chaplain: "Eight years on the street together. Through everything. And at the very end, when he could barely move, he lifted his paws and held on. He was telling me it was okay.
That we were okay. I'll carry that for the rest of my life."
*Some partnerships are bigger than the job. Some goodbyes carry more love than any words ever could.”