Giving Thanks for Givers

There are upward of 20 million people in Southern California, a pretty substantial gene pool. Even so, the region is blessed with a remarkable number of human beings who defy the odds, overcome adversity and reach down into themselves to find something very special. If you’ve heard of these people, it was probably in a microburst of news. On this holiday, here are just a few of those who richly deserve thanks.

* His Brother’s Keeper: Juan Reyes of Placentia has had to put prom dates, college applications and the rest of an 18-year-old’s life on hold for his severely injured 10-year-old brother, Elfego, who also suffers from Down’s syndrome. Elfego was hurt in the car accident that killed their mother, leaving Juan as the head of the household and his brother’s sole caretaker. Now, Juan is a fixture at his brother’s side, day and night, at the UCI Medical Center. “He feels safe [with me here],” Juan says.

* A Donation Would Have Sufficed: But Brea couple Michele Weber and Karl Reitz raised enough money to send a 13-member medical team to Honduras in the terrible aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. Dr. Felix Aguilar of Long Beach agreed to lead the team, which treated 225 victims on its first day in the country.

* You’re in Good Hands: With whistle-blower Jo Ann Lowe, who sparked an investigation that led to an Allstate Insurance Co. commitment to set aside $60 million and review 9,000 earthquake damage claims by dissatisfied policyholders whose property was damaged by the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

* So, OK, He’s Nosy: Among the thousands who board driver Donnell Jones’ transit bus each week, he remembered the small boy who had said “that he had to go home a couple of hours ago.” So why, Jones asked himself, was the boy later standing outside a liquor store, looking frightened, with a man at his side? Jones quizzed the evasive man, then called the police. The boy was rescued, and the man was arrested for false imprisonment.

* Touched by an Angel: Is how Oxnard residents feel about Sister Carmen Rodriguez. She has served Oxnard’s poor and desperate for more than a decade, offering food, clothing, medicine and spiritual guidance. From food and transportation for a woman fleeing an abusive husband to clothing for the homeless daughters of a cancer-stricken mother, she has done it.

* And Touched by a Neighborhood: In transient and rootless Southern California, the Avalon Gardens tract community in South Los Angeles stands out as a place where drug pushers and vandals are driven away and where homes are passed down to younger family members. When the neighborhood celebrated its 50th anniversary in September, 73-year-old resident Lilla Gil-strap had this to say: “Three generations are here today. We must have done something right.” No kidding.