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Home Business/Finance Black Enterprise Philly Teen Who Navigated Diabetes, Being Unhoused, And Foster Care Ge –...
Philly Teen Who Navigated Diabetes, Being Unhoused, And Foster Care Ge – BOTWC
She's a walking, talking miracle.
A Philadelphia teen who navigated diabetes, being unhoused, and foster care has beaten the odds, getting accepted to more than 50 colleges, Good Morning America reports.
Destiny Jackson ran away from an abusive home in Philadelphia when she was only 13 years old.
"It was getting really out of control," is all Jackson would say about that time in her life.
After leaving, Jackson experienced homelessness, sleeping couch to couch until she began going in and out of foster care and group homes.
"It was very rocky in the beginning," Jackson recalled.
Making matters even more complicated, Jackson was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at three-years-old. She was solely responsible for managing her health since she didn't have a consistent guardian in her life. The teen was often attending her diabetic appointments alone but learned to work with the help of doctors and workers at the homeless shelter. Because of her disease, it was tough for her to find a dedicated foster family.
"I did struggle with finding homes because a lot of people do not want someone who's Type 1 diabetic. But then I was a teenager as well. It wasn't something that was good," she said.
According to the U.S. Health and Human Services department, the average age of adoption was 8.7 years old, with younger children having a higher chance of adoption than older ones.
With so much out of Jackson's control as a teen, she focused her energy on the one thing she could control, school. With the help of North Philadelphia-based nonprofit New Options More Opportunities, Jackson was able to prepare her college applications, focusing on making her future brighter than her past with the hope of just receiving one acceptance letter.
According to The National Foster Youth Institute, less than 3% of children who age out of foster care earn a college degree, Black Enterprise reports. Those are odds that Jackson intends to beat. After submitting her applications, the teen received 56 college acceptance letters, proving that life's challenges don't have to define you.
"I was highly shocked. I was like, 'Am I dreaming?' Wake me up out of this…I did not want to allow anything to get the best of me. I always wanted to go to college. I always knew that I wanted to do something with my life. No matter what happened, I needed to keep my eye on the prize," Jackson said.
She received acceptance from several universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California Los Angeles, and Howard University, choosing to go to Spelman College in Atlanta, her top choice.
"I've been in the foster care system for my second time since the age of 13. I've been homeless for three years. Oh wow, it's been a lot. Thank God to my support system and the community. They have helped me along the way and been by my side," Jackson told reporters.
The 18-year-old has plans to double major in political science with a pre-law track and communication and media studies. She also wants to stay active in the arts, pursuing acting since that was her primary coping mechanism during her most trying times. Recently, she set up a GoFundMe for people to help with her college expenses, the GoFundMe team sharing her story via their social media and donating $500 to support Jackson.
Hey @GWR, what's the individual record for most colleges to be accepted into?
Meet Destiny Jackson—the once-homeless teen who was offered admission into 56 colleges around the country! 🎉 https://t.co/m9sFRgAWB7
— GoFundMe (@gofundme) July 12, 2021
Her advice for others who may be in a similar situation: "There have been so many times where people have told me that I was incapable of doing something, whether that meant because of the fact that I was homeless, and I was in foster care or even just me being a Type 1 diabetic. But I knew that I was capable of doing whatever I put my mind to, no matter what anybody else said…I learned within life that no matter what you put your mind to, you cannot allow other people to make decisions for you. You are the author of your own story; you create your own narrative. If you want to do something, you can make it happen," Jackson said.
To support Destiny's college fund, click here.
Photo Courtesy of Destiny Jackson/Good Morning America
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As staycations are enjoying a boost this year, caravan insurance specialist Cover4Caravans.co.uk has updated a series of its UK travel guides to provide some Great British destination inspiration.
While the site recommendations are, as you would expect, geared towards caravanners, a lot of the sites also accommodate tents. They are really useful, detailed guides and certainly gave us some new inspiration!
With temperatures predicted to soar throughout the summer, there's never been a better time to get out and about and see more of what our beautiful country has to offer.
"There's little doubt that the decline in value of Sterling against the Euro and US Dollar since 2016 has probably been a major factor in people choosing staycations – as well, of course, as the fantastic weather the UK has been enjoying recently.


Experiencing the death of a loved one is often the most significant challenge a person faces. Grieving can feel overwhelming and consume every facet of your life. It is during this time that you need the comfort of others the most, and yet social connections often feel strained as your relationships, and social networks seem to be flipped upside-down.
You may be surprised who steps up in your greatest hour of need. Some of your close loved ones, those who have been by your side through dating and childbirth and other life dilemmas may not be there for you during your bereavement. It is often people you'd least expect who show up to hold your hands while you grieve. An old friend you have lost touch with, a co-worker you have hardly spoken to but who understands the complexities of living with death. . . . . . . these are sometimes the people who help you cope with the pain.
You Will Feel Angry, and That Is Just Fine.
You will try and understand why your close friends and relatives seem to have abandoned you during one of the most painful times in your life. However, understanding won't make the pain of it go away.
Yes, it's important to realise that not everyone can cope with death and loss, including the people closest to you. It is also important to recognise that feeling this additional pain, and even anger or resentment about feeling abandoned is normal.
Losing loved ones is something all of us will go through, but some people cannot handle this reality. Just the thought of a loved one dying is more than many people can bear. Seeing your pain and sitting with you in your time of darkness will force others to look this stark reality in the face. Many people cannot do it. If you find that friends and relatives seem to be avoiding you, understands it is most likely because they cannot handle their fear of loss.
For most people, it is hard to understand certain things until they experience it themselves. Having children, running a marathon, getting divorced. Losing a loved one is indeed on this list as well. While your current group of loved ones will try to empathise with you, the reality is that you now belong to an exclusive club of sorts and those whom you feel close to and understood by may change.
This does not mean you will no longer feel close to those you did before the loss, but it says you have now changed and how you perceive the world and others have changed as well.
Relationships are hard, and they can be more difficult during periods of loss and grief. It is essential that you are gentle with yourself during this time and seek support. Research available support groups. Being around those who share your pain can be a comfort during this time.
You may also want the guidance of a psychotherapist who can help you to navigate your complex emotions and offer tools to work through your grief. If you or your loved one is interested in exploring support, please contact me today. I would be happy to speak with you about how I may be able to help.


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THE IMMUNITY AGREEMENT
Lindsay Buziak was the innocent victim of a senseless murder, targeted to sent a message to others that you don't double cross the Mexican Cartel. Lindsay was never an informant, though someone close to Lindsay put the message out there that she was. Lindsay was not the one who made the call to the Calgary Police in November 2007 to rat out the Delalcazar crime group. If it had been her, she would never have shown the DeSousa house in suspicious circumstances. The woman who made that call to the Calgary Police had to have a powerful motive to want to cause serious pain to a rival. Either she wanted to take out the competition which is the reason that makes the most sense – or there was another motive we have not yet considered.
Shirley Zailo was landlord to a known drug dealer and Jason Zailo was friends with known drug dealers. Zachary Matheson, Chris Schwartz, etc. Drug dealers need methods to launder money and often they lynchpin to a mortgage broker or realtor who is willing to take a risk to make big profit. Laundering money is done through the purchase of real estate – or taking the cash out of the country and hiding it in offshore accounts in countries such as Panama, Cayman Islands, Bermuda etc. These countries are tax havens for the wealthy & drug traffickers/criminals wanting to hide their dirty money.
https://www.businessinsider.com/tax-havens-for-millionaires-around-the-world-2019-11#5-cayman-islands-11
In late November 2007, the crime phone was purchased in downtown Vancouver, the same time that the main informant made the call to the Calgary Police to report the drug shipment heading from Victoria to Calgary. It was also November that Lindsay was telling friends and family that she was planning on leaving Jason. Everything was happening around the November time frame so if Lindsay saw something she shouldn't have seen it was sure to be around that time. Is it possible that she knew that the Zailo's were laundering money and transporting it out of the country? Lindsay was smart and intuitive, and if there was something shady going on she would have picked up on it right away.
Lindsay's murder – 14 years unsolved
The Saanich Police/RCMP know exactly who the conspirators are, yet to date no arrests have been made. If they are waiting for the evidence to arrest the actual killer then this murder may never be solved. Why not arrest the conspirators then let the chips fall where they may. If arrests are ever made in this case there will be retired police officers who's testimony won't be as reliable as it was years earlier. Unlike good wine, Crown evidence doesn't age well, so the longer the case remains unsolved the higher probability that credible witnesses will have died, or their memories will have faded. And if key file coordinators have moved on "very important sources of information and guidance for the prosecution" is lost.
THE MAJOR STUMBLING BLOCK
Just how did SZ, the alleged main information first learn about the $6 million dollar shipment? Was it by a stroke of luck, or was there a more concerted effort on her part to obtain rival information, and if so, why? In order for the RCMP to have trusted her, she had to have had an established trusted relationship with the police based on a previous track record of providing accurate information. Above all, she had to be trusted to provide accurate hearsay information, or the informant had some kind of personal knowledge, which is highly unlikely. It's very possible that the main informant had an established trusted relationship with the police based on a previous track record of providing accurate information.
The Saanich Police and the RCMP know who the main informant is. Not only that they have always known that Shirley Zailo and her boys had a business relationship with drug traffickers. Did they ever consider having the Saanich Police financial crimes division looking into this or were the cops turning a blind eye to the alleged money laundering that was going on in exchange for the information the main informant was feeding them? The Zailo's treated Ziggy Matheson like family but what if that wasn't really the case.
If Shirley was playing double agent she may have been working with Ziggy at the same time she passing on information to the RCMP. Zachary Matheson would have felt very safe living in Shirley's rental property never dreaming that she was actually working for the cops. As far-fetched as this may sound nothing is impossible. Ziggy was arrested in 2013 for narcotics trafficking, and during that time his friendship with the Zailo's continued. Charges were laid in 2014, then in 2017 he was sentenced to 6 years. He was released after two years – having served only 1/3 of his sentence.
If the informant had made a deal with the cops it would likely have been in exchange for immunity from prosecution on other crimes. It's also possible the main informant was working with the police in order to protect her own son from any prosecution. Police will often let the smaller fish go in order to catch a bigger one. To bring down a Mexican Cartel would be a powerful reason for the RCMP to grant immunity to an informant. And maybe even throw in a financial compensation package at the same time. The RCMP does pay informants but the amount depends on a number of factors, including the type of information and the type of case. An immunity agreement protects the witness from having the prosecution use their statements or any evidence discovered from their statements against them.
while entirely speculative it could be that the jurisdiction of the crime would be somewhere other than RCMP territory. And who other than the main informant would know the importance of choosing a location out of RCMP territory? And to know that the Saanich Police lacked the experience to handle a major homicide investigation.
Jason Zailo encouraged Lindsay to show the DeSousa home the night of the murder. He lied to the police about why he had to stop at SHC Autographx prior to heading to DeSousa. Jason said on Dateline that he saw shadows through the frosted glass in the front door, but later changed his story and said he saw a man and woman standing outside, who when seeing him turned around and went back inside. Jason sat outside the home for 10 minutes, then moved onto Torquay for another 10 minutes. Isn't it possible that Jason was the lookout just waiting/watching for the killers to make their escape?
On the Dateline show, the host Josh asked Jason if him and Lindsay were having any problems. Jason responding saying there was absolutely no problems between the two of them. Another lie, because all of Lindsay's friends said that Lindsay was not happy with Jason and she was definitely planning on leaving him. Lindsay's sister, on the other hand, said on Crime Watch Daily, "I absolutely adored Jason and I knew him and Lindsay were very happy". I guess it's possible that Lindsay's sister didn't really know the truth about what was going on.
https://truecrimedaily.com/2017/06/09/who-killed-lindsay-buziak-realtors-murder-believed-to-be-targeted-hit/
Shirley Zailo was at Lindsay's condo the Friday night before the murder and claims she overheard a 15 minute conversation between Lindsay and the buyer where Lindsay gave the clients the 1702 DeSousa address. Shirley also claims that her and Lindsay went for a walk that evening and Lindsay told her that she was afraid of her ex-boyfriend Matt MacDuff. Lindsay is not here to dispute what Shirley said, but all Lindsay's friends said Lindsay was never afraid of Matt. It has been proven that Shirley and Jason lied on numerous occasions and the only reason people lie is because they have something to hide.
The guys who lost the $6 million dollars were told that Lindsay Buziak ratted them out.
Who other than the main informant would point the finger at Lindsay – after all if she had any inkling that they were coming for her, she had to do something to save herself? After the Calgary Drug Bust (High Noon) the guys who lost the money were on the hunt for the person who ratted them out. It makes perfect sense that fearing for her life the main informant pointed the finger at Lindsay to take the attention off herself. The Mexican Cartel don't play around and if they are coming for you – you know you are dead.
Immunity from prosecution is provided only where the information or co-operation is of such value that it is clearly in the public interest not to hold a person accountable for criminal activity. However, immunity should be the exception rather than the norm. The DPP is responsible for the conduct and supervision of all federal prosecutions in Canada. Thus, only the DPP through Crown counsel, and not the investigating agency, is entitled to confer immunity from prosecution.
Generally, immunity should be considered only when the information provided relates to the commission of a serious offence, or when the prosecution of a case is otherwise important in achieving effective enforcement of the law. As a rule, it should not be considered in relatively minor cases.
Giving informants immunity in return for testimony against others is necessary and morally acceptable in "exceptional cases".
However, the secrecy surrounding most immunity agreements leaves them open to abuse – and justice will be served on if strict guidelines are followed. The dangers associated with reliance upon immunity-seekers are well known. The person may be attempting to purchase lenient treatment by falsely accusing others. Being familiar with the circumstances surrounding the offence, the witness is in a position to attribute certain acts to innocent persons.
The witness may also minimize his or her own role in the transaction and transfer the primary blame to others. Before offering immunity, Crown counsel must assess the truthfulness and candor of the information-provider. If the person is to testify, Crown counsel should be satisfied that a properly instructed jury would likely view the witness as credible.
Immunity from future prosecutions
The DPP is also entitled to provide an assurance of immunity against future prosecution for crimes that the information-provider is known to have already committed, but for which no charges have yet been laid.
Counsel should be cautious in providing immunity to persons with a history of serious criminal activity. While it may sometimes be appropriate to provide immunity to such persons in order to prosecute more serious offenders, counsel must be aware the person's testimony will be viewed with great caution by the trier of fact; in some circumstances, reliance on such a witness may be damaging to the Crown's case.
The Saanich Police tell us that this is a very complicated case, at the same time telling us it is very solvable. Clearly the police were sidetracked somewhere along the way, and here we are 15 years later and no further ahead then when Lindsay was murdered back in 2008.
Email: murderondesousa@gmail.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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No Crying Over Spilled Wine! Napa Valley Vintners Rally For Quake-Affected Workers
Wine-supported fund will benefit disaster victims
Rachel Signer September 11, 2014
The 6.0-magnitude earthquake that throttled the Napa Valley on Aug. 24 damaged much more than just the vines. The epicenter of the earthquake, the largest to hit the Bay Area since 1989, was the American Canyon near the West Napa Fault. This is where many small producers, who don't have their own wineries, had rented space in crushing facilities. It is also where many vineyard workers were living in rented homes.
The quake hit Steve and Jill Matthiasson, as well as many other area small producers, quite hard. The Matthiassons are known for making small amounts of elegant, Old World-style wines, often with unusual varietals, such as Ribolla Gialla and Refosco, which come from the Fruili region of Italy. If there is such a thing as a "wine power couple," the Matthiassons fit the bill. Before venturing into making wine with her husband, Jill worked for the non-profit Community Alliance for Family Farmers, promoting sustainable agriculture all over the state. Steve, in addition to wine-making, consults to various local wineries, and he was named by the San Francisco Chronicle as "Winemaker of the Year" in early 2014.
The Matthiassons not only lost many barrels of wine that was being crushed in one of the West Napa Fault facilities, they also will have to basically rebuild the foundation of their beloved 110-year-old farmhouse. But despite having to leave their home due to the extensive damage — and also losing about 15 percent of their 2013 harvest — the couple say they are not so worried about themselves. Instead they are working with other Napa producers to provide support to displaced workers.
"The section of Napa that was most damaged is where there are a lot of rental units, where a lot of vineyard workers live," Jill explains over the phone. These rental properties have been red-tagged or yellow-tagged, meaning the landlords will have to do extensive and lengthy repairs — providing a possible opening for rent hikes in the future.
The Matthiassons are currently taking orders for a "Quake Cuvee," a specially bottled red blend; after-tax proceeds will go toward the Napa Valley Community Relief Disaster Fund. The fund is a collaboration between several area vintners who are more concerned about their workers than they are about lost wine. Just before our phone conversation, Jill had heard from a nearby winery that their workers had been displaced, and the winery had decided to focus their fundraising on helping them. "The janitor at that winery is now living in a car with his wife and kids," says Jill.
The Matthiassons' "Quake Cuvee" can be ordered until Sept. 15, and will ship in spring 2015. You can also donate directly to the Napa Valley Community Relief Disaster Fund here.
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