St. HOPE Academy
We take you to St. HOPE Academy (SHA), an after-school educational program located in Sacramento's economically disadvantaged area of Oak Park, founded by Kevin Johnson in 1989. Johnson, now a 12-year veteran of the National Basketball Association was 23-years-old when he created SHA to assist young people in their educational, social, and spiritual
growth to become leaders in their
community.
www.sthopeacademy.org

Lilu Bags
We visit local entrepreneurs Lucia Plum-Reyes and Libby Abbott who began a homemade designer handbag business, sold over $10,000 in the first two years, and donated every cent of the proceeds to "Works in New Direction," a Sacramento based homeless shelter for teen girls.
liluhandbags.com
www.windyouth.org.

Pride Industries
Pride Industries in Roseville, has grown from a group of 30 developmentally disabled adults working in a church basement, to a competitive manufacturing company of 4,000 employees. It is now the largest employer of people with disabilities in America. We interview President and CEO Mike Ziegler and Pride employees to discover what makes this company
one of the best places to work in
the Sacramento region.
www.prideindustries.com

SAFE
School Activities For Everyone (SAFE) provides financial assistance to students that wish to participate in school sports or clubs but have little or no means to pay the expenses required. Founder Lisa Gregory tells her tale of hardship to success while we meet some teenagers who have benefited from SAFE.
www.safeinsacramento.org

Billy Mills
Through sheer will and determination, Billy Mills overcame discrimination and set his sights on capturing the gold medal. Join us as Billy relives his moment of glory at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo where he captured the gold medal in the 10,000 meter run - a feat no American had ever, nor has ever since, accomplished.

Father Dan Madigan
Father Dan Madigan lives by the credo, "you can do more by giving a hand up, not a hand out." For the past 25 years Father Madigan has been operating the Sacramento Food Bank Services, which helps more than 40,000 people each year. We catch up with this busy priest to see what inspires him in his tireless efforts to help those who are less fortunate.

Erik Weihenmayer
We meet with the first blind person in history to climb Mt. Everest when Erik Weihenmayer candidly talks about accepting blindness and not letting it interfere with his quest to become a world-class athlete.

Brian Watwood the Duck Man
Brian was a star athlete with a competitive edge that drove him to meet all his goals, until his life dramatically changed. Tune in and learn Brian's inspirational story, why he loves ducks, and discover how he's helping others with a wheelchair invention called The Wijit.
www.wijit.com

Rescue Dogs
Central Valley firefighters team up with trained search dogs to gain the edge in quickly locating survivors. This group was one of the first on the scene after the Oklahoma City bombing and aided in the search at ground zero in New York City. Learn the type of training they go through and how it prepares them to deal with disasters.
www.ndsdf.org

Other Stories
We also look at the people helping those in medical need in the sky dubbed the "Flying Samaritans," local World War II veterans, and a group of senior gentlemen united by America's favorite pastime.

Season eight of "Central Valley Chronicles" is underwritten in part by Classic Living.