Capturing a Dream at Any Age - Learning to Read

Photo by: Kristy Vickery

Seventy-year-old James Carter practices reading, in the back office of the Vine Thrift Store in Oviedo, with his 70-year-old teacher Jim Lewis, a retired English teacher who volunteers at the Adult Literacy League.

"Capturing a dream at any age"

A Seminole Voice Article

By Milon Townsend

June 3, 2010 5:54 p.m. 

In the back of a crowded room, James Carter rigorously studies the sentence, slowly reading one word at a time, "Dan-n-n picks up the box and puts the s-s-snake in the r-r-river."

Carter may be reading at a first-grade level, but he has far out-aged grade school. He is learning to do something most people take for granted, learning to read — at the age of 70.

"It's been rough for me," Carter said. "But I think I am doing good."

Growing up was not easy for Carter. He started working at when he was 9, and said he never spent a single day in school.

"I just worked all the time," Carter said. "I traveled all around the world on boxcars."

Carter is finally getting the chance he never got growing up, with the help of an Adult Literacy League volunteer and the Vine Thrift Store in Oviedo.

Jim Lewis, a 70-year-old retired English teacher who volunteers his time at the Adult Legacy League, has been working with Carter an hour and a half, twice a week, for the last year.

"Mr. James is a client, but he is more than that — he is certainly a buddy, and although he started off really basic he's doing very well now," Lewis said. "He never got to learn any comprehension skills or think quickly, until now, so it was all about survival… not a single day in school for an American citizen, isn't that a tragedy?"

The two began meeting at the library, but quickly decided The Vine Thrift Store, the place that brought them together, was better suited for their weekly sessions.

"We decided the library wasn't working for us, but this (the Vine Thrift Store) did," Lewis said. "And Cindy was like the angel in the middle."

Vine Thrift Store owner Cindy Cook said she helped the two become a pair after she learned Carter, who is known as Mr. James around her store, could not even read simple things like street signs.

"We're not angels, we are just doing our part, and this is just a little part," Cook said. "If everybody would just do a little bit, then the world would be easier for other people. If we just pay attention to them and listen to them and maybe see who they are really are, then maybe Mr. James would have learned to read a long time ago."

She also said they are so happy to be helping him, and everyone at the store is so proud of his progress.

"We are so excited for Mr. James; it's like a dream come true for him," said Cook. "That was all he wanted all his life was to read and write."

According to the Adult Literacy League's Web site, one in five Central Florida adults reads at or below the fifth-grade reading level.

Carter is trying to overcome this statistic and live the life of he's always dreamed of; a life not of just survival, but of accomplishment.

"I prayed all my life for something like this to happen to me," Carter said. "My dream's come true now."

For more information on adult literacy visit www.adultliteracyleague.org.

Second-Hand Steals Hit Runway at Vine Show

A Seminole Chronicle Article

By Kelly Allen | October 21, 2009

OVIEDO - A different kind of fashion show is hitting the First United Methodist Church of Oviedo as The Vine Outreach Thrift Store puts its used clothing on the runway.

Models young and old - comprised of the Vine's volunteers and customers - will strut their stuff Oct. 24 in outfits selected by the Vine. All the clothes will be donated items found in the thrift store.

This may not be your typical high-fashion, big-dollar fundraising event, but that's not really the Vine's style.

Oneida Rodriguez, a volunteer for The Vine for two years, said this event is for the whole community.

"This fundraiser is different all around," she said. "The ones participating are just average people, they're not high-fashion models. They're everyday people who walked in the store.

"Everybody is going to get a personal and spiritual reward by participating."

Not only will people from the community get to participate in the show, but the community will also benefit from it. While tickets to the show cost $10, prizes and gift certificates will be given out throughout the event and clothing from The Vine will be available for half price, Rodriguez said.

There will also be refreshments, vendors and live music, as well as a live and silent auction. Among other items, you can bid on the outfits worn on the runway.

The proceeds from the event will go to The Forgotten Ones, The Vine's ministry that helps all those in need, but specifically aims to reach "aging out" foster kids - people ages 18-24 who have no one and no where to go.

Founder Cindy Cook gained a passion for this age group while volunteering as Guardian ad Litem with Seminole County for 11 years.

According to the Guardian ad Litem Web site, a Guardian ad Litem is a volunteer appointed by the court to protect the rights and advocate the best interests of a child involved in a court proceeding.

Cook worked mostly with teens, and she is still in contact with many of the teens she helped. She said she sees a special need in teens and young adults.

"They break my heart, they're so lost," she said. "Especially that age. if you don't help them, then they go to jail, especially the foster kids because they're out there and they don't have support or mentors.

"There are just so many kids out there that need guidance. It's such a vulnerable time, and the world just sucks them in. We could change so many lives if we help them with prayer, advice, mentoring and spiritual awareness."

Eventually, Cook hopes to open a ranch where she can provide more assistance to young people in need. She is working with a grant writer to get the funds for the project.

But in the mean time, The Vine and The Forgotten Ones help as much as they can. Cook said one man who came to volunteer in the store was almost 70 years old and didn't know how to read. The Vine set him up with a tutor. He is helping at the store, but now he knows how to read. The outreach also threw him the first birthday party he's ever had.

"The Forgotten Ones can be anyone that has needs," Cook said. "Someone who walks in and just needs a hug and we talk with them and pray with them."

Rodriguez said that spirit of outreach is what makes her want to volunteer at The Vine.

"It's something in my heart to volunteer for a good cause," she said. "I feel that there's a need in the community for more than just a thrift shop.

"We've got hundreds of thrift shops. What makes us different is we have outreach programs and a vision of doing something bigger for the community and those in need."

The Vine also helps by providing free lunch and groceries the last Saturday of each month at The Vine at 98 W. Broadway St., Oviedo. All are welcome, whether you need a free meal or want to learn how you can help.

There are all kinds of ways to volunteer, including mentoring, cashiering, organizing donations and more. But the outreach also needs help in the form of donations.

"We give the things we want to give, but we also have to pay the rent and the overhead and do all that, so we need support in doing all this to help them," Cook said.

The Vine and The Forgotten Ones' Evening of Fashion will be from 5 to 8 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Oviedo, 263 King St., Oviedo. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 407-971-8135 or e-mail info@theforgottenonesinc.org

A Generous Heart A Seminole Chronicle Article

A Generous Heart 

Have a seat: Vine employees
stand outside The Vine Thrift
 with a newly acquired
 piece of furniture.
The Vine is a nonprofit
store that provides
household items.

Local woman's thrift store benefits young people and community alike

By Jeff Gardenour | September 26, 2007

When Cindy Cook saw two disheveled teens walking outside her store during Labor Day weekend, she offered to feed and clothe them and find them shelter.

"They were probably about 18 or 19 years old," Cook said. "One had no shoes - well, it was actually a shoe that was falling apart - and the other had a backpack that was held together by paper clips. I could tell they were street kids."

Cook said the teenagers were shocked and standoffish at first, but then welcomed her hospitality with undying gratitude. It was apparent to Cook that this act of kindness didn't come their way too often. But for her, acts of kindness are a way of life, a way of reaching out to help the needy and those down on their luck.

"People don't realize it, but it's everywhere," she said.

For years, it has been Cook's mission to help the underprivileged from all walks of life, all over the world. If she has anything to say about it, there will someday be a lot less underprivileged people in the world.

Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti all have been graced by Cook's presence. A member of Metro Church of Winter Springs, she has been on numerous missions, helping to build homes, organize schools and give clothes out to the destitute. No place is too far; no task too intimidating.

Cook feels the same way about The Vine, a non-profit thrift store in down town Oviedo that raises money for foster kids who have aged out of assistance programs. Her goal is to help young adults ages 18 to 25 find their way by offering a helping hand.

Through the success of The Vine, Cook recently opened the Shiloh Ranch Retreat in Geneva, where aged-out foster kids can stay and establish some goals for themselves. The Shiloh Ranch, previously known as "The Forgotten Ones," sits on 10 acres of land in east Seminole County, a testament to what hard work and commitment can accomplish.

"Our mission is to help those kids," she said.

The Shiloh Ranch became a reality after Cook opened The Vine four months ago. A widow with two grown children, Cook helped convert the 1,900-square-foot shop from a motorcycle-moped business into a successful thrift shop, where casual or habitual shoppers can find almost anything they need.

"It's set up like a boutique," Cook said. "We have clothes for women, men, teens. We have collectibles. We have furniture, beds. And, we keep our prices good and everything is clean."

The Vine has been such a success that donations have poured in from all over. The store gets a mix of new and used items, things that would surprise most folks.

"I had one guy bring in a brand-new armoire," she said. "I've gotten brand-new stuff from warehouses, even Ralph Lauren clothes with the tags still on them. And, the used clothes we get are in good shape; they're not faded or anything. It's amazing."

Store items range in price from $1 to as much as $300. The Vine even has "Bag Day" sales where customers can buy a bag of merchandise for only $5.

The Vine also holds fundraisers and participates in The Charity Challenge, where nonprofit businesses sell tickets to assist the needy. "If we sell 50,000 tickets, for instance, we make 80 cents on the dollar and the sponsors match it," Cook said.

When Cook isn't busy with The Vine or setting up fundraisers, she serves as a guardian for children in court-appointed cases. She ended up adopting one 17-year-old boy whose father didn't want him. Today, he lives on his own and works for an electric company in Orlando.

Cook currently is housing a family of three, hoping her kindness will help give the family some direction. "If everybody did one little thing and passed it on, we could do a lot," she said.

A lot of people are benefiting from Cook's generosity. The proof is in the deeds, as well as in The Vine in down town Oviedo.