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Spread Joy this Season to those in need with "The Merrie Christmas Project." · Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Mike and Nancy Kaplan, along
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  Speaker 1: with United Way of Central Georgia, announced the Merry Christmas
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  Speaker 1: Project and honor of Mary's love for Christmas. Sir Good
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  Speaker 1: and again, like I said, I'm blessed. I truly am
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  Speaker 1: blast to have had he. Not a day goes by them.
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  Speaker 1: Mike and Nancy are not thinking about their daughter. Our
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  Speaker 1: whole life was centered around this precious jewel that we
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  Speaker 1: had for a while, and I want other people to
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  Speaker 1: experience it. I really do, from everything that's in me.
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  Speaker 1: I always used to say that she was like one
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  Speaker 1: of the Avengers. She had superpowers instead of disabilities. US
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  Speaker 1: always said she had abilities because she had a super
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  Speaker 1: heart that was big enough for a place for everybody
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  Speaker 1: and made everybody feel the heart. Well, you know, after
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  Speaker 1: seeing a world of crime and murder and mayhem, it
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  Speaker 1: takes a lot to bring me to tears. But those
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  Speaker 1: words of this wonderful mother and father who, even though
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  Speaker 1: they no longer have their beautiful girl, Mary, have somehow
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  Speaker 1: turned her life, her existence, her joy, her exuberance for
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  Speaker 1: living into something that matters in this world. I'm Nancy Grace,
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  Speaker 1: this is Crime Stories, and I have such a story
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  Speaker 1: for you today is the story of Mary M E
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  Speaker 1: R R I E. And with me my longtime friend
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  Speaker 1: Jamie Caplan, Director Philanthropy United Wise Central Georgia, George McCanless,
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  Speaker 1: President CEO of United Wise Central Georgia, and special guest
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  Speaker 1: Nancy and Mike Kaplan, father and mother of Mary. Nancy,
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  Speaker 1: your words moved me to tears. Tell me about Mary,
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  Speaker 1: My goodness. You know this is really hard this morning, Nancy,
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  Speaker 1: because I cry every morning and it's most morning time.
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  Speaker 1: But that's good. I would like to cry with you
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  Speaker 1: all because I know you all care. Mary was a
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  Speaker 1: supernatural soul that we got to have on earth, and
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  Speaker 1: I know that I needed her and never planned to
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  Speaker 1: have children, and they had this little surprise and then
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  Speaker 1: lo and behold, she was my special child and I
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  Speaker 1: have learned all the important things about life now. Wasn't
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  Speaker 1: sure about what mattered in life, and so God gave
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  Speaker 1: her to me and showed me the way to go. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: I'm so thankful for the time that we had her.
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  Speaker 1: And actually I had Mary before I had Mike. And
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  Speaker 1: I know good and will that he married me just
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  Speaker 1: to get married because she was that adorable and I
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  Speaker 1: kind of worried after she first passed away that he
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  Speaker 1: might listen to me. But we had had a courtship
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  Speaker 1: before I married before Mary, so we kind of relied
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  Speaker 1: on that. We're still together. But honestly, she was a
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  Speaker 1: loving soul and she had hundreds of friends. We knew
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  Speaker 1: that she had a lot of friends, and we saw
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  Speaker 1: friends wherever we went, and met people that we never
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  Speaker 1: even knew that she had grown to love and they
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  Speaker 1: had grown to love her. And when we buried her,
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  Speaker 1: there weren't enough seats in the room and the church
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  Speaker 1: and wrapped around the church twice. It was beyond happiness.
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  Speaker 1: And that's because of the love that she showed for people.
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  Speaker 1: And I'll say that the Christmas loved christ like love
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  Speaker 1: that she showed. It. Of course that my religion and
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  Speaker 1: I'm married to a Jewish Fanily, we don't understand why
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  Speaker 1: the world can't get along because it's all God is love.
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  Speaker 1: And now we've learned that the cure for Greece's service
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  Speaker 1: and that we're carrying on in that way in her name. Well,
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  Speaker 1: you know what you brought up a really interesting point.
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  Speaker 1: Take a listen, guys to our friends at thirteen Maz
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  Speaker 1: Kiella song. Outside the Kaplan home is a wreath. Attached
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  Speaker 1: to it is the University of Georgia's football team schedule
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  Speaker 1: for the year. Sports ruled at our house thanks to
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  Speaker 1: Mary and I as my sports buddy. I hadn't been
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  Speaker 1: a Stanford stadium in thirty years ago. My Kaplan says
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  Speaker 1: his daughter Mary loved all things Georgia sports, especially the Bulldogs.
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  Speaker 1: She hated nothing except for the University of Florida. She
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  Speaker 1: hated the Gators. But with football season also comes Christmas,
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  Speaker 1: which was Mary's favorite holiday, and her father says their
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  Speaker 1: home won't feel the same this holiday season. Mary would
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  Speaker 1: pick out our Christmas tree. Mary would help us prayed
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  Speaker 1: the tree. Mary would do everything. I'm Jewish, and yet
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  Speaker 1: every November first, Mary and I would have to start
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  Speaker 1: listening to Christmas music in the car. That is exactly
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  Speaker 1: what we do at our home. The moment I wake
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  Speaker 1: the twins up in the morning, I say, Alexa, play
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  Speaker 1: Christmas carols and we listen on the way to school.
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  Speaker 1: I have it all when they come home. We love Christmas.
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  Speaker 1: And I just got to say. Mary loved Santa, loved him.
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  Speaker 1: And I'm looking at a photo of her with Santa
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  Speaker 1: right now. She believed in Santa. She loves Santa. And
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  Speaker 1: what better way to remember Mary than to help other
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  Speaker 1: people at Christmas. I'm joining along with United Way and
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  Speaker 1: Mary's family to help people spread the love of Christmas
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  Speaker 1: with presents, trees, and food throughout the community. And you
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  Speaker 1: can help us with me, Nancy and Mike Kaplan. So, Mike,
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  Speaker 1: I'm thinking of you singing those Christmas carols around the
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  Speaker 1: Christmas tree with Mary. But tell me this. I want
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  Speaker 1: you to explain to me what is Williams syndrome that
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  Speaker 1: Mary suffered. Well, Williams syndrome is a genetic disorder, and
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  Speaker 1: Nancy kap them, my wife, I have to help me.
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  Speaker 1: I think they're missing how many chromosomes, Nancy, They're they're
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  Speaker 1: missing nineteen to twenty six chromosomes on Jean number seven. Well, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: And the cool part about this, Nancy, is that while
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  Speaker 1: they have some disabilities, their abilities are Mary's was or
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  Speaker 1: the size of her heart, her ability to make everybody
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  Speaker 1: feel love. But their social skills are normally high, as
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  Speaker 1: is they're hearing. That's such perfect pitch and perfect hearing.
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  Speaker 1: They're trying to figure this out. They have a camp
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  Speaker 1: up at Vanderbilt University at the Kennedy Center for People
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  Speaker 1: with William Syndrome every year and they bring them in
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  Speaker 1: to try to find out why they have perfect pitch
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  Speaker 1: and perfect rhythm, and they write a song. And sweet
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  Speaker 1: old Mary has been on the Grand Old Opery four
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  Speaker 1: times and performed a song that she and her other
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  Speaker 1: thirty or so campers wrote, Wes Stars. I took my
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  Speaker 1: husband David and the twins of the Grand Old Opery,
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  Speaker 1: and I was just supposed to present Jamie Caplin. I
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  Speaker 1: was supposed to introduce somebody and lo and behold guests
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  Speaker 1: who came out on the stand, Jamie who came out
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  Speaker 1: on the stage, the Grand Old Opery Square dancers, and
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  Speaker 1: they said, in front of everybody, Nancy join in. Well,
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  Speaker 1: I done deep, all the way back to my square
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  Speaker 1: dancing days in four age. I did the best I could.
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure somewhere it lives on a video, and I'm
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  Speaker 1: embarrassed to say I gave it all I had. But
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  Speaker 1: what can you do with the Grand Old Opery Square Dancers?
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  Speaker 1: I did my best. But I can just imagine Mary,
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  Speaker 1: I bet you are all I can just imagine. Its.
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  Speaker 1: It causes some you know, slight to severe mental disabilities
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  Speaker 1: and social skills overcome that she would work here at
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  Speaker 1: my last three days a week, you know, and a
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  Speaker 1: matter of fact that the US they would call me
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  Speaker 1: and come to give me. He's come to get her.
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  Speaker 1: You should mention about the size of the brain. The
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  Speaker 1: part of her brain that lights up for music is
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  Speaker 1: larger than a quote unquote normal person's brain. And a
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  Speaker 1: lot of William syndrum children, just to interrupt mic, which
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  Speaker 1: is when I'm best at forgive me is um that
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  Speaker 1: they are like the savant in music. Many are extremely
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  Speaker 1: gifted in music. It's insanely beautiful, the music appreciation and
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  Speaker 1: the ability to play well. Another issue, Nancy Kaplan, is
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  Speaker 1: that along with that musical that incredible musical ability that
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  Speaker 1: is the gift of the William syndrome. Also comes with that,
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  Speaker 1: Jamie Kaplan, Director Philanthropy United Ways Central Georgia. Is heart disease.
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  Speaker 1: The degrees of the heart disease and the condition very
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  Speaker 1: no two cases are the same, but it is one
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  Speaker 1: of the ailments that goes along with Williams. Jamie Kaplin,
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  Speaker 1: what are you trying to do, Nancy? We are trying
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  Speaker 1: to just continue spreading Mary's joy. She just lit up
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  Speaker 1: a room and she was joying. And what we want
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  Speaker 1: to do is continue to spread her joy around Central Georgia.
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  Speaker 1: She loved Christmas and we just when Mike and Nancy
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  Speaker 1: came to United Way and taught to us about doing
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  Speaker 1: the Mary Christmas Project, we were so excited to do this.
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  Speaker 1: We touched one and four people the Central Georgia area.
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  Speaker 1: We have a high high rate of poverty in our area,
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  Speaker 1: and so anything that we can do to make Christmas
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  Speaker 1: more joyous for people, that's just we're just overwhelmed by
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  Speaker 1: the support. You know, Jamie, It's so true. I was
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  Speaker 1: trying to figure out about the twins Christmas and what
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  Speaker 1: they wanted, and it struck me so many people don't
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  Speaker 1: have anything to eat. So many children go to school
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  Speaker 1: with empty stomach. So many children are in foster homes.
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  Speaker 1: They have nothing but the clothes on their back, nothing.
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  Speaker 1: And hear you, Jamie and George mccannalis, trying to help
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  Speaker 1: those varied children in the name of Mary. Many of
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  Speaker 1: you may not have heard of Williams syndrome. Listen, extraordinary gifts,
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  Speaker 1: unique challenges and more than just a few of each.
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  Speaker 1: These are the hallmarks of individuals with William syndrome. William
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  Speaker 1: syndrome is a rare genetic disorder which affects approximately twenty
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  Speaker 1: thousand people in the United States. It is caused by
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  Speaker 1: the deletion of twenty six plus genes on one copy
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  Speaker 1: of an individual's chromosome number seven. William syndrome and families
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  Speaker 1: have affected individuals encounter major struggles. Individuals born with William
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  Speaker 1: syndrome share many common facial features, as well as a
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  Speaker 1: constellation of medical, neurological, and behavioral characteristics. Most individuals with
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  Speaker 1: William syndrome have mild to severe cardiovascular disorders, often requiring surgery,
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  Speaker 1: and many suffer from kidney, bladder, and gastrointestinal difficulties as well.
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  Speaker 1: Little Mary passed away, her spirit is living on even today.
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  Speaker 1: Nancy Kaplan, Mary's mother. What happened to Mary? How did
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  Speaker 1: Mary pass away? Goodness? Every time? Her heart actually wasn't
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  Speaker 1: large um And it's the only problem that we weren't
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  Speaker 1: that's able to jump on fast enough. We weren't aware
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  Speaker 1: of her in large part, and so we're actually thankful
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  Speaker 1: for the way that she passed away. Because her heart
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  Speaker 1: beat out of her rhythm. One morning um and quit beating,
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  Speaker 1: and our autopsy doctor told us that it's a very
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  Speaker 1: painless and easy way to go. And actually, just to
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  Speaker 1: tell the story, I heard her fall that morning, very early,
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  Speaker 1: and h you know, being sound asleep. Wasn't sure that
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  Speaker 1: it was her, well, not sure at all. I didn't
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  Speaker 1: know what in the world it sound was. And then
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  Speaker 1: I set up to my bed and I listened very much,
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  Speaker 1: and I, you know, always mothers hear that sound that
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  Speaker 1: your child makes it amig, and I heard no sound
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  Speaker 1: like that. But then I heard her u talking just
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  Speaker 1: like she was talking to someone standing there, and I no,
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  Speaker 1: don't know that she was speaking with those that have
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  Speaker 1: come to get her, because she was just had a
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  Speaker 1: little confirmation, probably with my mom and dad. And so
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  Speaker 1: we're thankful for the ways that she did pass though
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  Speaker 1: it was unexpected. I'm very thankful for that. God is
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  Speaker 1: so good, he loved it so much, and I'm thankful
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  Speaker 1: that if she had to go, that was way that
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  Speaker 1: he took her. Oh goodness, mother's griefy never is with me.
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  Speaker 1: Nancy Kaplin, Mary's mother, and her dad, Mike Kaplin, take
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  Speaker 1: a listen to our friends at thirteen Amaze. Mary had
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  Speaker 1: william Syndrome, a condition it affects the immune system and learning,
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  Speaker 1: but her parents say it didn't stop her from making
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  Speaker 1: friends people. They'll tell you their own unique Mary's story
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  Speaker 1: and how special she was. Then the combination of Mary's
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  Speaker 1: love for people and a love for Christmas eventually led
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  Speaker 1: to the Merry Christmas Project. So much helped me and
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  Speaker 1: my grief that we can help people have a great Christmas.
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  Speaker 1: The project is through the United Way of Central Georgia
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  Speaker 1: and Mike says the money raised will help dozens of
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  Speaker 1: families by people with food, ornaments, Christmas trees, gifts and
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  Speaker 1: the goal is for the Merry Christmas Project to bring
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  Speaker 1: holiday cheer for years to come. With me, George mccannell's
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  Speaker 1: president CEO United Way Central Georgia. George, thank you so
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  Speaker 1: much for being with us. George, what do you hope
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  Speaker 1: to achieve in Mary's name? You know, just seeing the
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  Speaker 1: grief that they were going through, but you know, they
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  Speaker 1: came up with this idea of a way to you know,
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  Speaker 1: honor Mary's love of Christmas. And I remember just as
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  Speaker 1: a kid growing up, Christmas was always so special in
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  Speaker 1: our house and you know, a United Way we have
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  Speaker 1: a program called Parents as Teachers, where we're going into
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  Speaker 1: the homes of those in needs and working with them
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  Speaker 1: on their early childhood development. So we see up close
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  Speaker 1: and personal that there are a lot of families in
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  Speaker 1: this community, as Jamie mentioned earlier, that they're not going
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  Speaker 1: to have Christmas. Their children don't get presences at Christmas.
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  Speaker 1: It's just in many cases, it's sad to say, it's
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  Speaker 1: just like another day. And so this was an opportunity
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  Speaker 1: to give those families the kind of Christmas I think
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  Speaker 1: a lot of us know about it and make Christmas memories.
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  Speaker 1: And at the same time it's really a win win
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  Speaker 1: because it's helping, uh, you know, the joy with Mike
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  Speaker 1: and Nancy and Jamie in keeping Mary's name alive. It's
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  Speaker 1: amazing to me. Jamie Kaplan, Director Philanthropy Unita Way Cent
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  Speaker 1: from Georgia. It's amazing to me. All the good, you know,
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  Speaker 1: I report, and I research and investigate bad things, murders
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  Speaker 1: and child abuse and mistreatment of people and unsolved homicized
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  Speaker 1: missing people goes on and on and on, and I'm
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  Speaker 1: always stopped in my tracks and stunned at all the
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  Speaker 1: good in the world, by far outweighing the bad and
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  Speaker 1: what you and Nancy and Mike and George are dewey.
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  Speaker 1: It amazes me, Jamie. Tell me how I and everyone
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  Speaker 1: listening can help you. Nancy, We've got on our website
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  Speaker 1: United WACG dot org. We've got information on the Merry
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  Speaker 1: Christmas Project. There's a way to donate in any amount,
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  Speaker 1: any and every amount. It all adds up to just
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  Speaker 1: a a wonderful total that we can help people at
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  Speaker 1: Christmas time. So it doesn't matter what someone gives, what
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  Speaker 1: level they give out. Guys go to United Way, c
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  Speaker 1: is in catge is in good dot org slash Merry
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  Speaker 1: Christmas Project, and Mary is spelled m E r r
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  Speaker 1: i E United Way CG dot org slash Marry Christmas Project.
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  Speaker 1: I want to hear how is it going, Jamie? Is
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  Speaker 1: it How do you help people with the money? What
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  Speaker 1: do you do with it? Break it down? Well, so
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  Speaker 1: we will be buying Christmas trees and decorations and and
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  Speaker 1: food and clothes and toys. And we've even helped one
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  Speaker 1: young man that Mike and Nancy knows that having some
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: problems with his teeth and needed to have teeth extracted.
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  Speaker 1: We have paid for that because he's getting very sick
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  Speaker 1: from how bad his teeth were, and Nancy has Nancy
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  Speaker 1: Capel and my sister in law has found someone that's
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: going to donate ventures for him. And so we are
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  Speaker 1: to imagine the smile on that face that we're bringing
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  Speaker 1: to him in Mary's name, and so we just you know,
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  Speaker 1: we just want to help people in so many ways.
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  Speaker 1: The response has been just incredible. It's been overwhelming. We
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  Speaker 1: have raised a lot of money and we are looking
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  Speaker 1: forward to helping a lot of people Christmas. Guns. As
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  Speaker 1: a matter of fact, Amen, as a matter of fact,
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  Speaker 1: take a listen to our friends at w GXA United
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  Speaker 1: Way of Central Georgia might be able to help. It's
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  Speaker 1: Mary Christmas Project created a memory of Mary Kaplan by United.
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  Speaker 1: We have sent to Georgia and our parents by his food,
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  Speaker 1: holiday decorations and give the family they need in during
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  Speaker 1: the holiday season. We are talking about the Merry Christmas Project.
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  Speaker 1: You know what, when people tell me they feel empty,
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  Speaker 1: that they're sad, I always say the same thing. Look out,
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  Speaker 1: don't look in, don't think about yourself, think about what
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  Speaker 1: you can do for other people. This is a way
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  Speaker 1: to help people at this so called season of love.
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  Speaker 1: United way cg dot org slash Merry Christmas Project Nancy again,
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  Speaker 1: I want to hear which son as I feel like
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  Speaker 1: I'm the only one in the world that feels this way.
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  Speaker 1: There's nothing stronger on this earth anyway than a mother's love.
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  Speaker 1: That's the true. Tell me your thoughts, tell me your
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  Speaker 1: thoughts about your love for Mary. I am so excited. Really,
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  Speaker 1: it's been my only help out of this grief. I'm
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: not saying that I don't cry every day. I think
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  Speaker 1: we all have, and I will continue to cry. But
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  Speaker 1: I've now seen so many women that have gone my
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  Speaker 1: way that have seen that the only cure. There is
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  Speaker 1: no real cure, but the only help in this dark
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  Speaker 1: sea of grief is to look out. Just like you said,
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  Speaker 1: you have to look outside of yourself and help someone else,
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: because that is what love is. I don't care what
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  Speaker 1: your religion is. If it's a religion of love, I'm
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  Speaker 1: with you and we can go forward together. And goodness,
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  Speaker 1: don't we need that now in this world? And it's
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  Speaker 1: really very simple to just look outside of yourself and
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  Speaker 1: help others. Just ask my daughter would do. She taught
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  Speaker 1: me so much about that and what's important, and that's
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  Speaker 1: why so many people loved her because they knew that
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  Speaker 1: she loved them first. And we're gonna really have a
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  Speaker 1: good time this Christmas. It's gonna be great. Merry Christmas
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: to Jamie, George, Mike and Nancy. Again. If you want
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  Speaker 1: to help other people, there's a way to do it
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  Speaker 1: United YCG dot org slash Merry Christmas to all of
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  Speaker 1: you listening. Merry Christmas and God bless Nancy. Grace Crime
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: Story signing off, Goodbye, Fri