Keeping a family together compounds the difficulty. We learned that the Jenkinses were able to do this and more by guiding their children by example. We remember reading that Mr. Jenkins, a security guard, first heard about the shooting at work. Not having a car, he had to walk and take busses back home. In the one-and-a-half hours it took him to get home all he could think about was what he might find there. In the aftermath and under the media spotlight the parents showed uncommon composure and Mr. Jenkins in particular humbled us all with his off-the-cuff eloquence. Since that time through the "kindness of strangers" and Mr. Jenkins' boyhood friend, U.S Rep. Kendrick Meek, the family has gotten a second chance at having a happy and fulfilling life: they now have a home of their own, a duplex with a lawn and trees and a front porch far from the projects. Now, only time and their faith and the effort they put in every day to get out of bed and get along will help them distance themselves from what once was to what can be.

The Miami Herald has created a commendable multi-media site that includes a timeline of articles with still photos, video, and music. It is quite moving. To see it, please click here.

Except in terms of reaching a larger number of viewers, the "Thelma" award is not so different from the ABC News "Person of the Week." It comes with no financial honorarium but in a case like this, an award as such is little more than meaningless self-referential hubris on our part without attaching money to help the family along. So, if you want to extend a helping hand to this deserving family, please join us by writing checks out to David and Sherrone Jenkins, C/O Audra D.S. Burch, South Correspondent, Miami Herald, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132. Please enclose the check and any personal correspondence to the parents in a separate envelope so that it can be given to the family unopened.