Capital One Impact Initiative
Veterans across the country are struggling to find stable housing. This affordable housing community is ensuring Los Angeles vets have a place to call home.
02.13.21
Courtesy of Creative Commons
True
After years of service as a military nurse in the naval Marine Corps, Los Angeles, California-resident Rhonda Jackson became one of the 37,000 retired veterans in the U.S. who are currently experiencing homelessness — roughly eight percent of the entire homeless population.
"I was living in a one-bedroom apartment with no heat for two years," Jackson said. "The Department of Veterans Affairs was doing everything they could to help but I was not in a good situation."
One day in 2019, Jackson felt a sudden sense of hope for a better living arrangement when she caught wind of the ongoing construction of Veteran's Village in Carson, California — a 51-unit affordable housing development with one, two and three-bedroom apartments and supportive services to residents through a partnership with U.S.VETS.
Her feelings of hope quickly blossomed into a vision for her future when she learned that Veteran's Village was taking applications for residents to move in later that year after construction was complete.
"I was entered into a lottery and I just said to myself, 'Okay, this is going to work out,'" Jackson said. "The next thing I knew, I had won the lottery — in more ways than one."
<p>Communities like Veteran's Village are contributing to the national decline in homeless veterans. <u><a href="https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2019-AHAR-Part-1.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">According to The Department of Housing and Urban Development</a></u>, 793 fewer veterans experienced homelessness between 2018 and 2019.</p><p>That drop continued a steady decline over the past decade, as the number of veterans experiencing homelessness <u><a href="https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2019-AHAR-Part-1.pdf" target="_blank">has fallen nearly 50 percent</a></u> since 2009.<br></p><p><a target="_blank"></a>National Equity Fund (NEF), a nonprofit LIHTC syndicator and partner to Capital One, brought Veteran's Village to the bank, which responded by providing a $14.3 million construction loan and $15.6 million long-term equity investment through the purchase of low-income housing tax credits.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY0NDgyNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1ODYwOTQ1N30.9Hx_lOBHw7k-4oEOdCCFG11hRY2rgQwgmlOKCFy7YmE/img.jpg?width=980" id="cc95e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ebfbc8429462c2ce7ca0764081868223" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="2349" data-height="1320">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Courtesy of Thomas Safran & Associates </small></p><p>"Everyone deserves safe, secure, stable housing — especially the heroes that protect our rights and freedoms," says David Musial, a Capital One Senior Director of the Bank's Community Finance team, which specializes in financing affordable housing. "We are honored to be able to support communities like Veteran's Village as stable affordable housing is fundamental to physical and financial health and access to opportunity."<br></p><p>Veteran's Village strives to be more than just an affordable housing development. Its staff functions as a support system to help residents navigate their individual situations to ensure that each resident is equipped with the tools they need to thrive.</p><p>"Through the support of Capital One, we were able to provide much-needed housing for U.S. Veterans," said Amy Hyde of Thomas Safran & Associates, an affordable housing development and management organization whose properties include Veteran's Village. "Our goal is to enrich the lives of the people who reside in our buildings and Capital One's funding is helping us do just that," Hyde said.</p><p>For Jackson, that goal is realized through the sense of community throughout Veteran's Village.</p><p>"It's home for people who served their country and want to serve each other," Jackson said. "We take care of each other and we look out for each other. We're a family here."</p><p>In addition to supporting housing for veterans, Capital One supports affordable housing for residents throughout the Los Angeles area, including <u><a href="https://nationalcore.org/communities/vista-grande-court/" target="_blank">Vista Grande Court</a></u>, an affordable development that supports people over 60 years of age and Palo Verde Apartments, which includes 49 affordable units with 25 reserved for formerly homeless veterans and their families.</p><p>Capital One's support to affordable housing communities in Los Angeles comes as part of its larger <u><a href="http://capital.one/2Gl20C3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Capital One Impact Initiative</a><a href="http://capital.one/2Gl20C3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">,</a></u> an initial $200 million, multi-year commitment to advancing socioeconomic mobility through advocating for an inclusive society, building thriving communities and creating financial tools that enrich lives.</p><p>Jackson said that while she is grateful for her living arrangement at Veteran's Village, there is a long road ahead in ensuring that every veteran has access to stable housing.</p><p>"I pray that there will be more communities like this built because there are so many of my veteran brothers and sisters on the streets that don't even realize their living situation doesn't have to be the way it currently is," Jackson said.</p>
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Culture
People had lots of thoughts and concerns about the Dr. Seuss story. Let's discuss the best ones.
03.05.21
Public Domain
A very simple thing happened earlier this week. Dr. Seuss Enterprises—the company that runs the Dr. Seuss estate and holds the legal rights to his works—announced it will no longer publish six Dr. Seuss children's books because they contain depictions of people that are "hurtful and wrong" (their words). The titles that will no longer be published are And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot's Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super! and The Cat's Quizzer.
This simple action prompted a great deal of debate, along with a great deal of disinformation, as people reacted to the story. (Or in many cases, just the headline. It's a thing.)
My article about the announcement (which contains examples of the problematic content that prompted the announcement) led to nearly 3,000 comments on Upworthy's Facebook page. Since many similar comments were made repeatedly, I wanted to address the most common sentiments and questions:
How do we learn from history if we keep erasing it?
<p>A racist image in a children's book is a historical artifact, but it isn't "history." History is the recording of and study of events in the past. Things themselves aren't history. (If physically holding onto things were necessary to remember history, we'd still have segregated water fountains to remind us that they existed.) <br></p><p>What's happening with these books right now, though, <em>is</em> history. A famous author's estate choosing to stop publishing a handful of his books because they contain racist imagery is literally history in the making. It's not like the images have just disappeared altogether. Students can learn about this history with images in digital archives and museums where they can be learned from at an appropriate age with appropriate context. </p><p><strong>Why don't they keep the books in print and use them as an educational tool?</strong></p><p>There are at least two reasons for that, as far as I can see: </p><p>1) As Dr. Seuss Enterprises said, these depictions are hurtful. It really doesn't make sense to keep producing hurtful content in order to educate people who are not hurt by it. You don't keep punching someone in order to teach observers who aren't being punched that punching hurts. That's cruel.</p><p>2) These books are made for small children. Kids who are 4 or 5 or 6-years-old don't have enough background knowledge about the history of racism and racial stereotypes to make these books a useful tool for teaching them about racism. (That doesn't mean they don't have an impact on them—more on that in a sec.) While parents should be talking to their kids about race starting young, the imagery here is a more complex element of the topic that doesn't fit the developmental stage of the kids the books are targeting.</p><p>Imagine what that lesson would look like in a class of kindergarteners. "See this picture, kids? That's an exaggeration of racial features and cultural stereotypes that are hurtful to people of African/Asian descent. It's just one example of how racism was long accepted in America because they believed people who looked different or came from different places were inferior." That's already too much for a kindergartener to process, and that's just the basic overview. Developmentally, cognitively, educationally, they're just not there yet. </p><p>At that age, kids are just subconsciously absorbing these stereotypes. And what's worse is that they're <em>enjoying </em>absorbing them because Dr. Seuss's whimsical rhymes are fun and reading time is fun. </p><p>Seems wiser to just stop publishing them and use what we already have published to teach older kids, teens, and adults about the history of racism in literature. </p><p><strong>So "WAP" song being Song of the Year is appropriate but Dr. Seuss isn't?</strong></p><p>I'm personally not a fan of sexually explicit lyrics, but this is an apples and oranges comparison. A highly sexualized song that isn't made for kids is not comparable to problematic racial imagery in a book that is made explicitly for kids. I'm assuming (and hoping) parents aren't singing WAP when they tuck their kids into bed at night. Dr. Seuss is deemed innocent and his books are beloved. Warm and cozy childhood memories are made with books. Having warm childhood memories intertwined with racist imagery is a problem. </p><p><strong>Dr. Seuss?!? Is there anyone cancel culture won't come for?</strong></p><p>The term "cancel culture" is getting a bit overused, in my opinion. Criticism isn't canceling. A company receiving critical feedback and making a decision based on that feedback isn't canceling (unless you count self-canceling as canceling). I grew up loving Dr. Seuss books and read them to my kids when they were little, but I think the company made the right move.</p><p>Racism can't be perpetuated just because we like someone. If we think of this as an attack on racism rather than an attack on a person, it might be easier for Seuss lovers to digest. Ted Geisel was a whole, imperfect human being who evolved over time and left a complicated legacy. His early racism should absolutely be discussed as part of that legacy. His racist works should absolutely be "canceled" by ceasing to be published. People can debate whether or not to read his other books, but the idea that his racially insensitive stuff should continue to be published for children is a pretty gross take.</p><p><strong>Get over it. It's a children's book.</strong></p><p>The same could be said to people throwing a fit about these books no longer being published. The difference is that the people who are hurt by the imagery have an entire history of racial oppression—and likely a good amount of personal racial discrimination—behind their feelings about the images. The people who are offended that a company isn't making the books anymore have no actual harm to get over. Seems like the lesser offense, objectively and by far, is to stop publishing them.</p><p><strong>Why do people even care about color of the characters? Why can't you just enjoy the stories?</strong></p><p>Adults think kids are colorblind. They're not. Research shows that very young children—even infants and toddlers—<a href="https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2020/08/children-notice-race" target="_blank">notice racial differences</a>. That doesn't mean that they discriminate, but they do notice race. So presenting racial differences in the form of stereotypical caricatures is a problem. It may not matter to you if you don't identify with the race being depicted, but it matters to many. </p><p><strong>Who gets to decide what's offensive and what's not? </strong></p><p>The people on the receiving end of racism get to decide what's racist or not. That doesn't mean there's always a unanimous consensus, but it's pretty clear when a large number of people point out that something is racially offensive. There's also research behind this decision. <a href="https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=new-study-published-on-racism-and-dr-seuss" target="_blank">A 2019 study</a> of 50 Dr. Seuss books found that only 2% of his human characters were not white, and nearly all of them were depicted in problematic ways. Whether the imagery is truly racially insensitive isn't really the question. The question is whether or not that imagery should continue to be published anew forever and ever. </p><p><strong>Why is this just a problem now when these books have been around for decades?</strong></p><p>It's not just a problem now. This isn't a new issue or a new complaint—the people who have been portrayed problematically just haven't been listened to in a real enough way for changes to be made until now. This is what learning and progress and growth as a society looks like. When we know better, we do better. </p><p><strong>Yes! What took so long?</strong></p><p>Despite the uproar, many people praised the decision, citing years of complaints about the racial stereotypes and caricatures in those books. People also pointed to the blatantly racist political cartoons Geisel (Dr. Seuss's real last name) drew early in his career as evidence that, yes, the imagery really was rooted in racism. </p><p>There's no question that some of Geisel's early work was racist. Some argue that he was a product of his time, but that doesn't make the works any less problematic. His views did evolve over the course of his life, and he tried to make indirect amends with his later books that had anti-prejudice themes, but never formally apologized for his early work. (As writer Danielle Slaughter <a href="http://mamademics.com/drseuss-racist-past-hard-conversations/" target="_blank">points out</a>, the kinds of apology statements that are standard now weren't expected in the time in which he lived, so a public apology would have been nice, but unusual.) </p><p>Some people have suggested that Geisel himself may have actually supported the Dr. Seuss Enterprises decision if he were alive today. If he was truly open to learning and broadening his understanding of race, the 30 years between his death and now may have prompted him to make that decision himself. Who knows. But undoubtedly Dr. Seuss Enterprises knows better than the average American what the author would have wanted, and they have the authority to make choices in his name.</p><p>So if people are still angry that Dr. Seuss canceled some Dr. Seuss books, they'll have to take it up with Dr. Seuss. </p>
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True
We're redefining what normal means in these uncertain times, and although this is different for all of us, love continues to transform us for the better.
Love is what united Marie-Claire and David Archbold, who met while taking a photography class. "We went into the darkroom to see what developed," they joke—and after a decade of marriage, they know firsthand the deep commitment and connection romantic love requires.
However, their relationship became even sweeter when they adopted James: a little boy with a
huge heart.
In the United States alone, there are roughly 122,000 children awaiting adoption according to the latest report from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. While the goal is always for a child to be parented by and stay with their biological family, that is not always a possibility. This is where adoption offers hope—not only does it create new families, it gives birth parents an avenue through which to see their child flourish when they are not able to parent. For the right families, it's a beautiful thing.
The Archbolds knew early on that adoption was an option for them. David has three daughters from a previous marriage, but knowing their family was not yet complete, the couple embarked on a two-year journey to find their match. When the adoption agency called and told them about James, they were elated. From the moment they met him, the Archbolds knew he was meant to be part of their family. David locked eyes with the brown-eyed baby and they stared at each other in quiet wonder for such a long time that the whole room fell silent. "He still looks at me like that," said David.
The connection was mutual and instantaneous—love at first sight. The Archbolds knew that James was meant to be a part of their family. However, they faced significant challenges requiring an even deeper level of commitment due to James' medical condition.
James was born with
congenital hyperinsulinism, a rare condition that causes his body to overproduce insulin, and within 2 months of his birth, he had to have surgery to remove 90% of his pancreas. There was a steep learning curve for the Archbolds, but they were already in love, and knew they were committed to the ongoing care that'd be required of bringing James into their lives. After lots of research and encouragement from James' medical team, they finally brought their son home.
Today, three-year-old James is thriving, filled with infectious joy that bubbles over and touches every person who comes in contact with him. "Part of love is when people recognize that they need to be with each other," said his adoptive grandfather. And because the Archbolds opted for an open adoption, there are even more people to love and support James as he grows.
This sweet story is brought to you by Sumo Citrus®. This oversized mandarin is celebrated for its incredible taste and distinct looks. Sumo Citrus is super-sweet, enormous, easy-to-peel, seedless, and juicy without the mess. Fans of the fruit are obsessive, stocking up from January to April when Sumo Citrus is in stores. To learn more, visit sumocitrus.com and @sumocitrus.
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A college student who was fed up with his classmate has gone viral for calling out his own ignorance
08.08.19
You know that feeling you get when you walk into a classroom and see someone else's stuff on your desk?
OK, sure, there are no assigned seats, but you've been sitting at the same desk since the first day and everyone knows it.
So why does the guy who sits next to you put his phone, his book, his charger, his lunch, and his laptop in the space that's rightfully yours? It's annoying!
<p>All you want to do was walk in, sit down, get out your notebook and (try to) pay attention. But now? Now you've got to talk to a stranger about moving their stuff and there goes your day, already bogged down with petty annoyances.</p><p>Sound familiar? It should. </p><p>We've all got so much to do these days that interacting with people we see every day — not our friends, but our classmates, fellow commuters, co-workers, the people in line for coffee with us every day — can feel like a burden. </p><p>So, when these people do something we perceive as annoying, like putting their stuff on our desks, we don't have the time or the energy to assume their intentions or think about the lives they're leading. </p><p>But if we stepped out of ourselves for a second, we might just realize that we're all much more connected than we think, that our preconceived notions of others are usually just that — preconceived. And, often, inaccurate.</p><p>That's why this Twitter story about a guy who learned an important life lesson from a classmate he was frustrated with is going viral. </p><p>It's the perfect example of that "don't judge a book by its cover" adage we should have all learned in preschool but sometimes forget. And it starts the exact same way as this post — with a college student groaning on the inside as he sees someone's stuff on his desk. </p><div id="eee9e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="V1L9NG1565719086"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="983334328620011520" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Hey guys, I know I usually just post shitty jokes on my Twitter but bear with me because I wanted to share somethin… https://t.co/akgh4o7wNy</div> — Thomas McFall (@Thomas McFall)<a href="https://twitter.com/thomas___mcfall/statuses/983334328620011520">1523280148.0</a></blockquote></div><div id="dabe2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="Z99REZ1565719087"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="983334330121510912" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">barely speaks English. The most advanced thing I've heard this guy say in English is "Wow, my muffin is really good… https://t.co/UeNtGqzktS</div> — Thomas McFall (@Thomas McFall)<a href="https://twitter.com/thomas___mcfall/statuses/983334330121510912">1523280148.0</a></blockquote></div><br><div id="7a9f1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="O9K3WL1565719087"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="983334332935868416" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I was ALWAYS annoyed with this guy. I'm thinking "Dude, you know I sit in this seat every day. Why are you always s… https://t.co/am1nNvLqNE</div> — Thomas McFall (@Thomas McFall)<a href="https://twitter.com/thomas___mcfall/statuses/983334332935868416">1523280149.0</a></blockquote></div><div id="b37f8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="CT1A1A1565719087"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="983334334789832704" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">But today I came to class and was running a few minutes late. I'm standing outside because I had to send a quick te… https://t.co/AEZqFuDwDr</div> — Thomas McFall (@Thomas McFall)<a href="https://twitter.com/thomas___mcfall/statuses/983334334789832704">1523280149.0</a></blockquote></div><div id="65350" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="JXHCY41565719087"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="983334336022896640" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">As I'm standing there on my phone another guy who was also late walks into the class before me and tried to take my… https://t.co/IfLRfNyPBi</div> — Thomas McFall (@Thomas McFall)<a href="https://twitter.com/thomas___mcfall/statuses/983334336022896640">1523280149.0</a></blockquote></div><div id="1966e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="RVXXRG1565719087"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="983334337327370242" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">It was then that I realized this guy wasn't putting stuff on my seat to annoy me. He was saving me the seat every m… https://t.co/D6KzZecdqQ</div> — Thomas McFall (@Thomas McFall)<a href="https://twitter.com/thomas___mcfall/statuses/983334337327370242">1523280150.0</a></blockquote></div><div id="82a6b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="WDGTU21565719087"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="983334338996658177" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I ended up going into class and of course he cleared the seat and said "Ah, Tom. You here. Okay." And I did get a h… https://t.co/VOYPDnL2em</div> — Thomas McFall (@Thomas McFall)<a href="https://twitter.com/thomas___mcfall/statuses/983334338996658177">1523280150.0</a></blockquote></div><div id="7a88e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="AZ42RQ1565719087"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="983334341131538432" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The guy moved here from the Middle East to pursue a college education in America. He plans to go back after he gets… https://t.co/IUpWCCLtwN</div> — Thomas McFall (@Thomas McFall)<a href="https://twitter.com/thomas___mcfall/statuses/983334341131538432">1523280151.0</a></blockquote></div><div id="ce92e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="XAKSXP1565719087"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="983334342473797632" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I asked him how he liked America as well. He said he misses his family but it's exciting to be here. He also said "… https://t.co/2aSbFRRJOl</div> — Thomas McFall (@Thomas McFall)<a href="https://twitter.com/thomas___mcfall/statuses/983334342473797632">1523280151.0</a></blockquote></div><div id="b691d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="I16YHZ1565719088"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="983334343841075201" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Moral of the story? Don't do what I do and constantly only think about yourself. It took me nearly the entire semes… https://t.co/z8gYObep25</div> — Thomas McFall (@Thomas McFall)<a href="https://twitter.com/thomas___mcfall/statuses/983334343841075201">1523280151.0</a></blockquote></div><p>If not for this one day running late, McFall may have never realized what his classmate was trying to do. And he may have continued to think of him as annoying, maybe telling others about "the weird guy who was always trying to take up my space"... when all the guy was really trying to do was be kind. </p><p>We all misinterpret the actions of others sometimes. It's easy to do that! </p><p>But if there's one thing this story reminds us, it's that it's important to stop and remember that while you're living your life, other people are living theirs, so assuming best intentions can do us a great favor. </p><p>That's why we should step outside of our bubbles and engage with the world on a regular basis. </p><p>You could make a new friend. You might brighten someone's day. </p><p>But most importantly, getting out of your own head, checking your own biases, and giving others the benefit of the doubt will make you a more compassionate person. </p><p>You don't have to engage with everyone you meet, but the next time someone smiles and offers you a high-five? </p><p>Maybe just take them up on it. </p><p><em>This article was originally published on April 16, 2018.</em></p>
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Heroes
Successful Japanese business man has dedicated his life to saving cats in Fukushima's nuclear zone
03.05.21
When an earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused a nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011 most people who lived in the area fled. Some left without their pets, who then had to fend for themselves in a radioactive nuclear zone.
Sakae Kato stayed behind to rescue the cats abandoned by his neighbors and has spent the last decade taking care of them. He has converted his home, which is in a contaminated quarantine area, to a shelter for 41 cats, whom he refers to as "kids." He has buried 23 other cats in his garden over the past 10 years.
The government has asked the 57-year-old to evacuate the area many times, but he says he figured he was going to die anyway. "And if I had to die, I decided that I would like to die with these guys," he said.
<p>Kato's dedication to animal welfare extends beyond the cats he's rescued. He also rescued a dog named Pochi, and he has gotten in trouble with the Japanese government for releasing wild boars from traps they set. He feeds the boars as well</p><p>Kato estimates that he spends around $7,000 a month on food, fuel, supplies, and veterinary care, which he funds from his own savings and profits from his construction company. </p><p>It's getting increasingly difficult to take care of the animals, though, and he anticipates it getting harder. One issue is that his home is falling apart, with rotting floorboards and damage to the roof and walls from another recent earthquake.</p><p>"It might last another two or three years. The walls have started to lean," Kato told Reuters.</p><p>He doesn't have running water, so he collects water in bottles for himself and the cats from a nearby stream. He uses a paraffin stove to heat the shed where he feeds the cats, and he drives to nearby public toilets.</p><p>Technically, he's not allowed to sleep in his home, though he is legally allowed to visit. He hasn't let that stop him from staying and caring for his cats, though.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="902455b2f858e16efd160f70f54adc1b"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9XC0knq4b0Q?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The pet whisperer of Fukushima</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XC0knq4b0Q" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p><p>Though Kato's family is disapproving of his chosen path, he has every intention of staying and fulfilling what he sees as his life's purpose. <br></p><p>"I want to be around when the last cat dies," he says, "then I want to die after that, no matter if it takes a day or an hour. I want to take care of the last cat here before I die."</p><p>Few people would make the sacrifices Kato has made to save animals, especially in a nuclear zone. As the area continues to be decontaminated, more of the 160,000 residents that fled the meltdown may eventually return. But for now, Kato appears to be content in the company of his cat kids and boar babies. </p><p>Here's to those special souls who have a heart for animal welfare, and here's to Kato for his perseverance and dedication in caring for these abandoned pets and giving them a loving home. </p>
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