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here is cbs's steve hartman "on the road." >> woo!nd made a beeline for this man. >> how you doing, baby? >> reporter: patrick dowley. a man so near and dear to ray that for this game, on his cleats, he wore a picture taken the day it all began. do you remember the first time you met ray? >> i do. he looked right at me, and he pointed, he said, you patrick? i said yes, i am. man, you don't even know how long at the waiting to meet you. >> reporter: in 2007, ray was eight years old and in san francisco's tenderloin district when he saw a flyer for the big brothers big sisters program. where you actually homeless? >> at times, yeah. >> reporter: ray says his parents were in and out of his life, and he was craving stability. so he signed up for a big brother. >> i needed -- i just needed love, man. i needed consistency. i need somebody who was going to be there and teach me right from wrong. >> reporter: and that person was patrick? >> yeah. that will forever be my big brother. >> reporter: they spent countless sundays together, from tho

steve hartman, "on the road," in indianapolis. >> jericka: well, god bless them.ell, that's tonight's "cbs evening news." for norah o'donnell, i'm jericka duncan. thank you for watching. i'll see you omorrow. >>>>this >>commitment from >>>>the state >>>>continue unless we see >>> this commitment from the state can't continue unless we see commensurate changes with our partners here in oakland. >> governor newsom keeping the chp in oakland to help crack down on crime saying things have to change. >> we need to recognize when police can't stop individuals for committing crime, that those criminals get away with more and more crime. >> unfortunately we can't go after the suspect. we have to sit there and watch them. >> now with a big leadership shake-up at city hall we hear from a long time oakland bishop about the change he wants to see in the town. >> i know the city. i've been here 79 years. i know the time when we didn't even use a key to go into our door. we didn't have a reason to lock it because crime was never like it is today. >>> this is cbs news bay area w

here is cbs's steve hartman "on the road." >> reporter: the red caps were the only clue.ter: something that would soon strike straight to the heart. >> are you guys serious? >> [laughs] oh, my god. >> reporter: as we first reported last year, the kids responsible for these moments of joy are students and former students of derek brown. >> lights, please. >> reporter: a phoenix elementary teacher who uses our "on the road" stories to teach kindness and character. a perennial favorite... >> merry christmas. >> reporter: secret santa. that wealthy businessman who every year gives out hundreds of hundred dollar bills to random strangers. >> i was, like, shocked because well, who does that. >> i had never seen anyone like just give money away like that. >> reporter: could you imagine that someday it would be you? >> no. not ever. >> reporter: and so, with guidance for mr. brown... >> i sent everybody an itinerary. >> reporter: the kid started a secret santa club and began fundraising, calling friends, family, and businesses. they raised $8,000, without any help from their scho

steve hartman followed santa on the road to north carolina. >> reporter: some people were skeptical atof the stranger who rolled into flood-ravaged avery county, north carolina this week claiming to be some kind of santa. >> you don't have a beard. >> no. >> where's your reindeer? >> reporter: yet he persisted. >> you live around here? >> reporter: approaching people in parking lots and gas stations and even motel rooms where those displaced by hurricane helene are still sheltering. >> how are you? >> reporter: three months after the storm. >> you probably don't know me. >> no. >> reporter: how could she? he is secret santa. >> why did you want to come here? >> i think when people go through tragedy they can lose their house, all their belongings, but what they can't lose is hope. and maybe we can give a little hope. >> 300 secret santa dollars. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: every year around the holidays -- >> i need this so bad. >> does that help? >> reporter: this anonymous wealthy businessman travels the country. >> you're welcome. >> reporter: he gives away about $100,000 worth of

steve hartman found this heartwarming story on the road. >> this is cool. >> reporter: for earl goinsanguage. bonding over bondo and brake pads ever since jared was a little compact. and through the years, the one thing they talked about most was the '67 chevy camaro earl used to own. >> any time we saw a camaro, he would definitely bring it up. it would be a recurring theme in a recurring story. >> i once had a camaro. it was beautiful. >> just like that, the joke was the way he summed it all up is i had to sell this car for your diaper money. >> actually, earl was only half joking. >> had to build a nursery, find a crib and a cradle. it was time to settle down and raise the family, you know. >> reporter: so it was goodbye hot rod, hello lukewarm minivan. since then, his car dreams have been mostly confined to helping others with their vehicles. >> there was a nissan rogue. >> reporter: he works at o'reilly auto parts in mesquite, texas, where he has continued to share that story of the camaro that got away. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: of course, jared knew his dad never reall

steve hartman found this story "on the road." >> reporter: in cabot, arkansas just as the sun beginset over the local walmart, store janitor bill majelewski begins walking to his overnight shift. he will trek five miles, two hours in any weather. >> pouring rain you're walking two hours each way? >> yeah. i don't call out. i want to work. >> he's going to go to work no matter what. >> snow? >> snow, i picked him up in 9 degrees the other morning. >> let's go. >> reporter: as we first reported back in march, christie conrad saw bill out walking and offered him a ride. she got to know him, learned about his daunting daily commute and how he's also legally blind. so she began driving him whenever she could. at least that's how it started. >> why did you feel the need to do more? >> i can't be always there. you know? >> so what was your plan? >> mr. bill's village. >> reporter: mr. bill's village is a facebook group christie started. she was hoping to find just a few volunteers to keep an eye out for bill when he's walking. >> and within days it exploded. >> caught on really quick. >> no

steve hartman found a group of youngsters with an abundance of patience on the road. >> reporter: thea gap in that knowledge. most notably -- >> look at all these different things. >> reporter: how do you work this telephone gizmo? >> even turning it on. >> that was hard? >> right. my e-mail was not coming in. >> i don't know where things are. >> it's just not easy. >> help. tell me how to run it. >> reporter: enter our heroes. a group of computer-savvy gen z-ers who march in once a week to control-s the day. but why? a couple years ago some students here at canterbury school in fort myers, florida were joking about howbad their grandparents were at anything technical. but when the laughter faded, one of them was struck with a seriously good idea. >> yeah, it's called cleo. it sounds for computer literacy education outreach. >> reporter: erin smolyar along with friends christian lakeese and derek hunikan started the cleo club and tried to partner with brookdale. >> initially we tried e-mailing but i think we got put in spam -- it's right next door. it was before we could drive. so we

defense secretary lloyd austin assesses the state of the nation's military, plus a story from steve hartmanhumor from jim gaffigan and more on this sunday morning of the 15th of december 2024. we'll be back in a moment. it is inevitable. chloe! hey dad. they will grow up. [cheering] silly face, ready? discover who they are. [playing music] what they want from this world. and how they will make it better. and while parenting has changed, how much you care has not. that's why instagram is introducing teen accounts. automatic protections for who can contact them and the content they can see. ♪♪ >>> to begin this morning, our colleague, senior contributor ted koppel, tells about the power of the arts to instill hope and realize dreams in a most unlikely place. >> reporter: sing sing, 40 miles and a world away from new york city. for almost 200 years, a grim monument of the theory that harsh discipline discourages former inmates from returning to a life of crime. there's a flawed theory. a national study by the department of justice found that 60% of former inmates are back behind bars within th

cbs's steve hartman is "on the road" with the story. >> reporter: at community hospital north in indianapolisor going above and beyond. but as we first reported last year, the lengths she went to for these triplets, and their 14-year-old mother, is beyond compare. >> [sighs] being that age and having all three babies premature and sick, it was going to be a hard road for her. >> reporter: katrina was once a teenage mother herself, and she knew that this young mom, shariya small, didn't have a stable home life. so, even after the babies were discharged, katrina continued to visit them and shower them with gifts. >> pacifiers or bottles, three matching outfits for them. >> reporter: [laughs] what is driving you to do all of this? >> just... love. i mean, i loved her. i loved them. and i just wanted to see her be a successful parent. >> she was just there. she was there emotionally. she was there physically. she was there mentally. >> reporter: which was all new for shariya. >> yeah. she was really the only person there. >> reporter: but shariya still didn't have a proper home for the kids. so,

a story from steve hartman, humor from jim gaffigan, and more this first "sunday morning" of decemberand we'll be back after this. it is inevitable. chloe! hey dad. they will grow up. [cheering] silly face, ready? discover who they are. [playing music] what they want from this world. and how they will make it better. and while parenting has changed, how much you care has not. that's why instagram is introducing teen accounts. automatic protections for who can contact them and the content they can see. ♪♪ (box thuds) (water burbles and teabag rips) (teabag thunks and water burbles) - listening to people that drink bigelow tea is so important to my family because making that perfect cup, it's the reason we do what we do. hi, guys. - [all] hey. - so what are you guys drinking? - constant comment. - when i'm drinking bigelow tea, it's just a moment for me. it's just me time. - that's what a cup of tea is. a moment for you, with someone you love. - oh. - it tastes really great. yes, it was always bigelow tea. - wow, that's what my family hopes for. - [both] cheers. your next favorite thing

. >>> steve hartman and his adorable kids are back for another installment in their series "kindnessd to visit some schools where they have become classroom heroes. >> reporter: teacher melissa seaberg is going over homework. >> you claepd cleaned off the table. >> reporter: mrs. seaberg says a-plus answers like that are the result of model behavior. >> here you go. >> reporter: like the 4-year-old superhero feeding the homeless. >> don't forget to show love. >> reporter: the little girl whose hug made a widower's day. >> this is the first time for quite a while i've been this happy. >> when you watch all those other kids that like do good stuff, then you could do like the same thing as them. >> my favorite one is where the little girl hugs the man. that one really like filled my heart. >> reporter: to see the impact, i hit the road with my kids and colleagues, meryl and emmett. >> i have it. >> what are you taking pictures of? >> nothing. >> reporter: the teachers knew we were coming. the kids did not. >> shut up. >> we heard that you watched our stories. so we thought we'd come see

steve hartman found this heartwarming story "on the road." >> reporter: when those blue lights appearedher rear view, then 20-year-old abbie rutledge knew she had done the wrong thing at the wrong place and time. but now two years later sees that run-in differently. >> i think it was the right person, the right time and the right words said. >> reporter: the cop who pulled her over for speeding that day was alabama state trooper j.t. brown. abbie told trooper brown she couldn't afford a ticket, that she was broke and in a dead-end job. >> and i told her, i said well, how about we talk about it then. >> it went on for about 10, 15 minutes, just talking about different career paths. >> you be safe. >> reporter: their conclusion? that abbie would make a really good nurse. so brown gave her a warning on this one condition. promise me you'll go to scrub or nursing school, and slow down, and i won't give you a ticket. could you have ever imagined she would take it as seriously as she did? >> never. >> as soon as he left, an as soon as i got to where i was going, i started pushing myself towar

you know what steve hartman would call all critical, fabulous asian. i begin to try to imagine her life and became obsessed with her. and because she a black woman of that particular time, as long as her lineage, as long as her story touches, i could find information. but once he dies, there is no information. and then comes patsy rice, who was one of their daughters. and in my county that i grew up in is, you know i keep i'm only partly joking. i say it was 99.98% white in all the records of our county, there was always is at least a paragraph. sometimes a page or two about patsy rife. and i remember my grandmother, you know, there was a patsy rife ridge always in my grandmother saying, oh, she's somewhere. candice and that's all she ever said about. patsy right. but when i look like, boy, was she somewhere kind us. and she was their daughter. and because her father was he gave her agency, he gave her land, he gave her money. but she had agency this town and was first black business owner and she owned a basically a hunting lodge where she would she c

. >>> and steve hartman and his kids hit the road to surprise students who have learned from cbs newsthose gifts under the tree are going to be opened today. but not all of them will make the grade. if you plan to return a present, there's a few things you need to know. keep this in mind. most retailers -- more retailers have been charging return fees as online shopping exploded during the pandemic. some big stores have added charges specifically to ship returns back. often you have to pay for the shipping yourself. the good news is avoiding a fee can usually be like taking it back to a physical store. and before you go, get a gift receipt. stephanie carls from retail me not says it's also important to check the store's policy. >> you don't have a receipt, many stores will offer store credit or even a gift card. another tip is to keep items in the original packaging even if that item was a gift. having original packaging and tags increases your chance of getting that full refund or exchange. >> and if you are sending back a gift bought online, make sure to read the fine print and see