Portraits
Photo Story of Cathy Chou
A Mother with Great Love
It was a great experience for me since this is the first time for me to record a life of a stranger via photography. Besides photos that I took, I produced an article to show a variety of aspects of Chou's life.
Cathy Chou, 39, has been in Columbia for more than 10 years since she graduated from college. She does not have an official job and spends a lot of time volunteering for the community. “I am a person of great kindness and I want to express my love to different people.” she said. As a volunteer for Columbian Chinese Christian Church, she plays the piano for the church and takes charge of the teenagers in the church. One of her favorite places is library. She goes to the Daniel Boone Regional Library every week, purchasing or borrowing books for herself and her kids.
Chou is also the teacher in AWANA Club. According to her, she chooses this job mainly because she loves spending with all kinds of children. “Children are cute and require a lot of care and love.” she said. In the club, she plays games with the kids and tells stories to the kids.
Chou has two children. A few years ago, when she had her first kid and started to search information about how to educate kids, she found this intriguing and decided to devote her time to children education. Hence，she quit her job and began to teach her kids at home. “I am grateful to my husband for his support.” She said. According to her. in the process of spending time with her kids, she has developed patience and intelligence. One of her techniques to comfort her children is to use “feeling wheel”. This is a tool to let kids choose their mood on the “wheel” when they are upset. Chou comforts her kids based on their mood represented by the “wheel”.
Photo story of A Mushroom Farmer
Allen Judy and his wife, Mandy Judy, started growing mushrooms four years ago at Heirloom Fungi Farm in Macon County, Mo. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic caused some farmers to struggle this year, Judy said he still made a profit. For that reason, he never applied for grants like the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) which helps farmers to reduce sales losses as a result of the pandemic. Missouri received around $370 million from the USDA for the CFAP. Most of the money goes into the cattle and corn business, so for mushroom farmers like Judy, they do not receive as much money. Judy said he does not think there is a need for him to apply. He said money isn’t the most important thing. He is more interested in trying new things, which is why he and Mandy Judy grow mushrooms.
Audio Story by Clivia
Walk along Walnut Street and listen. You can hear music and children’s giggle from a bungalow. That is Hummingbirdhouse Music Studio. Every week, there are parents or grandparents taking their kids to involve in the Infant Music Play Class.
Audio Story by Clivia and her group
-published on Missouri Business Alert
Video Story by Clivia and Her Group
Missouri farmers try to tackle losses in profit due to COVID-19. One option for farmers is applying for the USDA coronavirus food assistance program.
Over the summer, meat processing plants reduced works and decreased production. Fewer workers meant less meat on grocery shelves. The USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program helped lighten the blow to meat plants. Though this relief is only temporary, it is a leg up during a trying time for producers in the food industry.
in the process of revision
Multimedia Package by Clivia and her group
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