Veterans Day is next Friday and News 3 is shining a spotlight on a special People Taking Action winner who's a local Navy vet with a passion for teaching and running with a sunny disposition!
Her name is Linda Fox, but most people know her by her nickname, Sunny.
We caught up with this ray of sunshine doing what she loves to do--running. As a substitute teacher at Virginia Beach's Shelton Park Elementary, she definitely shares that passion with the kids.
While she's running along side with them, the school principal says Sunny will mentor the students, asking the kids about grades and goals.
She not only is a regular substitute teacher at the school, and a volunteer over the years, prior to all of that, she was NJROTC instructor in Virginia Beach and also in Norfolk and it all started with 21 years in the Navy.
Sunny is also a cancer survivor and while battling the disease, this avid runner made a bold pledge, "Once I found out I had cancer--I'm going---- I'm going to run a thousand races, a bucket list before I kick the bucket!"
On some of her races she brings company, pushing a disabled child along the way with some helpers, students from Shelton Park.
The school principal, Tara Brewer, stresses, Sunny is constantly taking action, "If we're ever in a predicament or a bind or we need somebody or something, we say call Sunny. Sunny will do it for us. Sunny will get it done!
So for those reasons, we presented Sunny with a People Taking Action award, along with a $300 Visa gift card from our community partner Southern Bank. Sunny was very grateful and explained her philosophy for how she earned her nickname, "Every time you think you're having a bad day, there are 20 times as many people having a worse day than you are, so always think positive, think happy and help others along the way."
A message this Navy veteran hopes everyone will remember next week when we celebrate Veterans Day, "Find a veteran in your area. You probably have one next door, or two or three just in your block. And see if you can do something nice for them and say thank you for your service."
