Stories of Compassion and Perseverance Win ‘The Help’ Contest

Over the past few months contestants from across the country have submitted recipes, children’s stories, and moving tales of perseverance as part of the Social Action Challenge inspired by the film The Help.

Here’s a glimpse at the winning entries and the inspiration behind them.

1. Recipe Contest

Rebecca Lubin submitted a treasured family recipe that was not only delicious, but also had a moving story behind it. In her story, she says the first time she made her goat cheese lasagna was while working as a nanny for a little boy. Soon after, the lasagna took on “a much deeper meaning.”

Rebecca Lubin and Sierra when Sierra was young. (Photo c/o Rebecca Lubin)

Here’s an excerpt from her story:

My first nanny family lost their dad three years ago. The little girl I raised, who is now 17 and in boarding school, has had me come to every parents' weekend to represent as her family. Every time we see each other, we cook my goat cheese lasagna, and we talk about her dad and my hand in raising her. I tell her all the stories I can remember of her and her dad together. It has become the most nourishing meal I've ever made.

To read Rebecca’s full story and winning lasagna recipe, click here.

Prize: Rebecca won a trip to Los Angeles and two tickets to the premiere of The Help. She brought Sierra, the little girl she raised and wrote about in her story.

2. Children’s Book Challenge

For the second challenge, contestants were asked to submit their own children’s story for the chance to have it professionally illustrated. The winning story, 11 Ways to Ruin a Photograph, tells the tale of a little girl whose father is deployed overseas.

After he leaves, the little girl decides to ruin each of the photos taken of her since it just doesn’t feel like a family photo album if her dad is not around. That is until he makes a surprise return home.

Author Darcy Pattison lives near the Little Rock Air Force Base and has watched military families send their loved ones overseas. “I have watched the sacrifice they make, and I thought that this was an appropriate story for kids. For them to know that it’s okay to be mad, it’s good to be patient, and Dads do come home.”

Prize: Darcy’s story was professionally illustrated by Michael Jeter and is available for free download here [pdf].

3. Inspirational Story Competition

Genoveva Islas-Hooker’s story of someone who inspired her offers a glimpse at the life of a strong and determined HIV patient.

Here is an excerpt from her moving story, “A Heroine Named Confidential.”

My heroine is confidential. I can't reveal her name. Confidential was on my caseload—I case-managed HIV-positive patients. I had a variety of people on my caseload but Confidential was different. She married her high school sweetheart and said he was the only love of her life. She was a mom with five kids, she had a full-time job, she never used drugs and was not a hemophiliac. She was not my usual high-risk client but that’s not necessarily what made her different. What made her different was her determination to live. Giving up was not an option; giving up on life was a concept out of her comprehension.

For the full story, click here.

Prize: A trip to New York for a mainstage performance of The Moth, hosted by Garrison Keillor.

From DreamWorks Pictures and Reliance Entertainment, in association with Participant Media and Imagenation Abu Dhabi, comes the drama The Help. Participant Media is TakePart’s parent company.