William Ostrum 
Dec. 25, 1994 
William J. Ostrum, 63, Of Lower Demunds Road, Dallas, Died Sunday In 
Wilkes-barre General Hospital.

By CECE TODD; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Sunday, December 25, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





WILKES-BARRE -- "It just reached my heart." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 An elderly woman who could not see the pages of her Bible. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A child who could not walk without help. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A college student who is raising two brothers on her own. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But for Helen E. Berryman of Kingston, it was the struggles of a
Tunkhannock couple and their teenage handicapped daughter that touched her
most. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I figured the father had to carry his child up the stairs to bed each
night, and he has a hip problem," Berryman said. "It just reached my heart." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So, Berryman reached into her pocketbook and gave Carlton and Arlene Shupp
their dream -- a $3,000 mechanical stair glide for daughter Kim, 13. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Shupps are one of 12 families and individuals from the Wyoming Valley
whose dreams have come true this Christmas Day thanks to The Times Leader's
generous readers. With $2,523 to spare, the newspaper met its $20,466.69 goal
in the annual Book of Dreams campaign. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The excess funds will be used to obtain a wheelchair lift and lock-down for
the Shupps, who have twice been denied public funding for the device. Jim
Keller Jr. of Keller Wheelchair Lifts in Luzerne is helping Book of Dreams
with the purchase and installation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This community always comes through," said Times Leader Vice President and
Editor Allison Walzer. "Our readers have spoiled us rotten. We know we can
count on them." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Since the campaign's start just after Thanksgiving, one reader after
another has sent in a donation or offered to help in some way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jesse James Van Orden, 13, of Wilkes-Barre, donated $45 for Christopher
Krum, a Wilkes-Barre 3-year-old with cerebral palsy. Christopher could not sit
upright without a special high chair. "I believe in sharing with others in
more need," Van Orden wrote on his contribution form. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pat Judge of A&amp;A Auto Parts and its parent company, Keystone Automotive
Warehouse, in Exeter sent in $5,000 on behalf of his employees. Someone who
wished to remain anonymous left a bag of change at The Times Leader reception
desk. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Elizabeth Taylor of Dallas gave $10 and a wish for all the families: "May
God bless them all." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Not all contributions came in the form of cash. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Desiree and Bruce Stocker of Wilkes-Barre gave a large bag of baby clothes
to Ann Wesley of Plains Township, who struggles to raise a toddler with speech
and language problems while taking care of another baby born this fall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I know how hard it was when we were first starting out," Desiree Stocker
said of raising her own son, who is now 9 months old. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Book of Dreams began as a special supplement to The Times Leader in 1987.
Each Thanksgiving, the paper would publish in one booklet the stories of needy
families. Today, the stories are printed individually on Page 1A between
Thanksgiving and Christmas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For reporters and editors, the project entails extra work. But they are
rewarded by seeing "the power of the printed word affect people," said Chris
Ritchie, assistant managing editor/features. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In addition to the writing and editing, Times Leader staff members shop
for, wrap and deliver many of the gifts purchased through Book of Dreams. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Our people become Santa's elves," Walzer said. "And Boscov's has given us
enough wrapping paper to last 'til the end of time." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 From department stores to schools to eye doctors -- Book of Dreams
generates support from all over the community. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the paper published an article about
78-year-old Helen who was in dire need of new glasses. By that Monday, at
least 14 optometrists and optical suppliers had come forward. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They said, `We want to help Helen,' " Ritchie said. "Had they not done
this, Helen would probably still be squinting at her Bible and wishing she
could see." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Dr. Jason Smith, a Forty Fort optometrist, examined Helen's eyes and fitted
her for glasses -- at her Wilkes-Barre home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I thought I could help in a way I have experience," Smith said of his gift
to Helen. "It gave me an opportunity to appreciate what one has and what one
doesn't have. I'm just glad to be a part of it." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last week, Helen was still adjusting to her new bifocals, but grateful to
have them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'd like to thank the people who did so much for me," she said. "I have a
good life." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Young lives brightened &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Readers were especially generous to the children featured in Book of
Dreams. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When we see a child who needs help just sitting up, we have to help,"
Walzer said. "It's hard to believe the things these families ask for, things
they consider a luxury. It boggles the mind." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After receiving their gifts, the kids were boggled with excitement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The John Heinz Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine purchased a $1,700
walker for 7-year-old Crystal Cupp of Mountaintop, who has cerebral palsy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They're putting a brake on it. She gets a little rambunctious now and
then," her grandfather William Cupp said of the child whose disability had
made it difficult for her to get around at home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Book of Dreams brought several blessings to William and Dorothy Cupp, who
are raising Crystal and her younger brother, Billy, 6. The employees at Trion
Industries paid for a new Fiberglas canopy over Crystal's wheelchair ramp. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Crystal does not know where her new walker came from. But one day when she
is able to understand, her grandfather plans to tell her, "It's from the Lord. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I pray to the Lord daily for her condition and I believe the Lord is
instrumental in touching people," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At the Corby home, 7-year-old Justin was thrilled when Times Leader
employee Dave Kaufman brought him a computer purchased through Book of Dreams
and set it up for the boy to use. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He was so excited he couldn't sleep," his mother, Vickie Corby said of her
son, who has hypertonic cerebral palsy and needs the computer to stimulate his
motor skills. "We couldn't believe people were nice enough to do this." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Two young boys in Wilkes-Barre were surprised, too. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After reading about Andita Parker-Lloyd's struggles to raise two brothers
while attending college, Nachlis Furniture in Plains Township gave the family
a set of bunk beds, two mattresses and two box springs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They had a need and we had what they needed," said Nachlis owner Roy
Liese. "She must have said `God bless you' 10 times to me." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When the beds arrived, Kevin Antonio Lloyd, 13, and brother Quentin "Q"
McClellan, 8, couldn't wait to lie and play on them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Oh goodness," says sister Andita, who took legal custody of her brothers
last March after their mother died just months before. "I had to run to catch
a bus to school, but they wanted me to put the sheets on them right then." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Most of all, her brothers were in awe over their special gift. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They said, `It's free? These people are really that nice?' " she said.
"They finally got the gist that people are really great here. We'll be
counting all these blessings for a long time." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/FRED ADAMS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kim Shupp, 13, rides the stairs in her Tunkhannock home on a stair glide
donated by Helen Berryman, center, of Kingston. Kim's mother, Arlene, right,
smiles as she watches her daughter. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 List of donors &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 -- Page 3A &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Donors Delve Into Pockets, Hearts Twelve Stories Featured In Book Of Dreams Touch Off Giving Spirit That Exceeds Original Goal Of Fund-raiser