When Ryan, who is autistic, first came to Wendy’s, he kept to himself. But he soon took notice of Becky, who quickly memorized his favorite meal, a 10 piece chicken nugget, size large, with ranch. Ryan began studying Becky’s nametag and stealing glances at her smile. He started saying Becky’s name first to himself, then to Becky. These days, he gives a booming greeting, and his once shy mannerisms have given way to high-fives and hugs.
A “flyboy” is just another, more casual name for a pilot. A “tail gunner” is a crewman on a military aircraft who is stationed at the rear of the aircraft and defends against enemy fire. A “radioman” operates – you guessed it – the radio. You don’t hear these terms very often, unless you’re the owner of the Wendy’s in West Hills, CA. In that case, you hear them every Monday between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. when they turn your restaurant into the epicenter of a warm and welcoming reunion of more than 100 aviation veterans.
“The situation in my country is worse and worse every day,” said Figueroa, 48, a Montreal-based export process team leader for Domtar’s logistics team. “There is violence and killing. People are being kidnapped. There is no food or medicine. People are desperate and dying. I cry for my family and about the situation.” But Figueroa is on a mission to help the people in Venezuela, through Amie La Foundation Des Immigrants (which translates from French as “Friend Foundation of Immigrants”), which she founded a year ago.