Known as “Jack” to his neighbors, John Carcano was nominated as a Hometown Hero by those he has helped in the Holly Creek community of Jensen Beach.

At 80 years old, John Carcano has given a lifetime of service.

After 30 years of employment at IBM, following ten more years as an independent contractor with the company, Mr. Carcano retired. He began in 1959 as a serviceman—looking for quality serviceable products and retired as a service planner in which he supported the servicemen.

During his years at IBM, Mr. Carcano served as a volunteer with the Federation of the Handicapped. He taught dark room photography to handicapped people, some of which were returning Viet Nam veterans.

During these years John and his wife, Arlene, traveled to many ports of call as John taught basic computer skills classes aboard cruise ships.

The couple have been married for 56 years, raised two sons, and are blessed with seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

The Carcanos relocated several times because of IBM’s work placement. At retirement, the couple happened to be living in Boca Raton.

From that home, John worked as a volunteer at the Delray Beach Community Hospital. He even became a certified rescue diver.

Looking for a quieter, more rural town to reside in, the couple came to Jensen Beach 18 years ago.

Since coming to Martin County, John has become a volunteer with Martin Health System. There he has worked in the Cancer Center, adjacent to Martin North for ten years.

Within Holly Creek John walks dogs, feeds cats, starts cars, fixes gadgets, lets service men in and out of neighbors’ homes and checks on the houses of those away. In the past he has provided rides to and from the airport.

John also provides free computer help for any neighbor in the development and he visits any neighbor who might be in the hospital.

One often wonders where the good will of service to others comes from?

With John it is a good feeling of satisfaction. But dig into his roots and the evidence becomes quite evident.

John Carcano Sr., his father, worked for the police department in Queens, driving a paddy wagon.

His mother was an immigrant to the United States from Great Britain. During her married life in Howard Beach in Queens, she both raised a family and took in numerous foster children who were transitioning to permanent foster families. Arlene, John’s wife, recalls seeing her mother-in-law sitting next to the wood stove in her house on stilts with a wrapped baby in her arms. Her desire to love a needy child kept many out of state institutions.

John Carcano is a quiet and humble gentleman. He has taken his mind and his offer to assist others and has helped the lives of many for decades. His neighbors write this about him, “We have never met a person more willing to help others when he can. The world would be such a wonderful place if it were filled with ‘Jacks.’”

When asked what he expects to be doing during the next five years, Mr. Carcano responds, “I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing. It’s not anything special. I’m just being a good neighbor.”

John Carcano is a Hometown Hero and Holly Creek’s best kept secret.

HAVE A HERO TIP? Hometown Heroes are in every town and city. They are regular people who have made a positive difference in their community, impacting others for the better. Send your Hometown Hero tip to Kelly Jadon kfjadon@gmail.com or find her online at kellyjadon.com.

How Jensen Beach Feeds America

Americans still enjoy the turning of pages within a book. Creatures of habit, books have been around as a means of preserving the written word since man began to make paper from papyrus and trees. The word “book” is actually rooted in the word “beech” as in the beech tree. In 2012, about seven in ten Americans reported reading a book in print. (“Though e-books are rising in popularity, print remains the foundation of Americans’ reading habits. Most people who read e-books also read print books, and just 4% of readers are ‘e-book only.’”) Pew Internet

Books are valued so highly that they began to be held collectively in private libraries around 1200 BCE in Syria.

As literacy became widespread public libraries came into availability.

There are approximately 119,987 libraries of all kinds in the United States today.

Librarian Becky Daughtry has worked in both public and private libraries for more than 22 years. Currently, she heads the lower school library at Morningside Academy in Port St. Lucie, Florida. She cannot imagine our culture without libraries, “the closing of some of these is a tragedy,” she states. “Kids need them. We should never be without books.”

Though adults are still reading, kids seem to be less interested. Mrs. Daughtry believes that children are distracted by more television, extracurricular activities and computer games. Reading is a part of education, and is heavily relied upon in every subject except math and physical education.

Library visits within a school setting encourage reading by allowing students to choose what interests them—fiction, mystery, nonfiction, etc.. ”To get lost in a book,” Becky Daughtry believes, “is to use the imagination while still learning things at the same time.” She herself encourages children to read the classics because that style of literature is so different from what is found in bookstores today. Her favorite as a kid: Swiss Family Robinson.

Mrs. Daughtry would like parents to know how they can help their children read better and more:

Be a positive role model—read a book yourself.

Be aware of what your child is reading. Do they understand the content? Is it suitable?

Develop personal interaction with your child by reading out loud. Be the listener.

Understand that reading for fun is as necessary as reading for education.

Read aloud to your own children, even when they’re older.

Find books which are of interest to your children.

Becky Daughtry loves her work because she loves children and she loves books. She believes that she is called to work with children. Teachers and librarians have the opportunity of positively influencing the lives of young students. Mrs. Daughtry once had a young boy who enjoyed reading old historical books—the hardbound type, without a picture on the cover. He learned most of his history this way and later graduated from university with a degree in history, preparing for law school.

The librarian touches the life of every child in a school.

Becky Daughtry can be found in the arrival area each morning at Morningside where she gives out hugs and every child is known by name.

How Jensen Beach Feeds America

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