Family man

All-American Michael Oher went from the streets as a 15-year-old son of a crack addict to potential NFL Rookie of the Year on the love and dedication of an adoptive family that wouldn’t let him fail. The movie that tells their story hits theaters in time for National Adoption Day—and recognition that about 130,000 Michael Ohers are waiting for a family to adopt them | Amy Henry

Zuma/Newscom

MEMPHIS—Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy adopted as a family motto, "To whom much is given, much is required," they had no idea just how much would be required, nor that they were adopting far more than words.

Growing up hungry in the projects of New Orleans, Sean Tuohy intimately understood the plight of the poor athlete. When he became a basketball star at the University of Mississippi and then a fast-food millionaire owning over 80 Taco Bell, KFC, and Long John Silver restaurants, he gained the material means to help others. Tuohy's wife, interior decorator Leigh Anne, also gained a reputation for concern about basics for the underprivileged: "I don't care if you have cable or an iPod," she said, "but I care if you have the lights on, gas and water, a winter coat, and food."