'Side' mom hopes film inspires people

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Leigh Anne Tuohy, whose family's story is the basis of "The Blind Side," says she hopes the Hollywood movie inspires people to make a difference.

Tuohy and her husband Sean took in homeless, poorly educated teen Michael Oher and, by offering their love and support as part of their family, helped the young athlete succeed in school and ultimately reach the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens.

The film version of their story stars Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw as Leigh Anne and Sean, and Quinton Aaron as Michael. It opened in U.S. theaters last weekend and earned more than $34 million at the box office.

"What I'd like people to take away from this is that Michael was basically homeless on the streets of Memphis and society had deemed him valueless," the real Leigh Anne Tuohy told reporters in Los Angeles recently. "And you take a child in or an individual and you love them and you clothe them and you give them a home to live in and they feel secure and happy it can have a life-changing effect."

She went on to say Oher is not the person he was when she and her family first met him.

"He's confident. He walks in a room and he commands an audience. He's successful. I know, obviously, I'm the proud mom, but he's done an amazing thing. How many Michael Ohers are walking on the street?" she said. "You don't know that any kid or individual that you walk by, they could be the next teacher of the year or find the cure for cancer and society has deemed them valueless. So, we need to do something about foster care and homeless kids in the eyes of America. There's a huge need for it and I hope that people will leave the movie ... some might say, 'Well, I can't do something like that!' Then do something little and just do it well. You don't have to go out and bring a child into your home, but you can do something. Everybody is capable of doing something, so whatever your something is, do it well. Make a difference."