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Thread: The good guys thread

  1. #196
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    Dennis Tyler never expected to fall in love.

    But after he took in a former racing greyhound named Clara Voyant in 1991, Tyler soon discovered that he'd found a constant companion in the affectionate light-brown dog, who strode beside him on daily walks and nestled against him while watching TV.

    "She was a very special dog," recalls the Melbourne, Fla.-based father of two grown children. "She blended right into the family."

    So when Tyler, 66, learned that many greyhounds, some injured while racing, faced the risk of being euthanized, he couldn't look the other way.

    "These dogs can be the most wonderful pets," he says. "I needed to do something."

    Since then the retired mechanic and his wife, Claire, 66, have found homes for more than 7,400 greyhounds through his nonprofit, Florida Greyhounds http://www.floridagreyhounds.com/

    Using donations, Tyler provides medical care for the dogs, personally matches them to a compatible family and drives them from his home state of Florida – which has the largest number of greyhound racetracks in the U.S. – to their new homes along the East Coast.

    While the group briefly suspended operations last year due to new costs at track kennels in the area, Tyler says they'll be back up running later this month. His group has also started a fledgling foster dog program.
    Lorie Stewart, of Satellite Beach, Fla., is one of the thousands of people who have benefitted from Tyler's efforts.

    "I just adore my dogs," says Stewart, who's adopted five greyhounds through Florida Greyhounds. "They call them potato chip dogs because they're so addictive; you can't have just one!"
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  2. #197
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    Soup Lady & Oil Tanks:

    Dale Dunning from Delaware is known as the soup lady for providing 900 quarts a week to those who are hungry and in need. Over the last 11 years, Dale estimates that she has given out 65,000 bowls of soup.


    Dallas from Washington found a way to turn his business of removing old oil tanks from homes into a way to help others. Taking the leftover oil in the old tanks and giving it to families without heat, Dallas has been able to keep 200 homes warm.
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  3. #198
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    Joy Jars

    Jessica Rees was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 11, and she and her parents would drive to the hospital every day to receive outpatient treatment.

    "One day we were leaving, and she just simply asked us, 'When do all the other kids come home?'" said her father, Erik.

    When Jessica found out that many of them would have to stay at the hospital, she wanted to help "make them happier, because I know they're going through a lot, too," she said.

    So she started making JoyJars -- containers full of toys, stickers, crayons, anything that might brighten a child's day.

    "She was really particular about what would go in the jars," said her mother, Stacey. "It had to be something cool, it couldn't be cheap or flimsy."

    Jessica created 3,000 JoyJars before she passed away this January. But her parents are carrying on her legacy.

    By the end of 2012, more than 50,000 JoyJars will have been delivered to young cancer patients through the Jessie Rees Foundation.

    "It's what she started, and it's what we'll continue to do," Stacey Rees said.

    "What makes Jessie a Young Wonder is that she cared," her dad said. "And in the midst of a world that says focus on yourself, it's all about you, she said, 'No, it's not.' "

    NEGU (Never Give Up) http://www.negu.org/
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  4. #199
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    Yesterday on the way to my brothers a guy in front of us at the toll booth paid our toll. I told Bruce I was going to pay it forward next weekend and I'll tell the worker in the booth to tell the person behind me to Pay It Forward.

  5. #200
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    When Will Lourcey was 6 years old, he asked his parents why a man was holding up a sign that said, "Need a meal."

    His parents explained homelessness and hunger to him, and Will felt compelled to do something about it. Soon, he came up with FROGs -- Friends Reaching Our Goals -- an organization in which he and his friends find fun ways to raise money to fight hunger.

    From running a lemonade stand to having businesses sponsor kids in sporting events, Will has raised more than $20,000 for his local food bank in Texas and, in turn, provided more than 75,000 meals to people in need.

    "When you see somebody who gets so engaged and gets so much of the community engaged, it's an endorsement of the battle that we fight to end hunger," said food bank director Bo Soderbergh.

    In his quest to spread awareness for his cause, Will has spoken before the Fort Worth City Council, worked with the former mayor of Fort Worth and written for the White House blog.

    But Will is not resting on his laurels: He has his sights set on not only eradicating hunger in his hometown, but throughout Texas, the United States and the world.
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  6. #201
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    http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/good-...173020116.html

    Young brothers stand up for their bullied sisters with Down Syndrome

    The Hollis boys, Noah 7, and Caleb, 6, star in a viral video in which they stand up for their bullied sisters, Meg and Alina, both of whom have Down Syndrome.

    One morning in the spring of 2011, the Hollis family woke up in their Illinois home to find hateful words targeted at the young girls spray-painted on their cars and the side of their house.
    “That day changed my life forever," said Anne Hollis.

    Instead of living in fear, the Hollis family decided to turn the hate into a tool for awareness.
    "As the community rallied to support them, the Not in Our Town Elmwood organization budded out with blue ribbons on trees all through town. It evolved into a public awareness campaign that raised $60,000 to bring messages of tolerance and sensitivity to 22 area schools," Best Buddies Illinois reported.

    The Hollis boys decided to make a video in support of their sisters.

    Watch their moving story below.
    Warning: Get those tissues ready.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=ObPoZCTTVeI


    The Hollis' parents submitted the video to Everyone Matters, a "Don't Judge" campaign supported by famous folks like Paul McCartney, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman.
    "Do or do not. There is no try." -- Yoda

  7. #202
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    Marilyn Mock - Foreclosure Angel:

    Devastated at a home foreclosure auction, Tracy was stunned when a stranger recognized her desire to save her house and bid $30,000 to buy it; turning around and giving it back to her. Marilyn Mock saw what it meant to Tracy to keep her home for her daughter and chose to act first and figure out how she would do it later.

    So far, Marilyn says she's been able to help four other homeowners and has received more than 10,000 requests for assistance. "Most of the people, they only need maybe $600 to maybe $2,000 to keep their house," she says. "They don't need a lot."
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  8. #203
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    Cassandra Lin is changing the world one french fry at a time.

    Four years ago, at the age of 10, she decided she wanted to do something for the environment and help the less fortunate in her Rhode Island community. She gathered her friends and created Project TGIF -- Turning Grease Into Fuel. The organization collects used cooking oil from restaurants and homes, refines it and then distributes a percentage of it to families who can't afford to heat their homes.

    So far, Cassandra and her team have collected 130,000 gallons of used cooking oil and donated $81,000 for the purchase of biofuel. This has amounted to 21,000 gallons of BioHeat distributed to 210 homes. These efforts have also offset 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from the environment.

    Last year, the group helped draft legislation that makes it mandatory for all businesses in Rhode Island to recycle their used cooking oil. The bill went into effect January 1.
    "I was trying to talk about biodiesel and just could not get anywhere with it," said Caswell Cooke, a town councilor in Westerly, Rhode Island. "And (Cassandra) came along and did it, to get restaurants to recycle their grease. ... The fact that it was coming from kids made it hit home a lot harder. 'The child shall lead them' sort of thing."

    Cassandra's next goal is for the program to be implemented throughout New England.
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  9. #204
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    Tim and Nancy Nicolai - Arena Motel, SD:

    In SD, Tim and Nancy Nicolai at the 26 room Arena Motel have done their part to help those who are without a home and in need. Allowing some guests to stay for free or pay what they can, Tim and Nancy balance helping others and keeping their business running. A few longer-term residents cook and clean for the motel in exchange for their stays. In addition to a temporary place to live, Tim and Nancy also provide meals for their tenants.
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  10. #205
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    Acts of kindness are like seeds in that when you spread them they grow!

    I love the story about a women in Minneapolis coffee shop who, while buying her own cup of coffee also bought the coffee for the stranger behind her. That stranger responded to this act of kindness by buying coffee for the stranger behind him. This one act of kindness continued throughout the day, with stranger responding to kindness by passing it onto the next person!
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  11. #206
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    Anonymous and encouraging message posted in university restroom

    http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/looko...172524530.html

    A Reddit user posted a photo of a poignant message that she found taped to the stall in a women's restroom at her university.

    The user, chellylauren, wrote: "In a girls' bathroom stall at my university, girls have written about some of their most horrifying life experiences. This week, somebody replied."
    The reply, written on notebook paper, is anonymous.
    The reply in full:
    To the girl who was raped: You are so strong. I cannot fathom the pain you must have gone through. The fact that you have the bravery to write it (even on a bathroom wall) gives me hope.
    To the girl with eating disorders: I promise you, although I don't know you, you are beautiful, you deserve your health. You deserve freedom from that hell.
    To the girl with the alcoholic father: I am so sorry for the agony it must cause. Again, such courage is remarkable you must be such a strong person to see such pain.
    To the girl whose father died: Missing them never goes away. The ache of their absence never goes away. But the love they had, the memories you share surely must last. I am sure, out of the bottom of my heart, the people who have left you in this world are exceptionally proud of the person you are.
    Everytime (sic) I see these walls, these confessions, I feel so blessed to know I have the priviledge (sic) of seeing them. Your moments, these secrets, are all precious even though they are sad. To all of you (including those I did not mention, and those who have not yet written)
    -You are worthy.
    -You are strong.
    -You are brave.
    -You are loved.
    -Somebody cares.
    Written below that, somebody penned a quick response: "To the person who wrote this, thank you."
    "Do or do not. There is no try." -- Yoda

  12. #207
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    When I was a child, my dad liked to keep busy. As he mowed his lawn, he walked over to the elderly neighbors and did their lawns as well. Now that I have my own house, I have followed after my dad. I've started to mow my neighbors' lawns as well as my own. When they get home, I see their big smiles as they pull into their driveway. The feeling that their smiles of thanks gave me was indescribable. Doing kind unexpected things for others is amazing.
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  13. #208
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    When Rhea Lyon was told someone thought she and her husband Vic deserved recognition for their volunteer work, she wanted to make it clear they were only a part of a team.

    "There are many others who work in helping people in need," Rhea said. "We have a lot of people involved in volunteer work."

    Rhea, 59, and Vic, 67, live in Hawley. Rhea works at the Stamford Memorial Hospital. Vic is retired. Once each month, the two take food to Stamford to be distributed to about 150 families.

    "Vic takes his flatbed trailer and picks up the food at the Abilene food bank and we take it to Stamford on the third Tuesday morning of each month," Rhea said. "There are a lot of volunteers waiting there for us who help with the distribution of the food."

    "It has been a God thing to us," Rhea said. "This work has pulled a lot of people together."

    After Vic and Rhea moved to Hawley from Washington state seven years ago to raise cutting horses, they have become involved in the community.

    She said it's rewarding to work with people who do not have jobs or who are not able to work.

    "People line up waiting for the food distribution," Rhea said. She said it makes her feel good to help others.

    Asked why he volunteered to help, Vic said: "We have learned there are an amount of people out there who need help. When you are looking from the outside in, you don't realize their need until you get involved in it."

    Carolyn Smith, who lives in Stamford and is a volunteer in distributing food, said that Vic and Rhea have really helped the Stamford food bank get off to a good start.

    "They care deeply for the people who need food," Smith said.

    Rhea also volunteers to work in the Meals on Wheels in Stamford, explaining the hospital allows her to take off a little time to make the routes.

    "I like this quote from Mother Teresa, my earthly hero," Rhea said as her reason for helping others:
    "I do not have any special qualities. I do not claim anything for the work. It is His work and I am like a little pencil in His hand that is all. He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it. The pencil has only to be allowed to be used."

    "I'm willing to bet that most any person involved in volunteer work of any type will agree with Mother Teresa," Rhea said. "It's not about us."
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  14. #209
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    Give, and then give some more!

    I was rearranging my living room, and ended up with a love seat I no longer needed. I put it by the curb with a free sign on it and shortly after that a lady stopped by and asked if it was really free. I told her absolutely and she asked if she could have it. I said sure. She then went on to tell me that she has a friend that has a 1 bedroom apartment and has absolutely nothing so the love seat would be very welcome. She said she needed to go get a pickup and she would be back shortly. While she was gone, I went through some things and came up with an end table and a small rocker/recliner for her as well. I also put a little money in an envelope so that her friend could get some household items she might need. Sometimes people just need to know that someone cares. Hopefully, it made her day a little sunnier.



    If you have things to give away (free) or are looking for something free, check out Freecycle.org
    Ask your vet about microchipping. ~ It could have saved Kuhio's life.

  15. #210
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