The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

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.

[Catty1]

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.

[kuhio98]

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."

[kuhio98]

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.

[kuhio98]

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.

[kuhio98]

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!

[Catty1]

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."