The good guys thread [Archive] - Page 3

kuhio98

10-18-2013, 09:24 AM

Mysterious Ways: Woman's Best Friend
She had no interest in adopting a dog. But one pooch took an interest in her.
By Doris Richardson, High Springs, Florida

Admittedly, the house had been quiet since my husband died, but I didn’t want a dog. I had enough responsibilities as an elementary school principal. Besides, no dog could ever replace Kash, my childhood best friend.

I only went with my friend Dee to the animal shelter for pet adoption day because when she gets an idea she’s like, well, a dog with a bone. I figured she’d drop it once she saw I had no interest.

But one dog took an interest in me. He came right up and looked at me plaintively, imploringly. Some sort of cattle-dog mix, with reddish-brown fur and a white stripe that ran from the back of his head down to his salt-and-pepper muzzle. I gave him a pat and shooed him away.

He didn’t go. When I tried to walk away, he followed, as if he was herding me. “I guess your dog found you,” Dee laughed.

“Not hardly,” I said. “He’s not for me.”

No dog ever would be after Kash. He was a mixed breed, the kind we called a Heinz 57 variety back in Opp, Alabama. Those were lean times and my parents worked long hours.

I would have been lonely without Kash. He watched me jump rope, listened as I read from my schoolbooks and sat with me by the dirt road, waiting for my folks to come home. He was smart, affectionate and made me laugh. It devastated me when he died. I vowed never to get another dog.

This mutt, though...no amount of coaxing could pry him from my side. He even barked at other dogs, keeping them away. “Come on, Doris, you can’t say no,” Dee begged.

“Try him for the weekend,” the shelter worker said. “Bring him back Monday if things don’t work out.”

“Okay,” I said to the persistent dog. “You get a weekend. No more.”

The dog kept me company as I did my chores. I laughed, watching him surge through the piles of autumn leaves on a walk around the neighborhood. That first night he curled up by my side. And all at once I felt like we were a pair, like the house wasn’t so empty anymore.

On Monday, I returned to the shelter—to finalize the adoption.

“Have you named him yet?” the worker asked. I admitted I hadn’t.

Well, if you’re interested,” she said, “his last owner called him Kash.”
http://www.guideposts.org/sites/guideposts.com/files/imagecache/story/content_editors/story/dorisrichardson_story.jpg

Taz_Zoee

10-18-2013, 11:20 AM

Oh my gosh!! I was not expecting that ending to the story ^^. It brought tears to my eyes, big time!!! :D

kuhio98

10-19-2013, 09:01 AM

Comfort Kits

A hospital stay can be quite frightening for anyone – but imagine how a child feels, being away from home and family, in a strange bed, not feeling well.

Hospitalized children need to be loved and touched by comfort. That’s why Guideposts Outreach has created the Comfort Kit - a small box with a huge impact. Distributed to children by the hospital chaplains, nurses, child life, or volunteers, the Comfort Kit is filled with special items to turn a child’s hospital experience into a meaningful time; and to fill it, to whatever extent possible, with joy.

Inside, the child finds a cuddly stuffed star named Sparkle, an “I’m Special” bracelet, stickers, a stress ball, crayons, a parent feedback card, a stand up prayer card and a personalized name tag to mount on the wall (so that doctors and nurses can call the child by their first name)—and best of all, a special journal that kids use to help them process their feelings and help them find the strength that lies within.

This much-beloved program has distributed over 100,000 Comfort Kits over the last six years. Medical staff members and parents especially are grateful for the way Comfort Kits really do provide a source of comfort and joy to the young patients. One parent shared:

“Logan is 2 years old and having the plush star from the Comfort Kit was a great comfort. He slept with it every night and it went into surgery with him. He also liked the stress ball. Thank you so much for the Comfort Kit! Logan’s father was just deployed to Afghanistan and Logan was facing emergency surgery all in the same week! The Comfort Kit helped us both and was much appreciated!”

For more information on Guideposts for Kids Comfort Kits, please visit us at comfortkits.org.
http://www.comfortkits.org/sites/comfortkits.org/files/100K-Banner_0.jpg

cassiesmom

10-20-2013, 01:00 AM

A waiter at a Boston-area restaurant witnessed an act of kindness on Tuesday night that's warmed hearts across the internet.

"While waiting tables tonight, a mother and daughter started crying mid-meal. I had no idea what happened until a single guy at the table next to them handed me this note [**] with his bill," wrote the waiter in a Reddit post. "Faith in humanity, restored."

HuffPost reached out to the waiter, who clarified that he couldn't confirm the relationship between the two women, but he was fairly certain they were mother and daughter. After they'd ordered, the woman whom the waiter believes was the daughter took a phone call. Both women then started crying.

What happened next was truly heartwarming:

The single guy who had been sitting next to them had been friendly to me all evening, making jokes and such. When he was finished I gave him his check, and inside the billfold was his credit card and the note that I took a picture of. I combined the 2 checks, and he paid for both. I waited until after he had left to tell them their check had been taken care of. The mother was overwhelmed with gratitude, as was I. It was a great evening.

We're glad people like this man exist in the world.

** Elyse here: I can't copy the picture, but the note says, "Do me a favor and bring me their check too. Someone just got diagnosed."
Here's a link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/stranger-overhears-diagnosis-pays-tab-_n_4109542.html

kuhio98

10-20-2013, 09:11 AM

Elyse ~ Wonderful story that goes a long way to prove there are angels all around us. It feels so wonderful to do something nice for someone else.
Sharing another restaurant story that just made the news.

Ellen DeGeneres Gives $10,000 to Waitress Who Paid Soldiers' Tab

A New Hampshire waitress who picked up the lunch tab of two National Guard soldiers affected by the federal government's shutdown has been repaid – more than 300 times over – by television star Ellen DeGeneres.

Sarah Hoidahl, a waitress in Concord, N.H., just wanted to do a nice thing for the soldiers, so she paid for their lunch. It cost her $27.75. On Friday, DeGeneres squared the tab and then some, giving Hoidahl $27.75 in cash and a check for $10,000.

An emotional Hoidahl buried her face in her hands and thanked DeGeneres as the talk show host repeated, "You're a good person."

DeGeneres caught wind of Hoidahl's act of kindness when the New Hampshire National Guard posted a picture on its Facebook page. The story spread quickly online, producers saw it and invited Hoidahl to Hollywood. Ellen also gave her a 50-inch television.

kuhio98

10-21-2013, 09:25 AM

Grateful boy dresses up as his doctor for Halloween

SEATTLE -- A Seattle surgeon made such a huge impact on a second grader that the little boy decided to honor the doctor for Halloween.

Of all the costumes 7-year-old Landon Browne could have picked for Halloween, he didn't go for Spiderman, a fireman, a ninja or a warrior. Instead, he showed up to Seattle Children's Hospital on Wednesday dressed as Dr. Jay Rubinstein.

Browne hears pretty well for a deaf child. And what he lacks in hearing, the precocious and gifted child makes up for in smarts.

"I'm pretty smart," he said. "I don't mean to be not humble."

On Wednesday, Browne showed up at the hospital wearing a lab coat, just like the one Rubinstein wore when he performed the two Cochlear implant operations on Browne.

"Well, he worked on both my ears and he's a great surgeon," Browne said.

Rubinstein performed the first surgery when Browne was just nine months old. Browne became an important part of the doctor's research, and last summer he added a Cochlear implant to the child's left ear.

"I'm pretty grateful to him for all the efforts he's made on our behalf, and for him to do this makes it clear that he feels the same way," Rubinstein said.

Rubinstein is now helping develop advances in the way implant patients hear music. They often struggle following melodies and deciphering changes in pitch.

"I do like beat boxing," Browne said.

Browne's dad is a musician and his mom is hopeful about what her son will one day hear thanks to Dr. Rubinstein.

"I completely got goosebumps, because who would want their child to not experience the beauty of music," said Browne's mom, Alysia Browne.

Browne said if he didn't go with the Dr. Rubinstein costume he probably would have dressed up like a vampire or a prince.
http://media.komonews.com/images/131016_doctor_big.jpg

kuhio98

10-22-2013, 09:38 AM

Good Samaritans get repossessed car back for fallen Tampa police officer's mom

A couple of Good Samaritans got a repossessed car back for fallen Tampa police officer Jeff Kocab's mom.

"That car represents part of Jeff," said Dave Williams. "So she’s got Jeff back in a way."

Williams along with Kevin Crofton surprised Sandy Kocab with a $3,000 check on Thursday to cover the back fees and principal on her 2006 Suzuki Forenza.

"I just want my car back," Kocab said. "Now I can have it back thanks to two wonderful people."

Kocab said on Oct. 5, she and her daughter, Stephanie, woke up to find their car missing outside their Brandon apartment. At first, Kocab thought it had been stolen and called Williams who discovered it had been repossessed.

"I called Hillsborough S.O., it turned out, unfortunately, she was two payments past due," Williams said. "They repo’d it at 3:25 in the morning. At that point, I knew I had to act fast because it’ll go to auction in two weeks."

Kocab said she has been having a tough time since her son was shot and killed during a traffic stop in June of 2010.

"We got behind with the car payment. Things have been on hold since Jeff passed away," she said. "I was a teacher and I quit teaching and so things have just been rough. And then I got sick with asthma.”

To help Kocab out, Williams said he called Crofton, the owner of Uncle John's Pride Sausage, to see if he'd be willing to split the cost to get the car back.

"When Dave told me about it... I was like, 'Sure I’d like to help. Anything I can do,'” Crofton said. "This was so dear to my heart, right around the corner from where my business is, and I just thought it really fit for what I like to do."

Crofton said he's a philanthropist who normally likes to stay behind the scenes.

"God does for me, what I like to do for people. So, it’s not really me, it’s what he’s done through me," he said. "I give all my credit to God.”

Kocab said another reason she wanted that car back is because of the tribute to her son that's on the back window.

"It’s got Jeff’s name on the back,” she said. “I just love these guys that have come through for us. It’s amazing.”

It's one less worry for the fallen officer's mom who has to mentally prepare for Dontae Morris' double murder trial next month. Morris is the man accused of gunning down officers Jeff Kocab and David Curtis.

"We know we have a car and it’s not going to be taken away and it’s ours," Kocab said. "I can get everything else under control.”

"We’ve got your back,” said Williams.
http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/articles/bn9/2013/10/17/exclusive_good_samar/_jcr_content/contentpar/articleBody/image.img.jpg/1382098240794.jpg

Catty1

10-22-2013, 11:50 AM

Vancouver man tracks down owners of SD card filled with world-tour photos<cite class="byline vcard">http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/RofAOyt2ORUGJ5YHzV0dhg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTQwO3E9NzU7dz00MA--/http://media.zenfs.com/153/2011/03/04/nb-headshot_162557.jpg

By Nadine Kalinauskas (http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/author/nadine-bells/) | Good News (http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/good-news/) – <abbr title="2013-10-21T16:57:44Z">23 hours ago</abbr></cite>

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/lvVhgoFO_bM2NP2ds6wcqQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMwMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-CA/blogs/goodnews/1264910_10153409913465122_416137639_o.jpg (http://mit.zenfs.com/137/2013/10/1264910_10153409913465122_416137639_o.jpg)
On October 10, Vancouver photographer Thom Hamilton found an SD card containing 1,200 photos of an around-the-world trip on a sidewalk in Stanley Park. On October 19, he was finally able to track down the owners of the card: Maree and Jock Lindberg of Busseltown, Western Australia.

He mailed the couple their SD card via FedEx this morning.

The Australian couple were just a week away from completing their trip around the world when their camera was stolen.
"They were devastated," Hamilton told the Province. "That was all their memories."

To identify the card's owners, Hamilton combed through their photos and traced their journey, which started on July 22, to Norway, Denmark, Holland, France and Canada. Vancouver was their final destination before returning home.

"As I started seeing images, I kind of saw a really big story developing in front of my eyes," he recalled. "It started painting a picture that it was a retirement couple who are on the trip of a lifetime, possibly."

Hamilton posted some of their photos on his Facebook page and appealed to local media, but no one identified them.

"I empathize with the people in the pictures," he explained his motivation for trying to help to the Province. "Being a photographer, I could image what it would feel like to lose an entire vacation of pictures. I hope that someone would put in some effort to find me."

On closer inspection of the photos, Hamilton realized the couple was probably Australian. Their itinerary was a logical one if they started there, and a T-shirt in one of the photos promoted an annual charity event in Western Australia.

Hamilton contacted Perth Now, the largest newspaper in Western Australia, which ran the story of the lost photos.

"This was a trip literally around the world, so these memories need to find their way home," Hamilton told the newspaper.

Readers recognized the couple.
"Next thing I know is I had a friend request, someone was telling me they’re the cousin of the couple in the photos, and then the whole thing just took off," Hamilton told CTV British Columbia. "Within about half an hour I had an email from Maree, who was actually the owner of the card."

"It's a little bit mind-blowing that there’s almost 7-billion people on the Earth, they could have been from anywhere, and within 10 days, by the start of a Facebook page, this all fell into place," he added.

The Lindbergs had been travelling the world this summer, visiting apprentices who had lived and worked on their farm over the past 20 years.
"So they were going from country to country to country to check in on some people they had taught throughout their life," Hamilton said.

Maree Lindberg told Hamilton that their camera bag had been stolen in Vancouver.
"I can still hardly believe it, I never imagined that I would see any of the photos again," Maree wrote in an email to Hamilton. "I also want to say a huge thank you to you for all the effort you’ve gone to to locate us."

Hamilton is now considering a trip to Australia to meet the Lindbergs.

kuhio98

10-24-2013, 10:09 AM

Brandon Elementary students swap birthday presents for charity work

LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) - It's not every day that a 10-year-old would decide to swap birthday presents for charity work, but that's exactly what five Brandon Elementary students did.

The girls asked the community over the weekend to donate $1,000 to the American Cancer Society for their birthdays and the community listened.

"We really didn't want presents this year because we just really like to help other people and there are some other people that go [to Brandon Elementary] that don't ever really get any of that kind of stuff," said Autumn Squires.

Lauren Lear, Paige Rawlinson, Reagan McDuffie, Aubrey Lindsey and Autumn Squires decided a couple weeks ago that they wanted to host a birthday party to help raise money for several organizations they liked. They even asked guests to bring canned goods to donate to local food banks.

"It feels good. Our goal is trying to do like people can copy like they can do the same thing that we did," Lauren Lear said.

"Yeah, like, we're trying to get more people to not get presents and start doing donations to give to other people," Paige Rawlinson said.

Sheila Skelton, the director of the HOST lab at Brandon Elementary, said she felt so inspired by what the girls were doing she even donated.

"I think it shows leadership skills. I think—well, I know their families personally so I know how they've been brought up in their homes, and I know they've been taught that to give to others and to help other people and I think it just shows good leadership skills," Skelton said.

The girls say they are unsure if they will donate each year, but would like to send donations to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

"Half of the kids in America or in the World or something go to St. Jude's to get surgery because they have some kind of cancer and we just don't want," Lauren Lear said.

The American Cancer Society's Lufkin office says they think the girl's charitable work is great, and are very impressed with the girl's initiative to help aid cancer research.
http://ktre.images.worldnow.com/images/23749768_BG1.jpg

kuhio98

10-25-2013, 10:04 AM

The Daily Treat: 'Subway Kittens' Find Fur-ever Home with Brooklyn Couple

http://img2-1.timeinc.net/people/i/2013/pets/news/131104/subway-kittens-600.jpg

No need to do away with the hipster wardrobe, Arthur and August – the 'Subway Kittens' have permanently moved to Brooklyn.

In August, the feline duo stopped service along New York City's B and Q lines for several hours when they somehow managed to find their way onto the subway tracks. Following their rescue, the pair was fostered by Steven Liu, a 25-year-old Bushwick, N.Y., resident, and his roommates to prepare them for adoption. "They're still really shy. I think they've been stray for a while," he told the Daily News at the time.

Last week, roughly six weeks after their rescue, Animal Care & Control designated them ready to be brought home by a loving family – and Katherine and Keith Lubeley rose to the occasion. The married couple tell New York magazine they were immediately interested in bringing home the pair.

"We had been thinking about adopting rescue cats for a while and specifically wanted two bonded kittens, so it wasn't out of the blue," said the couple. "Just perfect timing. And these two have a crazy special bond!"

Keep up with your favorite celebs in the pages of PEOPLE Magazine by subscribing now.

And with a few days under their belts in their new surroundings, Arthur and August seem to be adjusting well, as evidenced by the photos Katherine has shared on her Twitter feed.

"They've found all the apartment's soft, sunny places and quiet nooks," said the couple. "They are having a rollicking good time getting to know their new kingdom."

kuhio98

10-26-2013, 10:30 AM

7-year-old wants to give Christmas to homeless

SANDY — Hailee Strandgard’s desire to give homeless people a Christmas started with a lot of questions.

Last year, 7-year-old Hailee’s mother, Trishell Strandgard, was doing an internship at a day clinic for the homeless. Naturally caring and also curious, she “just asked a lot of questions” of her mother about homelessness. She wanted to know about them and their situation, and particularly, if Santa visited them.

“It made me sad that they just didn’t have anything,” Hailee said.

Wanting to help them, she approached her mother.

“She asked me ‘Mom, can I give them all my toys for Christmas?’ I told her she could give them whatever she wanted. And she said, ‘Do you think I could ask other people to help?’ ” Trishell said. “It was really heart-touching to know that my 6-year-old daughter was so in-tune with other people’s needs. I was shocked at first. Most 6-year-olds don’t think of stuff like that. I just cried.”

Trishell said her daughter is always caring for other people, wanting to give her allowance to people on the corner and is generous to people in need.

“She’s a wonderful little girl and we’re blessed to have her in our life. She helps me and her dad be better people every day,” Trishell said.

In 2012, the family put together a charity drive, gathering blankets, toys and stuffed animals. They gathered about a pickup truck bed full of donations for the Road Home.

This year, the first-grader hopes to gather more than last year, as well as get enough donations to make 150 sandwiches for the Salvation Army. The Strandgards are collecting blankets, toys and stuffed animals again, in addition to deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste and canned food. So far, they have collected about twice what they did last year.

“She’s just worked really hard to make it bigger than last year. She’s really worried about people going without for Christmas,” Trishell said.

The Strandgards are collecting the items now through Dec. 3. They can be reached by by email at [email protected].
http://img.ksl.com/slc/2511/251163/25116366.jpg?filter=ksl/story_635

phesina

10-26-2013, 12:27 PM

kuhio98

10-28-2013, 02:12 PM

I'm a sucker for men who love animals. Especially cats. This story touched my heart.

I am a Merchant Marine Officer and when I reported to one of the ships I worked on, someone mentioned they had a cat on board. I didn't believe this at first, but finally saw her racing down the passageway one day. I also found out the Captain had ordered her to be found and thrown overboard, but the crew had been "unable" to find her. When I asked the Captain this point blank, he said she was feral, mean and spiteful. I love all animals, so I loaded up at first port with every treat and toy in stock at Walmart I think, and proceeded to try and win this frightened kitty over. I knocked out the panel in my stateroom door and set up for her. As she had a way out, it wasn't too hard to coax her in, and before I knew it, she was waiting at my door every night when I got off work and was in my bed until I fell asleep, so happy for attention. My wife said no matter what you do, don't leave her there, and I didn't. I managed to get her off the ship when I signed off, and flew her home to be with us. One month after getting her home, I took a picture of her curled up between my dogs legs and sent it to the Captain who told me how "feral" she was. Bridgette has now been with us over 10 years. Healthy, sweet and loving and I never regretted any part of bringing her home from that ship.

John Ratcliffe
Tuftonboro, NH
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/takeaction/usercontent/photostory/PhotoStory20083_web.jpeg?cb=1382973964085

Taz_Zoee

10-28-2013, 04:17 PM

phesina

10-28-2013, 04:56 PM

kuhio98

10-29-2013, 11:58 AM

Nurses in Children's Cancer Unit Encourage Their Patients to Be 'Brave'

http://img2-3.timeinc.net/people/i/2013/news/131111/brave-hospital-600.jpg

Fun is a priority at this Minnesota children's hospital.

Two nurses in the cancer unit at the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital recognized that good health care is more than just measuring stats and giving meds, but also keeping up the kids' spirits. So they decided to make a music video to the song "Brave" by Sara Bareilles, and feature their patients in the starring roles.

The video, which has since gone viral, also features 70 staff members singing and dancing, LEX18 reports.

"There aren't always bad times, like you know, you need to be able to laugh about it," Sarah Ewald, a patient battling cancer for the second time, said. "You need to have fun."

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/N8xnLkyKgsE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

kuhio98

10-30-2013, 10:14 AM

A doctor did the CUTEST thing for this little boy

Hospital stays can be really scary when you're a kid. Luckily for this little boy, he got to bring along a friend.

Joshua, 9, had severe reflux as a baby, and recently had to undergo an endoscopy. For comfort, he clutched his favorite toy, a little stuffed wolf pup.

While he was under anesthesia, pediatric gastroenterologist Christine Hurtado took a few minutes to sew up a small tear in the animal's fur, and marked a little "intravenous site" with a Band-Aid. When the procedure was over, she sent the wolf out with a little mask and gloves on his paws.

Joshua's dad, Kevin Wade, said Hurtado's small gesture delighted his son. "That stuffed animal means the world to him, that's his baby, and to know they thought enough of him to take care of his little baby is sweet," he told a CNN producer.

Hurtado says part of her job is to make the hospital environment seem a little less intimidating, and she has "operated" on a lot of stuffed animals so kids wouldn't feel like they were alone. "Being part of a children's hospital, they really encourage us to go that little extra bit to make a difference for families and kids."

Joshua is now doing much better, thanks to a special diet, and a few days after he got home from the hospital he took the bandages off his wolf friend and declared him "all better."
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/dr/hln/www/release/sites/default/files/imagecache/textarticle_640/2013/09/19/joshuawadejpg-2594392_p9.jpg

kuhio98

10-31-2013, 11:54 AM

911 operator saves bride's big day in the best way

Seriously, who steals a wedding dress?!

Bride-to-be Amanda was mere hours away from walking down the aisle when she discovered that her $6,000 wedding dress had been stolen out of her car. In tears, she called 911 to report the robbery.

"I'm calling to report my stuff stolen," Amanda stammered into the phone.

"I'm sorry, you said your truck was stolen?" the dispatcher interpreted.

"No, I'm trying to...my...my wedding dress!"

What happened next was like a real-life version of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." Candice, the dispatcher, felt horrible for Amanda. The 911 operator had just gotten married a year and a half before, and she had a perfectly good wedding dress sitting in her parents' closet.

A perfectly good wedding dress. From the same store Amanda had bought hers. In almost the same size that Amanda wore. It was almost too perfect to be true.

Candice talked to her manager and got permission to offer Amanda her wedding dress as a stand-in. With the help of Candice's husband, the group managed to get the dress to Amanda before she got married.

The dress fit. The day was saved. And two random women became friends for life thanks to some kindness and quick thinking.

The two ladies got to meet face-to-face shortly after Amanda's wedding day, and Amanda had some warm words for Candice on "Good Morning America."

"I want you to know you're seriously an amazing person and not a lot of people would have done that," she said.

For Candice, it was an easy choice. After all, it just seemed like fate.

“If I hadn’t taken that call, I wouldn’t have heard about it. If she wasn’t my size, it wouldn’t have worked. If my husband had gone camping instead of staying home, I couldn’t have gotten to the dress," Candice told the News Tribune. "God does awesome things, and this woman, whose wedding day might have been ruined, had her special day, after all.”

kuhio98

11-01-2013, 12:38 PM

DETECTIVE INSPECTOR HOWARD GROVES, 42
Visiting the U.S., an English tourist catches a thief

It was supposed to be a welcome break from work for British police officer Howard Groves, who arrived last March for a week of sightseeing in New York City with girlfriend Rachel Double. But stepping out of their Manhattan hotel on just their second morning in town, the pair heard shouts from a nearby store. "I went into police mode right away," says Groves, a detective inspector in the London suburb of Uxbridge. "I started to walk across the street, but I remember thinking, 'Whoa, this is New York, be careful.' "

Very careful. Next thing he knew a man burst out of the shop. "He was running toward me covered in blood, shouting, 'Help, help, they're trying to rob me,' " says Groves. When two suspects emerged from the shop and began walking calmly down the street, Groves barked at them. One took off, but the other glared at Groves, then pulled a gun from a paper bag. "Without saying anything—bang!" recalls Groves. "The shot echoed around the buildings."

Unhurt, he and Double, 28, ducked back into their hotel lobby. But Groves, who like most British policemen has never carried a firearm on duty—and had never before been shot at—refused to give up. He followed the two men and quickly came upon a parked patrol car. Hailing an officer and identifying himself as a cop, he headed toward a subway stop where the suspects had fled. "I ran into the subway thinking, 'This is not happening to me,' " he says. One suspect jumped onto the tracks and escaped, but Groves—now with three NYPD cops—spotted the other and helped wrestle him to the ground, seize his gun and handcuff him. Only later, during a press conference, did fear get the better of Groves. "There was a sea of photographers clicking away," he says. "My knees were shaking."

kuhio98

11-02-2013, 06:18 PM

Andrew Stoloff Gives Recovering Addicts and Ex-Convicts Jobs At His Second Chance Bakery
On paper, Andrew Stoloff knew it made no sense to buy Rubicon Bakery in Richmond, Calif.

But the former Wall Street analyst's decision to take over the failing business in 2009 and save the jobs of its 14 part-time employees – most of whom were recovering drug addicts or ex-convicts – had little to do with dollars or cents.

"I fell in love with its mission: to give people a second chance," says Stoloff, 53.

Today, the wholesale bakery has $8 million in sales and 80 full-time employees, who earn between $8.50 and $24 an hour, receive health insurance, paid vacation and have access to an interest-free employee loan program.

"Not only are we doing the right thing by giving people a second chance," says Stoloff, "but I've found that it's great for business."

It's also great for the employees.

"It was like God sent Andrew to this bakery," says Sheila Young-Eberhart, 55, the bakery's quality assurance manager and one of the original 14 employees who worked for the shop when it was run by a nonprofit.

Before Stoloff stepped in, the bakery was in bad shape.

"We knew we could lose our jobs at any moment," says Eberhart, a former drug addict who was determined to turn her life around.

Then Andrew came in. "He's saved a lot of lives," says Eberhart.

The main reason? "Our employees are very, very loyal," says Stoloff.

They're people like David Johnson, 44, the bakery's maintenance technician. An ex-convict, Johnson says, he struggled to find work.

"I couldn't even count how many times I'd been turned down," he says, adding that, at Rubicon Bakery, he finally feels at home.

"I actually feel like I belong here. I've never felt like that in my entire life."

"Andrew has always been there for us," adds his wife, Leslie Johnson, 45, who works as an oven manager at the bakery. "You couldn't ask for a better boss."

kuhio98

11-06-2013, 03:26 PM

Operation Finally Home Gives War Hero Andrew Litz a Place to Heal

There are days when former Marine Sergeant Andrew Litz can't bear the sounds of his two young children playing in their two-bedroom apartment in suburban Dallas, when his wife, Heather, reminds them that Daddy's head hurts.

But on this October afternoon, the sturdy, intense former soldier is imagining a new life: one of calm connection with his family.

Standing in the yard of the brand-new home in Gunter, Texas, that will soon be theirs, he smiles. "This," he says quietly, "is a place where I can heal."

More than just bricks and mortar, the house is a safe haven, with five bedrooms and four baths. (Make a donation to help veterans like Andrew Litz, and charities like Operation Finally Home. Tune in to the Homeward Bound Telethon Sunday, Nov. 10 on the Military Channel, or visit HomewardBoundTelethon.org)

Since April 20, 2005, when an improvised explosive device in Ramadi, Iraq, killed two of his buddies and left him with a fractured back and neck, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, Litz, 32, Heather, 29, and kids Zachary, 8, and Madison, 6, have struggled, often living in various rental properties.
http://img2-1.timeinc.net/people/i/2013/news/131111/andrew-litz-600.jpg

Karen

11-06-2013, 05:46 PM

What a lovely gesture, and worthy cause!

kuhio98

11-07-2013, 05:25 PM

Veteran asks for kidney, country answers call
Hundreds pledge to donate to Arcadia man

EDMOND, Okla. —A local veteran took to a street corner to ask for life-saving help and people across the country have answered his call.

Robert Dean, 84, of Arcadia held a sign asking for a kidney donation at the corner of Memorial and Penn on Sunday. He says since then 200 people have pledged to help him.

After the story aired on KOCO 5, it was picked up by stations across the country. Dean says he's gotten call after call. He said, “I had hoped to get one... I love these people.”

People from Florida to Alaska are literally offering a piece of themselves to save his life.

The veteran turned sculptor is narrowing down the list but says he is grateful to everyone.

Dean said, “This is the greatest gift that anyone could give and the greatest gift that anyone could receive… I wish that I could say more than thank you but it's all you could say, thank you.”

Dean says when he recovers from the surgery he plans to throw a party and invite everyone who offered to donate.

Karen

11-07-2013, 05:38 PM

Dean says when he recovers from the surgery he plans to throw a party and invite everyone who offered to donate.

What the story doesn't mention is that his act could save more lives than his own. Anyone who gets tested then becomes part of the national database, and if they do not match him, may match some future person in need!

I signed up to be an organ donor when I first got my driver's license - when I'm done with these parts, I hope they can go to good use!

kuhio98

11-08-2013, 01:17 PM

What the story doesn't mention is that his act could save more lives than his own. Anyone who gets tested then becomes part of the national database, and if they do not match him, may match some future person in need!

I signed up to be an organ donor when I first got my driver's license - when I'm done with these parts, I hope they can go to good use!

I signed my donor card too. And testing revealed that I'm a match for my mother who will need a kidney transplant in the near future.

kuhio98

11-08-2013, 01:20 PM

92-Year-Old Hero Meets 8-Year-Old Girl Whose Life He Saved

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John Shear is 92. He's about 5-feet-tall, he's worked as a guard at the Santa Anita racetrack in California for 51 years, and he can still do 30 pushups at the gym every day – which is 30 more than we've ever done.

One day two years ago, Shear heard someone shout out that there was a loose horse in the paddock. "I went to one side and when I looked down, there was a little girl standing there," he told ABC News. The little girl was Michael Key's five-year-old daughter Roxy. Shear didn't even take a beat before deciding to jump in front of Roxy.

"I knew I was going to get hit," he said. "I thought there was a possibility I was going to die but you cannot stop and think, 'Should I or shouldn't I?' There is a five-year-old girl. I'm 90 years old. I have had a life. She hasn't had a life. You got to save that life."

And that's what he did. Shear was critically injured when the horse trampled both of them, and while Roxy was fine, the elderly man spent seven weeks in the hospital. When he got out, there was just one thing he wanted to do.

"I have always wanted to meet [Roxy] and I was so sad that I never got the chance to meet her when I got better," he said. So two years later, Shear went to one of Roxy's dance recitals, and was finally introduced to the little girl, now 8, whose life he saved.

"When her mother came over and hugged me and said, 'You're my daughter's guardian angel,' I felt wonderful," Shear said.

Roxy's father Michael sums up Shear's actions best: "He didn't save a daughter, he saved a family."

Watch their heartfelt reunion below.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bcO-CuA79g0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

kuhio98

11-09-2013, 09:15 AM

Hero dog discovers, saves abandoned baby

BIRMINGHAM, England -- A stroll in an English park has a dog hailed a hero, and quite possibly saved the life of a baby.

According to the Birmingham Mail newspaper, a German shepherd named Jade was walking with its owner when the dog ran and laid down next to a bag discarded in shrubs.

When the owner inspected what his pet had found, he discovered a newborn baby girl. He ran to a friend's home to call the authorities, saying he didn't touch the bag so he wouldn't contaminate any evidence.

According to reports, the hospital where the baby was taken has nicknamed her Jade after the hero dog.

Police have not found the mother.

Short video here:

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/weird-news/hero-dog-discovers-saves-abandoned-baby/nbhDt/

kuhio98

11-10-2013, 09:16 AM

Woman Preps for Double Mastectomy with Beyoncé Dance Party

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When preparing to undergo a double mastectomy, most women wouldn't immediately think to initiate a full-on dance party in the operating room. But Deborah Cohan enlisted her surgical and anesthesia teams to join her in making a viral video to inspire others to show courage in the face of cancer.

The mom of two, clad in a hospital gown, boogies down to Beyonce's "Get Bodied" for about six minutes before her surgery at Mt. Zion hospital in San Francisco, as captured in the YouTube clip.

On her CaringBridge page, Cohan invited others to participate in a virtual flash mob by sending footage of themselves dancing to the track, from Beyonce's 2006 album B'Day.

"I have visions of a healing video montage," Cohan wrote on Nov. 1. "Nothing brings me greater joy than catalyzing others to dance, move, be in their bodies. Are you with me people?"

Don't just watch – get up and dance – along to the uplifting video below.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uPdheFjRm4E?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

kuhio98

11-11-2013, 09:29 AM

Gretchen Holt-Witt Baked 96,000 Cookies to Raise Millions for Cancer Research After Losing Son

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In the fall of 2007, doting mother Gretchen Holt-Witt of Califon, N.J., was in good spirits. Her 2-year-old son Liam, who had spent months in and out of the hospital battling neuroblastoma, a form of nerve cancer, was in remission and appeared healthy once again.

"We were so grateful his cancer was gone, we felt it was important to give back," says Holt-Witt.

So Gretchen and Liam, a joyful risk-taker of a kid who loved to cook – "he'd download tons of cooking apps," Holt-Witt says – decided to pay it forward. They came up with the idea to bake cookies to raise money for pediatric cancer research. But a few dozen wouldn't do. They opted for 8,000 dozen.

"We wanted to push our boundaries the way Liam's had been pushed," says Holt-Witt, who along with her husband Larry, daughter Ella, and 250 friends and volunteers churned out 96,000 cookies, raising more than $400,000.

Holt-Witt founded the non-profit organization Cookies For Kids' Cancer. People all around the country hold bake sales in the name of the organization to take up donations for pediatric cancer research.

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Now celebrating its fifth year, CFKC has raised more than $5 million for research and development of new cancer treatments for kids and this year published a new cookies cookbook, with proceeds going back to the charity.

"There aren't that many treatment options for kids because pediatric cancers get the short end of the funding stick," says Holt-Witt. "Helping others is what allows me to cope."

Shortly after their bake sale, Liam's cancer returned.

"He went through tons of relapses," says Holt-Witt, "It was kind of like building a house in the sand, the foundation could give away any second."

But despite constant trips to the doctors office, and countless rounds of chemo and radiation, Holt-Witt says "Liam didn't know he was sick. I'd say, 'Oh we're just going to spend a few more days at the hospital, no problem.' Seeing me worry was not going to make life easier for him."

First diagnosed as a toddler, Liam never showed any telltale signs of the illness. For four years Liam underwent countless clinical trials. Despite the treatment and doctors' best efforts, he never reached his seventh birthday.

"Missing her brother and losing her only sibling will never go away," says Holt-Witt of her daughter Ella, 7, who often comments on things Liam would have liked to do and see. "But Cookies is an outlet for her, because she feels like her bothers life had meaning and wasn't in vain."

The organization has now helped fund their seventh clinical trial project, meaning new hope for young cancer patients around the world.

"Cookies gives anybody, anywhere something tangible to do to help with such a daunting issue. It makes you feel like a hero," says Holt-Witt. "I know this sounds strange, but I feel like one of the luckiest people out there because I get to see the good in people. To have the opportunity to receive access to a new treatment is the equivalent of having a chance at bat."

That's a chance Morgan Pierce has now. The 10-year-old from Plant City, Fla. is currently receiving lifesaving cancer treatment through a new clinical trial that Cookies help fund.

"That's what keeps you going," says Holt-Witt. "I don't have my son here to hug and hold and love, but I'd still do anything for him. I know the first thing he'll say when I see him in heaven is, 'Mommy, did you make it better for others?' And my husband and I will have to look at him and say 'We did everything we could.' "

kuhio98

11-12-2013, 09:19 AM

USS Harry S. Truman sailors free trapped sea turtle

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Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman rescued a sea turtle that was tangled in a makeshift fishing net on Nov. 7.

“They called away, ‘man the port davit,’ because a lookout saw some containers attached to a net in the water, and there was a sea turtle trapped in it,” said Lt. j.g. Lillian Bean, who served as the boat officer for the rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) used in the rescue.

In addition to Bean, the RHIB crew included Chief Damage Controlman Mark Rayner, search and rescue swimmer; Engineman 3rd Class Anthony Torro, boat engineer; Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Dalton Thompson, coxswain; and Seaman Madison Allen, bow hook.

“When we launched the RHIB, the turtle was about 700 or 800 yards away from us,” said Thompson.

Allen said the turtle was tangled in a makeshift fishing net built out of jugs, metal wire, hooks and netting.

“The netting and wire were wrapped around the turtle’s fin,” said Allen. “People put these types of traps together to catch fish, and the turtle ended up getting caught.”

Bean said when the jugs start bobbing up and down in the water it signals something has been caught. That is how the lookout noticed that there was something struggling in the water.

“He looked tired and stressed,” said Bean. “I really wanted to save this turtle and not leave him out there. When we got to the turtle, we tried to grab a hold of the jugs first, but it kept swimming away.”

Reaching the turtle was the first step in what turned out to be the difficult process of freeing it.

Bean said they couldn’t put anyone in the water because of the size of the turtle, how tangled it was and the potential hazard to a rescue swimmer, so they used a boat hook to pull the entangled turtle closer to the side of the RHIB so they could work on freeing it.

Allen said additional measures were taken to keep the turtle and the entangled floating jugs from getting too far from the RHIB.

“We attached the search and rescue tending line from the RHIB to the jugs to keep the turtle close,” said Allen.

Bean said the turtle’s right front fin had wire and line wrapped around it with hooks also penetrating the turtle’s flesh.

“I was thinking that we had to absolutely save this turtle when we got hold of it,” said Bean. “We weren’t leaving until this turtle was free.”

Allen said the turtle didn’t make it easy for its rescuers.

“While we were untangling him, he was flapping his fin in the air and always trying to swim away from the RHIB,” said Allen.

Capt. Bob Roth, Truman’s commanding officer, praised the team for the successful rescue.

“It was a great event all around,” he said. “The sea state was perfect and the RHIB team did a great job freeing the turtle and certainly saving its life,” he said. “In the Navy, we always strive to be good stewards of the environment. As professional mariners, we are obligated and take great pride in helping those fellow mariners in need. In this case, we applied our mariner culture of assistance to this wonderful creature. The smiles and excitement of the boat crew after they returned to the carrier were infectious, it was an uplifting experience.”

kuhio98

11-13-2013, 09:27 AM

Hmmmm, I wonder what it would be like to be so financially secure that I could simply forget I had $98,000 in a plastic bag in a desk drawer? Well, I can dream, can't I?

Rabbi returns $98,000 he found in desk he bought on Craigslist

(CNN) -- A Connecticut rabbi returned $98,000 in cash he found in a plastic bag hidden behind drawers of an ordinary office desk he bought on Craigslist in September.

Rabbi Noah Muroff, a high school teacher at a private Jewish school in New Haven, discovered the money while dismantling the $150 desk to move it through a narrow doorway.

"The desk did not fit ... by just a fraction of an inch," Muroff said.

He said he unhooked file cabinet drawers and removed the top of the desk. Then came the unexpected surprise.

"Without detaching the desk, Muroff said, "this money, which was behind the drawers, was totally inaccessible."

The rabbi and his wife, Esther, were in total shock.

"We were looking at each other and laughing," he said. "This kind of thing only happens in the movies."

On the evening of September 2, just days before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Muroff and a friend picked up the desk from a woman, Patty, who lives just outside of New Haven. Muroff declined to identify the owner further.

"I knew this was her money," he said. "She told me she bought the desk from Staples and put it together herself."

Within 20 minutes of finding the money, around 11:30 p.m. that same evening, Muroff called Patty.

"She was speechless, without words," he said.

Muroff said the former owner told him she put her inheritance in the desk and after a while forgot it was there.

"I do not think there are too many people in this world that would have done what you did by calling me," Patty wrote in a thank you note to Muroff that CNN obtained.

The couple took their four children with them to return the money the next day, hoping their good deed will send "the message of honesty and integrity," he said.

kuhio98

11-14-2013, 09:24 AM

La Pine-area dog, shot in head, recovering at home
Stranger in parking lot offers to pay hefty medical bill

LA PINE, Ore. - A La Pine-area dog that was shot in the face and faced possible euthanasia -- but was saved thanks to a chance encounter with a helpful stranger -- went home Saturday, his grateful owner said.

Santia Reed said in a Facebook posting that the vet told her Zeus "was shot at point-blank range," so they were unable to remove the fragments. He has a side of his jaw wired and a drain tube in his neck, to be removed next week.

For now, Reed said, Zeus "is on a diet of soft food, cannot be outside alone for 10-12 days, is on antibiotics and pain medicine" -- but "is so happy to be home."

She also said, "The man that helped save him even came by the vet's office today to see him" before the trip home.

The La Pine-area family was awakened by gunshots early Friday morning, only to find their yellow lab Zeus had been shot in the face.

"We heard gunshots about one or two in the morning. My boyfriend got up out of bed came outside and Zeus was covered in blood," Reed said Friday evening.

Zeus, in shock, ran away from the Santia and her boyfriend.

"We looked for him until 8 a.m., when we found him curled up on the porch," Reed said.

With the dog resting, she called animal control to see if they could have Zeus put down, because they couldn't afford his medical bills.

We don't have the money to do anything," Reed said. "They were offering to put him down, to pay the expenses, if we could get him to the vet."

The dog was loaded into a car and they made the eight-mile drive to the La Pine Animal Hospital, when fate stepped in.

"There was this man," Reed said. "He asked if we could save him, and I said, 'No we don't have any money.' And he told the vet whatever he had to do, he would pay for it."

Dr. Lani Voyles of the La Pine Animal Hospital said, "It's kind of refreshing to see someone who is willing to help for a complete strange. It makes me feel better. We see a lot of the other side of it, so it's nice to see it."

Voyles says Zeus had fragments of bullet removed from his mouth, and part of his jaw wired.

"As we got further in, I called (the donor) back again and said, 'It's going to be this much more.' And he said, 'That's great, whatever they needed,'" said Voyles.

Resting comfortably, Zeus is expected to make a full recovery. And Reed is ever thankful for the man in the right place at the right time.

"I want to say, 'Thank you for saving the dog, making the kids happy and not having to go through that,'" Reed said through her tears.

kuhio98

11-15-2013, 09:17 AM

From People Magazine:

Bao Tran Reunites with Baby He Saved in Vietnam

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Bao Tran still remembers an old man shuffling onto the bridge to hand him a tiny bundle tucked into a straw hat.

It was May 1972 and Tran was in the South Vietnamese Army fighting alongside the Americans. His company was about to blow up the bridge outside Quang Tri.

"The man said the baby was trying to nurse on its dead mother," Tran, now 65, recalls.

He carried the baby in that hat for 60 miles – "I was in full combat gear, with explosions all around," he says – to an orphanage, where he left her with the name he'd planned for his own daughter someday: Ngoc Bich.

"That is what I named this baby," he tells PEOPLE. "Precious Pearl."

That would have been the last time Tran saw the girl he thought of as "my con gai, my daughter" but for an astonishing coincidence that led to their reunion this year.

Finding Each Other

After seven years as a prisoner of war for the conquering North Vietnamese, Tran returned to the orphanage, but it had moved. Even as he and his wife had their own kids, he thought of his Pearl.

"I hoped she was okay," he says. She was.

Adopted by a Wisconsin couple who renamed her Kimberly Mitchell, she grew up on a farm, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, rose to Lt. Commander and now runs the Washington, D.C., non-profit Dixon Center for veterans.

"I'd always wondered," says Mitchell, "was it out of love I was put in the orphanage?"

After stumbling upon information on the orphanage's new location, Mitchell visited while on a 40th-birthday trip to Vietnam in 2011.

A U.S.-based Vietnamese-language newspaper wrote about her trip, mentioning the name on Mitchell's first passport as a baby: Precious Pearl.

Tran had since emigrated to the U.S. A worker of odd jobs in Albuquerque, he happened to read that paper.

"I knew it had to be the girl!" he says. He searched Mitchell out to reassure her that "she wasn't abandoned; she was rescued."

The pair met in New Mexico on March 29 and embraced like lost relatives.

"I was hugging this man, thinking, 'Why would he want to save me? '" she says. "He must have compassion and love in him that is beyond any comprehension."

Like Family Now

Today, as Tran and his wife Bau, with their children and grandchildren, ply Mitchell, 41, with flowers and Vietnamese food whenever they and their newfound "daughter" get together, there is not only joy all around – but also peace.

Mitchell knows that she was loved from the start; that her biological mother died with her baby in her arms.

"I was obviously important to her," Mitchell says.

And Tran's story of the war now has meaning.

"I was meant to find Precious Pearl that day," he says. "Finding her again has brought peace to my life."

http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2013/news/131125/kimberly-mitchell-2-300.jpg

Taz_Zoee

11-15-2013, 04:48 PM

San Francisco turns into Gotham City for Batkid

Miles is a 5-year-old with leukemia who has always wanted to be Batkid. Thousands of volunteers crowded into San Francisco’s streets to help the Make-A-Wish foundation make the child’s dream come true.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/san-francisco-turns-gotham-city-batkid-article-1.1518454#ixzz2kl0dRYyD

57422

kuhio98

11-16-2013, 10:18 AM

Pass it on!

Act of kindness honoring late daughter spreads around the world

CNN) -- Alyssa O'Neill sent a text to her mother earlier this month asking her whether she would take her to get a pumpkin spice latte the next day. Although her mother agreed, Alyssa was never able to try the drink.

On September 4, the morning she was supposed to get the treat, the 18-year-old died of an epileptic seizure.

"We were just shocked at the sudden loss and didn't know what to do," her father, Jason O'Neill, said. "So we tried to fulfill the one thing that she asked us. If Alyssa couldn't get a pumpkin spice latte, we would get them for other people and try to pass the kindness forward."

O'Neill had no clue how many people this random act of kindness would affect.

Two days after Alyssa's funeral, the O'Neills went to a Starbucks in Erie, Pennsylvania, where they live, and purchased lattes for 40 strangers. O'Neill asked the manager to write the hashtag #AJO with a purple marker on each cup.

According to O'Neill, the manager and employees, overwhelmed with the gesture, donated 50 drinks on top of the 40.

"It just kind of exploded at that point. We had somewhat of a following, but nothing like this," he said.

Now the movement to raise awareness about epilepsy has gone beyond lattes.

"It was just random acts of kindness. People have been paying others' Christmas layaways and buying meals," O'Neill said. The Facebook memorial page AJO Forever in our Hearts has more than 28,000 likes.

O'Neill said his daughter's initials have nearly turned into a verb. "People are saying, 'I got AJOed this morning,' 'Have you AJOed today?'"

From Erie to Sri Lanka, the O'Neills have been receiving photos showing #AJO.

The family knew of Alyssa's seizure disorder before the fatal episode.

Alyssa was a high school cheerleader who hoped to become a nurse and help others with epilepsy. She was a first-semester student at Penn State Behrend.

The O'Neills started the AJO Forever Fund to assist families of children with epilepsy and to bolster a scholarship fund for local cheerleaders looking to go into nursing.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130926155537-alyssa-oneill-story-body.jpg

kuhio98

11-17-2013, 10:11 AM

First dog saves man from fire, then man saves dog

DES MOINES, Iowa —As a Des Moines man slept Tuesday morning, a fire was growing just 10 feet away.

Paul Kemp's dog, a 3-year-old Sheltie named Sheba, was the first to spot it. Kemp said he awoke on the living room couch to Sheba jumping onto his chest.

"It was unusual, and startled me -- and then I saw the fire," said Kemp. "So, I went and got my coffee pot, and threw some water on it and it didn't help, and it just grew really quickly."

Kemp ran outside and assumed Sheba was with him like always, but she wasn't.

"I was yelling outside for her, and I didn't see her and I figured she had to be back in the house, so I went in the house and yelled for her, and then she came running and ran outside," said Kemp.

Co-workers were shocked to see Paul and Sheba at work just hours after their ordeal, but at the Animal Lifeline this story of dog saves man, man saves dog goes hand in hand with the mission of the no-kill animal shelter.

It's where sick, injured and abused animals get a second chance.

"I love her, she's my little girl. I mean I've always loved her but now she saved my life, ya know," said Kemp. "She showed me that she's my best friend, because she was worried about me. I mean she wasn't running around when she first saw the fire. Her first instinct was to wake me up, ya know, thinking about me first."

Kemp suffered some burns described as minor in the fire.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Authorities said the home is a total loss.

Kemp and Sheba are staying in a hotel. Kemp said he had homeowner's insurance.

http://www.kcci.com/image/view/-/22935044/highRes/2/-/maxh/480/maxw/640/-/cvbvc5/-/man-dog-rescue-fire-2-cu-dog.jpg

kuhio98

11-18-2013, 02:36 PM

Little girl has big heart for books

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - There's a little girl with a big heart for books.

Addie Bleu Short says reading is her favorite past time, and she wanted to find a way to share that love with kids across the world.

Over the past several months the third grader has collected enough books to donate a "entire library" to a village in Africa.

But now there's one thing standing in her way - enough funds to pay for the shipping.

Addie Bleu Short is a tall order, and she loves books more than an average third grader.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," she says. "I really like fiction with adventure and mystery in it."

According to her mom, the love has been there since picked up her first book.

"I started out only wanting books for presents on my birthday and for Christmas but then I thought, I have so many books!"

So Addie Bleu wanted to something special with all those books she had, to spread the joy she finds inside the pages of the books.

it's a part of the African Library Project, and the goal is to send 1000 books to a library for kids in Africa.

"She was excited because she could send a whole library and that idea was really neat to her."

The books are sent to rural parts of Africa, with project partners to organize the libraries in various African communities.

So far she has collected enough books for an entire library.

"Right now there are 1,600 books in the living room of the Short family, all waiting for enough money to ship them out to Africa."

The books must be sent by Dec. 10, but without enough money to cover shipping that day could come and go.

But the 9-year-old is far from being done.

She is asking for even more books to be donated to help spread the love of reading.

She's also trying to raise $2,500 for the Addie Bleu's African Library Project.

You can donate used children's books to the YWCA or Rush Elementary.

To donate or find more information, visit

http://www.gofundme.com/addiebleusafricanlibrary

https://www.facebook.com/addiebleusALP

http://kcbd.images.worldnow.com/images/23994226_BG1.jpg

Sairentonen

11-18-2013, 03:30 PM

I love reading these! Goes to show that there's a lot more good out there
than we think!! (:
Thank you so much for posting such heart warming and inspirational stories! :D

kuhio98

11-18-2013, 05:24 PM

I love reading these! Goes to show that there's a lot more good out there
than we think!! (:
Thank you so much for posting such heart warming and inspirational stories! :D

Thank you. Feel free to share any postive stories that touch your heart.

There have always been many more good people than bad in the world. I'm sick of the bad ones getting all the attention. Power to the good guys! :D

cassiesmom

11-18-2013, 05:41 PM

I love the Batkid story! I heard about it on the radio first, then in the newspaper and twitter. What a great thing to do!

kuhio98

11-20-2013, 05:03 PM

I have to confess that when I heard about this story, I figured that "management" would come up with a million and one reasons why a wedding couldn't be performed at the airport. I am beyond happy to hear that, instead of hendering the process, they helped make it happen. And how wonderful to see a couple to understands that the important thing is to be together -- not where the wedding takes place. Gives me hope....

Navy Sailor Marries High-School Sweetheart in Reno Airport

http://img2-3.timeinc.net/people/i/2013/news/131202/dylan-ruffer-600.jpg

A U.S. Navy sailor told his high school sweetheart he wanted to marry her the moment he laid eyes on her after an 11-month deployment off the coast of war-torn Syria.

Seaman Apprentice Dylan Ruffer got his wish Tuesday shortly after stepping off a plane at Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

Ruffer and Madison Meinhardt, both 19, tied the knot just after midnight under a tulle-covered arch in front of the arrivals escalators. More than 200 invited guests, passengers and others looked on.

"Seeing her for the first time, it was amazing," Ruffer told reporters.

A reception followed in the baggage claim area.

"We were expecting a little wedding in the corner," Meinhardt said. "This is definitely more than we could have ever asked for."

The couple, who met at Chester High School in Northern California, initially planned to marry in October but had to postpone the wedding when Ruffer's deployment was extended, according to KOLO-TV.

The bride inquired about the possibility of an airport wedding about three weeks ago, and businesses and community members quickly rallied around the plan. The Peppermill casino offered a spa package so the bride could prepare, while the Eldorado casino donated a honeymoon suite and limousine.

The airport catering service prepared food for the reception, which was held in a fully decorated section of the baggage claim area and featured a deejay.

"A lot of people were absolutely stunned to see a wedding in the terminal," airport spokesman Brian Kulpin said. "It's not something you see in the airport every day."
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kuhio98

11-21-2013, 06:32 PM

Oral Lee Brown Has Sent More than 150 Children to College

Back in 1987, Oral Lee Brown, an Oakland, Calif., realtor, made a seemingly crazy decision.

She decided to offer 23 first-grade children at Brookfield Elementary School a full-ride to college with no realistic expectations that they would even graduate from high school.

In a school district with a 54 percent high school graduation rate, Browns' kids are beating the odds. Out of that first group of 23, 19 graduated from high school and enrolled in college.

"They didn't want to fail me," she says of their success. "I believe love can turn anything around."

Brown, 68, later established the Oral Lee Brown Foundation. To date 90 to 95 percent of her classes have graduated, with around 150 kids going to college.

"I don’t have a magic wand," she says. "It is hard work, determination and love. I can't allow mine to fail."

Michael Tatmon, 32, is one of her grateful kids from that first class.

"Ms. Brown was always in my corner," says Tatmon, who graduated from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., with a degree in criminal justice in 2007 and a BA in criminology. "I appreciate her guidance, her wisdom. She taught us you can make it out of the hood."

She was also there for them on a personal level, he says.

"She was like a mother," says Tatmon, who recently started his own clothing, marketing and promotion company. "Out of my family members, I can say I'm one of the few who have never been in jail. That's a result of Ms. Brown in my life."

It all began when a young girl asked Brown for a quarter outside of a grocery store. Instead, she offered to take her inside and buy her something. Expecting her to pick out candy, the girl bought bread, bologna and other sandwich supplies.

Brown kept returning to the store to look for her. Then she decided to try the local elementary school. Three girls were absent from the two first-grade classes that day.

"The principal said, 'I'll give you a call when all the kids are there,'" Brown recalls. "So I get a phone call that all students are here today and I went through thinking I'd finally see her."

She didn't.

"So I just blurted out, 'Can I adopt one of the classes?'" she says. "'Give me the class you don't think will make it.'"

Brown also started Saturday school for the children and is trying to raise money to start a boarding school that will be a safe haven for these children, housing about 480 students.

"With the boarding school, my kids will be safe, with no bullets coming into their dorm," she says.

LaTosha Hunter, 32, who received a bachelor of arts degree in accounting from Alcorn State University in Lorman, Miss., says she wouldn't be the person he is today without Brown.

"Everyone has a purpose in life," she says. "And her purpose was that we had a better life."

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kuhio98

11-26-2013, 01:08 PM

People Pets Blind Dog and His Guide Brother Find Forever Home
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... And they lived happily ever after!

Jeffrey and Jermaine, the two homeless pups whose story melted hearts when a photograph of them hugging each other in their shelter pen went viral, have found a place to spend forever.

The no-kill animal shelter Operation Ava sorted through more than 10,000 adoptions applications for the 8-month-old pups, who are inseparable because Jeffrey is blind and his brother, Jermaine, is his loyal guide dog. The lucky new owners: Jonathan Hochman and his wife, Veronica McKee.

According to a rep for the shelter, the couple, who live in Springfield, Pa., had been looking to adopt a pair of shelter dogs, as they have a big backyard and are not planning on children.

They will bring the dogs to their new home on Monday.

"I thought these are the cutest dogs I've ever seen,” McKee told Today of the moment she saw the photo. "They're incredibly sweet, but they still have that sibling rivalry. There's this sharing thing. It's pretty funny."

The pit bull-Lab mixes, who now have a feline sibling in McKee and Hochman's cat Blabbus, were found on the streets of Philadelphia in October.

cassiesmom

11-27-2013, 04:35 PM

(CBS) – A dog missing since the tornado tore through downstate Washington more than a week ago has been re-united with his owner, reports WBBM’s Mike Krauser.

His name is Dexter, a six-month old pit bull and he has been missed by his owner Jacob Montgomery, an MP in the Illinois National Guard whose third floor apartment was torn apart by the tornado.

He posted an ad online with a lot of pictures asking that if anyone sees Dexter to contact him.

Dexter was found Tuesday morning in the rubble alive. Comparing the before and after pictures he has obviously lost a lot of weight and his ribs are showing. He was being checked out by a vet and has been reunited with his owner.

kuhio98

11-27-2013, 06:13 PM

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick Prepare 1,000 ‘Thanksgiving To-Go Meals’
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You could say that Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick are giving back before giving thanks.

On Nov. 24, the celebrity couple joined other volunteers (including chefs David Burke, Sunny Anderson, and Mario Batali) at the Food Bank For New York City in Harlem to prepare 1,000 Thanksgiving meals for high-need communities in the area.

Sedgwick and Bacon, who are actively involved in the food bank, say the cause is close to their hearts—and home. “We only live a few blocks from here and the idea that we have so much and there’s 1 out of 5 people in New York using food bank services is kind of staggering,” Bacon told PEOPLE.

With new challenges following government funding cuts that cost the city the equivalent of 76 million meals, Sedgwick says that Thanksgiving won’t be the same for many. “I remember coming here last year and things were rough and they were really struggling to feed the amount of people that were coming in,” she said. “I can only imagine this year, it must be a devastating loss.”

Before strapping on their chef’s hats and aprons, the couple also talked about their own Thanksgiving plans: They will once again be hosting both of their families, which has become an annual tradition.

“We have a great Bacon family Thanksgiving, we’ve been doing it forever,” said Sedgwick.

As for the meal, she admitted that she’s partial to dark turkey meat and gushed about her love of vegetables. “I heard that you don’t start enjoying Brussels sprouts until you’re an adult and let me say that’s one of the good things about getting older,” she said.

Sedgwick, who sliced off the tip of finger chopping kale this summer, said she will likely stay out of the kitchen, but that daughter Sosie, who was just named Miss Golden Globe, and Bacon’s sisters will be handling the cooking and pie-baking. “I’m more of a cheerleader because everyone comes to our house to cook,” she said.

Said Bacon: “It makes us realize how thankful we are and that point gets driven home even stronger on a day like Thanksgiving.”

kuhio98

11-28-2013, 02:50 PM

Struggling homeowner gets Thanksgiving surprise
Builders Care & Roof Smart come through for 78 year-old woman

CAPE CORAL, Fla. - Chanting the words "Builders Care, Roof Smart," a group of smiling people marched right down Alabar Lane to the home of 78 year-old Joan Annunzio

"Surprise!" they yelled when they got to her front porch.

"Hi," she said with a shy smile.

The group's spokeswoman, Heidi Taulman explained they were there to give Joan good news: the leaking roof that's been worrying her for years will finally be fixed.

"It leaks in various place and tiles are blowing off of it," said Joan.

The group said a prayer as Joan was presented with flowers.

"Lord, you are a God of new beginnings," someone whispers.

"Make this a new beginning for Joan and the Annunzio family."

"She's not going to worry about anything any longer," said Peter Simeone who co-owns Roof Smart with John Gillam.

The company is installing a $6500 roof for free on Annunzio's home. She's lived in it for 28 years.

"I'm just overwhelmed with Thanksgiving, just overwhelmed," Joan said as she teared up.

Joan couldn't afford to have the roof replaced or even repaired.

She raised her son in the house and always put him first.

Despite some serious health problems - including a heart condition and failing eyesight - she often walks 2 miles to the store to pick up things for her neighbors.

"Joan worked hard all of her life, taking care of friends whenever she can," said Taulman of Builders Care.

Now it's time for someone else to take care of Joan.

"I'm just overwhelmed and feelingn appreciation," said Joan.

"Thank you from bottom of my heart which is pounding," she said with a laugh to the group.

The co-owner of Roof Smart said it's just as gratifying for his crew as it is for Joan.

"This is what the holidays are about about," says Simeone.

"Giving to someobdy who needed something."

"You reach out and help out," he said.

"We should be more thankful to her than her to us," he added.

Simeone says his company is thankful to have met with a lot of success over the years and wants to pay it forward.

"We've been so blessed the community has taken care of us." he said.

"Now we can take care of people need to be taken care of."

True to form, Joan's thoughts quickly shifted others who are getting ready to celebrate the holiday as she wished that, "everyone could be as thankful as I am right now and that we have a happy Thanksgiving day."

Hers will most definitely be a thankful - and dry holiday. The leaky roof should be completely replaced just in time for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.

"Thank you so much," she told the group again,

"And may we all have a all happy Thanksigving in a world in peace."
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kuhio98

11-29-2013, 11:22 AM

Hotel Rewards Homeless Man Who Returned Guest's Wallet with Thanksgiving Stay

Joel Hartman has been homeless for a year. He spent last Thursday sleeping in the woods outside of Duluth, an Atlanta suburb. He made it into Atlanta, and was looking for food in a dumpster outside the Omni Hotel when he found a wallet. What happened next is pretty extraordinary.

Hartman returned the wallet, which belonged to a French tourist, to the hotel. The Omni's general manager, Scott Stuckey, found out, and released surveillance footage of Hartman's honest gesture, which made it to the Internet.

Hartman eventually learned that the Omni was looking for him and returned to the hotel last week, where he was greeted by Stuckey, who had an offer for him: a room through Thanksgiving with room service and a $500 reward.

"It's just for doing the right thing," Hartman told WSB Atlanta. He intends to hop a freight train to Alaska when his stay at the Omni is up. Best of luck to you, Josh!

kuhio98

11-30-2013, 12:13 PM

Watch a Man Be Surprised by a Room Full of People He Rescued During the Holocaust

Sir Nicholas Winton is one of the lesser-known figures of World War II. He organized the rescue of over 650 children (mostly Jewish Czechoslovakians) in an operation called the Czech Kindertransport.

The children were destined for the Nazi death camps, and Winton was instrumental in getting them safe passage to Britain.

After the war was over, Winton didn't brag about his exploits. In fact, he didn't tell a soul for half a century, not even his wife Grete. Then, in 1988, Grete found a scrapbook dating to 1939 in their attic.

It held all the children's photos, a list of their names, letters from some of their parents, and other documents. It was the first time she'd learned of her husband's story.

Later that year, the BBC program That's Life aired a reunion between Winton and the children – obviously now grown adults – he rescued. Winton was surprised when one of the children he rescued was revealed to be seated beside him, so imagine how he felt when the show's host asked if there were any other people he'd helped to save in the audience and two dozen others stood and applauded.

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kuhio98

12-01-2013, 12:17 PM

Gas station clerk helps missing elderly couple with dementia get home

TACOMA — An elderly couple, both suffering from dementia, have been found safe, thanks to an observant gas station clerk in Tacoma.

People come in to the Pink Elephant Car Wash and Gas Station asking to use the restroom all the time. But when an elderly woman came in Thursday morning, then returned just a few minutes later, Susan McConnell knew something was wrong.

“I told her, you were just here five minutes ago,” said McConnell. “The look on her face was very disappointed. I don`t think she remembered being here.”

McConnell’s father has Alzheimer’s. She thought the woman and her husband, who were both in their 80s, were showing similar signs.

“Having a parent that`s suffering from it has made me more aware of the disease. It`s hard dealing with them because they don`t understand.”

Before she came to work, she had heard on the news that a couple from an assisted living facility in Normandy Park was missing. She wasn’t sure if it was this couple. But she convinced them to sit down and get warm, while she called 911.

“I figured if they said yes to the coffee, I got them for a few minutes. And I kept praying for the officers to please show up, show up quick.”

Officers did show up and positively identified Richard and Doris Rogers. The couple had been missing more than 12 hours. But thanks to McConnell’s quick thinking, they were safe.

“So many times we`re busy and we don`t have time to get involved, that`s not always good. So this time, I made sure to get involved. If something like this happened to my father, I would want someone to do that for him.”

McConnell didn’t want to work on the holiday. But she says it was worth it, to see the Rogers` reunite with their daughter and head back home to Normandy Park.

“I don`t know, I have honestly had the best thanksgiving ever,” she says. “To know they`re home, they`re safe, they`re with their family. Honestly, it`s the best Thanksgiving ever.”
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kuhio98

12-02-2013, 06:57 PM

Precious Ornaments

When my daughter, Lauren, was 14 months old she got cranky and didn't want to eat. The doctor diagnosed an ear infection and gave us antibiotics. Two days later Laura died in her sleep. My husband, David, and I were devastated.

It turned out that Lauren had a rare metabolic disorder that prevents the liver from breaking down fat. We had had no idea -- she had always seemed healthy.

That first Christmas without her was hard, but our family and church provided us with strength. The next Christmas, in 2006, my mother-in-law gave me an etched-glass ornament with Lauren's name and dates of birth and death on it. It's beautiful, but the best thing is that it's tangible. I can proudly display it because I want people to ask about my daughter; I want to talk about her. That's what keeps her memory alive.

Since then, Lauren ornaments have become a tradition -- we now have six. They're always up on our mantel, not just at Christmas, for anyone who comes into our home to see.

-- Nicole, Decatur, Georgia

kuhio98

12-04-2013, 09:26 AM

Eastern Iowa father pays it forward after son's cancer fight

CEDAR FALLS (KWWL) - Paul Woodward is collecting toys for cancer patients because he says it's just the right thing to do.

"It's a good feeling to see those people going through such a bad time and have something good happen to them even if it is just for a few minutes," said Woodward.

Last year Woodward collected more than 400 toys for cancer patients at the University of Iowa Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House in Iowa City.

This year he hopes to get more, that's because for Woodward it hits close to home.

"Even if it was for two minutes, it put a smile on his face and gave him something to do to keep his mind off of the doctors, nurses coming in all the time," said Woodward.

At 10-years-old, Woodward's son Brady was diagnosed with a rare form of muscular cancer. Brady spent six weeks at the hospital in Iowa City while going through radiation.

"There was up and down days that he had with the sickness and reacting to the chemo and stuff," said Woodward.

In August, Brady celebrated his fourth year cancer free.

"Some days I still can't believe what he went through and he made it," said Woodward.

Woodward is collecting toys through December 12th.

If you would like to donate you can find Paul Woodward on Facebook.
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kuhio98

12-05-2013, 10:17 AM

Boynton Beach woman gets surprise of lifetime

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - To watch Yolanda Thomas at home with her four kids, is to watch an engine at work.

"I have to work so fast," she said. "Dinner, homework, showers, it's a lot."

She gets up at 5 a.m. every day so she can get ready for her new job as a clerk and run them to school.

In a word, she's: "Exhausted."

And stressed out, financially.

When she left military service in 2010, she never imagined transitioning would be this hard.

"When I was in the Navy I could get them whatever they wanted," Thomas said. "Two of my sons have birthdays in November. I didn't have the funds to give hem the gifts they wanted. So Christmas I said I'll make it up to them."

While Yolanda was at work Wednesday, dozens of volunteers from Florida Power & Light and Boynton Beach Police Explorers transformed her home.

They put up Christmas lights, snowmen and presents.

"I just can't wait to see the look on her face," said FPL volunteer Heather Kirkendall.

A few weeks ago, Yolanda told local veterans group, Stand Down House, that she wanted a Merry Christmas for her kids.

After another twelve-hour work day, she drove up to dozens of people and thousands of lights on her home.

"I don't know, I don't know what to say. I'm speechless," she said.

Hours later, as she went over a paper she'd written for the college degree she's taking online classes for, she had a moment of satisfaction.

"I learned that my service really is appreciated. I hear people say it all the time. To see it in action means so much more."

Thanks for her service in the Navy, and as a mother.

kuhio98

12-06-2013, 09:24 AM

5-Year-Old Boy Creates ‘Bug’s Bikes’ For Kids With Special Needs

BOSTON (CBS) — Every kid should have a bike, right? Well for children with special needs, that may mean a special bike, a very expensive bike.

That’s why there’s a new program called “Bug’s Bikes.” The idea of a 5-year-old, it has grown into a community wide, team effort, to help.

Bug is 5-year-old Steven De Angelis. Steven has vision problems with high functioning autism and other medical issues, but when he’s riding his adaptive bike: “It’s therapy. It’s independence. He has an ability to just go and be free,” says his mother Kelly.

Steven’s parents had to save for a while to buy his bike, but when he went to an adaptive bike camp at the Franciscan Hospital for Children last spring, he had a 5 year old’s revelation.

“He realized he was the only kid bringing his bike home ever day, and he wanted to know why the other kids weren’t bringing their bikes home,” says Kelly. Cost was the big reason. Depending on a child’s specific needs, these bikes range in cost from about $600 to as high as $4000.

“For most families it’s very out of reach because therapy, medical needs, other equipment comes first,” says Kelly. But Steven had an idea; a lemonade stand.

“He wanted to raise money to help other kids get bikes like his,” his mom says. Word got out and over the course of 3 days, $2000 was collected. Bug’s Bikes was born.

Recently they gave their first adaptive bike to 5-year-old Sienna Brown of Belmont.

“We were so overwhelmed and overjoyed,” says Sienna’s mother Gina Brown. “When she got the bike she was so excited. She gave Steven the biggest hug, and just to see her face light up, it just made my heart just melt,” she adds.

Sienna’s mother already sees a difference. “When they ride these bikes they’re using all the muscles in their legs, they’re using hand and eye coordination. I see her getting a little bit stronger each time she’s on it,” she says.

The effort has grown out of the idea of one little boy. “We went from a lemonade stand to about 470 friends on Facebook, to community groups that are involved,” says Kelly De Angelis. And together, they’re getting it done. “No matter what their ability, agility, disability is, every child deserves that childhood experience of riding a bike,” Kelly says.

The short-term goal of Bug’s Bikes is to raise enough money to provide 5 more children with these special, adaptive bikes.

You can help the cause by buying a Christmas Ornament http://bugsbikes.org/christmas-ornament/ Bought mine! Only $8
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kuhio98

12-07-2013, 10:31 AM

Student Rescues Chihuahua Stuck in Sewer

BAY VILLAGE, Ohio– When a member of the family goes missing, there are many anxious moments wondering what has happened. But, a Bay Village family has a passerby and police to thank for their “dog-gone” happy ending.

Pepe, a 13-year-old Chihuahua, is back safe with the Roybal family. The dog spent 1 ½ days in a storm sewer drain. He had somehow fallen in and couldn’t get out on his own. “I assumed the worst because it was too cold and he’s old,” Pepe’s owner, Martin Roybal, said.

The Roybals had put both of their Chihuahuas outside. But, Pepe, who is deaf and partially blind, must have gotten disoriented and wandered off. Roybal said he has never done that before.

Lizzie Rudge is a Cleveland State student. She had gotten off the bus and crossed the street at Columbia and Wolf Roads in Bay Village when she heard what she thought was a dog barking. “It was really wet, really cold, really raining and I was walking by and I heard barking as I was about to cross the street. So, I looked down and under the sewer grates, I saw a dog. So, I called the police.”

Rudge stayed with the dog until police arrived and actually fed him some crackers she had left over from lunch. She couldn’t rescue the dog herself. “He was so scared and I couldn’t reach him because he was under the grates,” Rudge said.

An animal rescue officer helped police get Pepe out of the storm sewer. They reunited him with the Roybals who had reported him missing. Pepe had wandered two blocks from his home.

“I kind of recognized the barking,” Rudge said. It turns out Pepe is Rudge’s neighbors’ dog who she had played with when she was child.

The Roybals are thankful Rudge found their dog. “We’re so grateful to her because if it wasn’t for her being right there at the right moment and time, we don’t know what could have happened. We’re glad that he’s home,” Roybal said.

kuhio98

12-08-2013, 10:02 AM

New 'pay what you can' restaurant opens in Johnson City (Tennessee)

For the first time Tuesday, lunch was served at One Acre Cafe on West Walnut Street in Johnson City. It's a new restaurant featuring soups, salads, sandwiches.

It has the makings of a typical restaurant, but the difference comes when people pay. "Someone might come in and say 'I don't have any money,' so we'd say to them 'Great, volunteer an hour of your time and we'll provide you with a meal,'" explained executive director Jan Orchard.

Orchard is a retired teacher and came up with the idea for the restaurant to help feed the community. "This cafe belongs to the people of the community, not to us. We were just the catalyst," she said.

People who come in to eat not only pick what they want to eat, but how much as well. Orchard says they have a system to prevent throwing away excess food -- small, medium and large portions are available. A small portion is $4, medium is $6, and large is $8.

Patrons can choose to pay for their meal with volunteer hours, with money, or they can pay for their meal and then donate extra, which the restaurant calls 'paying it forward'.

It’s a concept some East Tennessee State Univeristy students think will take off. "The portion size is a wonderful idea. I feel like so many people leave food on their plate, and being able to pay by portion I think eliminates that," said ETSU student Andrew Felty.

Others are also welcoming the new restaurant, including fellow restaurant owner Tom Seaton. He has been running the nearby Firehouse restaurant for more than three decades. "We think it's going to be great for our community. We're glad they're here," said Seaton.

For now One Acre Cafe is only serving up lunch Monday through Friday, but the group is hoping to expand as the restaurant gets off the ground.

At the end of Wednesday’s lunch 70 people were served by a staff of volunteers. The average price paid for lunch was $9.32.

kuhio98

12-09-2013, 12:17 PM

Tree farm sends military families holiday cheer

BRISTOL, Tenn. - The holidays can be a tough time for military families, separated by deployment but a local Christmas tree farm is working to give them some holiday cheer.

Wolverton Mountain Christmas Tree Farm crews have been preparing and packing Christmas trees all season long but not all of them are loaded onto the tops of cars and taken to homes in the Tri-Cities.

"Every year we get trees together from various farms and send them overseas to our troops or to various bases," said Julie Baldwin, of Wolverton Mountain Christmas Tree Farm.

Baldwin and her parents have been a part of the national Trees for Troops program for a few years and the word is spreading.

"They'll come in, they know that we do this and they'll either donate a tree or the cost of a tree," Balwin told us.

They've raised a couple hundred dollars, she said, and already have 15 to 20 trees on the way to military families.

Baldwin told us there were about 200 trees in total sent from this region.

The trees are sent through Fed Ex to 60 military bases across the country and abroad, according to the Troops for Trees website.

Baldwin told us they are hand delivered.

"This is a tradition, going to pick the tree out together so they can't go do those things," said Baldwin. "To have someone come in and bring the tree to the house and a smile and a Merry Christmas from a stranger means the world."

The program hits home for Baldwin and her husband, they're both members of the Army National Guard.

In 2003, her husband, Ralph Norris, had a tour in Iraq.

"I've heard stories of people who are getting them now and how the families are really appreciating it," Norris told us. "You know, it's hard as it is with the loved one being gone and they get something in return."

The national program has sent more than 122,000 trees since it started in 2005. They hope to get it up to 140,000 this year.

Norris told us it's about more than just the numbers.

"That little relief, even though we couldn't be there, we know that people are thinking about them and taking care of them," said Norris.

Wolverton Mountain Christmas Tree Farm will be collecting donations for Trees for Troops until they close up for the season.

If you'd like to make a donation to the program, you can stop by the Wolverton Mountain Christmas Tree stand on Volunteer Parkway.

You can also donate directly to Trees for Troops on their website. http://treesfortroops.org/dnn/Donate.aspx

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kuhio98

12-12-2013, 12:26 PM

I sponsored a wreath in the name of my late father. I miss you Daddy. I'm sorry I didn't appreciate you enough when you were here.

Maine Company Looking For Help To Honor Fallen Soldiers With Wreaths

BOSTON (CBS) – A caravan of vehicles bearing Christmas wreaths is making its way from Maine to Washington, D.C. this week. Nine tractor-trailers are loaded with close to 100,000 small green wreaths, each tied with a red ribbon. It is the work of a non-profit Maine-based group called Wreaths Across America.

When the group began its work in 1992, volunteers placed wreaths at gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. Since then, the organization has grown tremendously and it now helps wreaths make it to 909 cemeteries nationwide. That’s a total of close to 550,000 wreaths, according to the group’s executive director, Karen Worcester.

“We have amazing people traveling with us on the convoy,” Worcester says.

On Monday night, the convoy stopped over at the Topsfield Fair Grounds to give drivers a break, to thank volunteers, and to get ready for the emotional ceremonies that will take place on Saturday.

“When we go to Arlington,” Worcester explains, “we place the wreath and we speak the name of somebody’s loved one. It’s the least we can do.”

But this year, donations to Arlington were way down. Typically, people sponsor a wreath by donating money to the charity. Worcester thinks that so many people focused on their local cemeteries this year, donations to Arlington fell off.

They hit the road this year between 10,000 and 20,000 wreaths shy of their goal. Still, volunteers are optimistic.

“It’s not about just laying a wreath at Arlington, it’s about paying respect,” says Barbara Benard, a Gold Star Mother whose son, Sgt. 1st class Brent Adams, was killed in Iraq eight years ago.

Benard has made the trip for the past three years “to represent all the moms who can’t go to Arlington,” she explains.

Even though Wreaths Across America didn’t hit its goal, they’re still optimistic.

“They are down, but I keep hearing that they’re getting more,” Benard says. “I mean, they’re still loading trucks. The deadline was supposed to be December 2nd and they’re still getting donations in.”

If you want to help, you can visit the organization’s website at wreathsacrossamerica.org.

kuhio98

12-12-2013, 07:52 PM

Cats Crash Brooklyn Nativity Scene

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These days, the holiday season is really about peppermint-flavored everything and cats. But mostly cats.

We have cats in Christmas trees. Cats in Santa hats hating Christmas. Cats in Santa hats loving ... you get the point.

But some festive felines in Red Hook, Brooklyn, are taking their holiday cheer to biblical proportions. That's right – they're turning a local residence's nativity scene into a cat-ivity scene.

Sisters Annette and Sue Amendola have put up the manger scene in a lot next to their N.Y.C. home for more than a decade, reports the local DNAinfo. The traditional Christmas display, which depicts the birth of Jesus, has become a place for the feral cats to congregate during the holidays. The sisters say the cats cozy up between the Virgin Mary and Joseph, knocking the Jesus statue out of their way.

"People love it," Sue Amendola says. "But they really get a laugh out of the cats."

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kuhio98

12-13-2013, 10:04 AM

'Layaway Santas' Make Holiday Dreams Come True

Need a little pick-me-up this holiday season?

Look no further than the scores of "layaway Santas" who are flooding the stores this holiday and proving that the Christmas spirit truly does live in the hearts of many Americans.

The way layaway Santas work is simple: do-gooders visit stores that have a layaway department, such as Wal-Mart, Kmart or Toys "R" Us, and offer to pay off the holiday layaway bills of others who are struggling to save enough to put presents under the tree.

Layaway Santas have been around for ages, but the idea gained traction recently when the Associated Press highlighted their good deeds two years ago. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/anonymous-donors-pay-off-kmart-222535611.html

Wal-Mart said it tracked more than 1,000 instances of lawaway Santas this season. Toy "R" Us reports 794 layaway Santa visits in 2012, while Kmart said big-hearted strangers spent more than $1.5 million in others' layaway contracts over the years, reports NBC News.

Most donors remain anonymous, but a few do come forward, including Dave Wilson, 65, who grew up poor on a farm in Iowa, but in Horatio Alger-like fashion went on to own 17 car dealerships in Orange County, Calif.

Every December he gives his wife Holly (yes, really) a special present: a Kmart receipt showing the thousands he spent helping others. Last Christmas he spent $18,000 paying off 320 layaway accounts. He has similar plans this year.

"It's not passing out Christmas hams or turkeys. They have to pay at least 10 percent ... this is something people have thought about and made an investment in," Wilson told NBC about his reasoning behind the yearly tradition.

Folks who cannot come up with the balance of their layaway account in time risk not receiving the gifts they earmarked for the holiday. That's why receiving the news that their accounts were paid off can come as a true Christmas miracle to many.

"Parents really want to make Christmas happen," Rachel Saraga, a manager at the Wal-Mart in King of Prussia, Pa., tells NBC of people who participate in their layaway program.

She sums up their reactions to learning their accounts have been paid off in one word: "Tears."

kuhio98

12-14-2013, 10:47 AM

Man Travels Country in Pink Tutu to Cheer Up Wife During Her Cancer Treatment

Picture a heavyset man, wearing nothing but a pink tutu, leaping about New York's High Line. Would you believe he's doing it for his wife?

Bob and Linda Carey have been together since 1986. When Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, Bob started taking pictures of himself in said tutu to cheer her up. What started as a silly gag has become an unlikely symbol of hope for cancer patients across the country.

Bob's Tutu Project http://www.thetutuproject.com/about/ raises money for breast cancer research through sales of his prints, his photo book Ballerina and donations. His Carey Foundation is partnered with CancerCare, a nationally run nonprofit, to help distribute the funds they raise.

We like Bob's take on dealing with cancer: "This all sucks, you know? And it's stupid that it's happening." But, he adds, "There's no reason for us to suffer through it like this. I'm here to make people happy."

And it seems to be working: "It just makes me laugh, to see my husband dancing around in a pink tutu," Linda says. "It helps me be positive. The more I laugh, the better I feel."

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kuhio98

12-15-2013, 11:06 AM

Criminals-turned-carpenters spread holiday cheer

Polk City, FL - It's probably the last place you'd expect to find one of Santa's workshops: inside a Florida state prison. But at the Polk Correctional Institution, each year a select group of inmates builds handmade, hand-painted, hand-crafted toys for good little girls and boys.

"We're the little elves," joked Stephen Steedley, an inmate at Polk C.I.

"Yep, this is Santa's workshop," added Brandon Niccoli, who is behind bars for strong armed robbery.

The idea of criminals-turned-carpenters started more than a decade ago and since the program began at Polk C.I., inmates have made more than 5,000 toys.

"We build toys 365 days a year, seven days a week," said Jennifer Selin, a corrections officer who oversees the program.

The toys are distributed to needy kids in Polk County through the Toys for Tots program.

However, officials say the program's success is not measured by the number of wooden toy cars or rockers that are produced; instead it's measured by what the inmates learn.

"A lot of us spent time taking from the community, so really this gives us a chance to give back," inmate Clayton Kammeraad said.

"One of the things that I always look for is what is my meaning in life... and right now my meaning is helping the needy children," said Stephen Muench who has a couple of years to go before he's released from prison.

"This is not my first time in prison, but I think I'm going to get the most out of this time in prison by just participating in this program," Steedley said.

Only a handful of inmates are allowed to participate in the program. In order to be selected from the general population, the inmates can't have any disciplinary write-ups within the past year and they must be nearing their release.

"Yes, we've all made mistakes and it wound us (up) where we're at, but not everybody in here is an evil person. There's a lot of people in here that have a really big heart," Kammeraad noted.

And this holiday season a lot of kids will have a little more holiday cheer thanks to the inmates at Polk C.I.

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kuhio98

12-16-2013, 12:54 PM

Goodwill employee finds $2K, returns it to owner

JAMES ISLAND, SC (WCSC) - An employee at a Lowcountry Goodwill store is receiving praise Wednesday morning after finding $2,000 amongst some donated items and returning the money to its owner, according to a Facebook post from Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina.

The post states an associate was pricing donated items Tuesday at the James Island Goodwill when they came across $2,000, along with other paperwork, belonging to a doctor's office.

Officials then contacted the doctor's office to return the findings.

According to the post, the doctor rewarded the honest employee for returning the money and paperwork, which the employee then donated to the Goodwill Angel Tree.

kuhio98

12-17-2013, 08:52 PM

Retired detective solving cases in Bunnell for free

BUNNELL -- Harry Kuleski has become a fixture at the front desk of the Bunnell Police Department.

It's the only place this retired Flagler County Sheriff's detective can do his work.

And what work he's done. Acting Police Chief Randy Burke knew it would be a perfect fit.

"He's logged in the last year 1,500 hours of work time and has cleared, I think it's 700, over 740 cases in the time he's been here,” Burke said.

It's not anything new.

Departments all across the country bring in help to review cold cases, often retired detectives.

Kuleski dove in with a passion. “It's amazing," said Kuleski. "We had cases going all the way back to 1991. In fact, we just finished our last box last week.”

The best part of the arrangement, at least for the taxpayers of Bunnell, is that the services of Sgt. Kuleski cost them nothing.

He's a reserve sergeant for the department.

That's a rank he just got this week, which includes the use of a vehicle.

Acting Chief Burke said the promotion is the least he can do.

“The kind of experience that Harry Kuleski brings to the agency is phenomenal," Burke said. "The fact that he does it as a reserve officer, non-paid is even more phenomenal.”

Kuleski served 21 years in the sheriff's office and more than two decades in the United States Coast Guard. All that was after a stint in the US Navy during Vietnam.

He said being a cop is in his blood.

As for how long he'll keep doing this? “Till they kick me out. Till whenever," Kuleski said. "Until the girls drive me nuts or whatever, but as long as I can go for 'em and help 'em, I'll be more than happy to be here.”

Detective Kuleski is also teaching the young cops in Bunnell's police force which includes his son, who is in the field training program with the department.

kuhio98

12-18-2013, 12:04 PM

'Kindest site' helps pay it forward
Miresi lets you track your kindnesses

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) - Pay it forward. There's now a website for that.

The just-launched site is the brainchild of Kelle Bovid, a 48-year-old Michigan mother of four who hatched the idea one day on the road home from Chicago.

"In the drive-thru at McDonalds, I paid for my drink but also for the meal for the gentleman in line behind me. The McDonald's employee was excited when I said I'd pay for the next meal and asked if I wanted to relay a message. I said 'just pay it forward," she told KOIN.com.

"I watched the man's reaction as he was told that his meal had been paid for. He laughed! So for $4 and some change, it made me happy, and brought some joy to the McDonalds employee and the guy who got a free chicken sandwich. Is there a better way to spend $4? I don't think so."

Over time, she took that feeling and idea and turned it into Miresi.org -- Miresi is the Persian word for kindness.

"Miresi.org is the result of a collaboration with Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. We were given a team of four students and 11 weeks to create the entire site," Bovid said.

Here's how it works:

A person goes to Miresi.org and creates a free account, then downloads and prints the pay-it-forward cards.

"Each card is coded with a unique number to enable tracking," she said. "Go out and do something nice for someone, and leave the card behind with the recipient of your kindness. The card will direct the recipient to miresi.org where they'll enter the card number, be able to see its history, and tell of their own experience. And pay it forward in their own way.

"Each person associated with a card will be able to see the history of the card and to watch as it moves forward."

Visitors to the site will also be able to see other people's acts of kindness, too, plus comments from people who've received the cards.

"Currently our tracking allows users to enter an address or zip of the location where the card or kindness was passed," she said. "Our next step is to create mapping which will give users a visual depiction of the card as the acts of kindness are paid forward."

They want people handing out more than one card because they know not every card will be acknowledged. The more cards in circulation the more likely people are "to see the impact of their act of kindness."

A mobile app is in development.

GVSU faculty member David K. Lange said his student teams work about 1000 hours on each project. He sees another student team working to build a better tracking system and better visual presentation.

"We want to bring joy to people," Bovid said. "I know how good it feels to be surprised by a random act of kindness and I'd like everyone to experience that.

"When people see how good it feels to surprise strangers, we're hoping they'll do it more often. We want people to see that their actions have real and lasting effects, and to inspire them to make all their actions positive."

http://www.miresi.org/

kuhio98

12-19-2013, 10:18 AM

Secret Santa buys coffee for everyone in Starbucks

(WTNH)--The morning rush at Starbucks on the New Haven green paused for a hush of giving.

Christie Colon was at the cash register when she was approached by a fellow worker.

"He said, use this credit card and I said, what's going on with the credit card?,'" Colon recalled.

"Well, the gentleman in the corner decided to give us the credit card so he can pay for everybody while he was there."

For an hour and a half, the secret Santa delighted people like David Gale.

"This gentleman just decided to break out his American Express Gold card," Gale said. "I've told everyone that would listen to me today that I just had a warm heart today, because it renewed my faith in man again."

The man racked up receipts totaling somewhere between $500 and $600.

"I asked him why he was doing this and he said 'just because,'" said Colon. "Then he actually tipped my coworkers that were on the floor. He gave us all an individual tip and when he did, I gave him a big hug and I was like thank you so much, so very kind of you."

"He was just smiling - ear to ear- you could tell it was genuine," she said.

A mix bag of customers got a taste of something good.

"People who spend $10 on their coffee or their lattes, they got a free one and then people who come in just to seek warmth got a free cup of coffee. I thought it was a beautiful thing," Colon said.

A beautiful gesture to be shared and celebrated in the wonder of the season.

kuhio98

12-20-2013, 03:57 PM

Decorator of I-17 Christmas tree still a mystery

BLACK CANYON CITY, AZ (CBS5) - Each night on CBS5 News at 10 p.m. this week, we're highlighting an Arizona Christmas tradition or legend.

Chances are, if you've driven from the Valley to northern Arizona in December, you've seen it from Interstate 17.

The question is: Who decorates it every year?

"We were driving along and all of a sudden we saw this Christmas tree all decorated and it was like a little surprise," said Lisa Symonds, of Gilbert, about her trip up to Prescott Monday.

Each December, for about 30 years now, someone has decorated a tree in the median of I-17 - just north of Sunset Point near Milepost 254.

"I was wondering who did this, and were they really sneaky?" asked Symonds. "Did they do it at night time when no one was there?"

The star-topped Christmas tree is adorned with glass ornaments, stuffed animals, flags, bells and bows. It's also draped with tinsel-garland.

"We see it every year," said Jeff Chastain, of Flagstaff. "Every holiday it's changing and it's very elaborate."

Clearly, a lot of work goes into putting the decorations up and taking them down.

Amazingly, no one has ever been caught in the act.

As for who does it, people have their suspicions.

"We've heard a few rumors," said Tommy Meredith, of Prescott. "Transportation people, ADOT people and so forth."

Others suspect law enforcement of being the mystery decorators.

But, for now, no one is taking credit.

"I really don't know who does it," said Chastain. "I just see it and look at it and say it looks nice and keep on going."

kuhio98

12-21-2013, 01:08 PM

Cecil Williams to Keep Guide Dog Who Saved Him After Donations Pour In
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Cecil Williams, whose life was saved by his guide dog after he fell on New York City subway tracks, will get to keep his pooch after animal lovers donated money to pay for the retiring pup's expenses.

Williams, 61, faced finding a new home for Orlando, the Labrador who jumped on the tracks to revive him after he fainted, because the 11-year-old pooch is getting to be too old to be a guide dog and the owner's insurance plan doesn't cover the expenses of nonworking dogs, the New York Post reports.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind, which trained Orlando, created a fund to help Williams keep his brave pup, and animals lovers have also donated more than $55,000 on the crowd-funding site Indiegogo so that the pair can stay together. "The spirit of giving, Christmas and all that – it exists here. It's in New York," a tearful Williams said from his hospital bed on Wednesday.

Williams, who became blind in 1995 from meningitis, was going to have to re-home Orlando in January and get a new guide, but thanks to the donations he can afford to keep the dog he calls his "best buddy."

The pooch jumped on the train tracks at the 125th Street station on Tuesday morning after Williams fainted and fell. Orlando began licking Williams' face to get him between the rails, where a train passed over them.

"That dog deserves to be spoiled rotten for the rest of his life," said Andrew Piera of Blue Star Transportation, who offered to pay for Orlando's upkeep. "This guy can't afford it and I can – and it's Christmas."

Williams has been moved by the generosity of strangers and by his dog's loyalty.

"I'm not a cry baby or nothing but my eyes are misty," he admitted. "He was there. He's always with me … He's always looking out for me. That's his job."

kuhio98

12-23-2013, 01:29 PM

Little girl's note sent to late grandma gets a surprise response

CHAPEL HILL, TN (WSMV) - Anyone who's lost a loved one knows there are countless moments when all you want is another chance to speak to them again. One little girl wanted to reach out to her great-grandma, so she did it with a balloon.

"I really do miss her, because she was my favoritest grandmother ever," said Bella Hosford, of Chapel Hill, TN.

Bella lost her great-grandmother when Minnie Sue Watts died in August 2012.

"The last day I got to see her, it was a really special day to me, because I knew that she was going to go to Heaven," Bella said. "Whenever I hugged her, the last thing she ever said to me was, 'I love you, Bella.'"

A year later, the 8-year-old girl had an idea to say goodbye: a simple note tied to a balloon and sent into the summer sky.

"Tell Mawmaw I love her," the note said.

Months passed, and life moved on.

And on Monday, came a surprise. Bella got a response when a small box appeared in the family's mail.

"Then, when you open it and you see this brown satin envelope, and then you open it up and you see the locket with a balloon, and then it all hit you," said Bella's mother, Tricia Hosford. "We stood at the end of the driveway for probably five, 10 minutes, just crying and embracing and just absorbing the moment."

Whoever did it also sent a note on the back of the one Bella wrote.

"Dearest Bella," Tricia Hosford said, reading from the note. "Mawmaw is always with you. Just close your eyes and you will see her. Love, your guardian angel."

Consider that Bella released the balloon in a very rural part of Marshall County. It could be considered a miracle someone found it at all. But for someone to do what they did?

"I have no idea. No idea," Tricia Hosford said. "It's priceless."

"I thought that it had to be from Mawmaw," Bella said.

A few days later, it still doesn't seem to make sense, and that's OK. Sometimes the best moments in life are the ones you can't quite fully put into words.

"It was a very selfless act, especially at this time of the year, that is worth volumes," Tricia Hosford said.

"If I knew who that person was, I would walk up to them and hug them on their neck and tell them thank you," Bella said.

Bella told us she plans to wear the locket to school every now and again, but not too often. She worries she might lose it, now considering it one of her most prized possessions.
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kuhio98

12-25-2013, 11:05 AM

'Miracle' puppy born in Aurora, surprising veterinarian who thought it had not survived

AURORA, Colo. - For nearly 45 minutes veterinarians thought a puppy was stillborn and tried to tend to the mother, when suddenly the new life began to move and cry.

Aurora Animal Shelter veterinarian Nicole Bartley wrote on the City of Aurora's Facebook page that she was preparing to spay three other dogs on Monday, when the dog in emergency labor was brought to the shelter's front desk. She determined that the unborn puppy was too large to fit through the mother's birth canal and rushed the dog into surgery for an emergency C-section.

"It was obvious the puppy had been stuck for a long time. There was a lot of infection and very little chance for the puppy," Bartley wrote. "However, we always try to save puppies and kittens born by C-section and the veterinary technicians went to work, but the puppy never breathed, never moved."

With the puppy unmoving, the veterinarian and technicians turned their attention back to the mother.

After nearly three-quarters of an hour of work, they were starting to wake the mother when they heard the newborn begin to cry from inside the blanket in which it was wrapped.

"It should not have been possible for that puppy to be alive that much later when we couldn't get it to respond right away," Bartley wrote.

Because of the miraculous circumstances surrounding the birth, the new puppy was named "Miracle."

Bartley also announced that the puppy and mother will be going into foster care.

kuhio98

12-26-2013, 11:04 AM

California Community Replaces Stolen Gifts for Soldier's Family

A California community has taken a holiday heartbreak and turned it into a touching Christmas story.

Residents of Lodi, Calif., joined together to replace Christmas gifts and other items stolen from the home of an active-duty soldier just before he returned from Afghanistan.

Cpl. Christopher Petrossian was getting ready to surprise his wife, Cheryl, and their two daughters at the Sacramento airport last week when he received a call informing him that their home had been robbed. About $5,000 worth of items, including their gifts and electronic equipment, were taken, ABC News reports.

Officer Eric Bradley was one of the police officers to respond to the break in, and when Bradley discovered that the burglarized home belonged to a soldier and his family, he encouraged his fellow police department employees to donate money and gift cards to the Petrossians.

Bradley, himself a veteran of the first Gulf War, started a movement of giving that stretched beyond the Lodi police department and out into the community.

"I think they were able to buy a good, substantial portion of the items they lost," Lodi Police Sgt. Doug Chinn told ABCNews.com. "And we have even more gift cards and electronic items to give to them."

"It's going to be nice to deliver them and see their faces," he said.
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kuhio98

12-27-2013, 03:49 PM

Vt. Community Breaks National Blood Drive Record

A Vermont community has broken the national record for the most amount of blood collected on a single day.

Organizers of Rutland’s annual Gift-of-Life Marathon say they collected 2,337 pints of blood on Tuesday, beating the old national record of 1,968 set by Manchester, New Hampshire.

Rutland now holds three of the top four spots on the list of the 10 biggest blood drives in U.S. history.

"This is such a statement by the greater Rutland community," said co-organizer Steve Costello from Green Mountain Power. "To outdo every single city and town in America is really mind-boggling."

More than 2,000 people had signed up for the event. They had numerous blood collection sites setup across the community.

kuhio98

12-28-2013, 05:05 PM

Ski Crash Survivor Credits Dog With Saving His Life

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Leonard Somers knows exactly why dogs are considered man’s best friend. The Grand County resident credits his dog Juneau with saving his life after a ski accident.

Somers, of Tabernash, was backcountry skiing near Berthoud Pass at the beginning of November with his 5-year-old Siberian husky keeping him company.

“That area where I skied, I had probably skied 50 times,” Somers said Monday.

But that day was different. On his way down the mountain, he hit a rock and crashed into a ravine.
His neck hit a tree trunk, causing a severe spinal injury. Somers was buried in the snow.

“I went to get up and realized I couldn’t move,” he said.

For 20 or 30 minutes, Juneau lay on top of him to keep him but when the pair heard voices in the distance, her behavior changed.

“She actually ran off and they had a dog with them,” Somers said. “She somehow or another brought the dog back to me.”

That dog’s family followed as well and found Somers and got help to get him off the mountain.
Somers said Juneau not only saved his life that day but also in the ones that followed.

“When I first woke up, I wasn’t sure if I was happy to be alive or not,” he said.
But with Juneau at his side, he has persevered through physical therapy at Craig Hospital.
“It helps me remain hopeful that I’ll walk out of here or someday I will walk again.”

Juneau had no special training at the time of the accident. Now she’s a certified service dog, even joining Somers for his rehabilitation treatments at Craig.

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kuhio98

12-30-2013, 10:57 AM

Florida Orphan Who Begged for Love Is Spending Holidays with Adoptive Family

It's shaping up to be a very merry Christmas for Davion Only, the 15-year-old orphan who stepped before a Florida church congregation in October with a heartfelt plea: to find a family to adopt him.

Only's appearance, which captivated a far-reaching audience, sparked more than 10,000 responses from around the world.

Now comes word of his personal progress. Only has moved from his group foster home to spend Christmas with a prospective adoptive family, reports the U.K.'s Daily Mail.

This marks a likely happy ending for Only, who has spent his entire life moving from foster home to foster home after his mother, who spent time in prison, was forced to give him up. She has since died.

In frustration, the teen asked his case worker if he could speak to the 300-member St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., where his emotional plea shined a light on the plight of children like himself, desperate for love and seeking adoptive families.

"I'll take anyone. Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don't care," he told the church. "I know God hasn't given up on me. So I'm not giving up, either."

Thousands who later read his story reached out to his adoption agency to inquire about him. Only also has done his best to help other children like him, traveling to Tallahassee to speak to Florida governor Rick Snyder and members of his cabinet about adoption, reported the Tampa Bay Times, which first wrote about Davion's story.

"Even though I am going through an adoption process right now," Only told a packed meeting of lawmakers, "I still hope that other kids in foster care get the benefit that I am going to have to be adopted and to have somewhere to call home and to have a bed to call theirs."

His biological aunt said she and other relatives who are unable to adopt him are supportive of his new life, with Doris Barnes telling the Daily Mail, "I just want him to be happy and loved and to be with someone who is going to do the best for his future."

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cassiesmom

12-30-2013, 07:26 PM

Some Meals-on-Wheels Programs Feed Pets, Too
(source: AARP via Good News Network)

By Sue Manning, The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — If Meals on Wheels didn’t deliver donated dog food, Sherry Scott of San Diego says her golden retriever Tootie would be eating the pasta, riblets and veggie wraps meant for her. But thanks to partnerships between the program for low-income seniors and pet groups across the country, fewer people and pets are going hungry.

After Meals on Wheels volunteers noticed a growing number of clients giving their food away to their furry friends, they started working with shelters and other pet groups to add free pet food to their meal deliveries. Those programs, relying on donations and volunteers, have continued to grow in popularity as seniors began eating better, staying healthier and worrying less about feeding their pets, one group said.

Meals on Wheels is just one organization serving people who are poor, disabled or elderly, but it has a vast reach. It has teamed up with independently run pet partners in several states, but how many isn’t known, said Jenny Bertolette, spokeswoman for Meals on Wheels Association of America in Alexandria, Va.

Partner pet groups will solicit, pick up, pack and get the animal chow to Meals on Wheels or another agency that donates food, volunteers said. Agencies also take pet food to nursing homes, senior centers or community centers.

kuhio98

12-31-2013, 10:03 AM

Star of Wonder, Star of Light
The large star of Christmas lights that he almost didn't mount in his yard proved to be a beacon of hope.
By Dale Briggs, North Bloomfield, Ohio

"Maybe we should skip putting up the lights this year,” I told my kids over breakfast.

“No way!” Janna said.

“You have to put up the lights!” said Alysha.

Easy for them to say. They weren’t the ones stringing 8,000 lights around our yard, and along the border of our seven-foot-tall Christmas star. We had a nice-sized property next to a state-owned game reserve.

The lights did look stunning amid the backdrop of all that nature. That star could almost light the way to Bethlehem it was so big. But putting the lights up was exhausting and the electricity bill in January was out of sight.

My wife, Becky, smiled over at me from the stove. I couldn’t let the kids down. So out I went, braving the cold.

I was dragging at work the next day, and the guys at the firehouse where I volunteered knew what I’d been up to. “Now all you have to do is take them down!” they joked.

The lights were a comforting sight when I drove up to the house that evening. In the dark woods, the temperature had plummeted to five degrees, and we were in for a subzero night. As I got out of the car I saw Becky talking to two hunters on the front porch.

“You fellas lose your way?” I asked. They looked shaken up.

“We thought we wouldn’t make it out there,” one of the men said. They’d wandered around lost for the better part of the day and knew they wouldn’t survive the night without protection from the elements.

“Then we saw it,” the other man said. “A glow in the east.”

The two of them lifted their eyes to the giant star in my yard. “Your star saved our lives.”

The kids were right about putting up the lights. Especially that Christmas star, a guide we can all follow.

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momcat

12-31-2013, 10:33 AM

Sending a shout out to the city of San Francisco -
The Make A Wish Foundation contacted a 5 year old boy with leukemia asking about his big wish, he said he wanted to be a super hero. He spent a day as "Bat Kid" with Batman. He was dressed for the part and went around with Batman in the Batmobile. The film clip showed people lining the street many holding signs supporting Bat Kid. Along the way, he rescued a woman tied to the railroad tracks. The city's police commissioner went on tv saying there were problems in the city and asked Batman to help - and bring Bat Kid. While there, Bat Kid foiled a bank robbery and arrested the Riddler. The police commissioner also said the mascot for the San Francisco Giants had been kidnapped, Bat Kid found the mascot and the Penguin was arrested for the abduction. Dressed as Bat Kid, this little boy was cheered by the crowd everywhere he went and was given the key to the city. Then at the end of the day an anonymous donor paid for a billboard by the bridge that said "Bat Kid, thank you for saving our city".

Thank you to all in San Francisco that made this little boy's dream come true. You've proven that there are angels among us!

kuhio98

01-01-2014, 10:16 AM

Agoura Hills Girl, 11, Donates $500 Worth Of Toys For Hospitalized Children

AGOURA HILLS (CBSLA.com) — A $1,000 windfall is not much to some adults, but to an 11-year-old girl, that kind of money could mean a new gadget, new clothes or a whole lot of makeup. But for Melissa Souza of Agoura Hills, that money was a chance to help others less fortunate.

“Some kids need things more than I do,” Melissa said as she dropped off $500 worth of toys at the CHiPs for KIDS kickoff event at the Studio City Broadcast Center Thursday. Melissa says she would like the toys to be donated to hospitalized children.

Over the summer, Melissa won a Radio Disney contest, receiving a trip for four to Charlotte, N.C., a chance to meet Ryan Seacrest, a $15,000 donation to his foundation and a $1,000 gift card to use at Walgreens.

“Well, I didn’t know what I was going to do with $1,000,” Melissa said. “But then, I just decided to give it to charity.”

Besides donating to the CHiPs for KIDS toy drive, Melissa also bought $500 worth of school supplies that she donated to needy children.
Melissa’s selflessness is not lost on the California Highway Patrol officers collecting toys for less fortunate children.

“I think it’s fantastic,” CHP Officer Leland Tang said. “Anyone at that age who thinks of others rather than themselves is also fantastic.”
Melissa’s parents, Caroline and Brad, say they are proud that Melissa is absorbing some of the lessons they are trying to impart.

“It is kind of something we discussed as a family,” Caroline Souza said. “To think beyond yourself is kind of our goal, to hopefully teach them to think beyond themselves.”
“We are very fortunate with everything that we have and so to be able to give back and to have her learn that lesson as well was really important,” Brad Souza said.

kuhio98

01-02-2014, 10:47 AM

Woman rescues infant on JetBlue flight

WESTWOOD, Mass. (WHDH) -- When a baby stopped breathing mid flight a local woman jumped in to help save the baby’s life.

“The baby had been unconscious so many times I was literally flipping the baby back and forth freeing as much as I could,” Jeanne Gallahue

Gallahue, a CPR trainer and first responder, is used to heading into emergency situations.

But the 63-year-old was on her way to Puerto Rico with her family and wasn't expecting to be performing CPR on a 6-month-old in the middle of her flight.

“All of a sudden I heard screaming that they needed medical help,” she said.

The family was on board Jetblue flight 1347 and a baby girl in the back of the plane was unresponsive.

For two hours Jeanne and another nurse on the flight worked to save this infants life.

“She would come to and then all of a sudden she would become rigid and unresponsive, no heart beat, no breathing and I would resume CPR,” she said.

The pilot made an emergency landing in North Carolina where Jeanne handed the baby off to a medical crew.

She says she's been told the baby survived and she knows it's because of the team that came together onboard that flight.

“Together everybody achieved a miracle that day. There is no question in my mind; there were so many people that were involved in that. It was truly a miracle,” Gallahue said.

A flight attendant took detailed notes of everything Jeanne was doing so they could pass that information along to the medical team in North Carolina.

kuhio98

01-03-2014, 10:56 AM

OC Girl Undergoing Chemotherapy For Brain Tumor Reunited With Missing Family Dog

ORANGE (CBSLA.com) — An Orange County family reunited with their dog last month after he went missing in Arizona more than a year ago say his return offers new hope to their family.
Meko, the O’Brien Family’s 4-year-old Brussels Griffon, vanished during a family vacation in Parker, Arizona.

“I woke up and I wondered where Meko was,” said 7-year-old Mady O’Brien. Her family looked for him everywhere, putting up signs and praying for his safe return.
“He was just gone,” said Mady’s mother, Dana.

Mady was devastated never forgot her best friend. But everything changed in May, when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
“It’s been a rough six months,” Dana O’Brien said.

After an intense surgery, almost 30 chemotherapy and radiation treatments and countless hospital visits, Mady struggled to walk again.

Last month, Dana O’Brien got a phone call as she and Mady were on their way to another round of chemotherapy. The Yavapai Humane Society was calling to say Meko had turned up on the streets of Prescott, Arizona.

A microchip led volunteers to the O’Brien’s phone number, and James O’Brien made the 400-mile trek to pick him up.
“Meko’s back,” Mady said, smiling.

For Mady’s parents, Meko’s return was more than just a story of a girl and her dog. They believe his return was one almost impossible prayer answered, and now they have one more to go. Mady O’Brien has three more rounds of chemotherapy at Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

“We can just move forward, it’s the start of things going right,” James said.
“This was, you know, kind of the answer that things are going to be okay,” Dana said. “This was good news that our family had gotten and that it would be the start of more.”

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=9621424

kuhio98

01-04-2014, 11:06 AM

Dog credited with saving residents from burning Aliquippa apartment building

ALIQUIPPA, Pa. —
A fire at an Aliquippa apartment building forced evacuations and caused damage Thursday night.

The fire happened on Franklin Avenue at an old photography studio that was turned into an apartment building.

Six people lived inside the building.

One of the residents told Channel 11 that his dog, Peanut, started barking, and that’s how he knew to get out.

"She woke me up. I opened my eyes. The whole room was filled with smoke. She got everybody up. She saved the day," said John Drouin.

Peanut is a veteran service dog. She usually alerts Drouin to seizures.

Ten fire departments battled the blaze.

Buildings on both sides of the apartment building suffered water damage.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
http://www.wpxi.com/videos/news/dog-credited-with-saving-residents-from-burning/vCF8gz/

kuhio98

01-05-2014, 11:11 AM

Girl collects hundreds of shoes for other children

Rachel surpassed her goal of collecting 900 pairs of shoes.
ATHENS, TX (KLTV) - A 7-year-old girl has surpassed a goal that could give lots of East Texans happy feet.

A few months ago, Rachel Beets told her mother that she wanted to collect 900 pairs of shoes for her birthday, but not for herself.

Rachel wants to donate the shoes to the Henderson County Rainbow Room, a non-profit organization that helps clothe children in Child Protective Services' custody.

People across the country pitched in and donated 946 pairs of shoes. Rachel's birthday is January 31, so she will continue to collect shoes until that deadline.

http://kltv.images.worldnow.com/images/24188451_BG1.jpg

kuhio98

01-06-2014, 01:57 PM

Newspaper carrier saves life of elderly woman found laying in snow

KENOSHA (WITI) — The brutal wind and cold in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day brought first responders to 61st St. and 43rd Ave. in Kenosha. While delivering the Kenosha News around 4:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day — January 1st, Ralph Sustaita discovered an elderly woman lying in the snow — and that’s when Sustaita jumped into action.

Sustaita says he was alerted to the woman when he heard her voice.

“Just to hear the sound of the voice — it was just unreal. It was very cold, very windy. Her hands were real red. Her gloves were laying far from her,” Sustaita said.

Police believe the woman, who is in her 80s, lived nearby and went out for a walk. Authorities say she may have been there for up to two hours.

“She was lost. She was really confused,” Sustaita said.

Had Sustaita not made the discovery he did — the woman could have easily died.

“I just like, jumped into action, you know — like it was my own grandmother laying there,” Sustaita said.

Sustaita wrapped a jacket around the freezing woman, and called 911. The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment.

“I think it was from the grace of the Lord that I was in the right place at the right time,” Sustaita said.

The Kenosha News is reporting the woman was treated for hypothermia and frostbite and appears to be recovering.

kuhio98

01-07-2014, 10:23 AM

Payless ShoeSource gives 200 kids new shoes

SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) - When these Boys and Girls Club members walk back into school after Christmas break, they will do so with a new pair of shoes courtesy of Payless ShoeSource. Members from Boys and Girls Clubs in Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian each received $20 worth of new shoes and accessories.

"We were chosen last year and this year as well. Last year we were able to help around 100 of your youth and this year they increased the amount so we were able to help around 200 kids," said Tangie Carrillo.

Boys and Girls Club's directors say this program provides the necessities to their young members who otherwise may not get a new pair of shoes because of financial issues.

"Shoes are important just because they are a need. They're not just a pleasure. It's a necessity for children to have shoes and especially have cute shoes and good shoes to go back to school in is important," said Mindy Pizzetta, Director at Boys and Girls Club Qatar Center.

Tennis shoes and moccasins were some of the more popular choices. Still some children decided to opt for a more stylish pair of shoes.

"I like these boots because they are fuzzy and comfortable and I just love boots," said one of the lucky children.

Of the many programs the Boys and Girls Clubs offers to children, directors say this shoe giveaway brings excitement to a whole new level for members.

"Oh my gosh they were so thrilled. They couldn't wait," said Shannel Smith, Unit Director at the Boys and Girls Club of the Coast in Hancock County.

"They made sure that their permission forms were signed this morning. They made sure that their parents signed everything you know because they couldn't wait to come and see what type of shoes they could choose and try on."

"This is very awesome because this is a special opportunity that we got for our boys and girls club," said Catera Gibbs.

Over 200 members from all five of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Gulf Coast took part in the two day shoe giveaway.
http://wlox.images.worldnow.com/images/24368994_BG1.jpg

kuhio98

01-08-2014, 09:10 AM

Starbucks Customers Break 1,000 in Pay-It-Forward Record

The customers at a Connecticut Starbucks are on their third day of a record-breaking pay-it-forward spree as more than 1,000 customers have cheerfully agreed to pay for the customers behind them.

Today's run smashed the record the store set Thursday at closing when a total of 783 people paid it forward.

"Nobody has broken it (the chain) yet," said Joshua, manager of the Starbucks store in Newington, Conn. Joshua said he is not permitted to release his last name according to company policy.

The store opened a gift card for moments when there is no one behind a paying customer. "On Christmas Day, somebody put in $100," Joshua said.

The pay-it-forward chain began about 8 a.m. on Christmas eve. Some customers pull into the drive-through expecting to pay just a couple bucks for their coffee, but may end up paying an upwards of $15 more for the person behind them without any hesitation, Joshua said.

"I think it's awesome,… but most importantly, l hope it influences other people to do random acts of kindness, not just pay it forward at Starbucks, but to keep it going," he said.

When the number reached 30, the Starbucks employees were shocked it was so high. At 40, Josh posted a picture of the tally board on Instagram. Now at 1,000, the possibilities seem endless.

"We hope that it will continue on, even if it doesn't continue on here, we just hope that it will inspire people to do greater things and inspire people to do more for their communities," Joshua said.

lizbud

01-08-2014, 11:42 AM

Great rescue of a dog lost after a bad car wreck on State road. He was still wearing the red coat he had on in the car.
So proud of the folks who braved the sub zero temps to search for AJ the Beagle.

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/call-6-investigators/search-teams-find-dog-lost-in-wreck

cassiesmom

01-13-2014, 04:29 PM

I saw this on the weekend ABC news last night, too. I think this is such a nice thing for the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York to do :)

-----
Tony and Jo Fioravante will celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary today the same way they spent their wedding night, with a stay at the luxurious Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan -- and the Park Avenue room will cost the couple just $15.75.

The Staten Island couple, who kept their original receipt from 1948, will pay the same rate this year, even though the room rates in 2014 start at $799.

The Fioravantes are cashing in on the hotel’s long-standing tradition of honoring the original rate for couples celebrating an anniversary of 50 years or more who spent their wedding night at the Waldorf and kept the receipt after all those years.

Deb Curl commented on Facebook, "My parents did that for their 50th and they were treated like royalty!"

kuhio98

01-15-2014, 10:54 AM

Child with rare form of cancer gets a special day in preschool

A young girl with rare form of cancer has a wish granted to show up at preschool for her first time.

Ava Parker, 2, had seen bigger kids loading on to school buses and only wanted to join them. She was told she would have to wait until she got a little bit bigger.

Her mother, Kacy Parker, told Fox59 News, “So, she comes to me the next day and says “Mommy, am I big enough and I said, no not yet and she said Ok.”

On December 10, 2012, her life changed dramatically. What started out as a black eye and grouchiness, turned into a parent’s worst nightmare. Ava was diagnosed with a malignant tumor known as a Rhabdoid Tumor. This is what makes her day at preschool so remarkable.

Her parents reached out to Decatur Township to see if they would enroll her for just one day. Ava’s family wanted to make sure she didn’t miss out on just being another kid in the class.

The family says that words aren’t enough to explain what it meant to Ava to have this experience.

“My heart is really going to explode with joy. It’s beyond words could even describe how happy we are to see her,” said her mother.

She also left a valuable lesson for her fellow Hoosiers seeing this story.

“Just don’t take you children for granted,” she said, “cause anything can happen.”

kuhio98

01-16-2014, 11:38 AM

Community coming together to build barn for horse

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - A Connecticut Vietnam veteran and his horse, Melody, have honored other fallen veterans almost 600 times.

However, a recent storm has put that legacy in jeopardy.

"In the beginning when I told people I was going to do it, they thought I was little a fruit loops. They said, 'You're going to bring your horse to a funeral and people are going to laugh at you,'" said Sgt. Rick Kowalker.

Kowalker bringing Melody along was about honoring those who served.

"I can't ride the horse at the funeral," Kowalker said. "It has to be what they call a riderless horse with the boots in backwards in the stirrups and it's to symbolize a fallen hero."

Kowalker and Melody started this tradition several years ago and he knew from the start they'd share a special bound.

"[I] saw a sign that said horse for adoption," Kowalker said. "I didn't know what it meant, but I think that's why I checked it because I was adopted myself."

Recently that bond was tested after a winter storm destroyed part of Melody's barn.

"Around here you have to have a place for your horse," Kowalker said. "You just can't be keeping it out all winter long."

Just like other Marines did for him on the battlefield, neighbors started to come to Kowalker's aide. One donated his barn as a temporary shelter while others started an online campaign to build a permanent home.

The permanent barn will hopefully go just steps away from the final resting place for many veterans. It's also the same place where Kowalker and Melody conducted their first funeral.

Neighbors hope to raise $6,000 to ensure Kowalker and Melody can continue to give other veterans a proper sendoff.

"It sure is a good feeling to look out my back door and see my horse right there too," Kowalker said.
http://wfsb.images.worldnow.com/images/24438996_BG1.jpg

Karen

01-16-2014, 03:01 PM

How nice, what a dear and touching sight they must be at each funeral.

kuhio98

01-17-2014, 01:27 PM

The Burrito Boyz Serve Up Free Breakfasts for San Diego's Homeless

While most teens are impossible to rouse at the crack of dawn, the Burrito Boyz of San Diego, Calif., are out of their homes by 6:30 a.m. every Sunday.

Their mission: Making breakfast burritos for the city's homeless, something they've done for 167 consecutive Sundays since November of 2010.

Comprised of a core team of seven high school boys and a small army of volunteers, they've given away more than 51,000 burritos and counting.

"We show the homeless community that we're not giving up on them, so they shouldn't give up on themselves," explains Alec Johnson, 15, who started the Burrito Boyz nonprofit with his father, Michael, 49, and best friend Luke Trolinger, 16.

The Burrito Boyz (which includes classmates Nick Peeleman, 16; Joe Skvarna, 15; Cole Smith, 16; Justin McDonald, 16; and Julian Wahl, 16), along with the Burrito Babes (Girl Scout Troop 5273) have expanded their mission over the years.

They now also provide books, clothing, rain tarps, toiletries and have been known to host occasional spaghetti dinners for the homeless as well.

"It's heartwarming to know that someone cares," says Eddie, 60, a former construction worker who is now homeless and did not want his last name used.

"They treat us like human beings," he says. "They're not just a charity, they're our friends."

Says San Diego City Councilman Scott Sherman, who explains the homeless population, many of whom are veterans, has spiked dramatically since 2008: "These boys aren't just giving handouts, but a hand-up by showing them that everyday people care."

The nonprofit began after Alec, then 12, presented his Christmas wish list to his parents in 2010: an iPhone, MacBook Air and other pricey items.

"I thought, 'Holy cow. My son's growing up quick, asking for such mature items,' " explains Michael, a former sports marketer.

"My wife, Mehrnaz, and I instead decided to teach him what's important in life," he says.

The very next weekend, they handmade 54 breakfast burritos in the family kitchen – paid out of their own pocket – and greeted the less fortunate on the downtown streets with the hot meal, bottle of water and a touch of dignity.

"It felt like punishment at first when my dad told me the idea," Alec says with a laugh.

"But to see human beings sleeping on the cold ground outside, it really touched me," he says. "To realize how much they don't have, and how much we do. It's a huge part of my life now."

Trolinger agrees.

"We learned to see the person beneath the grit and the grime," he says. "They're just ordinary people down on their luck."

Cordaryl Johnson, 26, is one of those people.

"This is God working in mysterious ways," says Johnson, an unemployed construction worker who has been living out of two cars with his wife and five children for the past several weeks.

"Once we get on our feet," he says, "I'll be right back here helping to volunteer."

http://img2-2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140127/burrito-boys-300.jpg

kuhio98

01-19-2014, 06:34 PM

Waitress receives $6,000 tip for being happy

So it turns out that being nice can pay off. Who knew?

Abigail Sailors is a waitress at a Lincoln, Neb., Cracker Barrel. And despite the many, many obstacles in her life, Sailors is a cheerful waitress, not one who slings your food at you with barely disguised disgust. And her cheerfulness has paid off in a big way.

Two customers walked into Sailors' Cracker Barrel last week asking to be seated at a table of the grumpiest server in the restaurant, promising they could make that server laugh. The hostess refused their request and sat them with their cheeriest waitress instead. So the two customers found themselves at one of Sailors' tables, and she began talking. And talking. And talking.

It turns out that Sailors has had a troubled life, one filled with foster homes and abuse and families broken time and time again. When she was just 7 months old, she was involved in a major car crash from which her mother has never fully recovered. Her father was deemed unfit to be a parent, and she and her four siblings were moved to three different foster homes. They suffered abuse at one of the foster homes before Abigail and her siblings were adopted by the Sailors family nine years ago.

The more the customers, who remained anonymous, questioned Sailors, the more she shared about her ancient and recent history. She told them that she's currently enrolled at Trinity Bible College in North Dakota, but didn't have enough money to take classes in the spring. So she was saving money with the hopes of returning in the fall.

“I’m just thankful," she told the Lincoln Journal-Star. "Everything we went through, my attitude is: God blessed me with a lot of things. I’m doing good. That’s all that matters to me.”

Sailors' story and positive attitude moved her customers so much that they invested in her future to a significant degree. They wrote a check for $5,000 to Trinity for her to go back to school this spring, and another check for $1,000 for Sailors herself for daily expenses.

“I couldn’t believe it," she said. "I tried to thank them, and they said, ‘Thank God.’”

So there you go. You can gripe about your life, or you can spin it positive and hope a mysterious stranger rolls into town and tosses you a few bucks. Hey, you never know.
http://l.yimg.com/os/publish-images/news/2014-01-08/cc71de0b-8a46-4c15-ad40-162024478934_e0108cb.jpg

Karen

01-19-2014, 10:24 PM

Sounds like a very nice person, and those were very special customers!

kuhio98

01-20-2014, 11:40 AM

Puppy rescued off I-395 overpass ledge

Most of us are zombies on the way into work, mindlessly listening to the radio and zoning out as we dread the eight hour day ahead. But not Tiffany Nicolette. Her sharp eye saved a puppy's life. And camera's caught the whole thing on tape.

Tiffany Nicolette was driving into work Thursday morning when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. It was a puppy. It was trapped behind a fence on the 395 overpass near the stadiums in Baltimore. Nicolette pulled her car over and called for help, watching the pup shaking more than 30 feet above the street below.

"I knew he was in the wrong place so I knew I had to do something. It was scary just because if you make the wrong move and startle him, he could go off the edge," Nicolette said.

As Nicolette and others waited for a way to rescue the puppy, someone spotted a bucket truck. A crew with Arundel Signs happened to be working in the area. The group flagged down the truck and made a request - drive to Hamburg Street and raise the bucket to reach the puppy.

Worker Billy Muncy rose to the rescue. His efforts were captured in a cell phone video that was posted to YouTube.

"It hopped in my arms when i put my arm up," Muncy said, "It leaped toward me. I had to catch it so it wouldn't fall down. I was scared I was going to drop it."

But he didn't. The dog was now safe and sound. It's since been taken to BARCS, which we're told plans to adopt out the seven-month old dog. Nicolette, who already has three dogs at home, says the pup she helped rescue won't have a problem finding a new family to love.

kuhio98

01-21-2014, 11:42 AM

Diamondhead traffic cop serves community with dance

He is not your ordinary traffic cop.

"I just let the spirit move me," Diamondhead Police Officer Darrell Hughes said.

Hughes puts a little hip and arm action into his directing.

"Traffic control is probably the most boring part of police work but you make it what it is, and if you enjoy it goes by faster."

He has been dancing his way through work for 35 years since he first earned his badge in 1979.

"I'm from New Orleans originally and you know everything is a show in New Orleans."

We actually caught his boogie act back in 2003 when he worked for the Long Beach Police Department. While his moves have not changed much, he is still a big hit with South Mississippians.

"I love him," Diamondhead Resident Rosemary Slate said.

"We come around the corner and he's just throwing his little arms around."

Her husband also enjoys his dancing act.

"He has a very good time doing it," John Slate said.

Fourth grader Lexie Ladner enjoys her rides home from school in the afternoons.

"He's very funny and has a really good personality," Lexie said.

Do not let his goofy moves fool you. Hughes takes his job very seriously and gets choked up knowing he not only serves and protects, he also puts a smile on many faces.

"It gives me a warm feeling inside," Hughes said with tears in his eyes.

He said he does not plan on giving up his dance moves anytime soon.

"Not until the day they put me in the ground. If you don't like your job get a new one, but if you like your job, love your job."

You can catch Officer Hughes' dancing act several days a week at the corner of Interstate 10 and the eastbound entrance into Diamondhead between 3:30 and 4:15 in the afternoon.
http://wlox.images.worldnow.com/images/24455985_BG1.jpg

cassiesmom

01-22-2014, 03:40 PM

Source: Chicago Tribune

A dog rescued in Texas but lost at Midway Airport after slipping from her harness has been found safe and is on her way to a new home in Wisconsin.

"We are just so happy," said Lauren Kelliher, vice president of Illinois Doberman Rescue Plus, which helped coordinate the dog's travel to Elkhorn, Wis.

A woman found Madison in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side Tuesday night, then spotted a flier about the missing Doberman when she went to the grocery store this morning, Kelliher said. The woman left a message in Spanish around 10:30 a.m., Kelliher said.

Kelliher and other volunteers started scrambling to find someone to translate the message, but the woman soon called back. She told them, in English, that she had found Madison in her neighborhood near 38th and Spaulding, cold and hungry, and coaxed the dog into her garage.

Madison was inside the woman's house, wrapped in blankets, as a volunteer went to pick her up and the woman who originally planned to take her to Wisconsin prepared to begin their delayed journey to Wisconsin. The dog bore a distinctive scar that matched Madison's, according to Larissa Gavin, a volunteer who rescued Madison.

Gavin said she had been driving around a neighborhood in Houston on Jan. 5 with the founder of a rescue group, stopping to offer food to dogs and talking to people about bringing their dogs in during the cold weather, when they happened upon three unleashed puppies.

The two found the puppies' mother, Madison, nearby, and three days later were able to take custody of the dogs and take them to to a veterinarian for examination. One of the puppies had a broken femur, and Madison showed signs of having been injured, Gavin said.

After they sent out word about the dogs, a home was found for Madison in Wisconsin, while her puppies were placed with a puppy rescue shelter in Houston, Gavin said.

Madison arrived at Midway Friday and was picked up by a Chicago paramedic who volunteers for a Doberman rescue group and was going to drive the dog to Wisconsin, Gavin said. Madison somehow slipped out of her harness near 53rd Street and Central Avenue, Gavin said.

Volunteers then combed the area, with the last sighting of Madison Saturday night near 38th Street and Spaulding Avenue, as "a bunch of volunteers descended on the area," Kelliher said. But "we hadn't heard anything since."

kuhio98

01-23-2014, 12:43 PM

Richford woman helps feed power crews

RICHFORD, Vt. - When Tracey Hemond was told the workers restoring power from last weekend's ice storm may go without food on Christmas, she did not hesitate to head to the grocery store, and then back to her kitchen to cook.

"I got a phone call around 11 o'clock yesterday morning from a VEC worker saying that there was no place for all the linemen and tree trimmers to go have Christmas dinner," Hemond said.

Hemond's husband is one of the line workers out in the cold working to get folks in the area back in the warm. He was injured on the job seven years ago, and the Vermont Electric Co-op was there in his time of need. Tracey Hemond is more than happy to return the favor.

"Breakfast yesterday morning, and made lunches. Then I guess we started cooking around noon for Christmas dinner," she said.

Mike and Tracey not only prepared these meals for the line workers, but they paid for it out of their own pocket-- close to $3,000, and that doesn't include a possible meal for Thursday night.

"If they're still working then yes, we'll be having dinner tonight," Tracey Hemond said.

For lunch on Boxing Day, she got more than 31 pounds of cold cuts to feed close to 100 mouths.

"Very generous to open their house, especially during Christmastime, to allow us to enter their house and put on a meal for everyone. They've been very generous. They're great people," said Vic Carter of VEC.

The line workers from both in and out of state are working 18 hour days to get power restored.

"For us, it feels good because we had so much help seven years ago. So, it feels good to give back," Tracey Hemond explained.

Giving back to those pitching in to restore power.

Hemond prepared 140 bagged lunches, including a sandwich, chips and a cookie, in less than two hours with help from family and friends.
http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/24309824_BG3.jpg

kuhio98

01-24-2014, 02:08 PM

Antioch Police say Target employee helped find abducted girl

ANTIOCH, Calif. — Antioch Police are praising a Target Store employee in Pittsburg for helping bring a child's kidnapping ordeal to an end.

“When I first spotted him in the store, I thought he was going to shoplift,” said 22-year-old Roxanna Ramirez.

Ramirez had no way of knowing the stranger she was watching, 43-year-old David Douglas, would later become the prime suspect in the armed abduction of a seven year old girl in Antioch.

What Ramirez noticed, was a shopper behaving suspiciously.

“He had a backpack, and he was picking things up and putting them down in the men's department,” recalled Ramirez.

As a loss prevention specialist, it's her job to monitor unusual behavior, so she followed Douglas for a time, even asking him is he needed help. He said no.

Then, she went to her office and watched him on surveillance cameras.

“He was fidgeting around, acting really weird, abnormal. I don't know, it just didn't make me feel comfortable,” Ramirez elaborated.

After he left the store, she continued to watch him remotely as he went to his car, and rifled through his backpack, occasionally leaving the car to pace and smoke, then returning.

“At one point, I saw him grab his steering wheel and start to shake it, and that was really off to me,” Ramirez noted. “That's when I really know something was wrong with him.”

She wrote his license plate number in the little notebook she always carries, and didn't think about it again until that night, when her girlfriend told her a child had been abducted.

“She read the description of the car, and I was like, 'hold on', that sounds like somebody I saw earlier at my job! It fits the same description,” said Ramirez. “I was like 'It's kinda weird' and she said, ‘you should call.’”

Ramirez called the plate in, and it led to Douglas, which led to the Antioch Marina, where police have had encounters with him before. He was apprehended, and the girl reunited with her family, four hours after she was taken.

Police came to Ramirez's door about midnight to tell her that her tip had made the difference.

“They said I helped crack the case, and my heart just dropped, like, really? I couldn't believe it” said a still incredulous Ramirez.

“She is a true hero,” acting police Capt. Tammany Brooks told KTVU. “We at the Antioch Police Department applaud people like Roxanna Ramirez who are willing to step forward to make our community a safer place. It's a collaborative effort.”

Ramirez said she is simply glad she could play a part in bringing the young victim to safety.

“I'm happy that she's home, and gets to spend the rest of this time with her family because not all kidnappings end like this. It feels really good.”

And she hopes her experience encourages everyone to listen to their gut instincts. In Roxanna's words, when something doesn't feel right, “Run with it.”
http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/lt/lt_cache/thumbnail/400/img/photos/2014/01/06/c0/cc/RoxannaRamirezDV.jpg

kuhio98

01-25-2014, 09:25 AM

An Angelic Superhero
He wasn't really a superhero; he just dressed like one. But then an opportunity to be an angel presented itself...
By Troy Marcum, Huntington, West Virginia

Every kid dreams about growing up to be a superhero, but not many expect that dream to come true. My twin brother, Travis, couldn’t believe it when I told him mine had. “What do you mean you’re going to be Captain America for real?” he asked.

Superheroes had been important to me since I was a little kid. Travis and I really needed heroes back then. We had a difficult childhood, bouncing around from one tough situation to another. When we didn’t think things could get any worse, they did.

The one thing Travis and I could rely on was our comic books. When you’re a small boy, and afraid, it’s a great comfort to imagine you’re big and strong, rescuing other children from danger.

One night, when we were about eight, Travis and I huddled together in bed wondering if we’d always be surrounded by people stronger than us. “We’ll find a way out of this mess,” I whispered to him. “Someday we’ll overcome, like all of our heroes. You’ll see!”

With each other–and God–to lean on, that’s exactly what we did. Travis worked for the would-be governor of Washington State. I’d spent years as a professional wrestler and been awarded the Armed Forces Service Medal in the Navy for my work as a surgical technician.

Now I’d been offered an even more important job.

“I’m going to be Captain America,” I repeated to Travis. I’d gotten a call from a man named John Buckland, an Iraq War vet and a former firefighter. He ran a group called Heroes 4 Higher. They dressed up as superheroes to teach kids how to be a hero in their own right.

John had seen a picture of me from my wrestling days. I competed dressed as Cap–red, white and blue uniform, star on my shield. It was a big hit with the crowd, but it had special meaning for me.

In striving to become a hero like him as a boy, I didn’t feel like a victim. Maybe in this program I could share that feeling with other children. “If anyone can do it, you can,” my brother said.

I started “work” right away, visiting elementary schools, hospitals and community centers. John dressed as Batman, his wife was Batgirl.

There was nothing better than talking to kids one-on-one, having them look at me and see a hero. Courtney from Milton Elementary wanted us to visit her school on her birthday to teach everyone to be nice to each other.

Abby met us at an anti-bullying rally at the mall where she appeared in a tiara. Cameron, a boy losing his fight against cancer, said we gave him courage.

“You really have become one of the heroes from our comic books,” Travis said. Well, not really, I thought as I suited up for an appearance for local kids at the American Legion last fall. I wasn’t capturing bad guys or saving lives. The kids just thought I did those things because of my costume.

Our hosts at the American Legion introduced us, and John and I–as Batman and Captain America–took the stage. The kids clapped and then quieted down.

I spoke about some of the challenges they might face at school and gave some tips about standing up to peer pressure. The kids were taking it all in. John suddenly stepped forward and pointed out the window to a house across the street. “That place is on fire!”

Brown smoke poured out of the windows, turning black. The ex-firefighter didn’t waste a minute. “Call 911,” he told the room, and both of us ran across the street, followed by some of the bikers who were there to give an anti-drug presentation. One of them, Tank, helped John to kick in the front door.

“Throw a rock through the window,” John then ordered me. “We need to get some of that smoke out!” John went inside the house, disappearing into the thick smoke. “Anyone home?” he shouted. No answer, thank goodness.

Across the street the kids shouted, “Go, Batman, go! You can do it, Captain America! You can do it!”

John emerged from the blackness with something in his arms–something furry. It was a gray and black cat. “He needs air,” I said.

Firefighters hosed down the house. John laid the cat on the grass, and we exchanged a desperate look. Neither of us had ever performed CPR on a cat before, but we had to try!

“Captain America and Batman will save him!” one of the kids shouted. John breathed air into the cat’s mouth. The cat twitched. His eyes sprang open. He hissed angrily. Success! By the time the family returned home, their pet was good as new.

EMTs treated John for smoke inhalation, while the kids stared at us, awestruck. “You saved him!” they said. “Batman and Captain America saved the cat!”

John turned to me. “Guess this really was a job for Batman and Captain America!” he said. My brother agreed when I told him all about it. “Superheroes giving a cat CPR,” he said. “That’s like a scene from a comic book!”

John and I received many accolades for our actions that day. At the West Virginia Pumpkin Festival Parade we were reunited with Bob the Cat and family. The fire damage wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been, and they were back in their home already.

Now people were not only calling us heroes–they were calling us angels. All I knew was, for one day God had truly granted my adventurous boyhood wish.
http://d2k21wn7jpdboc.cloudfront.net/cdn/farfuture/0h9bG4OgSHqC5g29qma-6oBPKdN60kuLlnIUJHlioWQ/mtime:1386273783/sites/guideposts.com/files/imagecache/story/content_editors/story/troymarcum_story.jpg

kuhio98

01-26-2014, 11:15 AM

Good Samaritan helps jump start cars for free -- Illinois, USA

The cold can be pretty hard on our cars, but one local man volunteered his time helping give people a jump.

4th Avenue Auto Sales in Moline has been flooded with calls.

“They’ve been ringing off the hook, probably about every five minutes,” said employee Chris Sunken.

However, the calls aren’t for their business, but for a certain employee. Brad McCorckle, who works at 4th Avenue, decided to post on Facebook he would help out whoever needed a jump start for their car.

“(I thought) ‘We should put something on Facebook and go out and see who needs some help,’ so that’s what we did,” said McCorckle.

The post blew up on Facebook and so did the calls. On Monday, January 6, 2013, McCorckle started his day at 10:00 a.m., driving to several homes to offer his help for free.

“That’s what struck me right there, that he was willing to do that to give back to the community. So, I think it’s a great thing he’s doing especially in this weather,” said Robin Carden, a nurse who was stranded at home and needed to get to her patients.

McCorckle says it’s just the right thing to do.

“I was always taught by my parents to help people,” said McCorckle.

He’s bringing sunshine to people on a very cold day.

“There’s not many out there willing to do that anymore,” said Carden.

kuhio98

01-27-2014, 10:18 AM

Portland man who wrestled bank robber: 'I'm not going to just stand around and watch'

PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) - Portland police officers were honored Thursday for their heroic efforts on the job, but the police bureau also left room for a brave civilian.

Scott Adams received the Portland Police Civilian Medal for Heroism.

In August, Adams was working construction at Portland Community College when he saw a man run through the job site.

He heard people shouting that the man had just robbed a bank, so Adams chased after him.

Police said the suspect, Frazer Piccolo, eventually confronted Adams, threatened him and even tried to punch him.

But Adams managed to dodge the punch and then landed a punch of his own on Piccolo, bringing him down. Adams then held Piccolo down until officers arrived.

"They were saying it was a great job (and) that if I hadn't taken action, there's a chance he might have gotten away," Adams said. "I'm a hard-working individual and for people to try and take something that isn't theirs, I'm not going to just stand around and watch it."

A police sergeant joked at the ceremony that Adams should stop by the recruitment table on his way out.
http://kptv.images.worldnow.com/images/24541565_BG1.jpg

kuhio98

01-28-2014, 10:05 AM

~~ Cats pay it forward ~~

During a stroll, my son pointed out a puff of black & white fur trying to keep up beside us in a weed infested field, I stopped him from heading over to it, "It probably belongs to one of these houses." Like most good teenagers he didn't listen. When he came back with the bundle his eyes were moist & his voice trembled. "I think someone's poked his eyes out." The barely palm size matt was covered in fly eggs, there were swollen red mounds where eyes should have been, it smelled like sickness. At home, a warm, wet wash cloth was the best I could do for a mother's cleaning, until Big Thor came over. Thor was a massive cat, we had found him in the snow by our apartment dumpster years before where his mother & siblings had frozen to death. He had bitten through my husband's leather gloves (winning his affection immediately). Now he came, pawed at the kitten softly. At first I was afraid how he might react to this new invader. With one paw on the little guy's head, he started cleaning & purring. With its’ mouth open came the loudest purr I had ever heard from any cat, much less this little tennis ball-sized matt. Thor became a surrogate, even allowing him to nurse his "Male" nipples at times. The vet treated his severely infected "eyes", after a month, he could see. Being quite the hunter, we named him Nimrod. He slept with Thor everyday even till the last breath Thor breathed, when he cleaned Thor's head and walked away. My nieces brought in a sick, abandoned kitten from their barn 2 days later. Nimrod grabbed him by the nape of the neck, he's cleaned him every day for 4 years. Cats pay it forward.
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/takeaction/usercontent/photostory/PhotoStory21737_web.jpeg?cb=1390851238566

Catty1

01-28-2014, 10:45 AM

http://www.viralnova.com/5-years-to-live/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=aweber

<header> This Father Was Given 5 Years To Live. What He Did For His Young Daughter Is Beyond Words. January 28, 2014

</header> One of the most touching stories I have ever seen was recently posted to Reddit.com (http://www.reddit.com/user/becauseisaidiwould). A father was diagnosed with a cancer that would only leave him months or years to live. Doctors said that there would only be a 8% chance he would live for 5 years. So, he decided to leave behind something wonderful for his daughter.
Garth is 44 years-old and has been diagnosed with cancer three times.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/01-8.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/01-8.jpg)
becauseisaidiwould (http://www.reddit.com/user/becauseisaidiwould)

He has been writing notes for his daughter, Emma, every day since she was in second grade.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/02-Emma.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/02-Emma.jpg)
becauseisaidiwould (http://www.reddit.com/user/becauseisaidiwould)

Garth knows that he will soon die, but he doesn’t want Emma to go one day without a note from him. He wants to know she will be thinking of him.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/03-826.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/03-826.jpg)
becauseisaidiwould (http://www.reddit.com/user/becauseisaidiwould)

So, he decided to write a note for every day she would be in high school.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/04-He039s-almost-there.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/04-He039s-almost-there.jpg)
becauseisaidiwould (http://www.reddit.com/user/becauseisaidiwould)

He has written 740 notes. He has 86 to go.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/05-4eVsjRY.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/05-4eVsjRY.jpg)
becauseisaidiwould (http://www.reddit.com/user/becauseisaidiwould)

The notes are just tiny words of encouragement for her.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/06-FWFi3LN.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/06-FWFi3LN.jpg)
becauseisaidiwould (http://www.reddit.com/user/becauseisaidiwould)

Just so she can smile.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/07-RevTW1z.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/07-RevTW1z.jpg)
becauseisaidiwould (http://www.reddit.com/user/becauseisaidiwould)

It’s unfair that Garth will be taken from Emma so soon.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/08-XZ7BiBO.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/08-XZ7BiBO.jpg)
becauseisaidiwould (http://www.reddit.com/user/becauseisaidiwould)

But at least she will always have his memory and words to keep her company.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/09-Q6b4RqF.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/09-Q6b4RqF.jpg)
becauseisaidiwould (http://www.reddit.com/user/becauseisaidiwould)

Especially the memories of them dressing as Jedis together during a superhero dance (even though the school didn’t recognize Jedis as superheroes).
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/10-Garth-and-Emma.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/10-Garth-and-Emma.jpg)
becauseisaidiwould (http://www.reddit.com/user/becauseisaidiwould)

To find out more about Garth and Emma’s napkin notes, visit their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/napkinnotes) or this post (https://becauseisaidiwould.com/826notes) about their story.
Source: reddit.com (http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1w8eyd/826_notes/)
Life is rarely fair, but it’s inspiring to see people rise up against their fate and do something incredibly inspirational. Just like Garth. Share his touching story with others by clicking share below.

Catty1

01-28-2014, 10:46 AM

http://www.viralnova.com/college-student-paralyzed-dad/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=aweber

<header> What A Poor College Student Did In His Dorm Room Is Unbelievable. Everyone Should See This. January 28, 2014 Stories (http://www.viralnova.com/category/stories/)

</header> Guo Shijun is a young man that has faced incredible difficulties in his life. His father became paralyzed during a building accident while on the job. He has to care for him full time because his mother is unable to. She was mentally disabled from a long battle with meningitis when Shijun was just a child. But, even though Guo Shijun spent the majority of days caring for his parents, he found a way to make it into a top university. That’s not all he was able to accomplish, though.
Instead of giving up on his studies or leaving his family behind, he did something else. He convinced the university to let him keep his father in his dorm room.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/paralyzed-dad.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/paralyzed-dad.jpg)
EuroPics

Guo Shijun rigged up a special bed for his paralyzed father. He’s able to check up on and take care of his dad much more easily now.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/paralyzed-dad2.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/paralyzed-dad2.jpg)
EuroPics

Shijun’s grandparents take care of his mother while he cares for his father.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/paralyzed-dad3.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/paralyzed-dad3.jpg)
EuroPics

No one would have blamed him for leaving his father behind, but this son couldn’t possibly abandon him.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/paralyzed-dad4.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/paralyzed-dad4.jpg)
EuroPics

Guo Shijun is paying his tuition with help from his family and friends (approximately $3,400). He managed to earn a scholarship to help him on his way, but he doesn’t mind the hard work. He knows life isn’t easy. But even though he is struggling now, he still has hope.
“I think once I graduate things will get much better.”
Source: dailymail.co.uk (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2543442/Loving-son-takes-paralysed-dad-Chinese-university-rigs-special-bed-stay-term.html)
Share his inspirational story with others by clicking the Share button below. More people need to hear about this son’s unconditional love and kindness.

kuhio98

01-29-2014, 09:24 AM

Former Shawnee Mayor left stranded outside from fall rescued by ‘Kansas City Star’ delivery man

SHAWNEE, Kan. - Former Shawnee, Kan., Mayor Tom Soetaert lay in his garage for almost an hour before receiving help from the newspaper delivery man.

The 77-year-old man was taking out the trash Monday morning in the sub-freezing temperatures when he fell and could not get up.

He managed to crawl to his open garage before Jeff Stockwell, a delivery man for the Kansas City Star, arrived.

“It’s not my usual route,” Stockwell explained. “I’m doing this route until we find a permanent replacement.”

Soetaert’s relatives were glad Stockwell was on the job that day. “We are so grateful,” Soetaert’s daughter Julie King said. “Jeff was at the right place at the right time, and my dad is going to be fine because of it.”

Stockwell said when he drove by the home he heard something that sounded like a cat. “When I drove by the second time, I saw the garage door was open, and the trash can was overturned,” he explained. “I knew something wasn’t right.”

Soetaert was unable to stand up but he managed to drag himself into the shelter of the open garage where he opened the car door and blew the horn. No one responded.

Stockwell says after he pulled over, he could hear Soetaert calling for help. “I dialed 911 and with the help of paramedics, we pulled him into the house where they checked his vital signs and then took him to the hospital,” he explained.

“It’s a good feeling to know that I helped someone,” Stockwell said. “I’m just really glad that I followed my instincts to check out the situation.”

Soetaert was treated for hypothermia; his body temperature was 92-degrees and hypothermia is defined as a body temperature 95-degrees or lower. Relatives say he’s now alert and is expected to make a full recovery.

Soetaert’s family personally thanked Stockwell for helping their dad, and vowed he would never be taking out the trash in the freezing cold again.

kuhio98

01-30-2014, 09:17 AM

Anderson community effort keeps homeless man warm

ANDERSON, SC (FOX Carolina) - Morning and night hundreds drive down N. Main Street in Anderson and while doing so pass a elderly homeless man named Jessie on their way.

Jessie has been living near various businesses on the street on and off for years. According to several people who have stopped and talked to him, he is Vietnam War veteran who served the country for nine years.

Anderson resident Bud Hanley chose to stop and talk to Jessie this week, and discovered he has no place to go when the temperatures fall below freezing.

"He said sometimes I have a place to go. Sometimes I find a place out of the wind, and sleep a little bit," said Hanley.

Determined to do something to help Jessie, Hanley expressed his feelings on Facebook.

"Within just a few minutes tons of people started to respond with comments and messages, text messages in support of doing something for him," said Hanley.

Just 24 hours later, a huge community effort developed a fund for Jessie to stay at the Quality Inn on N. Main Street. At press time donations had come in to provide Jessie with more than 60 nights lodging.

"The outpour of support is amazing, we're using both phone lines," said Latasha Leonard, a front desk receptionist at the Quality Inn. "People calling in paying with their credit cards, paying for one night, two nights and even five nights."

The people involved in helping say they hope others are inspired to pay it forward, and do good deeds in their communities as well.

"It's just about following your heart," said Hanley. "If there's something on your heart to do, go ahead and do it. Put it out there, there's a lot of good people that will have your back."

Hanley is just one of the several people that helped get this effort up and running.

The community has also started a tab for Jessie at the Waffle House connected to the Quality Inn on N. Main Street. If you would like to help out, you can call the Quality Inn at 864-226-6051

kuhio98

01-31-2014, 09:16 AM

Man Says Dog Saved His Life After Seizure

VENTURA (CBSLA.com) — A man is in a Ventura County hospital thankful to be alive.

And he’s grateful not only to his doctors – but to his dog.

KCAL9′s Jeff Nguyen reports 48-year-old Tim Mullen says his Golden Retriever, Garth, helped him to escape his latest brush with death Monday night when he was alone at a relative’s home.

“He’s an angel. He’s sent down from heaven,” the Arizona resident said, revealing,”When the first responders showed up I wasn’t breathing.”

That could’ve been fatal had it not been for Garth.

The three-year-old pooch is trained to hit a button on an electronic bracelet when Mullen suffers an epileptic seizure – a condition he’s battled since the age of 12.

Mullen’s fiancée, Shauna Meyers, says the pair went through a training process together in Arizona and bonded almost immediately.

“It’s usually six months they say approximately,” she said of the process. “Tim and Garth, I would say within a week-and-a-half, started bonding. Within three weeks the bond was complete.”

That bond paid off on Monday night for the first time.

Garth picks up on Mullen’s seizures because of the scents in his body.

Thanks to Garth, paramedics were alerted to Mullen’s seizure and were able to transport him to Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks in time. He woke up with Garth by his side.

“I started crying,” Mullen said. “She told me, ‘Garth saved you.’ I know Garth saved me.”

The cost for a service dog like Garth is nearly $22,000, which isn’t covered by all insurance policies.

In Mullen’s case, Medicare doesn’t cover the cost. He’s thankful for the thousands of dollars of donations that came in after the company that trains dogs like Garth created a video about Mullen’s story that went viral.

“I’m scared of my seizures. I’ve been too close to death too many times this last year. And I think there’s other reasons for me to be here,” he said.

kuhio98

02-01-2014, 09:21 AM

Canaan woman asks Dunkin Donuts to donate its leftovers

CANAAN, CT (WFSB) - A Connecticut woman has started a petition asking officials at Dunkin Donuts to donate the uneaten leftovers to those less fortunate.

After a visit to her local Dunkin Donuts in Canaan, Nancy Lewis noticed that "large amounts" of food was being thrown out.

"I couldn't believe it when I found out how wasteful my local Dunkin' Donuts is," Lewis in a statement Friday. "Every day when new donuts arrive, my local store gathers up their leftover donuts and muffins and throws them into the dumpster."

Lewis went on say that the store's employees were not allowed employees to take any of the food home with them.

What was worse, Lewis said there is a food bank located a block away.

"They won't donate these perfectly good leftovers to the needy," Lewis said.

According to Lewis, she contacted Dunkin Donuts headquarters, who told her that "there is no company-wide policy for dealing with leftover food."

So, Lewis started a petition to ask Dunkin Donuts to donate the leftovers to shelters and food banks in their areas. As of Friday, it had more than 1,400 signatures.

"Each Dunkin' Donuts store is allowed to dispose of leftovers however they wish, and since throwing out leftovers is the easiest thing to do, hundreds of Dunkin' Donuts around the world are wasting leftovers while people in their communities go hungry. I think it's wrong to deprive people in need of food that Dunkin' Donuts no longer wants to sell. Instead, Dunkin' Donuts should direct their branches to donate to local food banks and other outlets that help feed the hungry," Lewis wrote on her petition.

According to Lewis, she learned that at one time, the Dunkin Donuts in Canaan was donating its leftovers to pig farmer to be used as pig feed.

Lewis acknowledges that the food at Dunkin Donuts is not the healthiest, but she said "there is no reason for perfectly good food to be thrown out in such large quantities."

kuhio98

02-02-2014, 09:22 AM

Deputy Mascitelli stopped for a soda at Sunoco and ended up saving a man's life

Brooksville, Florida -- A deputy stopped by a gas station to get a drink and ended up saving a man's life.

Around 3 a.m. on Friday morning Deputy Mascitelli and Deputy Locke stopped at the Sunoco gas station on South Broad Street to get a soda. As the deputies left the store they saw a woman waiving her hands and yelling for help near one of the gas pumps.

The woman was next to a man holding his throat and turning pale -- it was evident he was choking.

Deputy Mascitelli began to perform the Heimlich maneuver while Deputy Locke called fire rescue. Eventually the food that was obstructing the victim's airway became dislodged.

After the man was able to breath normally paramedics were called off. The man and his wife thanked the deputies for saving his life.

kuhio98

02-03-2014, 09:24 AM

Alabama Surgeon Walks Six Miles Through Snowstorm to Operate on Dying Man

As winter weather shut down highways and crippled portions of the South, one Alabama neurosurgeon made a heroic decision Tuesday not to let Mother Nature get in the way of life-saving treatment.

Dr. Zenko Hrynkiw, a 62-year-old brain surgeon (who has had a liver transplant), was working in Birmingham's Brookwood Medical Center when he was contacted by another hospital. There, a patient was desperate for emergency surgery for a traumatic brain injury.

Hrynkiw set off across town to operate, but his vehicle could only go so far in traffic and snow-stalled roads. His cell phone service went in and out as he tried to communicate with nurses. So he made a brave decision to get out and walk – for more than six miles, in a massive snowstorm – a feat that has earned praise at Trinity Medical Center where he operated, as a hero, NBC reported.

"He had a 90 percent chance of death, and the nurses and the ER physicians called me when I was walking and told me he was deteriorated and went into unconsciousness," Hrynkiw told the Associated Press about the desperate patient. "He was dying. If he didn't have surgery, he would be dead. It's not going to happen on my watch."

The determined physician made it to the operating room and his patient, according to the hospital, is now doing well.

"It was not just a walk in the park," Keith Granger, CEO of Trinity, told Alabama news site AI.com. Given what the doctor was up against, "it's a remarkable physical feat and mental feat. And we have an individual alive today who wouldn't be here if not for his efforts."

kuhio98

02-04-2014, 11:34 AM

Papa John's donates pizzas before the big freeze

Gulfport, Mississippi ~ The freezing rain wasn't enough to stop Papa John's from feeding those in need. The pizza restaurant delivered free pies to several organizations across the Coast as the temperatures fell.

Papa John's manager Josh Green said he knew people could be shut in for several days due to the freeze and didn't want them to go hungry.

"It's a service to the community. I mean, these people deserve to eat just like anybody else, and we're in a position to give that to them, and that's what we're trying to do," said Green.

Debra Fox, director of the shelter, said that she was grateful to Papa John's for the donation.

"He came by to bless the shelter with something to eat and we're so glad about it," said Fox.

Sister Strengthening Sister wasn't the only organization that received the pizza donations. Green made sure his company stayed open long enough to deliver pizzas to police and fire departments, the Salvation Army, several churches and other homeless shelters.

After that, the pizza place shut its doors due to the weather.
http://wlox.images.worldnow.com/images/24568248_BG1.jpg

kuhio98

02-05-2014, 10:45 AM

'He wouldn't give up': Hero boy follows hunch to save elderly woman

Ten-year-old Danny DiPietro was on his way home from lacrosse practice with his dad on Saturday night when he thought he spotted a dog lying in the open garage of a condo complex near his home in Howell, Mich.

“It was really cold out and something didn’t seem right,” Danny told TODAY.com.

DiPietro’s parents assured him that no one would leave their dog out on such a frigid evening, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. After a bit of prodding, his mom, Dawn, agreed to investigate the garage for him.

“He wouldn’t give up,” Dawn, 44, told TODAY.com. “Thankfully, he was persistent.”

As Dawn walked up the driveway, she realized what Danny had seen was actually an elderly woman lying on the ground, waving her gloveless hands in the air for help.

The woman, 80-year-old Kathleen St. Onge, had been stuck in below-freezing temperatures for an hour and a half after slipping on a patch of ice in her garage. To make matters worse, she had lost her gloves and shoes in an attempt to scoot herself to the front of the garage, where she thought she would be spotted more easily. And a bitter wind was carrying snow inside.

“She said she had prayed to the Blessed Mother that someone would help her and find her,” St. Onge’s daughter Sandy St. Onge-Mitter told TODAY.com. “She knew she only had about an hour left. She thought she would be gone.”

Dawn immediately ran home and called 911. The DiPietros and a neighbor came back with blankets and chatted with St. Onge while she warmed up. When police arrived, she was rushed to a nearby hospital.

“I was amazed,” Danny said. “I just felt really good that she was okay.”

St. Onge was released on Wednesday afternoon after being treated for hypothermia and dehydration. Doctors told her family that she would not have survived an hour longer in the extreme cold.

“She’s grateful,” St. Onge-Mitter said. “She knows that if it wasn’t for Danny's persistency, she probably wouldn’t be here today. So he is a hero.”

St. Onge has yet to meet Danny in person, but her daughter says she “can’t wait.” The DiPietros had an opportunity to meet St. Onge-Mitter on Tuesday during an interview for local television.

“It was very emotional,” St. Onge-Mitter said. “Danny’s a remarkable boy, but his family should also be getting a lot of credit. They acted on his hunch. It was a family affair.”

The two families plan on staying in touch.

“We’ve made a life-long friend,” St. Onge-Mitter said.

kuhio98

02-06-2014, 10:43 AM

Horse rescued in Hamilton after falling into pond

HAMILTON, Mass. (WHDH) -- - After nearly two hours, first responders were able to rescue a horse that had fallen into an icy pond in Hamilton.

The 1,800-pound horse, named Moon, had gotten loose early Saturday and was wandering through a swamp when it broke through the ice.

A couple and their son were out for a walk when they heard a noise, spotted the horse and dialed 911.

“We walked to the end of the road and came back and heard a sound,” said eyewitness Amy Cavilla.

Moon has a few bruises and was cold when she was finally able to get out of the water, but veterinarians said that she’s expected to be okay.

“She was able to stand and maintain her balance and walk into the barn. She is just freezing cold after two hours in the cold,” said an official on the scene.
http://whdh.images.worldnow.com/images/3209728_G.jpg

kuhio98

02-07-2014, 09:14 AM

Comforted by a Canine Angel
When a dog unexpectedly appeared in her husband's hospital room, she wondered why he was there. But not for long...
By Peggy Frezon, Rensselaer, New York

I huddled in the vinyl chair near the foot of the hospital bed. That man lying there, pale and still, monitors blinking all around him, oxygen tube clamped to his nose–I barely recognized him. How could that be Mike, the husband I’d relied on for 31 years?

My take-charge guy was battling multiple blood clots in his lungs that had debilitated his body. The doctor said the worst was over. Now we just had to be patient.

But I’d made myself sick with worry, spending my days at the hospital and night after sleepless night at home, scared and completely on my own. For the first time in my life, I had no one to depend on.

We were one of those couples who did everything together.

At breakfast we did the daily crossword puzzle, sharing a pen. We went together to the gym, where we climbed aboard adjacent treadmill machines, plugged in our ear buds and watched the same show on TV. When Mike tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the screen, I always knew exactly what he was thinking.

Mike was my rock. Lord, please help him get better. I feel all alone without him. A strange sound came from the hospital corridor. A sharp click-click-click-click on the linoleum floor drew nearer till it stopped outside Mike’s room. I did a double take. A dog loomed in the doorway.

I recognized the breed by his distinctive black and white coat highlighted by rust-colored markings–a Bernese Mountain Dog. The special collar distinguished him as a therapy dog. I gazed at Mike, awake but dazed.

I’d been a dog-lover all my life, but what could a therapy dog possibly do to help my husband? The dog seemed to read my thoughts. He had a job to do and he got to it.

Purposefully, he stepped into the room, handler in tow. I sat quietly watching this well-trained beauty. Maybe petting the dog’s soft fur will give Mike some small comfort.

As the dog headed toward Mike’s bedside, he suddenly stopped. He padded over to my chair and looked into my eyes. With that, the dog nudged his head against my waist, as if asking for a hug. I put my arms around him and buried my face into his thick, velvety fur till I felt the gentle pulsing of his heart.

I am here, its rhythm seemed to say.

My whole body relaxed. My stress lifted away. Mike smiled from the bed. The dog let me hold him for as long as I needed to. When I finally released him, he put his paw on my knee and looked up at me. I turned to his handler. “How did he know that I was the one who needed him?”

“Gabriel always knows,” she said.

I stroked the dog’s neck. Gabriel. My angel dog. The Lord knew how to soothe me. He’d keep me strong while my husband regained his health. On that I could depend.

kuhio98

02-08-2014, 10:45 AM

Yard sale raises over $10,000 for fire victims

Brooksville, Florida - From t-shirts to golf clubs, Papa Joe's Yard Sale in Brooksville had overwhelming support from the community this weekend.

Papa Joe's is raising money to help its employees, who lost their jobs after the mom and pop restaurant was destroyed in a fire on Jan. 24.

The event was so successful on Saturday, the restaurant's owners, Joseph and Donna Giarratana, decided to hold it again on Sunday. They wound up raising more than $10,000.

"They bring items and they go away with items. So, it's just great. They just really do whatever they can do to show support," said Papa Joe's owner Joseph Giarratana.

"It means a lot. The community kicked in and put a lot to us. I've been here 25 years and I don't have anything. So hopefully he'll come back pretty soon," said former employee Teresa Mott.

The owners tell 10 News they will rebuild, but they don't know when or where.

Papa Joe's will hold another fundraiser in two weeks on Feb. 16. It will be at the Spring Lake Methodist Church in Brooksville from 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.

kuhio98

02-09-2014, 10:04 AM

Lenexa teen recognized for pulling 53 cars from snow for free

LENEXA, Kan. - As the snow storm blew through the area Tuesday night , most of us were fast asleep, but Andrew Flood of Lenexa, Kan., was hard at work.

The 19-year-old spent the entire night pulling cars out of the snow. He was out in the cold so long that the bottom of his jeans had frozen solid and by the time the sun came up, he had helped 53 people.

Andrew's work was done completely as a volunteer. He didn’t ask or take a dime from any of the people he helped, but his good deeds aren't going without recognition.

When 41 Action News featured Andrew on Wednesday's morning show, Mary Montgomery-Shatz was watching. She is the director of operations for LongHorn Steakhouse and gave Flood a $200 gift card.

Flood was stunned and said he just likes helping people.

"Sometimes people don't have money for road side or towing," Flood said. "For us to show up and help them out, families they appreciate that. If it's their daughter or son and they're stuck out in the middle of nowhere, they like to know the feeling that people are out there willing to help them."

His father Brad Flood couldn't be more proud.

Flood plans on maintaining that spirit of helping others. He's currently studying to become a paramedic.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151911575511190&set=a.83423251189.94900.68122026189&type=1

kuhio98

02-10-2014, 05:30 PM

Forbes Hospice Flies Dying Man’s Family From Jamaica To Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A dying man’s wish was to see his wife and kids one more time, and thanks to the generosity and hard work of some Pittsburghers, that wish has come true.

Charlton Fisher is at Forbes Hospice at West Penn Hospital.

He’s from Jamaica, but he left his family behind and came to the United States, so he could earn money for his oldest daughter to go to nursing school.

The 43-year-old’s heart, however, is barely working. With his pacemaker failing, he wound up in the hospital, and then was moved to hospice when things got worse.

He says he couldn’t get up out of bed or even see.

He needs a heart transplant to survive, which is unlikely. The staff asked him what they could do for him.

“He said ‘I miss my wife and kids so badly,’” said Forbes Hospice Counselor Kevin Henry.

Intern Ellen Freise-March, in particular, worked tirelessly to get emergency papers for Fisher’s wife Marion, his 11-year-old daughter Ashley and his 3-year-old daughter Asha-kay.

Fisher’s boss at the hotels in Bentleyville, where he worked as a maintenance man, paid for the airfare.
And Saturday night, Fisher’s wish came true.

“So, so, so beautiful,” said Fisher, as he clutched a rosary in his hand. “I was there waiting and then when the moment came, I couldn’t believe my eyes!”

He started to cry when his wife talked about what it meant to her, and how she felt alone so far away in Jamaica.

Now they’re together. “She stayed by me. She hasn’t left,” he said.

And it seems for Charlton Fisher, family may be the best medicine.
Since his family arrived, he’s been walking, and he says his vision has gotten better.
He wants to live now more than ever.

“I don’t want to die yet, because I haven’t fulfilled my promise to my daughter,” said Fisher.
He’s not well enough to fly, so he’ll be driven to New York City to stay with his mother-in-law. His boss will pay for that as well, for which Fisher is extremely grateful.

He still hopes to get a new heart.

This isn’t the first time first time Forbes Hospice has pulled together to help someone’s dying wish come true.

For one patient, they arranged for a horse-drawn carriage ride, they’ve organized two weddings for patients and even had a pizza flown in from Chicago for another patient.

kuhio98

02-12-2014, 04:15 PM

Canadian cross-country coach helps ailing Russian in awesome Olympic moment

Anton Gafarov was having a tough time on Tuesday.

Having reached the semifinals of the men's cross-country sprint, the 27-year-old Russian fell twice and then broke one of his skis. It looked like he'd have to walk off the course instead of crossing the finish line.

But enter Justin Wadsworth, a former American Olympian who's coaching the Canadian team in Sochi. With a competitor struggling, Wadsworth ran out to Gafarov and hooked him up with an extra ski. Though his run took almost as twice as long as his qualifying and quarterfinal run, Gafarov was able to finish the race.

Wadsworth, who competed for the United States in Lillehammer, Nagano and Salt Lake City, is no stranger to people helping people on the cross-country circuit. He's married to Canadian Beckie Scott, whose relay partner Sara Renner was lent a ski pole by Norwegian coach Bjornar Haakensmoen in the 2006 Turin Games. The act of generosity helped Scott and Renner clinch a silver medal while a pair of Norwegian skiers took fourth.

Scott has said that helping out fellow competitors is the rule and not the exception in cross-country.

"Had it been anybody else on the course, they would have done the same thing," Scott said in 2012. "It just happened that it was a Norwegian coach at that moment who had a pole for Sara.

"If someone hadn't done it, then that would have been exceptional. It's really more common to give people poles and help them out than it is to do nothing."
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BgMlUIaCYAAvUyH.jpg

kuhio98

02-13-2014, 01:40 PM

Eugene Westerhouse Builds Wheelchair Ramps for Disabled People

Eugene "Westie" Westerhouse takes humility to a whole new level.

Ask the 87-year-old Eudora, Kan., resident about his good deeds and he'll start talking about wood and tape measures and four-by-fours.

When pressed about his good deeds, he says, "I was just looking for something to do."

But to many Westerhouse is a godsend, having volunteered his time and still-significant muscle designing and building free wheelchair ramps for more than 300 people with special needs for nearly four decades.

"Westie is known to almost everybody within a 100-mile radius of here," says friend and wheelchair ramp co-builder Bill VanDeBerghe, who leads the Kingdom Builders ministry of the Eudora United Methodist Church, the umbrella for Westerhouse's charitable works.

"He's extremely embarrassed by any attention," says VanDeBerghe "but Westie is a remarkable man and quite a leader."

She should know.

Westie built a ramp for her husband, Gary, 62, after he suffered a serious stroke last June.
"Westie is our superhero!" she says.

Westerhouse, a former rural postal carrier who lives with his wife of 65 years, Dottie, on the farm homesteaded by his great-great-grandparents, built his first wheelchair ramp in 1978 when contacted by a church bishop with a parishioner in need.

"I took time off from carrying mail and traveled about 110 miles to go help an old gentleman who needed a ramp so he could get to the doctor," Westerhouse says. "And it just kind of grew from there."

Westerhouse retired from the postal service in 1993 and since then estimates he and his crew of fellow church members have built about 14 ramps a year.

"The one I'm building right now is for a lady who is handicapped and will never be out of her wheelchair," Westerhouse says.

"And I've built two now in the last few months for children," he says. "It's great to be able to help these young people."

Those in need learn about Westerhouse's ramps in a variety of ways – word of mouth, through the church and, more recently, from a feature article in the local newspaper ("Let me send you a copy," Westie offers).

For Deb and Gary Jennings of Lawrence, Kan., the Kingdom Builders came to them after a call from Deb's mom.

"I was in shock and didn't know what to do or what our needs might be," says Deb, 57, of Gary's stroke.

"I had assumed my husband would be walking out of the hospital," she says. "But when that couldn't happen, Westie and Bill calmed me down and led me into the world of wheelchairs and wheelchair ramps."

Westerhouse constructs each ramp in sections inside his home workshop, with the average cost in materials between $700 and $800.

These materials are often paid for through church funds or through grants from local health agencies. All labor is donated, with a crew of up to a dozen volunteers installing home ramps under Westerhouse's guidance.

"It's remarkable," says VanDeBerghe. "Westie is 87 and the vast majority – in fact everyone – we're building for are people much younger than he is.

"He has this incredible stamina we are all amazed by," he says. "Building the ramps can be very tiring, but Westie is right there in the middle of the work."

"I had no idea how much our world would change once we had the wheelchair ramp," says Deb Jennings.

"We call our ramp 'The Freedom Ramp,' " she says. "And I can't say enough good about Westie. He started the ball rolling on how we were going to enter into this new world."

Westerhouse's typically humble response?

"Wherever I'm needed," he says, "I'll go."
http://img2-2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140224/eugine-westerhouse-600.jpg

kuhio98

02-14-2014, 04:13 PM

'Heroic' father rescues 5 children from burning townhouse

SACRAMENTO – Firefighters credited "heroic acts" of a young father for saving the lives of his five children as fire tore through their south Sacramento townhouse.

What may have started as a kitchen fire shortly after 1 a.m. quickly spread to the entire apartment at 46 Creeks Edge Way.

Neighbor Tyrone Thompson said he watched Deon Hill, 24, run out of the townhouse with three young children in his arms and a fourth child clutching his pants leg.

"I just remember him saying I have a baby in there," Thompson recalled.

Hill's cousin, Shawn Jones, said Hill went back into the burning building and crawled commando-style up the stairs to pull his 3-year-old daughter, Joy, from her bed.

The two emerged choking on smoke and both suffered minor burns, but Jones said both would be released from the hospital after overnight observation.

Jones said Hill was home with the children while his wife, Sierra, was away on an overnight shift as a home healthcare worker.
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/d86b7ce485c470759e70a4bf6cf11d547c634c5c/c=133-0-922-593&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/KXTV/KXTV/2014/02/13//1392339257000-heroic-father.jpg

kuhio98

02-15-2014, 01:47 PM

Soldier saves German Shepherd after it was hit on Interstate 40
Bella Foundation, Animal Medical Center of Midwest City team up to care for dog

MIDWEST CITY, Okla. —A German Shepherd was left for dead after a car hit it on Interstate 40 Wednesday evening. The driver behind the wheel of the vehicle that hit the dog never stopped.

A soldier from the Moore area drove by the dog and saw it suffering. She stopped and took the injured animal to the Bella Foundation.

The Bella Foundation and the Animal Medical Center of Midwest City have teamed up to care for the dog, who they are calling “Trooper.”

The Bella Foundation isn’t sure if “Trooper” belongs to someone or if he is a stray. They say he will be up for adoption if an owner does not come forward.

For more information on how to help the dog, visit Trooper’s donation page. http://www.gofundme.com/Trooper You can follow her progress at the gofundme link. Trooper is recovering from surgery and they are looking for his family.
http://3b4efb995be6c5c64252-c03f075f8191fb4e60e74b907071aee8.r12.cf1.rackcdn.c om/1027744_1392320781.2687.jpg

2/21/14 Update on Trooper:

Trooper's owners have been located. However...

Trooper's owners have been located. However, because of his extensive recovery they feel they are not equipped to give him the care he needs over the next several weeks and have elected to release ownership of Trooper to The Bella Foundation SPCA.

We are currently searching for a Foster Family that can help Trooper during his recovery and can ensure he gets the tender loving care he needs.

This will not be an easy task. Trooper had MAJORY surgery on his back hips and will need lots of love, support, and care during this time. While he is recovering he would do best in a quiet home with possibly one other dog. Playing in the yard is still a long way off but IS on the horizon.

The Bella Foundation will be entirely responsible for his veterinary expense and will ensure his new foster family has all the tools needed to see Trooper through this.

If you would like to foster Trooper and help him start a new life please visit http://www.thebellafoundation.org/foster

kuhio98

02-18-2014, 11:44 AM

Students surprise teacher with donation after house burns down

SOUTHAVEN, MS - (WMC-TV) - There is nothing left of Emily Nelson's house.

Two weeks ago, Nelson's home burned to the ground. She lost everything. But now, with money from her students at DeSoto Central Middle School in Southaven, Miss., she can start to rebuild.

"I can't imagine just going out of my house with my pajamas on knowing that there was nothing left of my house," said Gracie Miles, one of the students in Nelson's class.

Miles and other students are part of Biz World. They are learning business by making and selling products at school. But before they could start, the group needed $100 to cover costs. It came from Nelson's pocket.

"They may discover something about themselves and become a little entrepreneur," said Nelson.

For the past several weeks, students have been selling all sorts of items they made at school.

"We had more girls in our group than boys. There was only two boys in our group so we decided to go with jewelry," noted one student.

When it came time for the students to donate all of their profit money to a worthy cause, they decided to give it to a familiar face, going through a difficult time.

"She gave so much to us, so we decided to give something to her," said a student.

It is a heart warming reminder that what goes around comes around. Now the students are combining their profits, totaling $600, to give Nelson an unexpected return on her investment while also helping her family start over.

"For them to decide that my family is the worthy cause to help out at this moment in time that's just, it was very sweet," added Nelson.

kuhio98

02-19-2014, 01:23 PM

'Full circle': Man finds stranger who saved him from suicide 6 years ago

It was a Good Samaritan encounter that changed a young man’s life forever.

Six years ago, on a bitterly cold January morning, Jonny Benjamin was coaxed away from a ledge on London’s Waterloo Bridge by a total stranger walking to work.

Benjamin was 20 years old and had just been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder — a debilitating combination of schizophrenia and depression. He had dropped out of university, held little hope of being able to hold down a job or one day have a family, and decided life was not worth living.

Then a stranger’s voice pulled him out of the darkness.

“You can get through this. You can overcome anything,” Benjamin recalls the man saying, as he calmly spoke to him for 25 minutes, inviting him to join him for a chat over coffee instead.

The chance interaction altered everything for Benjamin who was ultimately pulled to safety and spent years battling his way back to health.

But there was one thing preventing him from achieving full closure on the bleakest moment in his life — lingering questions about the identity of the man who rescued him.

So, on Jan. 14, exactly six years after that near-fateful day, Benjamin launched an online campaign to try to find the man who'd helped him, taking to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter with his story in the hopes that it would jog some memories. "He was the first person to give me hope, and his words actually prompted my recovery," he says in the YouTube plea. "Now I need your help to find him. I've called him Mike, although I'm not too sure if that's his real name."

The search, which used the hashtag #findmike, was soon trending in the U.K., Canada and South Africa, and was retweeted thousands of times, including by singer Boy George, British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and actor Stephen Fry.

Benjamin, now a mental health campaigner and ambassador for charity Rethink Mental Illness, said he has only recently felt confident enough to speak openly about his suicide attempt, and hoped to raise awareness through his story — but held out little hope of actually finding the mystery man.

But his search ended on Jan. 28, when Benjamin finally came face-to-face with his savior: Neil Laybourn, a mild-mannered personal fitness trainer from Surrey (just outside London), who had also spent years wondering what came of the man he coaxed from the edge.

Though he initiated the search, Benjamin says he was initially "petrified" to meet Laybourn: “I wasn’t sure what memories were going to be triggered from that, or if I was going to recognize him,” he told TODAY.com. But the fear quickly faded.

“Do you remember me?” Laybourn, 31, asks in a video of the pair's reunion, posted to YouTube, in which the pair is seen greeting each other with a long bear hug.

"It's all coming back," Benjamin says, moved to tears.

Laybourn was first alerted to the #findmike mission by his fiancé who saw a post on Facebook.

“Neil said the big shock first of all was to find out I was still alive, and that I was looking for him,” Benjamin said. “And it’s been a massive shock how big the campaign has got.”

Benjamin says it was Laybourn’s calm, collected demeanor that first lured him out of his state of distress on that day in 2008. He also noticed that Laybourn was a young man, much like himself, on his way to work — which filled him with hope.

“I was in my own world and he managed to burst the bubble that I was in and get through to me,” he added.

During their reunion in a south London pub, the pair went over the chain of events and Laybourn recounted details Benjamin had not been able to recall. He said at one point Benjamin had agreed to get coffee and started to climb back over the railing. Then he noticed the police pulling up and, fearful of being sent back to hospital, had a change of heart.

Laybourn had to reach out and grab Benjamin as he attempted to jump. “Up to that point, I remembered him stopping me with his words but actually, he physically stopped me,” Benjamin said. “It’s even more reason to thank him.”

When the police did finally arrive and get ahold of Benjamin, Laybourn was not been allowed near him and had no way of following up.

“He said it was amazing for him to see me smiling and back on my feet again, and how far I’d come,” Benjamin said. "He’s so humble about it. He says: 'I’m not a hero, I’m just an ordinary guy'. He’s taking it all in his stride and said: ‘I’m just proud of you Jonny.”

The pair plans to spend time getting to know each other in the coming weeks and months. Laybourn, who is getting married in August, also offered to help Benjamin get into shape.

“Everyone needs a friend like Neil,” said Benjamin. "He’s just the nicest guy. Very sensitive but very lovely and caring and kind, and just a great laugh.

"I always thought of that time as being very negative, I thought of that place as being the worst in my life,” Benjamin added. “I feel that I can look at it a very different way now. I’ve overcome that. I’ve come full circle and am able to close that chapter.”

Taz_Zoee

02-19-2014, 03:28 PM

Here is a photo of Jonny and Neil. Jonny is on the left and Neil is on the right in the plaid shirt.
Two good looking young men!

57880

kuhio98

02-19-2014, 05:13 PM

Thanks Cindy. I couldn't get the photo to attach for some reason.

Catty1

02-20-2014, 10:12 AM

<header> http://www.viralnova.com/terminally-ill-wedding/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=aweber

It Looks Like The Most Picture Perfect Wedding Imaginable. Except One Devastating Truth.

February 20, 2014 Stories (http://www.viralnova.com/category/stories/)

</header> When 26 year old Chris Price found out he had terminal cancer and just six months to live, he decided that he would spend the rest of his days making the love of his life’s dreams come true.
He started out by proposing to 29 year old Ceri, and marrying her in a plush church with her four children as the guests of honor. It was truly a magical wedding.
Chris was sadly diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus in April 2012.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/brides_dreams_01.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/brides_dreams_01.jpg)

Shortly after he was given the all clear, but tragically the cancer returned in April 2013 and he was told it was terminal.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/brides_dreams_02.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/brides_dreams_02.jpg)

With six months to live Chris promised himself he’d spend it making his girlfriend Ceri’s dreams come true, starting by proposing and then marrying her.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/brides_dreams_03.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/brides_dreams_03.jpg)

After the wedding, Chris took his new wife and her four children Halle, nine, and triplets Evan, Morgan and Georgia, six, to Disneyland Paris.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/brides_dreams_04.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/brides_dreams_04.jpg)

Few weeks after returning from Paris he whisked Ceri off to New York for a weekend of sightseeing and shopping. He splashed out on an expensive pair of Louboutin shoes and a $1,500 Mulberry handbag that she had always wanted.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/brides_dreams_06.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/brides_dreams_06.jpg)

The loving husband then booked a trip to Las Vegas for her birthday, but sadly he ran out of time… Chris died in Ceri’s arms last month and his funeral was held in the very same church where the pair had married just six months earlier.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/brides_dreams_05.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/brides_dreams_05.jpg)

After Chris passed away in January 2014 Ceri had this to say about her late husband:

If my love could have saved him, he would have lived forever. We packed so much into the short time we had together. His illness made him live completely in the moment and he taught me to do the same.
He died in my arms and I felt his last breath. My heart is broken losing him and I still spray his Aramis aftershave and wear his clothes to feel close to him. He loved me and took me on with four children as if they were his own. They loved him so much too.
I have no regrets – we accepted what was going to happen and we savoured every single second we had together. At his funeral we played his favourite song Robin S – Show Me Love. That’s all he ever did was show everyone he met love. I miss him every moment of every day.

They packed more love in the short time they had than most people have all their lives.

Source: dailymail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2562016/Just-six-months-live-cancer-sufferer-Chris-proposed-make-brides-dreams-including-trip-New-York-come-true.html)

kuhio98

02-21-2014, 02:23 PM

J.B. Schramm's Non-Profit Helps Kids Realize College Dreams

J.B. Schramm remembers the beat-up couches and broken TV in the teen center he started in 1990 in the basement of Washington, D.C.'s low-income Jubilee Housing project.

And he remembers LaToya, a high school senior in 1992 – a bright student who he thought had college potential. So the Yale and Harvard Divinity School grad, who had expected to be a teacher or minister, spent Saturdays helping LaToya complete an application and write a personal essay.

"When I saw her a few weeks later, I brightened up and asked, ‘So, did you get a bid?' " Schramm tells PEOPLE. "She said no. I said, 'Why not?' She said, 'I didn't have a stamp.' I thought she was joking."

From that one girl missing one stamp – what Schramm, now 50, kiddingly dubs "The Stamp Act" – a life-changing idea was born.

Today, Schramm's College Summit boot camps annually train 2,000 students who, in turn, work with 50,000 classmates in 175 high schools across 15 states. Those schools involved with College Summit see an average 20-percent increase in kids attending college, says Schramm.

"I realized that, for a lot of kids with talent but not a lot of resources, there was a systemic crater on the pathway to finding and getting enrolled in a college," he says.

He cites studies that find 95 percent of low-income eighth-graders say they want to go to college, but only nine percent will get a college degree.

"It's an outrageous loss of potential," he says.

Putting 'Cool Kids' to Work
Within three years of "The Stamp Act," Schramm had put together a four-day boot camp where 32 "cool kids" from six different states worked with writing coaches and college counselors on skills they would not only pour into their own college applications, but impart to their peers.

"It dawned on me one day when I put a tutoring sign-up sheet on the door of the teen center," he says. "After the coolest kid we had put his name on the list, we had 30 kids sign up, too. And I thought, 'What if we got the coolest kid to go to college?' If we could get young people taking charge and helping themselves, helping their friends, we could change the culture and make a lot of progress fast."

And College Summit is there for the rest of the kids, too, through its free apps – at CollegeAppMap.org – which, starting in 9th grade, take students through the 30 steps they need to take to get into college.

"For the first time, a lot of my low-income students are saying to themselves, college could be a possibility for me," says Doris Dabney, 49, a 16-year teaching veteran at D.C.'s Dunbar High. "College Summit empowers them to make choices."

From Little Haiti to Stanford
One of those empowered students was Emmanuel Fortune, who credits Schramm and College Summit with helping him carve a path out of Miami's Little Haiti.

"My mom was a single parent with a 3rd-grade education who worked 12-hour days and had 11 of us to care for," says Fortune, now 28. "So I didn't have someone looking over my shoulder and saying, 'How's that college application going?' "

That changed at College Summit.

"These guys would be like, 'Dad says I should apply to Brown.' And I was like, 'What is this color you're talking about?' " recalls Fortune.

Nudged along by College Summit, he enrolled at the University of Florida, earned a degree in English and later continued on to Stanford University and a Master's in education policy.

Today, he is a married father of one and a consultant at Deloitte in McLean, Va.

And LaToya, the girl without the stamp, eventually made it too – to the University of the District of Columbia and a career in early childhood education, says Schramm.

"For me back then, it was, 'How do I get out of this and do more for myself?' College Summit connected me to this wider world," says Fortune. "J.B. built that bridge. He's truly a rock star."

http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140303/jb-schramm-600.jpg

kuhio98

02-22-2014, 11:42 AM

Honest Cape May Waitress Returns Lost Cash To Customer, Refuses Reward

CAPE MAY, N.J., (CBS) — A Collingswood man is walking around with renewed faith in the goodness of people — after being reunited with a big wad of cash that he dropped in Cape May.

CBS 3′s Cleve Bryan has more on the lost and found, and a restaurant worker who did the right thing.

Paul Hendry will tell you this isn’t just any motorcycle, it’s a Honda Goldwing 50th Anniversary model.

“Saved for a long time because we were beginning a long trip,” he said.

That dream of riding along a scenic highway was almost parked before ever got in gear. The night he took out the cash to buy it he and his wife went to The Ugly Mug in Cape May for dinner. And when they went to go buy the bike later, the money was missing.

“I had my leather jacket on and I’m going, I don’t have it. My wife said you’re kidding me. I said no Carol. I’m shaking, I’m real nervous,” he said.

They figured the cash must have fell out at The Ugly Mug.

“So I called up and Diana Lee answered the phone,” he said.

Waitress and hostess Diana Lee grabbed her phone and used it as a flashlight to look under the booths.

“I told them can you please lift your feet up, they were kind of laughing at me,” she said.

Lee says it was a fairly busy Saturday night but when she got to this booth, sure enough there was the money on the floor.

“It was a wad of cash about the size of a salt and pepper shaker,” she said.

Sixty-five hundred dollars — all in $100 bills.

“Everybody was like astounded like how much is this,” she said.

Lee could have easily pocketed the money and used to pay for a semester of college – but she didn’t.

Hendry got the money, then the bike. Lee wouldn’t even accept a reward.

“My parents worked for 30 years with their own business from the bottom up and I know what that’s like to see someone finally get their little piece of paradise,” she said.

“I’ll work for it just like everyone else, karma hopefully will be on my side someday,” she said.

And hopefully some generous tips.

kuhio98

02-23-2014, 11:51 AM

When a baby stops breathing, Florida motorists pitch in to help

Pamela Rauseo was stuck in traffic on a Miami highway Thursday when her 5-month-old nephew, strapped into his car seat behind her, stopped screaming -- and she knew something was very wrong.

"That was a red flag for me, because the car was at a standstill, and he'd had a little bit of a cold, and I knew that he was congested, so I got really worried," Rauseo said Friday of her nephew, Sebastian de la Cruz.

She had good reason to worry as she stopped along State Road 836, a six-lane stretch of concrete known locally as the Dolphin Expressway.

"I pulled over on the left, and I jumped to the back to check up on him, and he was out. He was sleeping, and I touched him to stimulate him. I got no response, so I took him out of his car seat, and he was completely limp and turning purple. I tried to call 911, but I was just so nervous, my hands wouldn't function."

Rauseo screamed for help, and fellow motorists responded.

Lucila Godoy was among the first.

"I was driving in the middle lane; she was in the fast lane, and all of a sudden I see her, and she's screaming and she's holding the baby and she's putting it up and down," Godoy said. "I just stopped the car and jumped out of the car, and I asked her what was going on, and we started working as a team."

Godoy had taken a CPR course when she was pregnant in Venezuela with her own son, also named Sebastian. "I didn't even think about it," she said. "I just hold the baby like my baby. ... When I heard her screaming 'Sebastian,' that was hard."

Soon, Sweetwater Police officer Amauris Bastidas stopped and helped the women perform chest compressions on the struggling infant, who resumed breathing on his own.

"Save someone's life -- that's my duty," the officer, usually assigned to bike patrol at Dolphin Mall, told CNN affiliate WFOR. "My duty to act."

Miami Herald photographer Al Diaz was among those stuck in traffic.

"An SUV stops in front of me, and I didn't think anything of it," he told CNN affiliate WSVN. "But I started hearing screaming, and I couldn't tell where the screams come from, and I looked at my phone, and I looked at my radio and I look up again, and a woman pops out of a car holding a baby, screaming, 'Help me! Help me! My baby's not breathing.' "

He went looking for help and found it coming from all sides, then snapped into his mode as a photographer and began documenting what he saw. "That moment now is frozen in my mind," he said. "That's just the way I see."

But the ordeal was not over. Sebastian stopped breathing again.

"It was like the nightmare started all over again," Rauseo said. Bastidas resumed performing chest compressions, "and the baby finally reacted, and this time it was for much longer -- until the fire/rescue came."

Sebastian was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was in critical condition Friday, his aunt said.

"We're confident he'll be fine," Rauseo said. "We just need to get to the root of what's causing these issues for him."

kuhio98

02-25-2014, 09:38 AM

Heather Holland Helps Families Find Their Missing Loved Ones

Kristin Spires was just 20 years old in May 2010 when she vanished while driving to a party in Big Rapids, Mich.

Her stepmother, Carolyn, alerted police in her rural Michigan town, and a TV crew met her to report on the family’s frantic search.

That evening, even before the broadcast report was finished, Spires’ phone rang. Heather Holland was on the line.

"She had seen my story on TV," says Spires, "and wanted to help any way she could."

Holland sensed the need – just as she has for many other families she's helped since 2010 – as director of the nonprofit TrackMissing.

By scouring police and court reports as well as the Internet, collecting family medical records and sometimes even hitting the ground herself, the full-time social worker and part-time sleuth has helped families learn the fates of nine missing people.

"The reason I do this is because I could not stand not knowing," says Holland, 31, of Big Rapids, a married mother of a 5-year-old son.

"I try to work on cases where's there’s not already 100 people looking," she says. "You can't find them all. But I hope the families feel better knowing there's somebody else out there trying to help."

Holland works hand in hand with law enforcement, who welcomes her assistance.

"We have over 4,400 missing persons cases in Michigan," says Detective Sarah Krebs of the Michigan State Police.

"I don't have time to do a web search on every single case," she says.

"To have somebody like Heather who will do that for us and give us the tips that make a match," she says, "it's like they hand us the case on a silver platter.

Krebs recalls a man who disappeared in 1992, and whose then-unidentified remains turned up in another county much later. As a liaison aiding the man's family, Holland gave police the medical records that led to a positive ID.

"Heather's a great asset to law enforcement," says Krebs. "It's another weapon we can give the families of missing people in their search."

Holland got started in 2009 when a friend remarked about an aunt who'd vanished as a child decades earlier.

Eager to help, Holland logged in to online forums maintained by families of other missing persons – and learned that adults rarely get the urgent response of Amber Alerts for children.

She didn't solve her friend's case, but her search led her to TrackMissing, which had been founded in 2004.

Holland e-mailed the one-man operation with an offer to volunteer.

She taught herself to follow paper trails and master the online National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, maintained by the National Institute of Justice.

When TrackMissing’s director took ill in 2010, Holland took over.

She devotes about 20 hours each week in late nights and weekends to her amateur sleuthing.

Once, a record search and a quick call brought a dying woman together with a long-lost brother. But Holland is realistic about the long odds that accompany unanswered disappearances.

"I'm not one to provide a false hope," she says. "I can't promise we'll find them. I just like to give people some closure."

In Spires' case, Holland spotted a Facebook tip and followed the lead to a site in the woods. There, 11 months after Kristin vanished, Holland and Kristin's stepmother located a bone that police eventually ID'd as belonging to the young woman.

Although the case is unsolved, "If not for Heather, we'd still be looking," says Carolyn Spires, 38, of Moreley, Mich.

"There's no way to thank somebody for something like that," says Spires.

"If Heather gets something in her mindset, she's going to go after it until she gets it," she says.

"She definitely kept me going," she says. "She’s an awesome, awesome person."
http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140210/heather-holland-600.jpg

kuhio98

02-26-2014, 09:16 AM

Nick Silverio Rescues Babies Through His Crisis Hotline

When Miami businessman Nick Silverio answers the phone, often there's a tiny little life in the balance.

As the founder of A Safe Haven for Newborns, a nonprofit he founded in 2001 to provide a 24-hour-bilingual referral hotline for new mothers on the verge of abandoning their infants, Silverio, 70, says each call can save a child.

"It's an overwhelming experience to know a child can grow up," says Silverio. "It feels just as overwhelming the first [time a child was saved] as it does the 206th."

To date, Silverio has helped 206 newborns find their way to loving adoptive homes in Florida. Looking to support the safe haven law passed by the Florida legislature in 2000 that enables desperate parents to leave infants up to a week old at hospitals and fire stations no questions asked, Silverio dipped into his own pocket the following year begin his organization.

"It's my purpose in life," says Silverio, who takes no salary from the nonprofit and who has also helped frightened moms get their babies back under the law's 30-day grace period.

His outreach changed the life of 10-year-old Kristopher Terrell, who is now the youngest of five children to parents Aja Iglesias-Terrell, 44, and Richard Terrell, 53. Ten years ago, Silverio answered his 24-hour crisis hotline to discover a frightened teenage mother on the other end. A week earlier she'd given birth to a baby boy. Now, feeling in no position to raise a child, the distraught girl said she didn't know what to do.

Calmly, Silverio told her he would be right over. Hopping in his car, Silverio purchased a baby carrier, then continued on to the girl's apartment, where he found the anxious teen hovering over a sleeping infant clad in a blue and white jumpsuit – little Kristopher Terrell.

"Uncle Nick is my hero," says Kristopher, now a fourth-grader. "He's the one who introduced me to my mom and dad. It's good that he helps babies."

The nonprofit proved a lifesaver for Silverio, too. Married almost 32 years to his beloved Gloria, he was devastated when she was killed in a car accident in 1999. Godfather to 14 children, Silverio bore the loss without the companionship of any children of his own – his attempts with Gloria to start a family having ended one heartbreaking Christmas Eve after Gloria suffered her second difficult miscarriage.

"She loved kids," Silverio says. "She loved seeing them grow and seeing them happy. We were always told we would have been wonderful parents."

Looking to honor her memory, he found a fit when he learned about Florida's safe haven law meant to protect babies from being abandoned.

"Helping give these babies a life," he says, "has turned my tragedy into joy for others."

Today A Safe Haven for Newborns, staffed by 300 volunteers, operates in all 67 Florida counties, partnering with fire chiefs, emergency medical services and hospitals to take in infants and then move them on to adoption agencies. Thanks to Silverio, other states look to Florida for advice on implementing infant-protection laws.

"When I was growing up, you'd hear of babies being abandoned in canals, in public bathrooms, in garbage dumpsters," says Florida state senator Rene Garcia. "Since Nick got involved, you never hear of that. He took it upon himself to bring awareness to the rest of the state to show this law exists, to make sure teens and women and parents knew this law was out there."

"He's reaching people in their most desperate moment," says firefighter Tammy Henghold, who was twice on hand when safe haven babies were left at her station in Lauderhill. "He's saving a life every day."

And he's helping to build families as well, says Kristopher's grateful mom, Aja.

"Because of Nick's act of love," she says, "we are blessed to have Kristopher in our home and our life. We consider Nick family."

http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140217/nick-silverio-600.jpg

kuhio98

02-27-2014, 11:28 AM

Miracle on Madison Avenue
From walks in the woods to the busy streets of Manhattan, birds intrigued his late mother. Him, too.
By Marcus M. Silverman, New York, New York

Rain drizzled down on my head. I was early for work and drinking a paper cup of coffee outside the office on Madison Avenue.

I couldn’t sleep the night before or the night before that. My mom had passed away about eight months ago, and though I hadn’t fallen apart completely, I had my good days and bad days. Most of all, I just missed her.

At night, when it was clear outside, I’d look up at the sky and try to imagine her looking down on me. But more often than not, I couldn’t quite get that picture in my head.

I took another sip of coffee and sighed. Everything else seemed to be falling into place in my life. I had a good job, a decent apartment and a girlfriend I cared about. Why couldn’t I have faith that Mom was up there smiling down on me?

From behind a potted plant I could see movement on the sidewalk. A black bird hopped a couple inches toward me. Even the most common birds held my attention, partly because my mom was an avid bird-watcher herself.

I had a photo she’d taken of her favorite–a red-winged blackbird–tacked up on the bulletin board over my desk at work.

In free moments, the picture took me back to happy afternoons with my mom, going for walks around the woods by our house and trying to name as many species of birds as we could.

I tried to identify this one.

The bird hopped right up to my shoe. Could it be? A red-winged blackbird! What an unlikely visitor in the middle of a big city. The bird hopped past me and continued along Madison Avenue.

I looked up at the sky and smiled. All those nights staring overhead, I’d missed the signs right on the ground in front of me.

kuhio98

02-28-2014, 03:48 PM

Meet the World's First Dog with Four Prosthetic Legs
https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/8067022080/hB5F6E182/

http://orthopets.com/

<iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/76973999" width="500" height="281" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>

phesina

02-28-2014, 04:05 PM

Oh, how good and sweet that is! Well done, Orthopets and Naki'o!!!

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

kuhio98

03-01-2014, 11:16 AM

Lost Teddy Bear Tours Disney Before Heading Home to Alabama
http://img2-1.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140310/teddy-bear-300.jpg

Toby the teddy bear isn't just any old stuffed animal to Brooklyn Andrews.

He's a cherished link to a father who died far too young.

"She's slept with it every night since she got it when she was 3 years old," says her mother, Marsha Andrews, 39, of Chunchula, Ala.

It even has a special message in it recorded from her father, Tony Andrews, a police officer who died of a heart attack on duty in 2006.

"She presses the button every night before she goes to bed and listens to her daddy," says Marsha.

So when the 14-year-old girl lost him on a visit to Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa last month, she was devastated.

After we got home "we were unpacking," says Marsha. "And Brooklyn said, 'Where's Toby?' She was freaking out."

Luckily, Mom saved the day. When a phone call to the resort didn't yield any results, she took to social media.

"Very special bear (Toby) is lost!!" wrote Marsha on January 15. "Toby was given to the little girl by her by her daddy before he left for Iraq with his voice recorded in the bear telling her how much he loves her."

Marsha also belongs to a Facebook group for spouses of police officers who have died in the line of duty.

"I posted in there for them to pray," she says. "They were sharing it everywhere."

That posting somehow caught the eye of a Disney employee who called two days later to say they found Toby.

"Brooklyn was ecstatic," she says. "She was jumping up and down."

Disney not only found the bear, they sent him on a fun-filled day around the park before shipping him home with photographs of his adventures.

"She loved it," says Marsha of the photos. "She said the next time she goes to Disney she's going to take him to the park with her and get more pictures."

The whole experience has been amazing, says Marsha.

"I was shocked how much people cared," she says.

"You'd think people would say, 'He's just a bear.' But he's not just a bear to us – and especially to her."

http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140310/teddy-bear-1-300.jpg http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140310/teddy-bear-600.jpg

Karen

03-01-2014, 06:27 PM

http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140310/teddy-bear-600.jpg

How sweet! I bet the Disney employees were tickled that that got to return him to his person, I am sure they see many lost toys that never get home again!

kuhio98

03-02-2014, 09:23 AM

7-Year-Old Has Raised Over $600,000 to Help Cure His Best Friend's Disease

The next time you think about the power of friendship, think about Dylan Siegel.

Dylan is 7 years old. His best friend, Jonah, has an extremely rare liver disease, and funding for his treatment almost dried up at one point. So Dylan decided to help by writing a book, The Chocolate Bar Book, which has helped raise over $600,000 for research into Jonah's disease.

Jonah has Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1b, which is a rare liver disorder that causes dangerously low blood sugar. As one of 500 children in the world with the disease, Jonah has to be fed every few hours through a feeding tube in his stomach. There is currently no cure.

Dylan describes his friendship with Jonah as "awesome as a chocolate bar," which is where he got the title of his book. People in all 50 states and 42 countries have purchased copies of The Chocolate Bar Book, with every cent going to Dr. David Weinstein's Florida lab, where a cure for the disease is apparently near to being reached.

"It is now reality. It's not just a dream that these children can be cured," Dr. Weinstein told ABC affiliate KGO-TV.

Dylan seems to think so, anyway. Asked where he and Jonah would be 10-15 years from now, he told KGO-TV, "Um, high school and probably [Jonah's] disease would be cured."

Jonah's answer to the same question?

"Friends."
http://img2-3.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/sandbox/news/140310/chocolate-boys-600x450.jpghttps://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1/1962752_713839311970998_39697756_n.jpg
Dylan and Jonah http://chocolatebarbook.com/

kuhio98

03-03-2014, 10:42 AM

Backes returns from Sochi with stray dogs

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI)– A star St. Louis Blues player who was part of Team USA in the Olympics brought back much more from Sochi than just memories of playing on Olympic ice.

Blues captain David Backes and his wife rescued two of the thousands of stray dogs that were all around Sochi.

We were there as the charter plane with the Backes`, the dogs and others landed at Lambert.

Backes says the two dogs he rescued and other animals kept on showing up at the resort where the players` families were staying.

As the days went by, Sochi Junior and Sochi Jake as Backes calls them, just wouldn`t leave.

So the Backes` went through all the red tape to get them out of Russia.

“By the end of it those two were living in hotel rooms where they shouldn`t have been getting baths in bath tubs where they shouldn`t have been,” explained Backes.

The Backes` are animal lovers. In fact, they run a foundation called Athletes for Animals.

Backes says all the stray animals in Sochi and the amount that were reportedly killed or euthanized touched him.

“When they`re timid and you can kind of tell they`ve been mistreated or you see one with mange or that`s really skinny or fighting over some scraps of food that really tears your heart out because we feel that every dog should have a great home that`s well fed,” explained Backes.

The dogs stayed with the Backes` on the 13 hour plane ride home.

They even tweeted out a picture of them smiling with the dogs while on the flight.

“It`s almost like they knew they were going to somewhere where they wouldn`t have to worry about food or fighting over food or worried about who was coming after them next,” said Backes about the dogs.

After a quick potty break when they landed, the dogs were taken away by the Five Acres Animal Shelter from St. Charles.

They will stay there for 30 days to make sure they are healthy before becoming available for adoption.

“We`re going to be caring for them in that time, socializing them, teaching them English, you know fun things like that,” said Brittany Broombaugh with Five Acres.

Backes added, ‘The story being told of how these dogs are just like yours and mine at home and how you know we should treat our animals with respect and be responsible pet owners is a story that a lot of people wanted to tell and I think we`re telling it now.”
<script height="456px" width="813px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=c660b791c3704ff69d4162d7adb7c4a1&ec=lxZnl0azqBHAQN3OOrYd0i3-xjjpjs7v"></script>

kuhio98

03-04-2014, 09:55 AM

Taco Restaurant Employee Hailed As Hero For Stopping Kidnapping

WESTCHESTER (CBSLA.com) — Families in Westchester said they are breathing a sigh of relief following a kidnap attempt Wednesday.

The families are crediting an employee of T2 Tacos, a restaurant in the 7100 block of Manchester Drive, for being the hero who stopped the kidnap attempt.

Residents told KCAL9′s Brittney Hopper that a nanny was walking with a 4-year-old boy Wednesday afternoon — in broad daylight — when a man attempted to steal the child.

The employee — a man named Jesus Delgado – intervened, stopped the man and held him until authorities arrived. (The suspect has been arrested and charged with kidnapping.)

On Thursday evening, the boy’s grateful parents and several mothers from the community went to the restaurant to thank Delgado for his efforts.

The mothers told Hopper that crime was increasing in their neighborhood. In addition to praising Jesus, they also asked police for a larger presence in their community.

Hopper spoke to the baby’s emotional father who said he couldn’t ever thank Delgado enough.

“How can you explain, the feeling that you have of gratitude for someone who saved you son’s life? It’s really an amazing thing that he did,” said Tom O’Brien.

The suspect grabbed the boy and started running. The nanny screamed for help and Delgado ran after the suspect.

Delgado, a husband and father of a little girl with special needs, told Hopper running after the suspect was just instinct. He doesn’t think he did anything heroic.

“It’s incredible,” he said, “Never have I [felt] this.”

A group called Moms With Westchester & Playa del Rey heard about Delgado’s act of heroism and wanted to say thank you.

The group started a GoFundMe account to raise money for Delgado and his special needs child.

“We just wanted to say thank you for being alert and being aware,” said mom Jessica Echeverry.

kuhio98

03-05-2014, 10:41 AM

Pay It Forward: Texas Woman Returns Habitat for Humanity Home to Help Others

his article was originally published by NationSwell, a website dedicated to sharing the stories of innovative Americans who are working to effect social change and move the country forward.

It’s not every day that a person asks to return a Habitat for Humanity home.

But that's what happened recently in Kerr County, Texas. Laci Kocurek, who built, maintained and lived in the home with her children for many years, called Karen Quanstrom, executive director of Habitat Kerr County, and said she wanted to deed the house back to the organization. "I had to tell [Quanstrom] several times what I really wanted, and even after that first phone conversation, she called me back several times and said, 'I want to make sure you know what you're doing,' " Kocurek told Habitat World. "She was pretty shocked."

In return, Kocurek wanted something very simple: for the organization to sell the home to another family who needed a place to live.

More from NationSwell: Why Austin, Texas, Is America's Best City for Stray Dogs

Kocurek and her new husband were recently able to buy a home for their expanding family of five. In many cases, Habitat for Humanity will take back homes from owners and return the money that they have put into the mortgage.

But for Kocurek, the family wanted to deed the home back to the organization in order to pass along the positive experience. "That was mine and my kids' first home together – just us – so it was a little sad, but knowing that somebody else who didn’t have a home was going to be moving into it really overpowered that sadness," Kocurek said. "It felt good. It really felt good."

Thanks to the family’s generosity, Habitat Kerr County is able to provide an additional family with a home this year.

"That’s the wonderful joy of it," Quanstrom said.
http://img2-3.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/sandbox/news/140310/habitat-humanity-600.jpg

kuhio98

03-06-2014, 10:50 AM

Hingham Bakery Customer Surprises Employees With Large Sum Of Money

HINGHAM (CBS) – You may have heard of the phrase “pay it forward.” The employees of a Hingham bakery just got a good taste of it.

Last week, a man walked into White’s Bakery and ordered a danish. While the employee was wrapping up his treat, he reciprocally treated the employees. He put an envelope on the glass counter, paid for his danish, and quickly walked away.

When employees opened the unmarked envelope, they found thousands of dollars. This act of kindness was no accident.

Security cameras captured the whole interaction. But the man, who is about 55-years-old, saw the camera and turned his back to it, masking his identity.

Nobody has come into the bakery claiming to have lost a large amount of money.
http://cbsboston.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/bakery-money.jpg?w=620&h=349&crop=1

kuhio98

03-07-2014, 10:41 AM

Local 'Love Bomb Squad' strikes again
Organization does random acts of kindness for community

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) -

A group of area kids showed its love for others at the La Crosse Public Library Monday evening.

They are called the "Love Bomb Squad" and they leave handmade gifts as a way to spread kindness, peace and joy to others.

“Random acts of kindness makes other people's days and it makes our day to make their day, so it makes everyone happy,” said Abby Sharp, a member of the Love Bomb Squad.

At the library, the kids left handmade painted rocks and bookmarks for unsuspecting guests to find.

“We keep it simple and inexpensive and we want to bring cheer to people and then inspire them to do the same thing and we hope it’s a ripple effect and so the kindness will spread far and wide,” said Stephanie Sharp, the founder and leader of the Love Bomb Squad, and Abby’s mother.

Stephanie Sharp said she was inspired to create the group because of two organizations in Denver: the Random Acts of Kindess Foundation and The Birthday Project.

“I just wanted to make it a little more personal, so I decided to start my own,” Sharp said.

In November 2013, Sharp and her daughter teamed up with some close friends and family to do something special for someone else. Then they brought up the idea to their church, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and encouraged everyone, especially Sunday school kids to do random acts of kindness.

“We painted rocks and wrote post-it notes and then during Random Acts of Kindness week, we 'Love Bombed' the (la Crosse) City Hall a couple of meetings there,” Sharp said. “We went to hospitals and nursing homes and a knitting group at church started knitting scarves and we have a person that makes tabs for them and then puts them around downtown for the statues and they say, ‘I’m not lost. If you’re cold, please take me.’”

Sharp said they don’t usually see people’s reaction when they get Love Bombed, but when they do there are mixed reactions.

“Most of the time it’s confusion because I don’t think people expect a stranger to come up and do something kind. I think that sometimes they’re nervous but I think after they realize what it is, it makes them smile.”

"If you were walking home and it was cold and you had a bad day at work and suddenly you found a painted rock that says you are loved, it would make your day a little better," said Abby Sharp.

The members of the Love Bomb Squad hope they inspire people in the community to start doing their own random acts of kindness.

“Keep the kindness going because I think the world needs that,” Stephanie Sharp said.

For more information on the Love Bomb Squad, visit the organization’s website, Lovebombsquad.com or Love Bomb Squad Facebook page.
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kuhio98

03-07-2014, 05:31 PM

kuhio98

03-09-2014, 10:11 AM

Widow Performs 318 Random Acts Of Kindness In Tribute To Husband’s Cancer Fight

BOSTON (CBS) – For 318 days, Chad Wogernese fought a brave battle against cancer. His widow, Colleen, says during his fight, she learned so much about love. On Friday, she performed 318 random acts of kindness to give back to those who made a difference in his life.

“It mostly just makes me happy and gives me a good memory of him,” the former Northeastern grad student says.

Chad was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma on the couple’s second wedding anniversary and spent the last 318 days of his life shuttling back and forth between their Wisconsin home and Boston, getting treatment for that deadly cancer. He died in September.

“I never heard a complaint, I never heard a ‘why me,’” Colleen says.

And so to honor his memory, and return a favor, Colleen returned to Boston for the random acts of kindness.

She started at Brigham and Women’s Hospital with gift bags for staffers who had helped Chad, but then moved on to strangers, with free Charlie Cards, lottery tickets, candy and even hand-knit caps.

Colleen knows her sons Ethan and Nolan won’t remember much about their dad, and so missions like these are a good lesson for them.

“He was just so giving, I want my children to know how giving he was and this was the best way to show them,” Colleen says.

And so she is determined to dispense kindness, feeling that when she does — her husband is right there with her.

“I want to live the rest of my life that way, instead of sitting there feeling sorry for myself, turn it into something good,” she says.

Before Chad died, he and Colleen started “Superheroes Fighting Cancer” to help families with a loved one battling a serious illness.

The non-profit hopes to raise $40,000 dollars this year.

kuhio98

03-12-2014, 01:52 PM

Good Samaritan Meets Baby She Rescued 26 Years Ago

Every day, Shelley Cumley looks forward to the email she receives from Godvine, a Christian website, which is filled with videos of inspirational real people stories.

Sometimes she watches them. Sometimes she doesn't. Last October, though, one caught her eye.

"I saw a picture of a baby and clicked on it," she told Sacramento's News10. "I love to watch baby videos," she told the station, "and the very first frame that came on the video was her name."

It was the story of Nicole Farley, now 26, who'd been paralyzed as an infant when a drunk driver plowed into her mother's car in March 1988.

Cumley had been the good Samaritan who pulled the baby from the wreckage.

"I absolutely couldn't believe it," Cumley, 51, of Snohomish, Wash., tells PEOPLE, her voice shaking. "This was a little girl I'd worried about and prayed for."

She watched the video until the end.

"It was the most incredible, beautiful story," she says, "about a girl who is not bitter; had not let her disability hold her back. She's persevered, lived life to the fullest."

The Day of the Accident
That day had haunted Cumley for years. She was on her way to Lake Tahoe with a friend when she came upon the accident on Interstate 5 near Redding, Calif. Nicole's mother, Roanna, was pinned inside.

"I went to her door to see if I could open it but I couldn't," she says. "Her steering wheel was up by her face."

Suddenly, she heard a baby crying.

"I looked in the back and saw this infant in a carseat," he says. "The car was so completely demolished that we thought the thing was going to blow up any second."

Cumley quickly lifted Nicole from her carseat and held her while Roanna drifted in and out of consciousness, screaming for her daughter.

"I held Nicole to her window – her window was broken out – and I said, 'Open your eyes and look at your baby,' " Cumley says. "'She's fine.' "

She kept doing this until help arrived.

"She'd open her eyes and see Nicole and it would calm her down and she'd lose consciousness," says Cumley. "Then she'd wake up and start screaming for her again like she forgot this happened."

Cumley rode in the ambulance with Nicole and waited while the doctors checked her out.

"They said she was fine," she says.

Cumley reluctantly headed back to her weekend away in Lake Tahoe but unable to get thoughts of the baby and her mother out of her head, she cut the trip short so she could stop by the hospital on her way home and check on them.

The nurses told her that Roanna was in critical condition but recovering, while Nicole was paralyzed from the armpits down.

"I just really almost fell down," she says, breaking into tears at the memory. "I was so devastated. I said, 'When I left here two or three days ago they said she was fine.' The nurse said, 'Yeah, they discovered her feet weren't moving and did some further testing, and she's paralyzed," she says.

Cumley started crying.

"I thought by removing her from her carseat I made her injuries worse," she says. "We headed back to Seattle that day and I could hardly function for a few days."

Cumley called Roanna a few months later to check on them but didn't have the heart to ask her if she'd caused her daughter's paralysis.

So when Nicole's video landed in her inbox, Cumley decided to reach out to Nicole herself. She saw Nicole was clutching a business card in her hand in the video and zeroed in on her email address.

"I am tearful as I write this for so many reasons," Cumley wrote. "I have struggled over the years second-guessing myself and wondering if by pulling you out of the car, I made your injuries worse. It has haunted me."

Nicole froze when she read it.

"I almost dropped the phone," Nicole, who runs a daycare in her Yuba City, Calif., home, tells PEOPLE. "I burst into tears. Not because I was sad, but it was this burst of emotion. I was excited. I was overwhelmed."

Her reply lifted a heavy burden from Cumley. Nicole told her that the doctors said her injuries happened on impact.

"I have cried more in the last three months than I've cried in my whole life," Cumley says. "It has been a huge season of healing for me."

The two have become fast friends, and last month they met for the first time as adults. "It was very effortless," says Nicole of their first meeting. "I think it's because we have this special connection because of that day, even though I was an infant. I feel like I've always known her."

Cumley says she simply feels at peace for the first time in 26 years.

"I feel like my faith is stronger than ever," says Cumley, "because you hear about miracles, but when it happens to you, it's life changing."
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kuhio98

03-14-2014, 09:03 PM

Huntsville Students Aim to Collect 5,000 Pairs of Shoes for Developing Countries

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – Members of a new service club at New Century Technology High School are trying to round up shoes — lots of shoes — like 5,000 pairs.

They’re trying to bring something taken for granted in America to places where they’re considered a hot commodity.

These members of the Beta Club don’t need to walk in the shoes of people in third world countries to know what they need. They’ve researched it.

“One woman, she couldn’t breast feed her child and she traded a pair of shoes for a goat so she could feed her baby,” said Cailin Simpson, an organizer of the shoe drive. “So that’s how rare of a commodity these shoes are in developing nations.

The 16-year-old junior at New Century Technology High School said all kinds of shoes are needed.

“Any type of shoes, heeled shoes, children’s shoes, adult shoes.. any shoes are acceptable.”

She said companies will even repair or recycle shoes that aren’t up to par.

Simpson and her classmates are trying to collect the shoes to send to countries in West Africa, South America and Central America. “We buy a new pair of shoes to match our outfit. And we don’t think about other people who don’t have those means.”

The school didn’t just stop at asking for shoes from their own students.

“Our members have been going to their churches, to their youth group, they’ve been reaching out all over the place trying to get shoes to donate, just trying to get people in Huntsville to think about others,” said Regina Oliver, another member of the Beta Club at New Century.

Oliver said they approached and recruited 10 other schools in Huntsville to participate in the drive.

And the club sponsor is thrilled with how the students recognize need beyond the United States’ border.

“They don’t think about themselves,” said Assistant Principal and Beta Club sponsor Veronica Haley. “They put themselves out there for others.”

Haley says she’ll see to it the shoe drive is an annual event for the newly-formed Beta Club.

The shoe drive goes through Wednesday, March 19th. Students will accept shoes outside the school on Saturday, March 15th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the school, located at 2700 Meridian Street.

Delivery pickup will be Friday, March 21st, by the organization “funds-2-orgs”.

kuhio98

03-16-2014, 12:54 PM

Teen Gives 4,000 Soccer Balls to Kids Around the World Who Can't Afford Them

One minute, 10-year-old Ethan King was standing alone, kicking his soccer ball around a dusty, deserted field during a trip to Mozambique, and the next, dozens of kids were playing soccer with him.

"It was crazy," says the Grand Haven, Mich., resident. "Everyone was screaming and laughing and having fun."

That's when it hit him, he says, "how much joy a single soccer ball could bring." After a couple of kids showed him their soccer balls, made of balled-up trash bags and twine, the competitive soccer player says, "I felt really bad knowing that I had seven soccer balls in my garage back home and these kids didn't even have one or have access to buy one."

Since that day in 2009, King resolved to change that. King, who had been visiting the country for two weeks with his dad, started by giving away his soccer ball, the first of 4,000 balls that have been hand-delivered to kids in 22 countries since King, now 14 and a high school freshman in Michigan, began Charity Ball in 2010.

"This came from the heart," says his father, Brian King, 44, an executive director at Vox United, who was repairing water wells in Mozambique, when Ethan discovered his passion for giving. His mom Lorie, 45, says, "We just fanned the flame."

It was Ethan, who called corporations asking for donations, and spoke to kids and parents about Charity Ball's mission, on the sidelines of soccer games. For a $25 donation, Charity Ball guarantees that a brand new soccer ball will be hand-delivered to kids who can't afford to buy one.

Individual donors, corporations and other groups can also sign up to deliver balls through the website charityball.org. "Anyone can apply to take soccer balls with them to a place they are traveling to," explains Ethan, who returned to Mozambique last summer to help organize a soccer tournament and deliver balls.

Kids like Marques Nhongonheia, 10, and Divino Filipe, 11, from Mozambique, are among the recipients. "Now I own a ball that I can share with my friends and have a team for kids our age," says Filipe.

Says Nhongonheia: "Now we are playing with the same type of ball. I am just like one of those players we watch on television. The ball I received from Charity Ball has inspired me to take soccer seriously. "

To date, the nonprofit, first created at the Kings' kitchen table, has inspired 75 corporations and 1,000 people to help hand deliver soccer balls to kids in developing countries.

"I've learned you don't have to be a celebrity or be a certain age to make a difference," says Ethan. "I just wanted to do more because I knew I could."
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kuhio98

03-17-2014, 04:16 PM

Server’s Note To Patron Who Picked Up Elderly Couple’s Tab Goes Viral

VICTORVILLE (CBSLA.com) — A waitress’ note to a patron who picked up the tab for an elderly couple at a restaurant in Victorville has gone viral.

On Wednesday morning, Kirsten Kinzle paid for a couple’s $30 breakfast at Mimi’s Cafe because she thought her loud party was ruining the duo’s peaceful time together.

“You just see people sometimes that just look like a great couple and they really loved each other,” Kinzle said.

Server Stephanie Miller then wrote Kinzle a note that said she did an amazing thing because the older man recently lost his brother.

“I instantly started crying,” Kinzle said. “I just hope it made them for just a moment happy with that amount of sadness.”

Miller was also having an emotional day because it had been a year to the day that someone she knew had passed away.

“I knew that if I tried to tell her the story myself I would probably start crying like a baby,” Miller said.

The note and story are a hit on Facebook with more than 1,500 likes.

“It really lets you see that there are truly, truly caring people out there now,” Kinzle’s sister said.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=9950051

kuhio98

03-18-2014, 04:04 PM

The Daily Treat: Shelter Dog Saves Family 2 Weeks After Adoption

Hunter the dog is more than just an adorable face.

Just two weeks after finding a forever home, the husky-mix puppy thanked his adoptive family by rescuing them right back.

The McLarty family, of the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe Woods, say they were awakened around midnight on March 5. Their new 3-month old dog, Hunter, was whining, and so puppy mom Jill McLarty simply thought he needed to go outside.

"She was surprised that Hunter simply sat outside and continued to whine," read a statement from the Michigan Humane Society, according to CBS Detroit.

When Hunter returned to the family bedroom, the dog refused to let up, even as McLarty and her husband tried to sleep. Finally, she got up after the dog was anxiously running in circles.

The pup then led McLarty into the kitchen, where she discovered a gas burner from the stove had been left on – not enough to light it, but enough to emit dangerous fumes, which the family estimated had been escaping for the nearly six hours that passed since they had prepared dinner the night before.

"When she turned the light on, she saw Hunter sitting next to the stove and noticed that one of the gas stove burners was on low, without a flame," the Humane Society said in a statement.

No surprise here: The dog's family was grateful for their furry hero.

"He is the first dog we ever adopted [from the Michigan Humane Society], and I would recommend it to anybody," proud puppy dad Tim McLarty said. "And as cliché as it sounds, the life you save may save yours."

http://img2-2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/pets/news/140324/rescue-dog-600.jpg

Karen

03-18-2014, 04:05 PM

Good boy, Hunter!

kuhio98

03-19-2014, 11:49 AM

Purls of wisdom: A daughter finds relief for grief in knitting

At the end of 2008, the unthinkable happened to C.J. Arabia. Her mother — the healthy one who lived on baked chicken and broccoli and who wouldn’t let her kids use a microwave — was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer and given three months to live.

To ease her through grueling chemotherapy, Arabia’s mother took up knitting. When she passed away at 59, Arabia’s brothers gave her their mother’s leftover yarn to keep, though she had never knitted before. But she absolutely knew that was the yarn’s purpose. “I stared at it in the corner,” she said. “It’s weird how a bag of yarn can give you so many feelings.”

So after several months of waiting to start and when YouTube tutorials didn’t do the trick, she took a local knitting class in Los Angeles and has “kind of been knitting excessively ever since.”

There have been hats, scarves, masks for dogs, mittens — anything that strikes her fancy — and she doesn’t follow patterns when making her artwork. The 44-year-old has documented herself knitting everywhere from the Grand Sumo Tournament in Japan to castles in Europe. Her designs are whimsical (a "Clockwork Orange" ski mask), intricate (multicolored hooded capes) and practical (soft, knitted bookmarks). She has given herself carpal tunnel syndrome from all of the knitting, or maybe it was the purling.

But most of all, she has healed her grieving heart. “For me, knitting is like a meditation. It almost takes me out of my head when I can be sad or stressed or anxious … it helps so much.”

She read somewhere that knitting and meditation light up the same parts of the brain, and though she had always had trouble meditating, she finds that “knitting is a way to just kind of float. You’re floating with the waves, just bobbing up and down. That’s how the stitches are for me. That’s all you can think about.”

Arabia’s family and friends have been the beneficiaries of her habit — “If you know me, you have something knitted from me.”

She gives away almost everything she makes. “People tell me I should sell my stuff — and occasionally I do — but I give the vast majority away,” Arabia said. “For one, nobody wants to pay what a hand-knitted item, made with really good natural fibers, is actually worth.”

Yarn is purchased anywhere from $36 a ball to $60 a ball and up through her travels, though her favorite store is Knitty City on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, which she calls her “Vatican.”

“Going into a yarn store for me is like kids walking into a toy store,” Arabia said, adding, “I smell the yarns, sometimes I smell the sheep or llama or alpaca or hay. The more natural the fiber, it has little bits of dirt and hay. To me, they’re lucky and I leave them in.”

No scrap is wasted — she will use colorful odds and ends to create vibrant designs. And knitting has become so natural that Arabia doesn’t have to see what she’s doing. “I can feel in the dark if I have made a mistake,” she said. “I can go back and fix the mistake without looking.”

She does have a following in certain Hollywood circles. Her boyfriend is film and television actor Mather Zickel (of “Rachel Getting Married” and recently Showtime’s “Masters of Sex.”) A longtime friend is Janeane Garofalo. She has other famous friends, not that she’ll drop any names. “I live in L.A.,” she said, “it’s just my friends happen to be celebrities.”

While Arabia is a Web engineer by day, she has turned knitting into a way to give back and help others. She has knitted with residents at a local nursing home, many of whom speak languages other than English. “What they all spoke was knitting,” she said. “I could help them with their stitches and it didn’t matter what they spoke.”

In addition, she visits area cancer patients and knits for them. “I can’t cure cancer,” she said. “I can’t cure the pain that my mom was going through. But I can make someone who is suffering a hat and talk to them about colors for a day.”

She creates blankets and beds for shelter cats and dogs through SnugglesProject.org. And she’ll teach anyone who wants to learn how to knit — as long as they show up on time.

“People come up to me when I’m knitting in public and ask me about it. They tell me stories of their grandmas who taught them to knit but they haven’t done it since they were a kid but always think of getting back into it.

“I always encourage them to get back into it and tell them how I learned,” she said. “It’s always a good idea to get back into knitting, and it’s never too late.”

But really, Arabia said, her “knititation” has been therapeutic.

“It can be an escape from sadness, anxiety, fear, or just beating yourself up in your own head, or rehearsing and re-rehearsing old conversations and situations,” she said. “These are things my brain does sometimes, and I’m so grateful to my mom and to all the knitters who have come and gone before for passing this down through the generations. It’s such a beautiful craft.”

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kuhio98

03-20-2014, 12:46 PM

California child falling from window saved by stranger, box spring mattress

Los Angeles (CNN) -- It's the stuff you might expect only to see on TV or in movies -- the upbeat kind with happy endings.

Thankfully, that is just what happened in Burbank, California -- the Southern California city that's home to Warner Brothers and Walt Disney studios -- as a toddler fell from three stories up into a stranger's arms and onto a box spring mattress.

"It feels like I watched a TV show, like it didn't happen to me," Konrad Lightner, who identified himself as the man who caught the child and fell with him, told CNN affiliate KABC.

Sunday was moving day for Lightner and wife Jennifer, a typically exhausting if not momentous endeavor.

Until, that is, they spied a youngster hanging out of a third-story window of an apartment building and called 911.

According to Burbank fire Capt. Peter Hendrickson, calls for help came shortly after 5:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. ET), after witnesses saw the child crawling out of the window.

Enter the box spring.

It was placed under the window, and although Hendrickson did not name the Good Samaritans, the Lightners said it was their mattress and Konrad Lightner's arms that came to the rescue.

The toddler fell only to be caught, and together the toddler and the catcher fell onto the box spring.

Jennifer Lightner told KABC that the whole episode "didn't seem real until he was hanging from (a) chord, because there was no way he was going to get back." It was then, she added, that the couple threw down their box spring mattress.

"It (was) now up to Konrad to catch him," Jennifer Lightner added.

That's exactly what Konrad Lightner said he did, putting his arms around the falling child "and lower(ing) him real fast to the box spring."

Photos taken a short time later and posted on MyBurbank.com showed a man -- clad in a T-shirt, shorts and no shoes -- cradling what appeared to be his child on the box spring. Another shows the same man carrying the child, surrounded by toys like Minnie Mouse and SpongeBob SquarePants dolls and as Jennifer Lightner holds the box spring upright.

The youngster appeared to be dressed in footsie pajamas, with no signs of trauma or obvious injuries.

The child was transported to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, said Hendrickson of the Burbank fire department.

Another photo shows a firefighter helping the Lightners carry away their box spring, and one pictures Konrad Lightner being thanked by a firefighter.

Jennifer Lightner described the happening as "very surreal," all the more so considering the couple resumed the mundane task of moving not long after.

"I'm not a hero," her husband told KABC. "I just walked by and just tried to help. Just something happened and were there.

"We were lucky to be there."
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kuhio98

03-21-2014, 12:00 PM

Couple who met in a homeless shelter pay it forward, help others transform lives

Homeless for three years, Ressurrection Graves vividly remembers the week she slept in her car, waiting for beds to become available at a Washington, D.C., homeless shelter. It was the week of Aug. 23, 2011, when a 5.8 earthquake shook the Virginia area and Hurricane Irene battered the East Coast with wind and rain.

“I prayed and was asking God how this could end,” she told TODAY.com. “It was like, 'Make it stop!'"

When beds finally became available at the shelter, Ressurrection checked in. And there she met Deven Graves, the “kind” man with whom she would leave homelessness behind and start an organization that is helping people caught in a cycle of poverty, including more than 75 homeless individuals so far this year.

“I had this guy staring at me,” Ressurrection recalled of her first encounter with Deven. “It felt like he was looking into my soul. It’s certainly not what you’re expecting in the environment I was in.”

In an interview with TODAY's Lester Holt on Saturday, Graves added to the story and said she "certainly did not go to a shelter to look for a man," but the pair had an instant connection that she called "magical."

Deven, a veteran, had a difficult time making the transition from military to civilian life. That and the death of a family member left him feeling “a little bit lost,” Ressurrection said. He was living at the shelter while working construction jobs and looking for something more permanent.

Deven wooed her over a game of chess, and asked if she would edit his resume. As an entrepreneurial-minded mother who owned her own massage business before she fell on hard times, Ressurrection was impressed. But she didn’t want to get serious until they were out of the shelter.

It didn’t take long. After a month, Ressurrection and Deven saved up enough money from their jobs to move out. Their first date was “romantic and affordable,” a picnic at a park near the water.

Five months later, Deven proposed. They decided to hold a wedding ceremony on a day of special significance: the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech.

So on Aug. 28, 2013, two years to the date after Ressurrection and Deven played their first game of chess, the couple exchanged vows on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial as they heard President Obama's voice echoing across the water during his speech at the Lincoln Memorial.

“I felt nothing but peace and joy,” Deven said. “It was a blessing.”

They celebrated the union by giving back to the homeless community. After the ceremony, the wedding party handed out sandwiches to homeless people who frequented two nearby parks. Everyone prayed together, cried together and hugged each other.

“Some of our guests had no idea what we really went through or what our experiences were,” Ressurrection said. “That outreach gave them a way to see inside our experience a little bit.”

The couple's giving didn’t end with sandwiches. They co-founded Glory Soldiers Global, a nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness and poverty. One of their programs provides counseling and, when funds are available, financial resources to help the homeless find a place to live. Another organizes community “housewarming” parties that provide renters with essentials like cooking utensils and bathroom supplies through donations.

They want to give people the means to undergo “a total transformation." And in that spirit, Ressurrection is also a source of emotional support for community members as a mentor for victims of child sexual abuse.

“While I was homeless I realized that there was a correlation between child sexual abuse and adult homelessness,” Ressurrection said. “Both of those things have happened to me in my lifetime, and I didn’t realize how they were interconnected.”

Ressurrection speaks at colleges around the country, and the couple's efforts have been featured in several publications, most recently in FOX5’s pay it forward column. A memoir penned by Ressurrection about her experience will be re-released next month. (It was originally published in 2011.)

On top of all that, Ressurrection has been participating in a common parent ritual: college applications. Her daughter, now 18, has already been accepted to two universities.

Life is stable again — though it took some time for the couple to reach that point. They live in a house together, and Deven has a full-time job that provides for his family. Special financial programs for veterans also have proved helpful, and the couple encourage other veterans to explore such options.

“It was a blessing to have Ressurection come in my life,” Deven said, adding that he's relishing his new role helping others who haven’t overcome homelessness yet.

“People can feel rejected, or they feel a sense that no one cares or understands,” he said. “It’s a wonderful feeling for me to help them see that people really do care and other people have compassion. That’s one thing we need more of in this world, compassion.”
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Karen

03-21-2014, 07:53 PM

What a lovely story, and a fabulous wedding picture to share, too! Too many veterans end up homeless because of what they have been through, and getting back to regular life is a struggle.

kuhio98

03-23-2014, 12:52 PM

Wilmington woman starts college fund for homeless teen

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – A woman from Wilmington is doing all she can to help a teen in need by starting a college fund for a homeless teen from South Carolina.

Kendal Benjamin is a 17-year-old who says homelessness is his reality, but not his label. He lives in a shelter and became homeless after his mother lost her job.

Emily Wetzel saw Kendal's story on our website, and said she was inspired and wanted to help.

"There's so many people that need help and we feel bad and we walk by them, and we don't do anything about it," Wetzel said. "You never know what could happen and you would want someone to do the same for you."

Wetzel started a college fund for Kendal last week. She says she raised almost $500 in the first two hours and is looking to raise a total of $5000 for him.

You can make a donation to the fund at http://www.gofundme.com/7d94go.

kuhio98

03-24-2014, 04:53 PM

High School Wrestler's Touching Gesture After Loss Moves Crowd to Tears

There is always joy in winning, but Minnesota high school wrestler Malik Stewart proved there is sometimes even more glory in graceful defeat.

The sophomore moved many inside St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center to tears last week after he lost a state high school wrestling championship to fellow sophomore Mitchell McKee, yet poignantly embraced his opponent's father, who is battling terminal cancer and given only months to live.

"I got a little teary because I lost the match, and I knew the hard times he was going through. The crowd went wild and I heard a couple people say after I did it – that was pretty classy – but I just did it straight from the heart," Stewart told NBC affiliate KARE in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

The young wrestler knows the pain of losing a father while young all too well: His own father died when he was just 7 of a heart attack.

Stewart's ultimate show of sportsmanship sweetly stunned many who watched it and knew the McKee family's struggle. His inspiring act was particularly appreciated by his opponent.

"It was a big match for him and to be able to hug my dad like that and not be mad and storm off like a lot of kids do," said McKee. "Really respectful."

Already, Stewart's mature display is being touted as a model of sportsmanship by other coaches who watched the heartwarming scene.

"The whole crowd gave a standing ovation, not just for the STMA wrestler and his father, but for Stewart, who understands what true sportsmanship is," T.J. Anderson, an assistant wrestling coach at Minnesota's Dassel-Cokato Middle School, wrote in a letter to Stewart's school district.

"Mr. Stewart is a model wrestler that we can all use in our examples of what a true athlete is."
http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140324/malik-stewart-600.jpg.....http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140324/malik-2.jpg

kuhio98

03-25-2014, 11:01 AM

WCCO Viewers Help ‘Cupid’ The Dog Get Needed Surgery

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A rescued puppy is able to spread the love he’s received thanks to WCCO’s viewers. On Saturday night, we introduced you to a 3-month-old hound named Cupid.

The rescue group Ruff Start took him in, knowing he’d need surgery to fix his deformed front paws. Azure Davis, the rescue group’s founder, couldn’t turn him away and neither could anyone who saw his story.

“It’s just crazy to see how generous people are. We are so thankful,” she said. “As soon as the story aired, $5,000 to $6,000 came in with 48 hours.”

Ruff Start Rescue was hoping to raise $6,000 to cover Cupid’s surgery and therapy costs. University of Minnesota veterinarians will perform surgery to correct his deformed front paws early next week. He’ll have splints then undergo therapy.

As for the hundreds of adoption applications that poured in, Davis said it’ll be at least two months until the rescue reaches back out to homes that may be a good fit.

Nearly $8,000 has been donated to Cupid’s therapy fund. Ruff Start is using the extra money collected to help other rescues that need medical attention.

“It’s been great,” Davis said, of receiving the financial support. “It makes us feel like we can take on dogs like this. That we can help the unfortunate dogs. We want to save them all, but taking them on can put them in a tough financial spot.”

Among them, a 10-month-old Chihuahua named Little Waffles.

He’s suffered seizures since they took him in last December. Medicine hasn’t been successful and blood work suggests he suffers from an autoimmune disorder. Extra tests are needed, but are expensive.

Ruff Start Rescue finds homes for 160-180 dogs and 60-70 cats at any given time. Since it doesn’t have a shelter, all of the pets live at foster homes until a permanent family finds them.

Oke is a pitbull who’s been waiting for a home for the last two years. He’s an energetic and loveable dog, but needs allergy shots, which can be an extra cost that makes it hard to find a home.

Davis said Oke would be best with a family that has older kids and no dogs or female dogs. He’s big, strong and full of energy. Since they don’t have a foster home for him, he’s been living in a boarding house for the time being.

“We’re hoping to get his story out there and find him someone. That perfect family we know has got to be out there, somewhere, looking for him too,” Davis said.

Like the pets they save, big or small, Ruff Start Rescue knows donations at any amount are gifts filled with love.

“$10 here. $10 there. It adds up. Everything adds up,” Davis said with a smile. “That makes us be able to save these little dogs that there’s no way otherwise we could. So thank you.”

Ruff Start Rescue is still accepting donations to help Cupid’s medical fund.

For more information about donations or adoptions, visit the links below:
Cupid’s Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/cupidssecondchance
Cupid’s Fundraising Page http://www.razoo.com/story/Cupid-Making-His-Valentines-Day-A-Great-One-With-More-To-Come?

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kuhio98

03-26-2014, 11:21 AM

Man Donates Kidney To Cop, Then Cop Repays The Kindness

A Minneapolis police officer wants to give back to the man who saved his life.

Carlos Baires Escobar had been on the waiting list for a kidney for two years. In January, 20-year-old Sebastian Rivera saw a Facebook posting detailing Baires Escobar’s story. Rivera then donated a kidney.

And every day now, Baires Escobar shows signs of healing.

“These guys miss me, so it feels good to be back,” he said.

On the job for six weeks after a kidney transplant, the daily routine brings new meaning.

“Slowly, my body has been adjusting to the new organ, and I’m feeling great,” Baires Escobar said.

He found health through a Facebook posting and a 20-year-old unlike any other.

“Without any reservations, he just decided to help somebody who he didn’t know,” Baires Escobar said.

Rivera says he doesn’t regret the decision at all.

Pain and a long recovery didn’t stop him from offering an organ. It was a gift that came with no expectations.

“Helping someone out, just because…it should be a normal thing, you know,” Rivera said.

But a good deed doesn’t go unnoticed, and Rivera needed help of his own.

Winter weather caused him to crash his car right before the organ donation surgery. He’s also been out of work for recovery for weeks, he and can’t afford the thousands needed to fix his car.

“So I decided I should do something about that,” Baires Escobar said.

The Facebook page where the police officer once asked for an organ, now includes a plea to help Rivera.

“I just want to give him something back for something I could never pay for,” Baires Escobar said. “It feels good to help people. It feels good to say, ‘You know what: I’m going to help you.’”

If you’d like to help donate to the fund set up for Rivera, you can donate to any US Bank branch under the Help a Hero fund.

Maya & Inka's mommy

03-27-2014, 05:49 AM

Last week I left my handbag hanging at my shopping cart ....! I only realized it when I got back home and wanted to take something out of it....:eek:
I rushed back to the shop (8 minutes drive), and of course the bag wasn't in the cart anymore..
I went into the shop and told what had happened. The shop owner came to me and said that a lady found my bag, and brought it straight to him!!
Wow, I was so very much relieved!!! I am so thankful to this lady, and I wish I knew who she is.... ; I wish I could thank her for doing what she did!

kuhio98

03-27-2014, 11:24 AM

kuhio98

03-28-2014, 10:38 AM

8-Year-Old Comes To The Rescue For Hungry Classmates, Buys 4,000 Lunches

HOWELL (WWJ)-For kids growing up, there are always issues with bullying and other social problems.

One local 8-year-old is looking to make a difference with your help.

Cayden Taipalus has touched millions around the world after he launched an initiative to help pay for lunches of students from low-income families in Livingston County.

The idea came after Taipalus had a saddening moment during lunchtime one day at Challanger Elementary in Howell.

“I was in lunch one day, in the lunch line getting hot lunch,” Taipalus said. “A kid in front of me didn’t have enough money on their account, so it made me sad.”

Young Cayden wanted them to be like others who get to experience a hot lunch, so that was the day that the 8-year-old’s life changed forever.

He asked his mom if he could earn money to help the kids who couldn’t get a hot lunch, and she suggested that he earn some cash.

“I collected bottles and went to my family, friends and neighbors to get money,” Taipalus said.

After that, he returned to school with $64 in his pocket.

“Cayden came in, handed over the money and said, ‘can you pay off each lunch account,’” One school official said.

The family then helped him set up an account on fundraiser.com, and then the story went viral. So far Cayden has collected $14,000 dollars, and on Monday, Cayden went ahead and paid for 4,000 school lunches.

His mom Amber says Cayden’s always the one to step up in a time of need.

“He’ll go shovel for the neighbors,” Amber said. “He will do whatever he can in the classroom for others.”

Now people everywhere are acknowledging the young man’s good deeds, yet young Cayden is still in shock over the reaction he is getting for paying it forward to classmates.

“I’m just surprised,” Taipalus said. “Because it was small and it turned so big.”

Every student is offered an alternate lunch that includes a sandwich, juice and fruit when they can’t afford the hot lunch options.

Nearly 30 percent of students in Livingston County are enrolled for free- or reduced-priced lunch, a federal program offered to students from low-income families.
http://cbsdetroit.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/cayden-taipalus.jpg?w=620&h=349&crop=1

kuhio98

03-29-2014, 09:54 AM

Dogs saved from Sochi streets arrive in Washington for adoption

Ten loveable mutts rescued from the streets of Sochi, Russia, arrived in the United States for adoption Thursday, the result of an international outcry over the plight of stray dogs in the 2014 Winter Olympics host city, organizers said.

Sochi animal rescue organizations began bringing in dogs from the streets after reports that they were getting rounded up and poisoned circulated around the Games. At the time, American skier Gus Kenworthy, an Olympic silver medalist, made headlines when he pledged to bring four street dogs back to the United States after the Games. Humane Society International worked both on Kenworthy's project and bringing these 10 dogs to the United States.

"These 10 are representative of some of the dogs that have been removed from the streets and are now up for adoption in Sochi," said Kelly O'Meara, director of HSI companion animals and engagement. "They're the sweetest, most interactive, very friendly dogs, very adoptable that just happen to be unfortunate enough to be living on the street."

The group worked with PovoDog Animal Shelter in Sochi and two other organizations to arrange vaccination, documentation and travel for the dogs, who then spent two days in transit.

"These dogs have had a tremendous journey. It's been almost two days of travel for them. They went from Sochi to Moscow, had a long layover in Moscow, and then the flight to Dulles airport today," O'Meara said. "And as you can tell, they have to be pretty chill to handle it like this. And they did. They all did remarkably well."

The dogs will be housed for the time being in the Washington Animal Rescue League facilities in the nation's capital. Bob Ramin, CEO of the animal league, said the next few days are all about comfort for the animals.

"These animals are seeing a lot of new things and experiencing a lot of new things, so they're kind of stressed out," Ramin said. "We want to make sure they know they're in a safe place so we've got our staff working with them one on one."

Each dog will get a medical evaluation. If all goes well, the dogs could be available for adoption within weeks.

"In the next couple of days, we'll start socializing them, taking them out on walks with other dogs, and really just treating them like other dogs so they can have that socialization and feel safe," Ramin said.

Organizers say that they expect a great deal of interest in these dogs because the public outcry before, during and after the Games. More dogs are expected to arrive in the United States for adoption in the coming days.
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kuhio98

03-30-2014, 09:26 AM

Woman with Down Syndrome Fights for Her Freedom – and Wins

Jenny Hatch wasn't trying to be a hero.

She just wanted to live with the family she loved.

But while the 29-year-old woman with Down Syndrome was fighting for the right to make her own decisions about where to live and whom to live with, she also created a path for others with disabilities to follow.

Last August, Hatch won a yearlong court battle in which she challenged her biological parents' right to keep her in a group home, making her a celebrity in the disability world.
Love and Kindness
A court awarded temporary guardianship to Hatch's close friends Jim Talbert, 54, and Kelly Morris, 45, who own the thrift shop where she's worked for the past six years.

"I love them very much," says Hatch, of Hampton, Va. "I know that they love me, too. They make my life very happy."

Sara Gelser, board member of the National Council on Disability, says, "Jenny pushed back and won when her basic rights were threatened."

"The ruling should give youth and adults with disabilities the inspiration to know they are the captains of their lives," Gelser says. "They do not have to accept guardianships, and they can choose the future they want for themselves."

Hatch says she was just following her heart, while Talbert and Morris say she captured theirs.

"Jenny has so much love and kindness around her," says Talbert. "Kelly and I both have a love and fondness for her."

It started in March 2012 when Hatch was injured in a bicycle accident and hospitalized for several days. She had been living with a family friend but the friend was losing her apartment so Hatch had nowhere to go.
Finding a Home
Her parents wanted to put her into a group home (Hatch has a good relationship with her father but not her mother). Morris and Talbert offered to take her in.

"I was so happy when they said, 'You can come and stay with us,' " she says, crying at the memory. "It made me feel so good inside."

She was also looking forward to spending more time with Morris's 15-year-old daughter, Jordan, who has cerebral palsy.

Each night, Hatch would lay out the teen's pajamas and brush her hair.

"I like to help Jordan," she says. "I love her so much."

But after five months, the court put Hatch in a temporary guardianship with her parents. She bounced between four different group homes over the course of the next year.

"We thought she'd be safe there," says Jenny's father, Richard Hatch, 53, who lives in North Carolina (Jenny's mother declined comment).

Since her win last August, she's been happily ensconced in Morris and Talbert's home when she's not traveling the country speaking at conferences about her experience.

Hatch has also formed The Jenny Hatch Justice Project, which advocates for others with disabilities.

"Every day I thank God I am not in the group home," she says. "I am so happy to be home. I don’t want to live anywhere except with Jim and Kelly."
http://img2-2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140317/jenny-hatch-600.jpg

kuhio98

03-31-2014, 10:38 AM

TEACHING SOCCER, FEEDING FAMILIES

Gabriel Whaley, 21 Midland, N.C.

When Gabriel Whaley was 10, his parents struggled to pay for soccer camp, so he borrowed his dad's socks, found discounted gear-and showed such hustle he won the camp's spirit award. That same drive inspired the University of North Carolina senior to help struggling families on and off the field by offering free soccer instruction to kids ages 5 to 15 in exchange for donations of nonperishable canned goods. Since 2006 his Kicking4Hunger program has scored big time.

GABE'S SCOREBOARD

• 16,825 lbs. donated food

• 1,200 kids coached

• 40 Gabe's weekly camp work hours

• 2 Mohawks given to camp directors (when a camp raises more than 2,000 lbs. of food) kicking4hunger.org

Catty1

03-31-2014, 12:56 PM

<header> A Pizza Delivery Guy Was Sure These Were The Rudest Customers. Then The Next Day, THIS Arrived. March 30, 2014 Stories (http://www.viralnova.com/category/stories/)

</header> There are so many occupations and services in this world that people take for granted. Delivery people are just one of them. Remembering to tip the people who deliver your food is important, it directly affects how much they make. So when delivery people get slighted, it’s a big deal.
The other night, this Reddit user (http://www.reddit.com/user/Drewbacca) delivered a pizza. The total was $22.67 and the couple receiving it gave him $23.00 and told him to keep the change. Less than a dollar on nearly a $25.00 bill is an abysmal tip. But then something awesome happened.
They dropped this card off the next day.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/notes.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/notes.jpg)
Drewbacca (http://www.reddit.com/user/Drewbacca)

And although there wasn’t a cupcake inside, there was an equally awesome note.
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/notes2.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/notes2.jpg)
Drewbacca (http://www.reddit.com/user/Drewbacca)

You know the couple who brought this note in the next day wouldn’t have been able to sleep at night, knowing that they didn’t leave a tip. What a wonderful reminder that there are great people out there in the world.
Source: Reddit (http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/21prom/last_night_i_delivered_pizza_to_a_couple_their/)

kuhio98

04-01-2014, 10:14 AM

Boy Receives New Service Dog Thanks To Community Help

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) Its been 1 year since Shawnee Heights Elementary student, 11-year-old Alex White's service dog, "Hope", was hit by a car and killed.

"I'm still wishing it never happened. I'm still having a few flashbacks sometimes. Its still been hard to not have a dog helping me," says Alex.

"There are times he wanted to be dead just with Hope because he felt so bad about it," said Alex's mother, Mari White.

Alex has hereditary spastic paraplegia, an inherited disease that causes progressive weakness to his lower limbs. Last year, Alex's classmate, Saige Halseth, started a fundraising campaign for Alex to get a new service dog. With the community's help, she raised $33,000.

"We are so thankful to the community," says Mari.

"He's just my friend and I wanted to help him because I know he would need it for the future," said Saige back in March 2013.

After one long year of looking for a dog with a personality that meshes with Alex, the Kansas Specialty Dog Service introduced Alex to his new service dog, Redondo.

"So far, he is really helpful. I have someone who can help me when I need it," says Alex, smiling.

"And they have really hit it off! It is a great personality match," says Mari.

"I was shocked to see how well they match. They just go together so well. We're pretty ecstatic," says Alex's father, Ray White.

From here on out, Alex looks forward to laughs and smiles with his new best friend.

"So we can have happy times now. He is pretty much apart of the family," Alex laughs as he pets Redondo.

Alex will bring Redondo to school Monday for the first time.

The White family has used the money raised towards starting a "Hope Scholarship Fund" to help other children battling hereditary spastic paraplegia with their expenses for specialty dogs.

http://media.graytvinc.com/images/alex+and+saige.jpg......http://media.graytvinc.com/images/23+march+alex+and+rodondo.jpg

kuhio98

04-01-2014, 07:37 PM

The Animal Rescue League of Berks County in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania has had dozens of kids in attendance each week to read to adoptable cats. It's a great way for the kids to improve their reading skills while providing comfort to cats awaiting a loving home.

The Reading Buddies Program has been a big success for both the kids and cats. The children find the cats non-threatening and a supportive audience, while the cats enjoy human interaction and the rhythmic, soothing sound of a child's voice.

The program has strengthened the bond the shelter has with the community and introduced new families to the shelter. This has lead to many more adoptions.

Not only do the kids love it, but it gives the cats socialization and play time they love, and increases their chances for adoption.

Well done ARL of Berks County - and all the kids in the Reading Buddies Program!
http://ctg.greatergood.net/clickToGive/images/takeaction/campaigns/FK_ShoutOut-CatReadingProgram_250.jpg?cb=1396381564727

phesina

04-01-2014, 09:06 PM

What a great idea, and what a great program! That's wonderful.

Well done, Animal Rescue League of Berks County!

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

kuhio98

04-02-2014, 12:05 PM

What a great idea, and what a great program! That's wonderful.

Well done, Animal Rescue League of Berks County!

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

I saw an article a few years ago where a grade-school teacher was bringing her dog to class. The kids that were struggling with their reading, would sit in the corner and read to the dog. She noticed that the kids improved rapidly because they didn't feel inhibited because no one else was listening and correcting them. They were nervous reading in front of people but didn't feel judged or "wrong" reading to the dog. :)

kuhio98

04-02-2014, 12:07 PM

Video: 84-Year-Old Woman Who Waves to Students Every Day Gets Sweet Surprise

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Tinney Davidson has a simple morning routine: smile and wave.

For the past seven years, the 84-year-old has sat beside the window of her home in Comox, British Columbia, to enthusiastically greet the Highland Secondary School students who walk by, reports Comox Valley Record. Davidson's pleasant hellos have become a daily highlight for many of these high schoolers, so the students decided it was time to give back.

On Valentine's Day, the school welcomed Davidson to a surprise assembly celebrating her kind spirit. The guest of honor was brought into a gym packed with smiling students, who gave Davidson handmade cards and plenty of hugs as a thank-you for the smiles she has spread over the years.

The students also recognized Davidson's charitable work. After her granddaughter was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, Davidson began knitting hats and selling them to people who passed by her home. All the profits from her handiwork go to St. Joseph's General Hospital, the same hospital that helped Davidson's granddaughter beat her battle with cancer.

Davidson, who sees her waving tradition as a treat in itself, was moved to tears by Highland's act of gratitude, telling the Comox Valley Record: "I’m overwhelmed, happy and grateful. My happiness is having children wave at me."

Karen

04-02-2014, 01:07 PM

I saw an article a few years ago where a grade-school teacher was bringing her dog to class. The kids that were struggling with their reading, would sit in the corner and read to the dog. She noticed that the kids improved rapidly because they didn't feel inhibited because no one else was listening and correcting them. They were nervous reading in front of people but didn't feel judged or "wrong" reading to the dog. :)

Three little dachshunds at my church, one who has her own wheels because of a back injury - are reading assistance dogs at local libraries here. They are all very sweet, and love laps!

kuhio98

04-03-2014, 10:24 AM

Charitable Waitress Surprised on April Fools' Day with 'Best Shift Ever'

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Chelsea Roff raised her little sister on her own, struggled to overcome an eating disorder that led to a stroke and an 18-month hospitalization, but later went on to fund a non-profit yoga program, Eat, Breathe, Thrive, to help others deal with similar afflictions.

And on April Fools' Day, Roff, a Venice, Calif., waitress, received the ultimate feel-good prank to honor her good work and positive spirit, described by one admirer as "rising from a pit to the top," ABC News reports.

With hidden video recording an unusual day on the job slinging ribs at Los Angeles's Spring Street Smokehouse, an incredulous Roff, 23, had the "best shift ever." She received a $1,000 tip, a Hawaiian vacation, a new car and a dream job teaching therapeutic yoga at a treatment center.

The gifts were all handed out one by one from customers as Roff listened in amazement.

She was nominated for the "prank it forward" day by her boss, restaurant owner Chris Patterson, through the viral feel-good campaign from the website break.com. He noticed Roth's work ethic and dedication to get ahead and help others.

"Believe me, Chelsea deserves a vacation," Patterson said on the video, where he and others at the restaurant along with Roff's friends are all in on the special day. They noted that she had earned it.

"The work she is doing now is actually impacting and saving lives. How would I not want to be a part of that?" said longtime friend Diana Roehl, who had helped Roff through her eating disorder and who emerged from the new Nissan car as Roth screamed and cried.

"No one has ever just given me things that I don't have to work for," Roff said. "I was just so shocked. In life, you work for things, that's how you get things."

Roff says she wants to continue her charitable work to help people recovering from eating disorders. "I love working at the restaurant and waitressing and being around people, but I want to teach yoga full-time through my foundation," Roff told Good Morning America. "That's my goal."

kuhio98

04-04-2014, 10:18 AM

Dillie the Deer: Love on Tiny Hooves

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kuhio98

04-05-2014, 10:07 AM

Gardeners to the Rescue
Out of gas in a remote setting, she wondered who she could turn to for help.

By Mary Gojkovich, Westport, Connecticut

Time was always tight in the morning when I got my fourth grader, Katie, ready for school. Today she had to be there early, so our schedule was even tighter. We had to leave at 6:00 a.m. if we wanted to get from New Canaan, Connecticut, to Katie’s school in Greenwich on time.

“I just hope we don’t hit traffic,” I told Katie as we left the house.

I looked at my watch as we approached the highway. We were cutting it close. “Better take the back roads,” I said, driving past the entrance. I glanced at the gas gauge: It was low, but I was certain I had enough to get us to school and I certainly didn’t have time to stop at a gas station.

I’d been driving for about 25 minutes when the car slowed down–and then stopped. “What’s happening?” asked Katie.

“We ran out of gas. Wait here.” I opened my door and got out. There wasn’t a car in sight. So much for being early, I thought. And then a truck came along.

“Hop in and I’ll take you to a gas station,” the driver offered. He seemed nice enough, but I couldn’t get in a car with a stranger. Especially not with Katie. Ten more minutes passed. Lord, I’m in a real jam!

Another truck came along, full of landscaping equipment. This one had two men in it. “How can we help?” the driver asked. I explained our situation. “We’ll get gas for you at the station up the road and come right back,” he said. When they returned they filled my tank.

“What do I owe you?” I asked.

“Nothing,” said the driver. “It’s our pleasure.” It was then that I noticed the company logo on his shirt: Gardening Angels. Katie got to school early–thanks to some gardeners who arrived right on time.

kuhio98

04-06-2014, 10:53 AM

More than 100 Eighth-Graders Join Forces to Build Their California School a Library

This article was originally published by NationSwell, a website dedicated to sharing the stories of innovative Americans who are working to effect social change and move the country forward.

Don’t tell the eighth-graders at Realm Charter School in Berkeley, Calif., that they can’t do something. They’ll end up proving you wrong.

As part of an in-school design and building class called Studio H, this gang of 108 13-year-olds is creating a library for their three-year-old school. X-Space, as the students are calling it, is a project that grew from a question their teacher Ms. Nini (Hallie Chen) posed to them: What do you want from your school?

"One of the students said they want to find their inner self. One said they want to understand how microphones work," Chen said in the project’s Kickstarter video. "Overwhelmingly, they all wanted a place to read, relax, focus, learn and explore." And where's a better place to do that than in a library?

The class got together to conceptualize and design every part of the X-Space – from bookmarks to book bags to stamps and, of course, bookshelves. That's where their concept took on a life of its own. The students, inspired by the algebraic concept of solving for X as an unknown, designed what they call STAX, a shelving system made from stacked, wooden X's.

The students' plan is not just to build an extensive shelving system out of these X's – which are crafted from 13-ply finished plywood using CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) technology, which was borrowed from Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk, whose factory is nearby – but to use these same materials for tables, benches and stools, as well. The students estimate that they'll need about 250 to 275 STAX for their design, and are raising money to help fund the project. They're even offering STAX as rewards.

For these students, X can be anything. "We designed this thing that not only solves something for us, but can be good for other people, too," Valeria, a Studio H student, said.

Studio H was first launched in rural Bertie County, N.C. In this class, students apply what they've learned in their core subjects to design and build "socially transformative" projects. Previously, Studio H students have built a farmers market pavilion, a pop-up park, laser-etched skateboards and more. In the program, the students learn how to shape their environment. They see their ideas come to fruition. And most important, they can design and build something special for other kids to enjoy.

The first semester was just skill building," Emily Pilloton, who founded Studio H, told Fast Co.Exist about Realm Charter School’s project. "Then we asked them, OK, now let's look around us at our school community and let's ask what do we need, but also what do we want? What are the things that we feel passionate about and we can physically build?"

They wanted a place to explore. "I thought that was really a poignant way to put it," Pilloton said. "A library is not just a room filled with books."
http://img2-2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/sandbox/news/140317/library-1-600x450.jpg

cassiesmom

04-07-2014, 06:36 PM

Winners Of $4 Million Lotto Prize To Make Donations Benefiting Pets

(CBS) – A pair of pals say their pets are going to be the first winners as they cash in a $4 million willing instant lottery ticket.

WBBM’s John Cody reports Marta Paciorek and her friend Anna Hassan have been buying over a hundred dollars’ worth of tickets a week for months now and now they’ve scratched off a winner which they’re taking in a lump sum up front.

“It is a 2.4 [million dollars] cash option and then if you split it into two then it is 1.2 [million dollars] and then after that it is a couple hundred thousand, so it really didn’t make any sense for us to take it over 20 years,” said Paciorek.

Paciorek, originally from Poland, says she plans to share the funds with her family and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“Animals are lovable creatures that deserve to be treated as members of the family, just like Tabby, my 10-year old Labrador Retriever,” she said in the statement. “I’m happy this lottery win will allow me to donate to an animal rights charity.”

The store will receive a $40,000 bonus, 1 percent of the prize amount, for selling the winning ticket.

phesina

04-07-2014, 07:48 PM

That's wonderful!!! :love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

kuhio98

04-09-2014, 11:11 AM

10 News helps Bill Adams find his 'mystery Angel' on Facebook

Clearwater, Florida - A Clearwater man says he's alive, thanks to a complete stranger.

Last June, Bill Adams was up on a ladder cleaning out his gutters when all of a sudden:

"I fell backwards and hit my head."

Bill's heart had stopped beating.

"I had what is called 'sudden death syndrome," he explains.

Bill awoke hours later in a hospital bed, not knowing what exactly happened. His wife had seen the fall, but froze up. Then a stranger appeared, who started to perform CPR until paramedics arrived. As soon as they did, the Good Samaritan left.

She gave my wife a hug and said, 'Everything will be all right,' and that's all we saw of her," says Bill.

For six months, Bill searched for this woman, but no luck. So on Wednesday, we took part in the search and thanks to social media, an Angel really was looking over Bill.

Her name is Angelique Tyson, but goes by the name Angel for short. Angel happens to be a 10 News viewer and saw that we were searching for her on Facebook.

Bill and Angel spoke over the phone for the first time on Wednesday afternoon.

"I'm so thankful that you were there," Bill told Angel.

Bill says it's a miracle that we found her, but the real miracle is that Angel found Bill.

kuhio98

04-10-2014, 04:28 PM

Good Samaritans, Airmen Save Family From Burning SUV In NH

SHERBORN (CBS) – David Sullivan, a Sherborn father, humbly thanked the man who saved his family’s life. “It’s only by the grace of God you guys were there it’s totally a miracle. I just want to thank you and whoever else was with you on that afternoon,” Sullivan said speaking with Chris Cronen on the phone. “It was a big teamwork effort,” Chris responds.

Chris says he was on his way home from a ski trip when he came upon a horrifying scene. A car tipped over on a New Hampshire highway. Chris says trapped inside was David Sullivan with his three kids along with three of their friends.

Chris who is a certified tactical medic for the federal government says he immediately jumped out of his car to help. When he looked inside he saw two boys stuck inside. “Crying and screaming it was pretty tough. I immediately yelled for help and here comes three Air Force guys running toward the scene,” Cronen said.

With the help of the Air Force men and two other good Samaritans they were able to get everyone out safely. “It’s just a miracle he came to after he pulled him out of the vehicle,” Cronen said.

David is recovering at home. “I got a concussion and shattered vertebrae, neck brace. Tell you what the kids are fine,” Sullivan said.

The accident remains under investigation, David says he wants to thank everyone in person who was involved in the rescue. “I am glad I was there able to help and even more glad that the civilians and Air Force guys were there to assist to help get boys out and you out,” Cronen said.

kuhio98

04-15-2014, 10:13 PM

Man Wearing Superman Hoodie Rescues Baby from Burning Building

Move over, Man of Steel. There's a new superhero on the loose – and he's even a fan of your wardrobe.

Dallas resident Tori Phillips caught a baby dropped from a burning Dallas apartment complex Monday while coincidentally wearing a Superman hoodie, reports NBC 5 in Dallas/Fort Worth.

Phillips, who lost his own apartment in the four-alarm blaze, assisted a family trapped inside an upper floor frantically trying to escape with their baby.

"I [saw] this family on a patio trying to jump down and they had the baby, they did not want the baby to let go, and I came in and said, 'I'm right here, I can catch the baby.' And I was there for the right catch," he said, adding that another Good Samaritan helped the parents to safety.

When asked how it felt to return the baby to its parents on solid ground, Phillips replied with characteristic superhero modesty.

"It felt real good," he said. "They made me very humbled and made me cherish my little ones."

The experience also seemed to put Phillips's own apartment loss into perspective.

"I know little ones are more important than material things," he added.
http://img2-3.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140428/tori-phillips-600.jpg

mon

04-16-2014, 01:45 PM

Just wanted to give a shout out to all Pet Talkers out there. With all the sad and horrible stuff that happens in the world and on the news it is SO nice to take a break and just check in and hear about peeps that simply love their pets and wanna share them with other folks. So, thanks people!!!!;) High fives!

kuhio98

04-17-2014, 09:06 PM

Police officer stops to save life of distraught dog

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – She knew she had to stop. She knew she had to pay it forward.

Richmond Police officer Karen Spencer-Boyles is a dog lover, so when she spotted two dogs in the middle of Jeff Davis Highway Tuesday morning, she simply could not drive off.

One of the dogs was dead. It was hit by a car.

The other dog was scared and whimpering, refusing to leave its friend’s side.

A women who works nearby spotted Officer Spencer-Boyles and stopped to take a photo of what she called the officer’s act of kindness.

“A Richmond city police woman stopped because a dog was hit and his friend was beside him barking,” Michelle C. said. “She stopped and got him out of the road and soothed him.”

Carrington said the officer’s actions likely saved the dog’s life.

“For her to stop and take a moment of her time to show just a little compassion to an animal that obviously just lost his best friend goes to show us – there are some people out there that really do care,” Michelle said.

Officer Spencer-Boyles said she too could tell the dog was scared and she also feared it would get hit by a car if she did not act fast.

“You could just tell he was scared,” Spencer-Boyles said. “He just looked helpless. It’s kind of like if you had a friend and your friend had been hurt. He just stood by his friend.”

Thirteen years ago, while in the police academy, Spencer-Boyles got an English Cocker Spaniel named Tex. In 2009 her dog ran out into the road and was hit by a car.

A stranger saw what happened, stopped and helped to save the Spencer-Boyles’ pet.

Today the Richmond Police Officer paid it forward.

The surviving dog, who is being called Giusseppe, was collected by Richmond Animal Control and is at their office on Chamberlayne Ave. Animal Control believes Giusseppe has an owner because he is neutered and had a flea collar on.

The Animal Shelter said if the owner does not come to get Giusseppe within 10 days, he will be put up for adoption. You can contact them at (804) 646-5573.

Officer Spencer-Boyles urged pet owners to get their pets spayed or neutered.

“We see so many animals that are just roaming the streets, don’t have any families and don’t have anybody to take care of them,” she said.
http://localtvwtvr.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/rpd-dog-02.jpg?w=975

kuhio98

04-20-2014, 04:01 PM

Ana Jimenez-Hami Brings the Arts to Low-Income Kids

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Ana Jimenez-Hami's father, Freddy, never let her forget about the importance of helping those who weren't as fortunate as she.

"He'd always say, 'You have to learn to give back to others in need,' " recalls Jimenez-Hami, 52, who now lives in Irvine, Calif.

Two decades ago, when her father, mother and 13 others were murdered by gunmen during a robbery at Freddy's jewelry store, Jimenez-Hami's life was turned upside down.

Searching for some way to make sense of her devastating loss, she thought back to her father's words and they inspired her to create the Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center, which uses the arts – be it painting, music or dance – to transform the lives of low-income children in crime-ravaged Santa Ana, Calif.

"When he died, his words about 'giving back to others' were the very first thing that came to my mind," she says. And she put the words into action: The organization she founded in 2000 has touched the lives of more than 15,000 children – often at no charge to their parents.

Martha Rivera was one of those struggling who found her way to Jimenez-Hami's center.

Rivera, who came from a troubled, impoverished family, wanted to learn to play piano, but staff members quickly discovered she was a natural musician, capable of playing numerous instruments.

"I want to cry when I tell her story," recalls Jimenez-Hami. "She was on the verge of becoming just another statistic – either ending up in a gang or getting pregnant."

With the help of music instructors – and academic tutors – Rivera, now 23, went from a D student to graduating as valedictorian of her high school. Recently, she earned a master's degree in psychology from Harvard.

"Dr. Ana's dedication to her community is second to none," says Rivera, who now manages the center's after-school arts programs.

"I am where I am today because of her guidance," she says. "She instilled in me the belief that education is the most important thing in my life."

Besides focusing on the arts, the center – with its 45 part-time instructors and five full-time administrators – has branched out into other programs that include job training and family wellness classes for stressed-out parents of disabled children, many of whom are students at the center.

"Studies have shown that they have a much higher rate of falling into depression," says Jimenez-Hami, who has a doctorate in educational psychology.

The arts, she insists, is much more than just teaching kids how to paint pretty pictures and strum the guitar.

"Unfortunately, we live in a society that doesn't value arts as much as sports," she says. "But the arts are food for the soul. They help make creative minds, and that's exactly what we need – creative minds – to make a better society."

Freddy would be proud.
http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140414/dr-ana-600x450.jpg

kuhio98

04-21-2014, 10:20 AM

Bruno the Police Dog Recovering After Being Shot In the Face

A police dog named Bruno is recovering after being shot during a parole check in Anaheim, Calif.

The 7-year-old German Shepherd had emergency surgery to remove a bullet from his lung and repair his jaw after a man began shooting at police officers on March 20. Bruno was injured after guiding officers to where Robert Moreno Jr., a known gang member, was hiding.

"The dog alerted that the suspect was hiding behind a trash can. As they went up, the suspect stood up and started shooting at the direction of the officers and purposely aimed at the dog, shooting the dog," Anaheim Police Lt. Tim Schmidt told CBS Los Angeles.

Bruno was shot in the jaw and the bullet exited his mouth and lodged in his chest, less than an inch from his heart.

"[He was shot] point blank, it was a horrific thing to have to watch. My entire world came tumbling down in the matter of a second," Bruno's partner, officer RJ Young, told ABC News. Bleeding profusely, the 6-year K9 veteran barely whimpered and returned to his partner's side. "He never made a sound."

A police escort cleared roads to rush the injured dog to an animal hospital where surgeons worked for three hours to remove part of his damaged lung and repaired his shattered jaw.

"He's doing extremely well for all he's been through," veterinarian Dr. Steve Dunbar told CBS. Bruno, who's expected to recover, will have to wear a cast around his jaw for the next two months and was on a feeding tube, but on Sunday he ate unassisted for the first time and also went on a short walk.

Officers have praised Bruno for saving their lives after he sniffed out the 21-year-old suspect, who was killed at the scene. "If Bruno weren't there, there's not a doubt in my mind that someone would have gotten hurt," Young said.

Bruno underwent a second surgery on his jaw and lung Friday at Yorba Regional Animal Hospital, during which surgeons removed his breathing tube and reattached the bottom portion of his tongue.

"The surgery went really well. Removing the tube from the lung was a big step forward," said Young, who's called the bond between him and Bruno "unexplainable." "I know we have more surgeries ahead of us to reconstruct the jaw, but today was a good day for us. I just want him to heal so I can bring home."

The Friends of the Anaheim Police K-9 Association is collecting donations to cover Bruno's medical care through their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/AnaheimK9friends
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Catty1

04-22-2014, 11:16 AM

Mom is the "good guy" here. :)

“Ugly.” That is one word that an Internet troll used to describe a picture of a blogger’s special little boy. It’s also what caused an inspirational backlash that was absolutely perfect. This was the mother’s (http://instagram.com/maemennes) reply to the comment of “Ugly” that some stranger left on a photo of her baby boy with Down Syndrome:
Dear @JusesCrustHD,
Since I started blogging about my son Quinn and his disability, I knew this day would come. There’s no shortage of trolls on the Internet who hide behind the anonymity of a screen name with the intent to be cruel, and I’ve seen their hostility many times before. In fact, in the wake of a recent robbery at the Down Syndrome Association of Houston’s headquarters, in which $10,000 worth of technology was stolen, there was no shortage of ignorant comments on the news story reporting the incident. One user asked, “how will they learn to count to potato?” Another claimed that wasting computers on “retards” was stupid anyway and that the organization deserved to be robbed. These comments, while offensive, simply serve to showcase people’s hate-fueled ignorance and aren’t worth my time. I grimace when I read them, but realize there’s little to be done about such stupidity. But last Saturday, you targeted my son personally and instead of being angry, I’d like to give you some advice: Don’t be a d*ck. It will come back to haunt you.
I don’t want to make assumptions about you, but I can only guess that you know little about the helplessness that parents feel when caring for a sick infant with respiratory issues. Quinn was sick last week, but was feeling much better by Friday. We decided to sit in the backyard and soak up the sun after school. There aren’t many things in this world more beautiful than seeing your recently-ill child light up in a smile, and I snapped a few photos to celebrate his recovery, then posted them on Instagram with the hashtag “#downsyndrome.” I love to look through those photos myself in my spare time, because damn if those kiddos aren’t adorable. Of course, you feel differently because you, JusesCrustHD, found this photo and left a comment with one simple word:
Ugly.
“The fact that you find my child ugly is one thing. You are entitled to your opinion.”
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/called-ugly1.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/called-ugly1.jpg)
maemennes (http://instagram.com/maemennes)

“But the fact that you intentionally search #downsyndrome to find pictures to insult (sadly, Quinn is not the only victim of your behavior; I came across many other inflammatory responses) is both childish and sad.”
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ugly.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ugly.jpg)
maemennes (http://instagram.com/maemennes)

“Your profile is also full of offensive posts and crude statements.”
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ugly2.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ugly2.jpg)
maemennes (http://instagram.com/maemennes)

“In one such photo, featuring two kids with Down syndrome and the word “wiitard,” you get bent out of shape because many, MANY people called you on your prejudice.”
http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ugly3.jpg (http://cdn.viralnova.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ugly3.jpg)
maemennes (http://instagram.com/maemennes)

You claim it was a joke and that people should lighten up. But what about purposefully seeking out pictures of our children? What about the fact that a beautiful photograph of my son was tarnished by your hatred? That’s not a joke. That’s cyberbullying. Needless to say, I reported your profile.
This will not be the last time someone discounts my son because he is different. It will not be the last time someone makes a joke at his expense, but to actively seek out actual people to tease goes beyond cruel. It’s inhuman.
I recognize that you want to see me get worked up about your little “joke.” I’ll be honest; it’s hard not to be angry about it, but I can’t allow myself to carry that weight on my shoulders. I can’t allow myself to feel anything but sorry for an individual with so little tact. Because in end, you will be the one to face the consequences of your choices someday. There are few people in this world who tolerate that kind of backwards thinking, and you’ll eventually mouth off to the wrong person. My guess is that you already have, which is why you hide behind a screen name.
God knows there were plenty of cruel adolescent boys in my time: boys who took pleasure in pranks and jokes at others’ expense. There were even a few of them that were directed at me, but it gave me tough skin and I grew from the experience of facing such mistreatment. Maybe that’s why I’m willing to let this one go; I know where most of those boys ended up, and it’s nowhere I’d want to be. And as a teacher, I’ve seen kids like you crash and burn. Go outside. Read a book. Compliment someone. Most importantly, enlighten yourself; there’s already enough cruelty in this world, and anyone worth their salt should be striving to make this place better, not worse.
I simply hope my own children learn to look past ignorant comments and actions and treat others with respect and dignity. We all deserve it, even you.
Sincerely,
A Proud Mama

Read more at http://www.viralnova.com/troll-calls-boy-ugly/#oYE3FyR8mB0cdeW4.99

momcat

04-22-2014, 08:16 PM

Good for you, Mom!!! A perfect response! Your little Quinn is absolutely adorable and I'm sure he's as sweet as he looks. I wish him only the best things life has to offer, he deserves nothing less.
I was a child support & paternity specialist for 31 years and at one time covered consent conferences in Family Court to establish paternity. One hearing involved the legal establishment of paternity for a beautiful baby girl with Downs Syndrome. When asked, the guy denied the baby was his; when asked why he thought he wasn't the father this creep glared at the sleeping baby and said with a tinge of disgust, "I couldn't make something like that." The hearing officer & I sent the case straight to the judge. And Judge Callahan was not at all kind to him - the Judge literally went up one side of him and down the other. Don't know if this guy actually had an attitude adjustment when the Judge was done with him.

kuhio98

04-23-2014, 08:53 PM

Man leaves $1,000 tip for dog's surgery

Good people, not to mention good tippers, do exist. Christina Summitt knows that for sure now after what happened Saturday night.

The paw-print tattoo on Summitt's wrist often leads to conversations with strangers about her love of animals; she's a volunteer with a pit bull rescue group and spends lots of time finding homes for animals of all kinds.

While tending bar at the Holiday Inn in Clinton, New Jersey, Summitt got to chatting with a friendly couple before the night got busy. The man asked her if she had dogs of her own; she confided that her "baby," a Great Dane-black Labrador mix named Tucker, was at the veterinary hospital after having emergency surgery hours earlier after he swallowed a hard plastic ball. She was worried about him.

The man said something about surgery being expensive. She confided the estimate was around $2,700, but she would do whatever she had to do for the dog, whom she adopted in 2011. Summitt, 37, works three jobs -- full-time as a chef at the hotel, Saturdays as a bartender, and as a food prep worker two days a week at a deli in her town. Her husband works full-time and Summitt has three stepchildren.

The couple ordered drinks and dinner at the bar. When it was time to close out their $80 tab, the man filled out the receipt with a tip -- for $1,000.

Summitt said she started shaking and crying. She showed the bill to her sister, who tends bar with her, to make sure she was seeing three zeros after the 1.

"I went back over and said 'Sir, I cannot accept this, what is this for, why would you do this?'" she said. He told her to put it toward Tucker's medical costs.

"I just stood there in shock. I walked around and hugged this couple. They said, 'We'll be praying for Tucker.'"

Hotel manager Michelle Satanik told CNN she followed up with her comptroller and also tracked down the customer this week to verify that the gesture was legitimate. CNN has attempted to contact the generous tipper through Summitt, who kept his name anonymous for his privacy.

"Apparently this man does this quite frequently. Just a really nice guy and humanitarian," Satanik said. "I have never ever seen a $1,000 tip like that."

Summitt shared the story on Facebook and CNN iReport with a photo of the credit card slip and a picture of Tucker being held by her 16-year-old stepson before they left the dog at the hospital for surgery. A Facebook page she follows called "Why Bartenders and Servers Hate People" reposted the story on Easter Sunday with this caption: "This is a place for us to vent but every so often, especially on holidays, we have to be thankful for the amazing customers that are out there."

Summitt says she's since gotten messages of support from all over the world.

"I would also love nothing more than to publicly thank this couple in front of the world. I've never seen a random act give so many people so much hope," she wrote.

Tucker is recovering at home.
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kuhio98

04-25-2014, 10:36 AM

Woman Returns Locket Containing Dead Sister’s Remains

SACRAMENTO-

A woman who lost her sister to the flu virus in January, lost a memento of her sibling recently, devastating her all over again.

Bianca’s sister, Andrea Godina, was staying in South Korea when she got the flu, and died from the virus in January.

Since then, Bianca has worn a silver locket, containing some of her sister’s remains.

She lost the necklace in the parking lot of a Sacramento Jamba Juice.

A stranger found it, realized it probably had significance to someone, and posted a picture of it on Facebook.

The photo and plea was re-shared and spread on social media, even getting a mention on the FOX40 morning news.

After the broadcast Wednesday, calls came pouring in about whom the necklace may belong to.

Later that night, FOX40 was there as the necklace was returned to the sister.

Bianca was moved to tears as she placed the locket back on.

mon

04-25-2014, 11:11 AM

He is a perfect little boy. Don't listen to anyone who says different.

kuhio98

04-26-2014, 11:27 AM

Puppy rescuer takes dogs on 4,200-mile odyssey to loving arms

he crowd shuffles from foot to foot, heads down, counting the minutes before they have to say goodbye.

“I love you buddy,” a man whispers, cradling a small bundle of fur. “Have a good trip.” In a large gathering, he stands alone with his thoughts.

This is a familiar scene in Lafayette, La. Every other week, people bring abandoned pets they have rescued to a parking lot and wait for a truck that will take the dogs not just to a better life, but to life itself.

Susan Willard points to a puff of exhaust: “The dog savior.” A rumble from the distance is punctuated by the drumbeat of thumping tails.

A huge tractor trailer belches to a stop. Out pops a small man with a big smile. “Hi, everyone! You excited?”

“Yeah!” the crowd choruses.

He grins, “I’m Greg.”

Twice a month, Greg Mahle hugs his wife and son goodbye and leaves his home in Zanesville, Ohio. He drives to Houston; Lafayette, La.; Birmingham, Ala.; Altoona, Pa., and north to New England before returning home, a 4,200-mile trip. All along the way he picks up strays once destined to die.

In Birmingham he is greeted by a voice so Southern, it could cook grits. “Black Jack is going to New York,” a woman laughs, holding up the pet she saved. “He’s going to be a Yankee!”

Mahle takes the pup into his arms and nuzzles him. “All right, Black Jack! You ready for a ride? It’s going to be fun.”

This remarkable odyssey links volunteers who rescue unwanted dogs with families who offer loving homes. "Who are you waiting for?” Mahle asks a tearful couple in New England.

“Daisy.”

“Here she is. Right into your arms. Thank you for saving a life."

Mahle is as constant as the need. He's made this trip every other week for nearly a decade. That's more than a million miles. Imagine driving around the world 42 times.

Some nights, you can see those miles on his face. "It's OK,” Mahle mumbles wearily. “It's all good.”

To succeed, he has to count on more than his fingers. An army of volunteers show up at each stop to help walk and feed 74 dogs. Susan Willard sighs and says, “He is a doggie savior. That’s why we come.”

Mahle charges so little for his service, it barely pays the bills. Some weeks it doesn't. But he likes the world he’s created: “I'm happy in it.”

It's a world where a chocolate-colored dog named Nigel can keep a single mom and her 5-year-old daughter close even while Christine Davies was deployed with the National Guard in Kuwait.

Christine and her daughter, Lylia, fell in love with Nigel's face online. It gave Lylia something to talk about besides her absent mom.

"We'd talk about how excited we were,” Davies says, “all the things we were gonna buy for him. All the places we were gonna take him."

Nigel is part pit bull, part black Lab. Out of all the dogs in the world, why pick him?

Lylia touches her face. “He’s got brown eyes just like mine.” Then she strokes her hair: “Same color, too.”

Mahle saves thousands of dogs, but every year, backyard breeders produce millions more than they can sell. Most are abandoned. Some shelters in the South are so swamped with strays, nine out of 10 of those dogs are killed — to make room for more.

That’s what keeps the puppy rescuer on his endless road. Mahle doesn't just haul dogs to loving homes; he lives with them along the way. Throughout the trip he sleeps on a small mattress in the trailer, cuddling the little ones to keep them calm.

Before the dogs greet their new families, "I'm going to make sure they're happy,” Mahle says. “I'm going to make sure they're bouncy. I'm going to make sure they're clean.”

That's a lesson he learned running a restaurant, in another life. "When the dog comes out of the truck,” he says, “I want it to be just like a plate coming to your table." A feast of happiness.

Back home, Mahle's wife, Adellia, admits: “It's hard, you know. Single mom status every week!" But she was once a waitress in his restaurant and knows what it takes to deliver smiles.

When Mahle pulls into Putnam, Conn., after five days on the road, he takes Lylia Davies by the hand. They peer into his darkened trailer. “Nigel’s wagging his tail for you."

Lylia begins to hop. “Nigel! Nigel!" she squeals.

Mahle disappears into the darkness and emerges with the dog in his arms, stopping to whisper in Nigel’s ear: "This is forever after, man. Let's do it!"

The dog bounds into Lylia’s waiting arms. Licks her face.

"He loves me,” Lylia cries. “He loves me!" Her mom, who has had more than her share of sadness recently, dabs at a tear of joy.

"Lylia’s going to remember Nigel when she's 80,” Mahle says. “She won't remember me; she won't remember all this. But she will remember Nigel. And Nigel will have taught her something."

To surrender a dream leaves life as it is — and not as it could be.

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kuhio98

04-27-2014, 10:02 AM

Matthew Nalywaiko Helps Hundreds of Single Working Moms With Much-Needed Repairs

Sometimes a broken down car or leaky faucet are just added stressors in the lives of already struggling single working mothers. But Matthew Nalywaiko is doing something about that – times more than a hundred.

His organization, Serve A Little, has helped more than 200 women, including those whose husbands are away serving in the military, by matching volunteer handymen, mechanics and construction workers to complete "honey-do" projects like minor home and car repairs.

"The name, Serve A Little, comes from the idea that you don't have to do much to make a major impact in someone's life," Nalywaiko says. "It might only take a few hours for a mechanic to fix the car or for someone to fix the door in a house, but for that person it can mean the world."

For Nalywaiko, 32, of Sonoma, Calif., giving back has been life changing. A severe case of dyslexia, coupled with ADD, had him wondering if he would ever have a purpose in life.

"I could barely read, so I couldn't imagine how I was going to make a living or find someone who would want to marry me or accomplish anything," says the high-energy Nalywaiko, a videographer.

But he did just that. He managed to get a job in construction after graduation, "building million-dollar staircases in multimillion dollar homes," and married Amanda, a social worker.

Then in 2009 he launched Serve A Little.

"We all have the ability to impact somebody's life," Nalywaiko says. "It's just a matter of looking outside your own world and realizing there are needs right next door."

Helping single working moms, including those trying to get an education, is something Nalywaiko says has an immediate positive impact.

"It's not a population that gets a lot of respect," says Amy Ethington, a Santa Rosa College student advisor who refers student single moms in need of assistance to the Serve A Little program. "And here is Matthew giving them respect for what they're trying to accomplish."

Nalywaiko doesn't just help out his own community. He discovered a Haitian village of about 10,000 where more than a dozen kids had drowned trying to cross the treacherous river to attend a school nearby. Nalywaiko has raised money through 80 for Haiti, an effort connected to Serve A Little, to build a closer school, using local labor and materials to boost the the economy.

"Children shouldn't have to die just to get an education," Nalywaiko says.
http://img2-1.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140505/matthew-nalywaiko-600.jpg

kuhio98

04-28-2014, 01:42 PM

My Four-Legged Guardian Angel
By Gayle Trent

Had you seen Duke, it isn’t likely you’d have called him an angel. In fact, not even I called him “angel.” I called him “my baby.” Duke was a St. Bernard, a gift to me from my parents on my tenth birthday.

I arrived home from school that day and was immediately sent to the garage. And there he was, quite an armful already, but I gleefully picked him up and buried my face in his neck.

Early on, I taught Duke to rub noses with me. This kept me from getting drooly dog kisses, and it was our own special way of showing affection. When Duke was relegated to a doghouse in the backyard, I’d slip outside to sing him to sleep at night. We had a special relationship. He was “my dog”; I was “his girl.”

One summer night after Duke was fully grown, I went out to refill his water bowl. I retrieved the bowl and filled it at an outside spigot. “There you go, baby,” I said, putting the bowl on the ground in front of him.

I hugged him around the neck, and he growled. Taken aback and more than a little hurt, I went to stand beside his house. “You might growl at other people, mister,” I said, as he was extremely protective of me and had been known to growl at others,“but you do not growl at me.”

My lecture was silenced when Duke came to me, jumped up and placed a massive paw at either side of my waist. He emitted another low, menacing growl. I was unable to move, and my dog’s behavior was beginning to frighten me. He was my best friend, my guardian. Was he going to turn on me now? I noticed that his face was turned away from me and that he was staring toward the road that ran in front of our house.

As I watched in the direction of Duke’s gaze, I spotted a man emerge from the shadows and walk down the road. Duke held me against the side of his doghouse until the man was gone. When he was satisfied that there was no longer a threat, he touched his nose to mine and let me go. As he thirstily drank from his water bowl, I hugged him and thanked him for his continued protection.
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kuhio98

04-28-2014, 05:33 PM

This story brought tears to my eyes.

Big Brother’s Umbrella Assist Outshined Sun For Marathon Runner With Lupus

WEST BRIDGEWATER (CBS) – A West Bridgewater man gave a big assist to his little sister running the Boston Marathon.

Jeffrey Russell, 30, ran the last 12 miles of the course holding a child’s umbrella over his sister Jessie’s head to keep her from quitting.

“He knew I would have been very upset had I not finished,” said Jessie, 26.

Jessie was diagnosed with Lupus during her junior year of high school. The sun often bothers people with Lupus, so running a marathon was a gamble. By mile 14, Jessie felt terrible and thought she might need to stop.

“I thought, ‘the medical tent is up there. I just got to get a little further and I can stop for a bit.’ Out of the corner of my eye, I see this person running at me.”

Big brother Jeff had followed her along the route, taking pictures and yelling encouragement. Jessie looked like she was fading and medical tent volunteers told her to be proud she made it to Wellesley. The course was about to be opened up to traffic and water stops would soon be picked up. Jeff told Jessie to stop if she needed to.

“But he said ‘if it’s just the sun, I don’t want you to stop. I can be your medical tent. I can be your water stop. Don’t worry about any of that’,” Jessie recalled with tears in her eyes.

Jeff ran into Littlebits Toys in Wellesley and bought a children’s umbrella with sharks on it. He said the sharks reminded him of Jessie’s tenacity.

In jeans and work boots, Jeff speed-walked next to Jessie wearing her runner’s fanny pack. The pair took it step by step until finally reaching the finish line at 7:16 p.m.

“I just love him. I absolutely could not have finished without him there,” Jessie said.
http://boston.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10097769

kuhio98

04-30-2014, 10:52 AM

DAMASCUS, OR (KPTV) - It had been five days since a Damascus family last saw their dog Sampson.

The 5-year-old black lab mix went missing on New Year's Day. Greg Herbst, the dog's owner, said they searched around their property every day, posted fliers and created a Facebook page in hopes someone would see their beloved pet.

On Monday, Damascus Officer Jerry Rippe discussed that Facebook post with the family to see what more could be done to help. That's when a call came across the emergency dispatch radio that the family had been hoping for.

A dog was trapped, but alive, several miles away near Carver.

A man in the area called police to report a dog whimpering in the woods near The Stone Cliff Inn Restaurant.

Rippe responded to the scene and found the dog. It was Sampson.

Sampson was trapped about six feet down a very rocky ravine. Obviously unable to get out on its own, Rippe took off his patrol gear, put on a helmet and knee pads and climbed down the ravine to rescue the dog.

The officer said it appeared the dog had been trapped down there for several days, at least. However, Sampson is still in good spirits and should be OK.

"It feels really good to get the dog back to its owner," Rippe said.
http://kptv.images.worldnow.com/images/3148058_G.jpg

kuhio98

05-01-2014, 11:58 AM

AZ grandpa plans to walk 75 miles to thank Red Cross

PHOENIX, Arizona: A Cottonwood grandfather plans to pay back the American Red Cross for the help it provided after fire destroyed his family's mobile home in northern Arizona.

Al Slusser, 75, said will walk 75 miles through the Verde Valley to raise money for the organization.

It's been nearly 40 years since that tragedy but the retired Camp Verde United Christian School principal said he remains grateful to this day for the assistance given by first responders and Red Cross volunteers.

"My wife and I escaped with our two young children. But we lost everything in the fire," Slusser said.

The Red Cross Verde Valley Benefit Walk will be the Cottonwood resident's fourth long-distance trek. He began walking expeditions at age 70 in 2009.

By 2012, he had covered more than 5,000 miles walking the width and length of the U.S. as well as the width and length of Arizona.

Slusser will begin his walk on May 5 at the Jerome Fire Station and end May 11 at the Verde Valley Fire District Station 31 in Cottonwood.

He said he will move at a relaxed pace, stopping in communities along his route to encourage individuals and groups to make tax-deductible donations to the American Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter's disaster relief fund.

The walk will take the U.S. Navy veteran through Clarkdale, Cottonwood, Cornville, Page Springs, Sedona, Village of Oak Creek, McQuireville, Rimrock, Lake Montezuma and Camp Verde.

He encourages people to join him inside the city limits but says the rural roads will be too narrow for escorts.

A Red Cross emergency response vehicle will accompany Slusser during portions of his trip.

To prepare for the upcoming journey, Slusser said he walks about 5 to 7 miles each morning after sunrise. His knees bother him so he takes pain relievers before his stints. Slusser also battles chronic bronchitis but he said walking helps him breathe better.

"It's challenging at my age to keep a positive mental attitude about walking alone knowing the risks I will face on the roads, especially when it would be so easy to just retire,'' Slusser said.

Tax-deductible donations in honor of the Red Cross Verde Valley Benefit Walk can be made out to the American Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter and mailed to 6135 N. Black Canyon Highway, Phoenix, AZ, 85015.
http://kpho.images.worldnow.com/images/25370555_BG1.jpg

kuhio98

05-02-2014, 10:29 AM

Man running 100 races in 52 weeks to raise money for Alzheimer's

SAGINAW, MI - A local man is attempting to run 100 races in 52 weeks. It's a goal not many runners could accomplish, but Brad Kloha is taking that challenge.

Kloha started his charity Run to Remember last year to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer's disease. Now he is heading back to Mid-Michigan for the final stretch and that includes Midland's Dow weekend of races.

Kloha will run races number 92 and 93 at the Dow weekend of races in Midland. Most of the races he does are obstacle races which include carrying weights, climbing over walls and crawling through the mud.

He's putting his body through so much exhaustion for a cause that has affected his life and many others.

"I think probably most people would think I'm crazy, that's probably the word I've heard the most throughout this," Kloha said.

Kloha is putting his body through the rigors for the health of others, both raising money and awareness for Alzheimer's disease.

"Alzheimer's disease is one of the top six killers in America and it's the only one without a cure, and it's the only one that's not preventable, and it's the only one that can't be slowed, and it's only going to get worse. So we need to do something about it now," Kloha said.

He has been doing something about it, with his great-grandmother and his grandmother, who both suffered through the disease, as his inspiration. He even wears a picture of him and his grandma on his sleeve to help get him through.

"It's shown its damage. It's been through the mud. It's been through barbed wire. It's a constant reminder of why I do it. It's a constant reminder of what she went through and what my family went through and what those millions of families who are affected by the disease, what they're going through now. So whenever I'm feeling that pain or exhaustion during a race, I can just look down at that picture and remember her and remember what her and my family went through, and then I can get through the race," he said.

Kloha's had to get through a lot, even ending up in the emergency room following his seventh race of his 100 race journey.

"The doctors said 'you know what, you just need to stop what you're doing.' And I said 'woah, we need a different plan because I have 93 races to go," Kloha said.

Now 87 races in he has just 13 more to go, with the pain of each race only serving as a reminder of why he's doing this in the first place.

"Knowing that there are families out there going through a lot more emotionally, and physically, and people who have had the disease, what they're going through. Any sickness, any minor injury it didn't matter," Kloha said.

His 100th race will be June 15 in Mount Pleasant. So far Kloha has raised a little more than $20,000 for Alzheimer's Association. If you want to support the cause you can go to his foundation's website runtorember.net to donate.
http://www.wnem.com/story/25403535/local-man-to-run-100-races-in-52-weeks?hpt=us_bn9&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10110213

kuhio98

06-16-2014, 07:49 PM

Dog Drifting at Sea on Log Rescued by New Zealand Navy

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Last week, Tiny the dog found himself in big trouble.

The Royal New Zealand Navy rescued the small pooch from a log drifting out to sea on Thursday.

According to the New Zealand Herald, crew from the Inshore Patrol Vessel HMNZS Hawea spotted the distressed pup standing on floating driftwood in Smokehouse Bay, Great Barrier Island.

An inflatable boat with four crew members onboard retrieved the dog, and he was taken ashore, where the sailors found someone who knew his owner, said Lieutenant Anthony Norris.

The Sunday Star Times reports the pup's name is Tiny and that he's a sea dog owned by 20-year-old Ben Ngawaka, who works in the crayfishing business. The pair were headed to Great Barrier Island's Port Fitzroy when Tiny jumped onto a log that Ngawaka had stopped to examine.

"I was going into Fitzroy to get some supplies – I just carried on and thought I'd pick him up on the way home," he said. Before Ngawaka could do that, the Navy had spotted the 8-year-old dog and suspected he was washed out to sea during an intense storm earlier in the week.

For more inspiring stories about real-life heroes and can't-miss articles found only in PEOPLE subscribe now.

Ngawaka described the cattle dog mix as "pretty quiet," and added that the ordeal – and subsequent media attention – hadn't change him much: "He's still the same. He just got a feed and that was it."
http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/pets/news/140630/rescued-dog-300.jpg

Karen

06-16-2014, 08:52 PM

[SIZE=3]My Four-Legged Guardian Angel
By Gayle Trent

Had you seen Duke, it isn’t likely you’d have called him an angel. In fact, not even I called him “angel.” I called him “my baby.” Duke was a St. Bernard, a gift to me from my parents on my tenth birthday.

Hee hee - bet no one knew angels could drool! ;) That made me smile!

kuhio98

06-18-2014, 10:54 AM

Madison Co. man saves child crawling near highway

MADISON COUNTY, GA -- Long ago, Bryant Collins learned the value of choosing the right path.

"I've been in a lot of bad situations," he told 11Alive's Matt Pearl.

But this past Friday, Collins found, on the side of the road, a chance to save a life.

"I had seen something out of the corner of my eye, and I thought it was a baby," Collins recalled. "I just stopped and, when I got out, there was a baby … almost in the highway."

Collins' reaction? "The same that yours would have been, man … 'What the hell is going on? A baby?'"

It was a 15-month-old baby that had crawled through the woods, 300 yards from home, and nearly onto Highway 72.

Collins called 911, and emergency crews arrived. Police arrested the child's father, Timothy Pickens, and will likely arrest the child's mother as well.

Thankfully, the child was not hurt, according to Madison County sheriff Kip Thomas.

"Everything was pretty much superficial that we saw," Thomas said, "Honestly that's almost a miracle: that a 15-month-old can go that far from her house, into the woods, fall down an embankment, wind up near a major highway, and really not get hurt that bad."

And Bryant Collins? He stayed with the baby for two hours.

"The baby started crying," Collins said, "so I turned my phone on and let her listen to some gospel music, and she calmed right down."

On this day he is a hero. But Collins could never have saved the life of this baby if he had not, long ago, saved his own.

"I did ten years in the federal institution for manufacturing cocaine," he said. "When I was in prison, I made a very conscientious effort to change, and I did."

Collins has been free and clean for five years. And it was in his new job, as an auto repairman, that he found himself on the side of the road, a baby's life literally in his hands.

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Karen

06-18-2014, 11:47 AM

Bless him for seeing and for stopping! :) She may grow up convinced angels wear baseball caps!

kuhio98

06-19-2014, 10:05 AM

One of a Kind Feline
She was usually allergic to cats, but not the one who entered her life to look after her.

By Patty Darsnek, Aitkin, Minnesota

"Girlie must be the one cat you’re not allergic to,” my husband, Jim, said. It didn’t make any sense. I’d agreed to keep a friend’s cat for three weeks, knowing I was highly allergic.

I figured I’d just add allergy pills to my daily medical regimen, since I was already managing type 1 diabetes. But a week had passed and I hadn’t taken one allergy pill. Even with Girlie curled up on our bed at night, none of my usual symptoms had shown up.

“What is it about you?” I asked her one night when I climbed in bed.

Later I woke up to Jim’s gentle shakes. “We have to check your blood sugar!” he was saying. The sheets were wet. I was covered in sweat. My blood sugar was dangerously low–life threatening. Jim gave me a shot to raise it quickly.

“I would have slept through the crisis if Girlie hadn’t batted me in the face with her paws,” Jim said.

Girlie never went back to my friend’s house. She curls up with me every night, like a guardian angel watching over me. And, of course, no one is allergic to angels.
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kuhio98

06-21-2014, 11:11 AM

JUNEAU, Alaska — A 7-month-old Maltese puppy owned by Bonnie and Brad Gruening likes to retrieve.

On Monday, Lady Bunny came home with an unexpected prize — a wallet its owner didn't know was lost.
The puppy found and brought home a wallet belonging to Rudy Vonda, a sanitation worker with Pacific Waste Management who drives a route in the Gruenings' North Douglas Island neighborhood, the Juneau Empire reported.

The Gruenings called Vonda to report their pooch had found his property."I didn't even know my wallet was missing. I checked my back pocket to make sure," Vonda said.

"When the lady said a dog brought my wallet home, I figured it was a Labrador or German Shepherd."He drove to the Gruenings' home and instead saw a little white dog.

"When I pulled up to her place, she's coming out and she's got her little dog in her arms and my wallet," Vonda said with a laugh.The dog's head was barely bigger than his wallet, Vonda said.

Lady Bunny has a good nose. She has brought home other treasures, Bonnie Gruening said. "She particularly likes to take our neighbors' shoes.

"The puppy took the wallet directly to Brad Gruening."It was really neat because we were able to get it back to the owner," Bonnie Gruening said, "Then to find out he's our sanitation guy, which is so awesome — they work so hard and do such a good job.

"Vonda figures his wallet fell as he slid out of his truck cab to adjust a can for pickup. The wallet's drab olive green color could easily have kept it lost."That was a real surprise," Vonda said of its return. "It was like a dog from heaven."
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Karen

06-21-2014, 08:40 PM

Good job, Lady Bunny! :) It's not the size of the dog that matters - dogs noses are so much more powerful than ours that the tiniest one still puts ours to shame!

kuhio98

06-22-2014, 09:20 AM

From a random acts of kindness website:

Little Old Lady
I used to work at a grocery store and this little old lady would always come in to do her shopping. Many of my co-workers did not like helping this old lady out to her car because she would talk for a very long time about her life and my co-workers would lose their patience with her. So I decided to take her out to her car and unload her groceries and in the process of doing so I listened to her conversation. She was basically venting. From that conversation I learned that her two kids lived out of state and her husband was dead. This old lady had no one to talk to which is why she just wanted to talk to someone about her life. After that conversation she went back into the store and told my boss what a good employee I was. That made my day, but I also made her day because I took the time to understand why she always talked so much. Anytime an older person approaches you to talk, don't feel weird about it because they have no one else to talk to. Be kind and engage in a conversation with them; it will make their day.

kuhio98

06-23-2014, 11:16 AM

Youth of America

This happened years ago but just found site. My uncle complained a lot about how young people were so disrespectful and often lamented about our Country's decline. One evening he and his wife got a flat tire and managed to get their truck stuck half-way in a ditch. This was in Phoenix and even though it was in the evening over 90 degrees. Dozens of cars passed by this elderly couple without a second look. They had sat there for over an hour when a car full of kids stopped. They changed the tire and helped get the truck back on the road. When finished my uncle tried to pay these kids. You guessed it, they wouldn't take a dime. These kids completely changed my uncle's opinion on a whole generation.

kuhio98

06-24-2014, 09:19 AM

Inspiring Therapy Dog Dropout

Hi! I'm Chipper, a rescued shelter mutt. A few years ago I passed the test to become a certified therapy dog so I could bring happiness to people in nursing homes, children's hospitals, homeless youth shelters, disabled group homes, etc. Unfortunately I failed out of the program when I reached my rebellious adolescent stage and started barking at sweet little old ladies. I felt like a four legged "failure" until I realized that when one doggy door closes, another one opens. I published an autobiDOGraphy about my life as a therapy dog dropout, and it teaches that you don't have to be perfect to make a difference. I'm very excited because my story has inspired people all over the world to do nice things for others! A woman from Washington State read about the paw-printed valentines that I made for some lonely seniors, and decided to make handprinted cards with the help of her one-year-old daughter, Kayt. The mother-daughter team delivered the cards to friends and neighbors who needed cheering up. That fun day inspired Kayt and her mom to keep bringing smiles to others, so they started a tradition of visiting a nursing home twice a month. A retired seizure alert dog in Kentucky followed in my footsteps by cheerfully standing still while his family painted his paw with bright colors to make Thanksgiving turkey cards for some kids at an orphanage. It's nice to know that I can help make the world a better place even though I'm imperfect!

kuhio98

06-25-2014, 10:38 AM

Watch Mama and Learn

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RkJEwYfz68o?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

kuhio98

06-26-2014, 10:15 AM

Boy forgoes presents to save the pups

RIO RANCHO (KRQE) – A 3-year-old Rio Rancho boy didn’t ask for toys, clothes or candy for his birthday. Instead he asked for presents that went straight to an animal shelter.

Dalton Lower is your typical 3-year-old boy. His favorite cartoon show to watch features hero dogs saving the day. That’s what inspired him to become a hero too.

His mission: Turn his birthday party, in June, into a plan to save the pups.

At Dalton’s party there was cake and hats. But the presents weren’t for him. Instead he asked for lots and lots of dog food.

“I take it to the animal shelter in our new car,” Dalton said.

Dalton’s dog food was delivered to the Santa Fe Animal Shelter on Sunday. His mom, Lucia Lower, said they collected 15 bags and some canned dog food.

The shelter didn’t even know he was coming. But they would soon find out when he showed up that this little guy was ready to give.

“He actually couldn’t wait to bring in all the dog food, he wanted to carry it in all himself,” Lower said.

But, a hero needs a reward. So Dalton was given a tour to see all the dogs his donation would help.

“They were really impressed that a 3-year-old wanted to give up toys to feed hungry pups,” Lower said.

A lesson in generosity from such a little guy with a big heart.

Dalton’s family has donated to other charities before. But this was the first time he picked out who to help.

kuhio98

06-27-2014, 10:38 AM

People Magazine - Heroes Among Us
Zack Francom Sells Lemonade to Buy Wheelchairs for Those Who Need Them

When life gives you lemons, you can do much more than make lemonade, says Zack Francom.

The 11-year-old Utah boy has turned several hundred quarts of the drink into Zack's Shack, a philanthropy that has changed the lives of more than 300 people in need of wheelchairs in developing countries.

Zack got the idea for a lemonade stand in the spring of 2010 when his school held a fundraiser to purchase a wheelchair for LDS Philanthropies, a Mormon church charity.

"I decided that I wanted to raise enough to buy one all by myself," says Zack.

"I thought, 'What if I couldn't walk or run or ride my bike? What would that be like?' " he says. "I wanted to help make life easier for somebody who couldn't walk or run and didn't have money for a wheelchair to help them get around."

Since then – selling lemonade at 50 cents a cup and two cookies for $1 – his Zack's Shack has become an annual event in his hometown of Provo, Utah. Hundreds of people line up in front of his house every April during spring break to help fund his charity.

"When people visit Zack's lemonade stand they see a great example of a little boy with a big heart," says Tanise Chung-Hoon, managing director for LDS Philanthropies.

"When you see the genuine fun he has in the work, you immediately realize that he feels just as happy and lucky as the wheelchair recipients," she says. "Zack is the perfect example of how philanthropy changes the giver as well as the receiver."

This past April, Zack sold 350 dozen cookies baked by his mom, Nancy Bird, and 80 quarts of lemonade, earning $5,300 – enough to buy another 37 wheelchairs (basic models now cost $143), which are shipped to Guatemala, Guam and 53 other countries, where a wheelchair can often cost more than a year's wages.

"There was one lady in Guatemala who crawled for 10 miles with her baby on her back to pick up her wheelchair," says Bird, 32, who spends several weeks helping her son bake cookies for the sale every year.

"What a dramatic change it has made in her life," she says. "Stories like this are what keep Zack going."

He also has bigger dreams. He says he'd love to see other kids start similar efforts in other states.

"Imagine if there were hundreds of Zack's Shacks," he says. "Nobody who needs a wheelchair should have to go without one just because they can't afford it."

And he'd love to take a more active role himself.

"My goal is to fly around the world someday and hand out the wheelchairs," he says.
http://img2-3.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140707/zach-600.jpg

kuhio98

06-28-2014, 10:14 AM

From a Random Acts of Kindness website:

Cake topping
Today, as I drank coffee in a bakery, I noticed a young boy ordering a cake for his mom`s 40th birthday. He seemed to live on a small budget and by the end of his order, he wasn't able to afford the writing on top of the cake. I was so touched by this scene that I offered him to add the money for the icing writing. He first refused, but then got really happy. And I was just happy seeing his face and imaging his mom having a wonderful cake!

kuhio98

06-29-2014, 10:50 AM

Mother Knew Best
He didn’t want to upset his mom, but he had to tell her he thought she’d fallen for a scam.

By Gilbert Roller, Wilmore, Kentucky

My mother wasn’t impulsive, especially regarding her finances. That’s why I was shocked when she said she’d donated most of her life savings to two missionaries who had knocked on her door in Texas.

“You did what?!” I sputtered. “When?”

“A few months back,” she said. “These nice young people needed money to build a chapel in Mexico.”

No, they hadn’t given her any documentation. No, she hadn’t heard from them since.

I didn’t want to upset her, but I had to tell her I thought she’d fallen for a scam.

“I don’t think the Lord would have moved me to help if it wasn’t for real,” she said.

At the time, I was a young professor at Asbury University in Kentucky, teaching music theory, and my wife and I weren’t on the best financial footing. We could have used that money.

For years–even after I got tenure and we raised three sons–I imagined finding the drifters who had swindled Mom, though I wasn’t sure what I’d do if I did. Only when Mom died and my sons became missionaries–real ones–did I let the matter go.

I retired in 1993. My wife and I took a cross-country trip to California, staying at campgrounds along the way.

One evening, somewhere in Missouri, I’d just set up our tent when a man wandered over from his RV.

“I see by your license plate you’re from Kentucky,” he said. “What do you do?”

“Retired now,” I said. “But I used to teach music theory.”

“Music,” the man said. “Hmm. You know anyone by the name of Roller?”

How’d he know that? “Yes, actually, my name is Roller,” I said.

The man smiled.

“Many years ago, my wife and I met a woman in Texas named Roller. She had a son in Kentucky who taught music. She gave us quite a lot of money. Viola Roller.”

My mom. My blood ran cold. Here I was, finally face-to-face with one of those so-called missionaries!

“Hang on,” the man said, ducking into his RV before I could react. He came out and handed me a photo. A simple adobe building with a cross on the roof, and a sign out in front: Roller Capilla.

“Roller Chapel,” the man said. “Named for the woman who made it possible.”
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kuhio98

06-30-2014, 02:36 PM

Silent Kindness

My ex father in law (John) was a uniquely good individual. He had a best friend who had a heart attack and hospitalized for a lengthy stay. In the summer lawns would grow fast in the heat. Every week John would drive over to his friends home and mow his lawn for him so he did not have to face an overgrown yard when he returned home to recuperate. Very silent kindness!

kuhio98

07-02-2014, 04:36 PM

respect?

I don't know if this is a kindness story but whenever I see a person do an act of kindness whether it is for me or to another person, I make it a point to approach that person and tell them, "would you do me a favor and tell your mom and dad, what a wonderful job they did in raising their child." Sometimes a smile and an enthusiastic "I will."

kuhio98

07-03-2014, 11:25 AM

Heroes Among Us
Wanda Butts Teaches Inner-City Kids in Ohio How to Swim

It never occurred to Wanda Butts that her only son, Josh, needed swimming lessons.

As a girl, she'd never spent any time in the pool, either.

"My dad saw two kids drown at a church picnic and wouldn't let us go near the water after that," says the Toledo, Ohio, court clerk. "Growing up, swimming just wasn't on our radar. And that's also how it was with my son."

Everything changed on Aug. 6, 2006 – the day Josh, 16, drowned in a rafting accident during a trip to a Michigan lake with friends.

"He didn't have a life jacket and the raft tipped over," she says quietly. "It's a phone call that no parent should have to get. If Josh had known how to swim, I wouldn't be talking about him in the past tense today."

She soon learned her son's death wasn't an anomaly. Statistics show inner-city kids, particularly African-Americans, are five times more likely to drown than other children due to a lack of money for swimming lessons, as well as a dearth of pools.

So in 2007 Butts, now 61, formed the Josh Project to give free swimming lessons and water-safety training to local kids. So far she and her daughter, Tankeeya Butts, have signed up more than 1,300 children.

St. Francis de Sales High School in Toledo donates time at the school's pool for the classes. Certified volunteers teach the classes, and children are allowed to continue in the program "for as long as it takes," says Butts.

"Black, white, whatever color they are, wherever they are from, all are welcome," she says. "Every child should be able to have fun in the water and stay safe."

For city parents who have never taken their children swimming, "the Josh Project is literally a lifesaver," says Lisa Haynes, 53, whose 17-year-old son, Orlando Joshua, recently graduated with a swimming certificate.

With her neighborhood pool closed and no money for swimming lessons, "Wanda has helped give me peace of mind," she says. "Now I don't have to worry so much when my son is near water. He's mastered everything from the butterfly to the backstroke, and we owe it all to Wanda. She's a strong person with a big heart."

Butts, who tells kids that "swimming is the only sport that can save your life," has now started free classes for adults who have never known the pleasure – or safety – of swimming.

"I'm finally going to take the leap myself and take some lessons," she says. "I know Josh would be proud."
http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140616/wanda-2-600.jpg

kuhio98

07-04-2014, 12:52 PM

Man sharpening lawn blades saves Army Sergeant pinned under car

RINEYVILLE, KY (WAVE) - On a quiet street in Rineyville newly retired Army Master Sgt. Joe Schroeder was enjoying his first few months of freedom after serving nearly 24 years.

“Dexter is my service dog and he is for my PTSD, TBI and mobility,” he said.

But last Thursday Dexter was inside when Schroeder was outside working on his wife's Mustang in the driveway. Schroeder says he leaned on the car and it started to roll.

“The only thing I can think of was ‘Oh my God,’ I can only imagine what's going to happen once this car runs me over because I couldn't stop it,” he said.

Schroeder became pinned, pressure from the car prevented him from yelling for help to his family inside the home.

“I was stuck underneath the vehicle with the rear axle on my back and my right hand underneath the right rear tire, so I couldn't get any movement or balance or nothing, so I was just stuck underneath the vehicle,” he said.

Meanwhile, next door Mike Riddell, who owns a lawn care business, was supposed to be out mowing but stopped off at his house to sharpen his blades.

“I didn't like how it was cutting and just as I was getting ready to throw my last blade on, I saw what was going on at Joe's house,” said Riddell.

Riddell ran over and knew he had to get the car off of Schroeder.

“I planted my feet and I just said ‘I got to do everything I can, put everything in this to get this car up, or forward, off of him,’” he said.

“He channeled his inner Superman and he picked up the rear of the vehicle and pushed it forward,” Schroeder said. “If it wasn't for him I truly don't know that I would be standing here today.”

Schroeder was able to crawl out, but just moments before the Army veteran who served three tours in Iraq feared death in his own front yard.

“Is this really the end after all this time? Going away in my own driveway, by my own car, by my own fault?” he said.

While he can laugh at the situation now he will be forever thankful to Riddell who was just glad to be in the right place at the right time.

“He's a hero. It just felt good to help a hero out,” Riddell said.

Schroeder suffered two sprained ankles, bruised ribs, road rash and bumps and bruises on his legs and back. He was released from the hospital shortly after the accident and is expected to be just fine thanks to Riddell.

http://wave.images.worldnow.com/images/4125861_G.jpghttp://wave.images.worldnow.com/images/4125864_G.jpghttp://wave.images.worldnow.com/images/4125866_G.jpg

kuhio98

07-05-2014, 11:17 AM

From an Acts of Kindness website:

Random Parking Ticket Man

On our first Family trip to Monterey Bay we did not know the area and was having a hard time figuring out parking at the fisherman's wharf. As I was reading the instructions and parking fees at the parking meter, a man drove up to me and asked me if I was looking for parking. I said yes. He handed me his parking ticket and he said that his family was leaving the parking ticket has been paid for the whole day. This random act of kindness really touched me so I explained to my 7 year old daughter how we should always be kind to others. As we were leaving we drove by the parking meter and handed the ticket to another family so they may enjoy the wharf as we did. Thank you random ticket man. May God bless you and your family.

kuhio98

07-06-2014, 02:19 PM

Heroes Among Us
Deb O'Halloran Gives Struggling New Moms and Their Babies Much-Needed Supplies

When single mom Theresa Wilson worried about getting the things she needed for her newborn girl – relief and much-needed assistance came from a stranger.

"My reaction was shock, surprise and relief that I didn't have to go out and try to scramble up enough money to pay for these things," says Wilson, 22, who received a bassinet, floor gym and starter bag of critical-care items. "Having all these things is one big issue I won't have to worry about, because I already have a lot on my plate with being a new mom and caring for the baby."

Wilson's life and the lives of hundreds of other moms and their newborns have been changed by the St. Paul-Minneapolis area Second Stork nonprofit and its founder, Deb O'Halloran – whose goal is to help provide a stress-free start for hundreds of new moms at nearly 20 hospitals in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area.

In 2009, along with a small group of like-minded philanthropists, O'Halloran launched Second Stork, initially gathering baby items such as diapers and other basic necessities in her own laundry room to deliver to new mothers in crisis in hospital labor/delivery units.

"We wanted to operate in a way that was highly efficient yet ensured that the help went to the people who needed it the most," says O'Halloran, 55, a married mother of two who was formerly a marketing executive. "We were motivated simply by our desire to help people in crisis, while respecting their dignity."

Much of Second Stork's inventory consists of surplus items supplied by various retailers. At its donated, 3,400-square-foot warehouse, volunteer groups along with O'Halloran pack bags that are then given to hospitals for distribution to grateful moms by social workers, nurses or other staff. To date, Second Stork has delivered more than 1,000 bags to Twin City-area hospitals.

"Second Stork fills a unique niche for families, particularly those that are financially strapped," says hospital social worker Rachael Stover-Haney. "We can just hand the items to them. Many of the mothers are moved to tears, but more than that, they're dumbfounded and amazed, because it restores their faith that there is goodness in the world."

The recipients, says O'Halloran, are mothers who have few, if any, other options. No one has thrown them a baby shower, so the Second Stork bag is often the only gift they'll receive.

"Some don't even know where they're going to go when they leave the hospital," she says. "By providing critical-care supplies, we're letting them know that there are people out there who really do care and understand."

For moms like Wilson, the support of O'Halloran's Second Stork has been a huge help.

"I feel grateful that people would care this much for someone they've never met," she says.
http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140630/deb-ohalloran-2-300.jpg

kuhio98

07-07-2014, 05:21 PM

Acts of kindness from the web:

Doughnuts in the ER

I'm involved in a college campus ministry group in my town. One of our recent activities was to break up into smaller groups and use a single $20 bill to "make the nights" of at least three people. My group decided to go with the idea of buying as many doughnuts as we could and taking them to the staff in the emergency department in a local hospital. We explained what we were doing to the manager on duty at the doughnut shop; he was happy to give us a great deal on the doughnuts. When we brought the doughnuts in to the hospital, the staff was so excited, thankful and grateful for the kindness. Several of them even said that they'd been having a rough night so it meant a lot to them. Here's the thing- It just so happens that I'm a volunteer in that same emergency department. So to see their responses and hear that some had been having a rough night, I could really empathize and tell how much it meant to them. It was so great to be able to kind of see and understand both the giving and receiving sides of things, and it really made my day. Trust me, that sort of thing is appreciated so much!

kuhio98

07-08-2014, 11:43 AM

Cancer survivor beats odds, runs 2,000 miles to Maine
Helene Neville hoping to run entire perimeter of United States

A four-time cancer survivor made Portland part of her iconic mission Sunday to run the entire perimeter of the United States.

Helene Neville left Scarborough Sunday morning on the final leg of her 2,000 mile run from Marathon, Florida to Portland, Maine.

Neville has already run from California to Florida and Vancouver, Canada to Tijuana, Mexico.

What is even more impressive are the health battles she has fought just to get to this point.

Neville was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma in the 1990s and T-Cell lymphoma just two years ago. She has survived three brain surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation.

Now, she hopes to inspire other cancer survivors to not give up.

"I just wanted to go out and originally inspire nurses," said Neville. "I'm a nurse, and to be better ambassadors for healthy living, to inspire health in their patients, and it's just so much bigger. I stop and talk to school children, just the general public, and I just try and get everyone to think about health and inspire the next person."

Neville has one more task to accomplish in her 10,000-mile journey. She will now run approximately 3,200 miles from East Coast to West Coast, a run that is scheduled for 2015.

kuhio98

07-09-2014, 11:30 AM

REOPENING SCHOOLS AFTER A TORNADO

C.J. Huff, 41

Joplin, Mo.

After a massive tornado killed 160 people and ripped Joplin apart on May 22, school district superintendent C.J. Huff kept a round-the-clock vigil at the North Middle School shelter, directing school buses to serve as ambulances and comforting those who lost everything. Weeping, he lay on a cot in the dark and made a vow. "I love these kids," he remembers thinking. "We've got to reopen these schools." And in only 87 days, he did. Thanks to thousands of volunteers and creative thinking, 4,200 students moved into 260 classrooms, with a warehouse becoming a middle school and a vacant department store turning into a high school. Says Huff: "Never underestimate the ability of people to accomplish anything." joplinschools.org

cassiesmom

07-09-2014, 01:39 PM

Target school supplies- I just heard about this on the radio. I copied this from their press release. I'm not a student anymore but I can probably find a reason to purchase school supplies :) And there's almost always something I need from Target, shampoo or dishwashing liquid or greeting cards or some such thing.

When Guests Buy Select up&up School Supplies, Target Gives Up to $25 Million

For every select up&up school supply purchased, Target will give one school supply to a student in need, potentially impacting nearly two million kids this back-to-school season

MINNEAPOLIS — July 09, 2014

Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) announced today that for every select up&up school supply purchased at Target stores from July 13 through August 2, Target will donate one school supply item to a student in need. Through these purchases, Target’s goal is to donate up to $25 million in supplies and potentially impact nearly two million kids as they head back to school. up&up is a Target owned brand that offers more than 1,200 everyday essentials from across the store, including a line of colorful and stylish school supplies, at a fraction of the price of national brands.

The program was inspired by Yoobi, a Target-exclusive brand of school supplies with a “One for You, One for Me” mission, and builds on Target’s longstanding community partnership with the Kids In Need Foundation. Target will distribute the school supply donations through the Kids In Need Foundation, which operates a national network of Resource Centers that provide free school supplies for in-need students. The donations will be made to Resource Centers beginning in August and provide an optimized assortment of the school supplies students need for the year ahead.

“For millions of kids living in poverty, the right school supplies often become a luxury instead of a necessity,” said Laysha Ward, president, Community Relations, Target. “We know that giving is important to Target’s guests. This program gives them an opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others and set kids up for success through the simple act of buying school supplies.”

kuhio98

07-11-2014, 12:40 PM

From People's Heroes Among Us

FINDING HOMES FOR RETIRED GREYHOUNDS

Dennis Tyler, 64

Melbourne, Fla.

Dennis Tyler looks deep into the eyes of each greyhound needing a new life after retiring from Florida's busy racetracks and gets inspired all over again. "It's looking at all those faces," he says, "that drives me to keep doing this."

Since 1991, Tyler, a retired mechanic from Kennedy Space Center, has found adoptive homes for some 7,200 greyhounds who are no longer able to compete on the track. He pays veterinary bills, matches dogs with loving families and drives them to their new homes, mostly on the East Coast. New owner Sharon Bell of Rochester, N.Y., says 5-year-old Koa works magic with her 25-year-old daughter Danielle, who has special needs. "Dennis," she says, "is incredible." floridagreyhounds.com

kuhio98

07-12-2014, 03:57 PM

Heroes Among Us
Family of Eight Travels Cross-Country Helping Others

Most families spend their summer vacation at the beach – not traveling across the country to help families in need.

Meet the Mursets.

Gregg, 40, his wife Kami, 37, and their six kids ranging in age from 7 to 16, left Phoenix in their motor home on June 29 to spend 20 days on the road volunteering their time to help 25 families in need.

"I told the kids and my wife over breakfast that I wanted to do this," Gregg Murset, 40, tells PEOPLE.

"They all looked at me like I was crazy," he says, "but when we started to read the stories of people we were going to help, their attitudes completely changed."

Gregg is the founder of My Job Chart, a company with 725,000 users that teaches children about work ethics and money management.

The company partners with Autism Speaks, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and three more organizations that helped to connect the Mursets with families who have children with cancer, genetic disorders and other illnesses.

"When you have a kid who is struggling, the last thing you're thinking of is pulling weeds, vacuuming or dusting," says Gregg.

"It's been amazing to watch my own children open their eyes and see that the world is bigger than they are," he says. "Even the little kids are learning from this experience."

So far, they have stopped in Albuquerque, Denver, Kansas City, Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo on their 6,500-mile journey.

One family in Warren, Michigan, says it was a blessing to have the family stop by their home.

"They showed up at 8 a.m. and we had a list of things we needed help with," says Jim Spencer, 61, whose 12-year-old daughter Lexi has Down syndrome and was diagnosed with leukemia a couple years ago.

"I was very impressed with how professional the kids were," he says. "They just wanted to help."

They were on ladders, cleaning windows and in the yard doing manual labor.

As the Mursets make their way around the country, the kids are visiting places they've never seen.

They stopped at Niagara Falls already, and will see the Statue of Liberty when they're in New York City.

"There is nothing wrong with your kid getting off the couch, doing some work and sweating," says Gregg. "It's good for the kid and it's good for the soul."
http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140721/kids-working-600.jpg

kuhio98

07-13-2014, 11:25 AM

Internet story

Birthday Present for Others

Today I turned 63. For years I have been giving special birthday gifts through my church, but this year after hearing other stories of random kindness, I decided that my present this year should be for strangers. My husband took me to lunch at a restaurant we had never been before in Hilo "the Burger Joint". After we had placed our order a group of 9 coast guarders came in. They were seated close to us and as I heard them place their orders, I leaned over and told my husband I wanted to pick up there tab. I went to the waitress and told her it was my birthday present and she immediately said. "Oh it's your birthday, your meal will be free." So my bill was cut in half, but I gave 9 young men I never met a big Mahalo for their service to our community and country. It's been a great Birthday.

kuhio98

07-15-2014, 11:52 AM

Little girl sells toys to raise money for unwanted pets

CLEVELAND -- On a sunny, summer day, Jemma Sommer stands on a corner in the Tremont neighborhood selling her stuffed animals out of a red wagon for $1 each.

"I wanted to sell my toys to raise money for the Cleveland APL to help animals," says 5-year-old Jemma.

She decided to sell her stuffed animals after her Mom saw another little girl on Facebook raising money by selling her toys, too.

"She said 'we have to do this,' and here we are," says her mother Alyssa Sommer.

So far, they have raised $112 and will deliver it Thursday to the Cleveland Animal Protective League
http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/local/cuyahoga-county/2014/07/02/cleveland-apl-unwanted-pets-shelter/12109483/?hpt=us_bn9

kuhio98

07-16-2014, 10:13 AM

From children's kindness acts website:

Turning a Frown Upside Down
One of my classmates was sitting alone at a table, crying because he just got bullied. Friends and I were all sitting together at our table talking and we noticed him. First Brianna went to go sit with him. Then Hannah and Molly thought it was a good idea too. Eventually everybody from our table went over to sit with him! It felt great, and he stopped crying.

kuhio98

07-17-2014, 10:40 AM

Dog alerts deaf child to burning home

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH)-Indianapolis firefighters were calling a dog named Ace a hero on Wednesday after they said he saved a boy from a fire.

The fire happened Wednesday afternoon in the 6400 block of Perry Pines Court, near Gray Road and East Edgewood Avenue on the south side.

Inside was a 13 year-old boy who’s deaf and was sleeping.

As 24-Hour News 8 anchor Daniel Miller discovered, the boy escaped the fire unharmed, thanks to his four-legged best friend.

“He’s always been good with people that comes over; he’s never been really aggressive,” said James Bernard of Indianapolis.

Two and a half year-old Ace, the Bernard’s family dog is getting a lot of attention.

“He’s just like one of the family members basically,” he said.

Wednesday afternoon, Ace, a Pit Bull, became an instant hero

“He is; he saved my life,” said Nick Lamb.

13 year-old Lamb, who is legally deaf, was sleeping without his cochlear implants inside his home on Perry Pines Court.

“He woke me up because I couldn’t hear anything and I was asleep and I looked around my room and I smelled smoke and I could see a little bit of smoke in my room,” Lamb said.

“He had to get up on him in his face and stuff; he’s a hero,” said Lindsay Bernard, Nick’s mom.

IFD took pictures of the fire when they arrived on the scene. Flames quickly took over the home.

“There was a bunch of loud popping noises and everything else, but the dog obviously knew something wrong and he went and woke him up,” Bernard said.

Lamb was in his bedroom on the second floor. He said when Ace woke him up, he quickly grabbed one of his two cochlear implants and they escaped.

“I took a breath and I went downstairs with Ace and the whole house was covered in smoke and a little bit of fire,” Lamb said.

The Bernard family said they have so much more to be thankful for.

“I would have never seen this from him. I didn’t see this coming,” said Bernard.

And most of all they are thankful for Ace.

“I love him a lot more now,” Lamb said.

Firefighters were able to rescue the family’s cat who was still inside the home when they arrived on the scene.
http://linapps.s3.amazonaws.com/linapps/photomojo/wishtv.com/photos/2014/07/g13239/247211-cb8c6.jpg

kuhio98

07-18-2014, 01:04 PM

8-Year-Old Raises $10K to Buy Police Bullet Proof Vests
Tribune 1:36 mins

Andrew Troxell, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officer, says the death of his co-worker, Perry Renn, hit his family hard. His 8-year-old son wanted to do something to help, so he started raising money for bullet proof vests.

https://news.yahoo.com/video/8-old-raises-10k-buy-142007774.html

kuhio98

07-19-2014, 09:44 AM

From People Magazine Heroes Among Us:

GIVING TROUBLED KIDS A SECOND CHANCE
Judge Jimmie Edwards, 56

St. Louis, Mo.

In 2009 Family Court Judge Jimmie Edwards launched the Innovative Concept Academy, an alternative, last-resort school for young offenders in the same neighborhood as the gang-ridden public housing complex where he grew up. His unique approach seems to be working: Only four of 700 students have returned to jail. Says Edwards: "It doesn't make sense to lock a 12-year-old up for six years and put him back in our community when he's 18. Every child, and especially those who have made mistakes, deserves a chance to see the good in this world and to dream of what possibilities life has to offer. I truly believe I can rehabilitate children. Most are good and decent. I know they can do better; they can achieve. They want somebody to teach them what's right."

kuhio98

07-20-2014, 10:14 AM

This 84-Year-Old Woman Rescued a Dog from a Pack of Wild Coyotes

On July 11, Dolores Jefferson became a local hero after she rescued a neighbor's dog from a pack of wild coyotes.

The 84-year-old Bensenville, Illinois, resident was enjoying a cup of coffee when she heard noises coming from behind her home.

Jefferson went outside to investigate and found her neighbor's dog, Roxie, an Egyptian Pharoah Hound, surrounded by five coyotes.

According to Jefferson, one of the coyotes had Roxie by her head.

"He was huge. He was as big as any German Shepherd I've ever seen," Jefferson told NBC Chicago. "He turned around, looked at me, and Roxie got farther away from him."

As for how Jefferson scared the coyotes away?

"All I could remember, my son told me to yell, make a lot of noise if you see one, and that's what I did," she said.

Roxie was examined by a vet and is expected to make a full recovery, and her owner, Rich Parent, can't thank Jefferson enough.

"Here's this lady, pushing 85 years old, and she's my hero," he said.

<script type="text/javascript" charset="UTF-8" src="http://www.nbcchicago.com/portableplayer/?cmsID=267409951&videoID=G4zy5tLKG7k5&origin=nbcchicago.com&sec=news&subsec=local&width=600&height=360"></script>

phesina

07-20-2014, 03:52 PM

God bless her! And God bless Roxie too.

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

kuhio98

07-21-2014, 10:52 AM

Heroes Among Us
Brenda Jones Create Unique Hospital Gowns for Ailing Women

When Brenda Jones was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, she used her experience to create what she calls her "Vera Wang moment."

It all started when she went for her first day of radiation in January 2009.

The technician "just pointed to the dressing room and said, 'Go on in there, and put on a hospital gown. You're going to wear them for the next seven weeks,' " Jones, 56, tells PEOPLE.

"I opened that door and literally when I saw those stacks of those hospital gowns, that's when I lost it," she says. "I just stood there crying. In my head I'm screaming, 'I'm not wearing those things!' "

At the same time, an idea popped into her head of what she would like to wear.

"I knew exactly what I was going to make," says Jones, a former veterinary technician who had never sewn a day in her life.

That one moment led to her creating Hug Wraps, a nonprofit that has made more than 1,000 kimono-style gowns in a variety of patterns, colors and designs to women with all sorts of illnesses. A friend helped her learn how to sew.

The old gowns "take away patients' dignity, respect, comfort, it strips them of everything," says Jones, of Southampton, New Jersey. "But when you put on a Hug Wrap, you put on a smile."

Jones says the 501(c)(3) nonprofit relies heavily on monetary donations to create the wraps. Many of her customers are people buying the wraps for their family members or friends. She then tries to match the design of the gown as closely as possible to the patient's interests and needs.

Mary Carty got a Hug Wrap from Jones's niece, Althea McIlwee, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2012.

"It was a cold, cold rainy night and it was like 9 o'clock at night and she said, 'I have something to bring you, I know it will cheer you up,' " says Carty, 62, of Mount Holly, New Jersey.

"It was red – it makes me cry every time I think about it – it was red with yellow owls on it," she says. "Red is one of my favorite colors and owls are a spirit animal for me."

Carty says her husband Richard and their two sons were supportive but having the Hug Wrap was the female connection she needed during her battle with breast cancer.

"It gave me a positive feeling, like somebody cared," Carty says. "It really made me feel connected to a bunch of people, like we're all going through this same thing. It was a hug; it was literally a hug!"

Jones also includes a personal note with every Hug Wrap she makes.

"[Brenda] said that this was her hug that she wanted to give to me so when I went to my treatments and stuff I won't feel alone," Carty says, crying.

"You know, I just couldn't stop crying and every time I try to read that note, I cry," she says. "It's something special and Brenda has brought a lot of peace to a lot of people. I've always said if I won the lottery, she's the first on the list."

Carty officially became cancer free on March 12, 2013, but she says she still sports her Hug Wrap.

"It was just nice to have that item, and I still have it," she says. "I think I'll frame it. I'll never get rid of it."

Jones has donated Hug Wraps to Nazareth Hospital in Philadelphia, greatly impacting the cancer community, according to radiation therapist Candy McLaughlin.

"It's absolutely amazing and profound what this simple, little piece of fabric does for the patient when they have to come in for treatment every day," she says. "It presents a positive feeling to the patient that this is something the hospital is offering them but I really make an effort for them to understand that this is coming from Brenda."

Jones said her ultimate goal, besides appearing on Ellen DeGeneres's show, is for any patient that is handed a diagnosis of cancer to be handed a Hug Wrap.

"For me to have gotten that angry when I did is not like me," says Jones, who is now cancer free. "But, really looking back, if I hadn't gotten that angry I wouldn't have been pushed to change those hospital gowns."

Brenda Jones: http://img2-3.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140728/brenda-jones-300.jpg Mary McCarty: http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140728/mary-carty-300.jpg

kuhio98

07-22-2014, 05:42 PM

5-year-old’s letter to police shows you’re never too young to make a difference

WESTLAKE, Ohio — If you doubt that one person can make a difference, you haven’t met 5-year-old Presley Keeton of Westlake. She was concerned about safety in her neighborhood and a letter she wrote to police got an immediate response.

Like most children, Presley likes to play outside. But, she didn’t always feel safe outside her house on Bassett Road. Sometimes she sees cars pass by going faster than the posted 25 mph speed limit. So concerned, she decided to write a letter to the police. Her reason: “because they stop people from speeding,” she said.

She invited police to come to her street and see the problem for themselves. The letter was rather convincing. “It was a picture of the road and every car was going above the speed limit. One car was going 89,” Presley said.

Her Dad said the letter was entirely Presley’s idea to write. “When she decided to do it, I thought there’s no better person to kind of get their attention than a 5-year-old. If a 5-year-old notices that it’s a problem, then it’s probably a pretty big issue,” Zach Keeton said.

Presley was expecting a letter in return, instead Officer Tony Lavolpa come to her house Wednesday ready to catch speeders on her street. “It is extremely infrequent for a 5-year-old to communicate with us. And, we thought this would be a good opportunity to maybe make a friend and also address the complaint that she made,” Capt. Guy Turner of the Westlake Police Dept. said.

Within an hour, Officer Lavolpa did catch some speeders on the street. “He stopped seven or eight,” Presley said. Zach Keeton is proud of what his daughter accomplished with her letter. “I think Presley is a wonderful example of showing that it doesn’t matter how old you are that you make a difference,” he said.

Presley said her street is safer, but “there is still more speeders to catch,” she added. Video: http://fox8.com/2014/07/16/5-year-olds-letter-to-police-shows-youre-never-too-young-to-make-a-difference/?hpt=us_bn9
http://localtvwjw.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/letter.jpeg?w=450&h=302

momcat

07-22-2014, 07:45 PM

kuhio98

07-22-2014, 08:00 PM

Like many other cities, Trenton has a problem with guns, drugs, and gangs. Ours is a quiet street with pleasant neighbors but we all keep pretty much to ourselves. There's a young high school student on our street who spends a great deal of his time with the younger kids teaching them how to play football and how to shoot a basketball. When he's out there with the younger kids it's something wonderful to see. This young man is giving the others something positive to do while learning something positive in the process. The good kids like this far outnumber the trouble makers. I want to see young men and women like my neighbor on the front page of the newspaper doing good for their neighborhood and get the recognition they so rightly deserve.

AMEN! I'm so tired of society giving attention to the dregs of society. There have always been more good in the world than bad. Let's keep focused on the positive stories. And let's bring attention to the good. When you see it, acknowledge it. When you read it, forward or post it. When you do it, toot your own horn! :D

kuhio98

07-24-2014, 10:12 AM

Grandfather runs into burning RV to rescue twin granddaughters

SALEM, OR (KPTV) - A family barely escaped a burning RV early Thursday morning. Now, a grandfather is in the hospital recovering from his injuries after he went back into the burning camper to save his grandkids.

It's been a long day for Sunya Laing and her family, but they're all grateful that they're alive.

The family is still trying to understand what happened after their RV burst into flames, as four of them slept inside.

"I guess a little after midnight all of a sudden we just heard this boom and I guess I got thrown out of the camper," said Sunya Laing.

The family believes the fire started at the propane tank. The flames spread from the middle of the RV to where 11-year-old twins, Jessie and Jaden were sleeping.

"Then I saw flames and that's when I heard my grandpa yelling and the flames went up after it started by the stove," said Jessie Laing, who escaped the burning camper.

It was their grandfather who jumped into action.

"He tried to get some of it out so he could get to us but he couldn't so he just went through the flames and got us," said Jessie.

Chris Laing rushed back in and was focused on one thing.

"All I can remember is him yelling for the kids; my kids, my kids and he ran back in there and got the girls," said Sunya Laing.

"He just yanked me and said Jaden jump and I jumped and I landed somewhere outside," said Jaden Laing, who escaped the fire.

Everyone got out OK.

The girls had minor burns to their feet. Jaden got a slight burn to her nose.

However, it was their grandpa who suffered the worst of it.

Chris got second and third degree burns to his arms and had blisters on his head and the bottoms of his feet.

"He doesn't think he's a hero but if we didn't have him we would not be here right now," added Jaden Laing.

The family knows things could have ended much differently if Chris didn't jump into action.

"Yeah, they wouldn't be here today if he didn't go get them," said Sunya Laing.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Chris remains in the hospital in Portland as he's treated for his burns. He was expected to be going home by the end of this week.
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kuhio98

07-25-2014, 11:09 AM

Mom shaves head in support of children's cancer research

LAWRENCE, KS (KCTV) - A local mom is shaving her head bald with 45 other mothers to show their support for children's cancer research.

The event is called 46 Mommas Shave for the Brave. The number is symbolic because statistics say that each weekday 46 moms will find out their child has cancer.

The group of 46 mothers involved share one devastating reality – doctors diagnosed each of their kids with cancer.

"On our team we do have a lot of mommas who have lost their children and they are some of the fiercest advocates," Karla Knudson said.

In 2010 in Los Angeles, CA, with a goal to raise $1 million for children's cancer research, the women voluntarily shaved their heads.

"This crowd of people they are all just crying, hooting and hollering and so moved by it," Knudson said.

Knudson braved the shave. She did it because when her daughter Annika was 11 years old, she was diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma.

"As much as I didn't understand it then, I now know how close to really death I was when I was sitting in my bed," said Annika Knudson, who is now 17 years old.

Annika Knudson fought cancer with a smile on her face. When chemo caused her to lose her hair, she used the opportunity to try something out of the ordinary with fun and colorful wigs.

Karla Knudson is headed to Boston on June 27 for another shave five years after her first buzz to celebrate one huge milestone – her daughter is celebrating five years of being cancer free.

Annika Knudson says she knows not every mom would be as willing as hers to set style aside twice and lose her locks to raise money for research that could one day cure childhood cancer.

"There is this kind of rebelliousness to it. It's like, 'take that chemotherapy. I don't have to have you to be bald,'" she said.

It's estimated that only four percent of cancer research funding goes toward kid's cancer research. To help fill that funding gap, people can donate to the St. Baldrick's Foundation that sponsors the 46 Mommas Shave for the Brave event that will be held in Boston on July 27 this year.

To donate to Karla Knudson's efforts to raise money for children's cancer research, click here. https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/667139/2014
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kuhio98

07-26-2014, 12:25 PM

Officer steps in to help 96-year-old woman in stifling hot house

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - Thanks to an officer with the Kansas City Police Department, an elderly woman who was without an air conditioner is now staying cool.

Officer Patrick Byrd was called to Indiana Avenue when a neighbor reported to police seeing a disoriented woman in the area. When Byrd arrived, he saw 96-year-old Helen Adams outside in the heat. He offered to take her home, but realized her house did not have a working air conditioner.

"She had a fan, but it was still very hot inside the residence," Byrd said. "At that time I asked her if she had central air or an air conditioning unit. She said the air went out a couple days ago."

Byrd called the Bishop Sullivan Center and found out that volunteers could help Adams through their Project ElderCool program.

"Project ElderCool is a program we've had for years now where we deliver air conditioners and install them for older persons on fixed incomes; people who can't afford a unit for themselves," said Maria Antonia, who works at the center.

The organization also deposits $100 in recipients' accounts so they do not feel guilty about keeping the air conditioner running when it is hot outside.

Byrd stayed with Adams while they waited for volunteers to arrive, and found out no one was checking on the elderly woman in this intense heat.

"I stayed with her for quite some time and she shared with me that she didn't have any living relatives to check on her," he said.

Police say this is a reminder to check on your neighbors when it is this hot, especially if they are elderly or have a medical condition.

Click here https://www.bishopsullivan.org/donate/project-eldercool to find out more about Project ElderCool or to donate to the organization.
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kuhio98

07-27-2014, 10:47 AM

Real Estate Attorney Leaves $800,000 to Shelter Cats

Brian Russell Kirchoff loved cats.

So the San Rafael, California, real estate attorney did something purr-fectly nice when drawing up his will: he set aside some $800,000 for cats in need at the Marin Humane Society of Novato, California.

According to the Marin Independent Journal, Kirchoff died after suffering a heart attack last year and left a six-page handwritten will that said "any cash proceeds left shall be donated to the Marin Humane Society for the express benefit and use of their cat fund for the benefit of all the cats which come into their care."

So far the society has received $200,000 and the rest – approximately $600,000 – will arrive before the end of the year, says John Reese, chief operating officer of the organization, who tells PEOPLE that Kirchoff wasn't intimately tied to the organization when he was alive.

Holly Haugh, a former colleague of Kirchoff's, told the Journal that she wasn't surprised when she learned what her friend had done. "He had a passion for cats," she said, adding that the bachelor liked to call himself "Cat Daddy" when talking about his two beloved cats, Chelsea and Tarka (who reside at a Santa Rosa animal sanctuary which received $20,000 to care for them).

The Marin Humane Society hasn't yet determined how they'll use the money, but improvement of their current cat housing could be a future project.

"We will do very generous things for cats with his donation," Reese tells PEOPLE. "It was wonderful for him to consider his cats in the planned giving for his estates and then to also give that donation."
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Cats available at the Marin Humane Society

phesina

07-27-2014, 04:52 PM

My cats are the primary beneficiaries of my will, and once they're gone, whatever remains goes to rescues and services that help other cats.

Cat Lady here..

kuhio98

07-29-2014, 01:19 PM

Tiny Chihuahua Saves Family from House Fire

Somebody get this super dog a cape!

A tiny Chihuahua named Chloe from Federal Way, Washington, barked until her sleeping family woke up during a house fire – and she's being credited with saving their lives.

"My mom's little 5-lb. Chihuahua started barking when she saw the smoke," Devon Whittlesey told ABC 13 News. "Smoke was pouring into my room. I dropped down to my hands and knees and crawled to the front door."

Whittlesey and two other residents made it out fast thanks to the barking, but Chloe wasn't so lucky.

When part of the home collapsed in flames, they thought the dog was gone forever. An hour later, firefighters discovered the pooch alive in the rubble, covered in ash, according to ABC 13.

"Chloe saved us," Whittlesey said. "We wouldn't have lived. If the flames wouldn't have got us, the smoke would've."

Despite her size, Chloe is being hailed a giant hero. "She's got 250 lbs. in that little 4-lb. body," said Chloe's other owner, Tracie Fox. "No doubt she saved us."
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kuhio98

07-30-2014, 12:36 PM

Return of an Earth Angel
After being rescued two years before, she prayed that she might one day thank the young man who came to her aid. It was a prayer quickly answered.
By Helen Chade Mahshi, San Clemente, California

Waves lapped against the shore as I walked along the beach. The ocean was calm, but looking out at it I shivered, remembering a day two years before. I’d left my daughter, Anastasia, relaxing on the sand while I went for a swim. I got caught in a riptide that swiftly took me deep into the ocean.

The harder I fought, the more exhausted I got. But I didn’t get any closer to shore. Was Anastasia going to watch me drown? “God, I need help!” I gasped, barely able to keep my mouth above the water.

A young man appeared in the surf. “Hang on to me,” he said. He sliced through the water with powerful strokes. We rode a wave in together until we stumbled onto the sand, his arm supporting me as I collapsed into the embrace of my daughter.

I hugged Anastasia tight and gulped in sweet sea air. By the time I looked up the man was gone. Anastasia couldn’t say which way he went.

I hope that man knows how grateful I am to this day, I thought, turning away from my memory. I stepped aside as someone came jogging down the beach–a young man who looked very familiar.

“You may not remember, but you once saved my life!” I said when he got close. “Thank you!”

He grinned, shyly. “You’re welcome!”

With another prayer answered, he was gone.

kuhio98

08-01-2014, 12:08 PM

Kansas City woman sews Angel Gowns for parents using donated wedding dresses

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - If you frequent garage sales around town, you may have run into John Wright. Address list in hand, the 81- year-old Kansas City grandfather plots out his stops in advance of walking up homeowners’ driveways filled with treasures they’re hoping to sell.

John has been going to garage sales for a decade. Upon his arrival, it doesn’t take long for him to locate the homeowner to ask one simple question: "Do you have any wedding dresses?"

“I went to a garage sale in Belton one day,” John explained to 41 Action News. “I was talking to the lady and I showed her a little flyer and she said, 'Stand right there, don’t move.'"

The woman went inside her house and brought out an old, used wedding dress. It was exactly what John was seeking.

“She was married to the man for 18 years and it turned out he wasn’t a very nice fella,” John said. “She said she can’t stand to look at the wedding dress, so she couldn’t think of a better use to put the dress to than make something meaningful.”

Along with collecting coffee mugs and toys he donates to people in need, John gathers wedding gowns to give to his wife, Diane. She then washes them, cuts them apart, and sews them into tiny gowns.

Delicate gowns that are about to serve a new purpose as burial gowns for deceased newborns.

“I’ve probably gotten 15 out of one dress,” Diane said. “But most of the time it's closer to eight and I try to do the four different sizes.”

Diane makes various different sizes to fit babies at various stages of gestation. She also makes a small little pocket, or wrap, with ties for the newborns that are too small to wear clothes.

“There’s always a variety. And then after I do some then I go back and any little scrap I have left will take whatever pattern I have and see what will fit and make that particular size."

Diane donates gowns she makes to area hospitals, like Saint Luke’s East. Nurses then give them to parents whose newborn babies did not survive.

“I’ve had a miscarriage and we’ve lost a child so I understand that grief,” Diane told 41 Action News with tears welling up in her eyes.

Diane and John also revealed they recently lost a son who drowned during a military exercise.

Angelee True is a nurse in the labor and delivery unit at St. Luke’s East Hospital in Lee’s Summit, Mo.

“Not all families have a happy experience when they come here. We do have families that lose babies due to miscarriage or still birth or at all different stages of gestation,” Angelee explained.

“We have been trained to take care of those families and it's always difficult,” Angelee said while standing in an empty patient room. “It’s never easy by any means.”

“We get patients who come in for an induction or just a regular appointment who say they haven’t felt the baby move as much as normal and the baby has passed and it's a total shock to them."

It’s a shock that's a bit less painful for parents thanks to people like John and Diane.

“The parents would have to go buy something,” Diane said. “I can’t imagine how hard that would be to go and buy a burial gown.”

John added, “When I look at them I just … my throat closes up. I get so emotional about it.”

Diane says a prayer over every gown. She’s never met the recipients of her gowns or Angelee, but hospital staff has witnessed the parents’ overwhelming response.

“What they’re doing is extremely important and what they’re doing means a lot more than what they can ever know,” Angelee said.

“If you have faith in God and faith in helping other people, then that’s what we’re here for,” John added while sitting in his living room.

“I’m 81 years old. I don’t know how much time I have left, but I’d like for it to have meaning.”

If you have a wedding dress you’d like to donate to John and Diane Wright, send it to Grandview United Methodist Church, 12613 Grandview Road in Grandview, Mo.

You can also contact the volunteer coordinator at Saint Luke’s East Hospital at 816-347-8532.
http://www.kshb.com/news/kansas-city-woman-sews-angel-gowns-for-parents-using-donated-wedding-dresses?hpt=us_bn9

kuhio98

08-03-2014, 02:02 PM

Two young girls donate nearly 500 inspirational bracelets to cancer patients

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - Two young girls who are best friends know what it is like to have a mother diagnosed with cancer. They've now banded together to put a positive spin on a challenging situation.

Five years ago, Lindsay Mosamery, 11, found out her mother Julie Mosamery was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

This past May, Lindsey's friend Keeley Joyal, 10, found out her mother Katie Joyal was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

Both Lindsey and Keeley, from Somers, wanted to give Joyal something inspirational to take with her to chemotherapy treatments, so they decided to make rubber band bracelets that Joyal could wear throughout her treatments.

Now, after the girls involved their classmates in their efforts, they have been able to collect hundreds of bracelets with inspirational messages attached to give to cancer patients at Hartford Hospital.

The girls have named their cause "The Bouncing Back Club," and on Thursday they donated close to 500 bracelets to cancer patients at Hartford Hospital.

"I think it makes them feel good. You know, it's nice to see children giving back to the community and bringing cancer awareness to their friends and to patients," Julie Mosamery said.
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kuhio98

08-05-2014, 07:24 PM

Heroes Among Us
Bill & Muriel Elliott Help Crack Down on Drunk Drivers to Honor Their Son

The knock on the door that changed Bill and Muriel Elliott's life forever came at 4 a.m. on Saturday, July 22, 2000.

It was the police – with some devastating news.

"They told us our son had been killed in a collision with a drunk driver," Bill, 64, tells PEOPLE. "My wife went down to answer the door because we were asleep and I heard her screaming."

John, 22, had graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, just two months earlier and was working there as an instructor. That night, he got off duty around 10 p.m. and headed north to his parents' home in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, to celebrate his mother's birthday. The accident happened in Woodstown, New Jersey.

The driver of the car that hit John died in the accident. He had been drinking for 10 hours straight – and had a blood alcohol level of 0.23 at the time of the crash. The man had been arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated two hours before the accident but was released to the custody of a friend, who let him drive again.

"We experienced every parent's worst nightmare," Bill says.

But the Elliotts were determined to make some good come from the tragedy. That same year, they founded the HERO Campaign, a nonprofit devoted to cracking down on drunk drivers.

"Out of that incredible heartbreak, we wanted to do everything we could to prevent this tragedy from happening to other families," says Bill, a retired hospital vice president.

The HERO Campaign promotes the use of designated drivers by registering volunteers to drive home those who have been drinking. It partners with law enforcement agencies, colleges, bars and taverns, restaurants, sports teams, state divisions of highway safety, the U.S. Naval Academy and community chapters across the country.

Rodney Brewer, commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, says he's seen a drop in fatality rates since partnering with the nonprofit in December 2012.

"I can't let the HERO Campaign have all of the credit, but I will tell you I think they are a major part of the equation," Brewer tells PEOPLE.

Bill and Muriel also worked with the New Jersey State Police to get John's Law passed in 2001. The legislation gives police there the authority to seize the vehicles of suspected drunk drivers and hold them for up to 12 hours.

Laura and Michael Horne, who lost their son Chad to a drunk driver in January 2010, say they are grateful to the Elliotts for all their advocacy efforts.

"When you lose a child in such a tragic way, it can either make you or break you as far as staying together as a family," Laura, 49, of Freehold, New Jersey, tells PEOPLE.

"I attribute the survival of my family to Bill and Muriel Elliott and this campaign because I don't know if we would have done without it, honestly," says Laura, who volunteers for the group.

Muriel says the HERO Campaign has helped keep memories of their son alive.

"John was always a positive person; he made you laugh," says the retired first-grade teacher, 64. "John would probably laugh at some of the funny things along the way, like being grand marshals at the NASCAR race – we know that he probably would have loved that."

Bill says drunk driving should be taken more seriously because it can devastate anyone out of the blue – just like it did to to them.

"I think the view is like lightning could strike and it will happen to somebody else but it won't happen to them," says Bill. "But lightning struck our family when they came knocking on our door that morning."
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kuhio98

08-07-2014, 01:39 PM

Heroes Among Us
Houston Socialite Kristi Schiller Helps Cops – and Dogs! – Fight Crime

In December 2009, Kristi Schiller saw a story on the local TV news that devastated her.

The K-9 unit dog of Deputy Constable Ted Dahlin, of Harris County, Texas, had been strangled to death by a burglary suspect.

"This poor officer," Schiller, 44, tells PEOPLE. "It was a member of his family, and this dog died protecting him."

So Schiller – a Houston wife, mom and animal lover whose four dogs go everywhere with her – decided to get him another one.

In December 2009, Kristi Schiller saw a story on the local TV news that devastated her.

The K-9 unit dog of Deputy Constable Ted Dahlin, of Harris County, Texas, had been strangled to death by a burglary suspect.

"This poor officer," Schiller, 44, tells PEOPLE. "It was a member of his family, and this dog died protecting him."

So Schiller – a Houston wife, mom and animal lover whose four dogs go everywhere with her – decided to get him another one.

Keep up with your favorite celebs in the pages of PEOPLE Magazine by subscribing now.

"I didn't want the dog to die in vain," she says.

She soon found out it wasn't that easy.

After pitching her idea to as high up as the Texas governor, Schiller quickly learned that an individual can't just give a police department a K-9, due to complex departmental policies coupled with the steep price of training. It costs a minimum of $10,000 to purchase and train one dog, and K-9 units are usually the first go in budget cuts.

But Schiller didn't let that stop her.

In 2010, she created K9s4COPS, a nonprofit that provides K-9s trained in narcotics, explosives and firearms detection to police across the country.

To date, 60 of her trained dogs are catching bad guys for police departments in 17 states, and she has a waiting list with no fewer than 85 officers on it.

Some $47.6 million worth of narcotics and 97 guns have been seized with the help of K9s4COPS dogs.

"This is a great thing she's doing," says Charles Mesloh, a K-9 expert and criminal justice professor at Northern Michigan University. "I'm not aware of any other [program like Schiller's]."

Schiller, meanwhile, says it's a labor of love.

"I sat on 13 different boards when I started this," reveals Schiller, a native Texan with a colorful past as a radio broadcaster and Playboy model, "and I got off every single one because I felt so passionate about moving forward with this."

Barking Up Funds
Initially funding her mission out of her own pocket, Schiller has since raised more than $2.4 million for her charity.

That support has gone a long way.

When Houston County Deputy John Walker's longtime partner, Bosco, retired, his department didn't have funding to replace the dog.

Walker faced the possibility of finishing his career as a dogless patrolman when Schiller came to the rescue, donating Gorbi, a German shepherd, to him in 2011.

"He's a part of me," Walker says of his new partner.

Class Act
Schiller, a gun owner and NRA member, is also deeply opposed to an effort in Texas and other states to allow teachers to carry guns in schools, fearing they will do more harm than good.

Prompted by the December 2012 Newtown school shooting, Schiller started K9s4KIDS, which donates gun- and drug-detecting dogs to protect schools.

So far, K9s4KIDS has placed trained dogs in five Texas schools, and another is being trained for a private school on Long Island, New York.

Westside Elementary School music teacher Parrish Gayle says that having a dog around her Angleton, Texas, school "adds tremendously" to the safety procedures put in place after Newtown.

"A dog makes you pause, and he's a huge deterrent that helps you feel safe," she says.

When Schiller first contacted Dahlin following the loss of his dog, he was skeptical of the socialite's idea. That perception quickly changed.

"She is an amazing person," says Dahlin, who no longer works with dogs but sits on her board of directors.

"I could never have imagined something this great coming from such a tragic situation."

kuhio98

08-10-2014, 11:39 AM

Praying with Mimi
Who would have thought that my most consistent prayer partner would be a four-legged friend?
By Anne Simpkinson, New York, New York

I start my day with prayer. Centering prayer, in which, rather than saying prayers aloud, you sit in silence, letting go of thoughts and distractions and resting in God. The point isn’t to talk to God, or even to listen to him, but to simply be with him.

Early every morning after I feed the cats, I settle into the big gray overstuffed armchair tucked in a corner of my bedroom by a window.

First I read a devotion from one of the books I keep beside the chair. Then I put the book down and hit the start button on the meditation timer app I downloaded onto my phone. A soft bell chimes, signaling the beginning of my 20 minutes of prayer.

I close my eyes, repeat a sacred word two or three times then sit in silence. The sixteenth-century mystic Saint John of the Cross wrote that God’s first language is silence. I’ve chosen centering prayer as a way to connect with God–beyond words, beyond thoughts, beyond emotions.

Centering prayer has been my spiritual practice for almost 20 years, one that’s seen me through many changes–my divorce, my parents’ deaths, several moves, new jobs. A constant through the inevitable ups and downs of life.

I was content with my practice. But then one day a friend and I were discussing our prayer lives. She happened to mention that when she sat on her sofa to pray every morning, her cat joined her. My reaction was instantaneous... and not very Christian. I was green with envy!

My friend certainly hadn’t trained her cat (who can?), so I reasoned that she must exude such a peaceful aura that her cat couldn’t resist basking in it. Obviously, I was less holy, less spiritual than she was.

My two cats did nothing like that when I prayed. They nibbled at their breakfast. Stood sentinel at the window, watching for birds. Lounged in their favorite spots in the living room. Groomed themselves. They did what cats do.

And I did what we humans often do. I let my feelings of inadequacy niggle at me for a while. I wondered why my connection to God was somehow lacking. Then I got caught up in the busyness of my day-to-day life and forgot about my friend’s feline prayer partner.

Until one morning about a year ago. I was sitting in my big gray chair, eyes closed in prayer, when I felt one of my cats leap onto its overstuffed arm and slowly walk across my lap.

I kept my eyes shut, trying to stay centered. But it was hard not to be distracted when my cat turned and walked across my lap the other way. Which cat was it? I took a peek.

It was Mimi, my nine-year-old tuxedo cat. She stretched out next to me, settling herself against my left side, and rested her head on my thigh. She lay there, completely relaxed. Completely still.

I closed my eyes again. I listened to the gentle rhythm of Mimi’s breath. I let the soft warmth of her body seep into me. And something about her stillness seeped into me as well, lulling me, pulling me deeper into silence, into peace.

Since that day, every morning when I sit in my comfy chair to pray, Mimi has joined me. As soon as the meditation bell chimes, she pads into the room, jumps up on the chair and nestles against me. Then we both settle down, close our eyes and rest in the presence of God.

After all, didn’t Jesus say, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”?
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kuhio98

08-11-2014, 07:57 PM

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - Two lots where abandoned homes once sat were turned into open space park areas today on Cleveland's West side. They are situated between the home of Gina DeJesus who was one of three women who were held captive for ten years before they escaped last spring.

Kelly Weiss says the parks are a way to help neighbors and the DeJesus family heal from those emotional wounds.

"The DeJesus family has been through a lot and so has this neighborhood.'''

The parks are called Camden Community Place which covers open spaces where abandoned homes once sat. Norma Sanovich says those abandoned homes attracted crime.

"I don't want to be scared to come out of my house because there has been a shooting in the neighborhood so yes that's why I did all this,'' Sanovich said.

All the resources from the park were donated free of charge with no help from the city.

''That's what it takes, neighbors taking care of neighbors.''

The band ''Heaven's Best Kept Secret'' helped to kick off today's dedication, which has neighbors moving away from the past and toward the promise of a new day.

kuhio98

08-12-2014, 01:56 PM

Police Officer Saves Baby's Life, Attends Her Wedding 20 Years Later
"This is one job you don't forget about."

New York police officer Capt. Joseph Barca first met Shammarah Hamideh 20 years ago, when she was two months old and choking to death. Barca saved her life that day, and now, two decades later, he's back--not to rescue her, but to watch her get married.

"He's very considerate," Hamideh told the Journal News. "Every year on my birthday, he sends me a card and a check. They treat me like I'm their daughter."

Hamideh will marry in Chicago later this month. Barca is set to attend with his wife, Helen; he'll have the opportunity to celebrate Hamideh's big day--a day that, were it not for him, Hamideh might not have survived to see.

kuhio98

08-14-2014, 11:44 AM

PHOENIX -- A critically injured dog found lying on the side of the road in Phoenix is recovering at a no-kill shelter.

Phoenix Police Officer Gary Potts found the Rottweiler, later named Abe, near 28th and Van Buren streets and took him to the Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA's veterinary clinic.

The dog, believed to be about 6 years old, was covered in lacerations and had a large gash across his head. A section of muscle had been torn from his back leg, and one of his ears was almost completely severed.

A veterinarian determined Abe was most likely attacked by a group of dogs.

The veterinarian and clinic staff cleaned and sewed Abe's wounds and were able to reattach a large portion of his ear. They worked on and watched over him from the time he arrived shortly after 7 a.m. until about 8 p.m.

Abe eventually moved into an employee's office and, although shy and under medication, has started to greet people in the hallway.

"Every animal deserves a chance for a happy and healthy life and, although this is an extreme case, it is the core of what AAWL & SPCA does day in and day out," President and CEO Judith Gardner said in a statement.

Abe will be available for adoption once sufficiently recovered.
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kuhio98

08-16-2014, 10:18 AM

AZ man walks thousands of miles picking up litter

PHOENIX (CBS5) - Long before the sun is high in the sky, Jerry Meyers, 72, is on the move.

I wear out a couple pair of shoes a year, two or three," Meyers said.

What started out as a recommendation from his doctor for exercise has turned into an 8-year ritual, walking Recker Road in Mesa every morning and picking up litter along the way.

"I usually got a sack that I look for stuff, you know. I haven't seen anything yet here," Meyers said.

"I've had people stop and wanted to give me a ride and I said, 'no, I just enjoy the exercise," Meyers recalled.

Jack Carlson happened to drive by Meyers several years ago and something in him told him to stop.

"I'll be darn, there's Jerry walking and a little light went on and I said, 'Jack, why don't you get to know this guy and find out what you can do,'" Carlson said.

What he found out was the two Midwestern guys with military backgrounds had a lot in common.

They soon became friends and that's when Carlson decided to do the math on Meyers' jaunts.

"It's between 7,000 and 8,000 miles, which to me is very impressive," Carlson said.

Not to mention the tons of trash that are no longer on the street, so Carlson wanted to pay it forward to his friend.

Carlson, with the help of CBS 5's Pay It Forward program, presented Meyers with $500 cash.

Meyers has always been an active guy, playing and coaching several softball teams over the years. But diabetes has slowed him down these days.

"I have people wave and honk at me and I don't know who they are. They're nice and friendly people and I try to wave when I can," Meyers said.

While he doesn't think his litter walks are any big deal, he has developed a philosophy from the people he bumps into and says it's helped him trudge on when the shoes are worn and the days are hot.

"People are nice people regardless of your age or what you look like or clothes they wear. It's the person inside," Meyers said. "Live a normal life and help one another out if you can."

Meyers tried to donate the money right back to Carlson's church, but Carlson made him keep it, if only to buy shoes for several more years of community service.