The good guys thread

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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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.

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.

'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/

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.

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."

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."

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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'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.

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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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.

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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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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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.

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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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!

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.

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.

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.”

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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-...urning/vCF8gz/

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.

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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.

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.
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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.

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/c...-lost-in-wreck

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 :)

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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!"

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.”

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.
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How nice, what a dear and touching sight they must be at each funeral.

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."

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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.
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Sounds like a very nice person, and those were very special customers!

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.

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.
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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."

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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.

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.
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