The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

A Cup of Kindness
In college I had a job as a counter person. Every morning the same people lined up for their coffee. Eventually, whenever I saw a regular customer, I'd just hand over "the usual." On my last day at the job I mentioned to a couple of my regulars that I was leaving. They came back at lunchtime with a bouquet of flowers. That gesture made me feel as though I mattered, that I wasn't just another nameless, faceless service provider.
-- Sabrina Regan, Rosedale, New York

[kuhio98]

[kuhio98]

Four years ago, after hearing about a boy with a program to give away backpacks, Jacob Rice decided to do something similar for disadvantaged kids in East Tampa. A local social services agency tipped him off that kids’ shoes were needed, and Rice had found his cause. At his first event, a back-to-school night, 72 kids signed up for shoes.

Rice found a local store that agreed to provide him with shoes at a bargain price. It took private donors and a foundation to help, but eight months later, Rice was able to deliver every last one of the 72 pairs of shoes. Now Rice’s nonprofit charity, Shoe Giver of Tampa, works with Soles4Souls of Nashville, Tennessee, a group that collects and distributes shoes worldwide. Every few months, Rice measures dozens of kids’ feet and sends the sizes to Soles4Souls founder Wayne Elsey, who finds the shoes and has them delivered to Rice. Then Rice distributes them to the youngsters. To date, Rice has handed over more than 1,300 pairs of shoes, not only in East Tampa but also in the Dominican Republic and Liberia.
His current goal: to donate 10,000 pairs of shoes. “I’ve learned how important it is to help your community,” says Rice. “When you’re in a position to help, you have an obligation to do it.”

[kuhio98]

James’s story:
Several years ago we packed all we had into a storage unit back in the lower forty-eight and hopped a red eye flight to get to Valdez, Alaska – where we were headed. When we landed in Anchorage, we had no money and no way of getting the rest of the way to Valdez. We were hungry and didn't know what to do. Kindly, a stranger bought us pizza and sodas while we were stuck at the airport for nearly two days, until we were able to locate a friend living in Valdez. Despite being very sick with the flu, she drove for nearly seven hours through bad March weather to pick us up in Anchorage, then turned around and drove us all the way back to Valdez. She is a true friend and that has to be an act of kindness.

[kuhio98]

Frank Made My Friday

And I became a believer in the existence of random acts of kindness. I was sitting in my local Japanese restaurant waiting for my take-out order, passing the time playing a game on my iPhone, when a young man standing next to me struck up a conversation. I put down my phone and we spoke briefly about our lives, our jobs and when both of our orders were finished, he picked up my check and said, "I'm paying your bill." I was shocked and said, "WHAT!! Oh, no!" He said, "Oh, yes!" I sat at the table for a few moments completely dumbfounded, went up to him at the register and said, I don't even know your name. He responded, "Frank, and have a great weekend." In that moment, through that random act, a cynic became a believer.

[kuhio98]

Spring Training
Every year I go down to Spring Training in Clearwater, Florida to see the Philadelphia Phillies play. Every game we go early to catch and get some baseballs during hitting practice. My brother and I get so many baseballs we don't have enough room for them. One time, a ball went over my head. I ran over and picked it up, there was a disabled kid and his two parents a couple feet away from me. I walked over to them and gave the boy my ball. His parents insisted I keep it, but I told them I had plenty. His mom started to cry, they were all so happy. Then, they all started crying tears of joy. The boy was so happy he got a baseball, it made his day and it made me feel happy.

[kuhio98]

Jason Kroft: Heart Attack Victim Searches for Savior
Have you seen a 40-year-old red-haired hero in dark blue blazer and dress pants on the streets of New York City? If so, two children want to thank him for saving their dad's life. On October 5, Toronto-native Jason Kroft, his wife, Marci, and their two kids, Harper, nine, and Sloan, seven, were strolling though Midtown Manhattan to get a tour of 30 Rockefeller Plaza from brother-in-law, Andrew Zeller. Kroft, 40, who had no history of heart disease, suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed to the sidewalk. His wife screamed for help as he stopped breathing. Suddenly, a stranger appeared and placed his briefcase under Kroft's head, tore open his shirt, and began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). While Kroft sustained a couple of broken ribs during CPR, Zeller tells Shine, "If he hadn't done CPR compression between cardiac arrest and the time the ambulance arrived, Jason would have severe brain damage." In the commotion after the paramedics arrived, the man disappeared into the crowd before the family could discover his identity. Kroft is recovering at St. Luke's Hospital on the Upper West Side and will eventually be moved back to Toronto for rehabilitation. Over the weekend, Zeller put up about 20 signs around Midtown and Times Square hoping the Good Samaritan would step forward. "We want to thank him," he says. "He's a hero." When doctors began operating on Kroft, they discovered he had suffered two aneurisms caused by a rare congenital condition. After triple bypass surgery, the medical team had to cool his body to 30 degrees Celsius for 24 hours to prevent brain damage. Despite the harrowing treatment, Zeller reports his brother-in-law is "doing really well, It's amazing." He adds, "He is weak, but he's the same old Jason. He has a long road to recovery, but he'll be okay."