The good guys thread

[cassiesmom]

I won't paste the whole article here because of its length. But it is an article about a soldier stationed in Japan. He inherited a Japanese flag from his grandfather, who served in World War II. THe story explains where the flag might have come from and what the soldier hopes to do with it.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...d-scott-bailey

[kuhio98]

Package for a Preemie
My daughter was born 6 weeks premature and had to be admitted to the NICU due to several complications. My wife and I spent day after day not knowing what to expect and felt utterly alone. We would spend every minute we could sitting next to our daughter's incubator only leaving late at night to sleep and come back the next day to do it all over again. Well one day we walked up to our baby's incubator and we noticed a nice little baby blanket that our baby was wrapped up with. Knowing that it wasn't a standard hospital blanket we asked a nurse where it came from and she said that a group of women bring in homemade blankets for the babies in the NICU just to say that they are thinking of them. We were blown away because although we never would meet these women we knew that there were others out there who cared for everyone of these little babies. That little blanket meant so much to us and we still cherish that blanket even today. This random act of kindness inspired my wife to show her love for the NICU babies as well. This past Christmas she put together presents for each of the NICU families including things such as a set of baby bottles, a Christmas ornament, lotion for the mommy, and of course a baby blanket. Although she will most likely never meet these babies or their families I was amazed at all the love that she showed letting these families know that in their time of need they are not alone.

[kuhio98]

Because Santa Is Real
I got an anonymous letter a week before Christmas the year my husband was in Afghanistan with his National Guard unit. The writers thanked my husband for his military service and my family for our sacrifices. It also said, "We want your children to know that, yes, there is a Santa Claus. Please make sure they're spoiled while they spend this holiday without their dad." Inside the envelope was $300. I don't know who sent the letter, but it still brings tears to my eyes.
-Shannon Taylor, Ames, Iowa

[cassiesmom]

When I first heard the story of these two kids on the news, it made me want to scream. Then I heard this part of the story on the news.
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JEFFERSON PARK — The 5-year-old girl kept asking the detective one question after police discovered her bruised and cut from domestic abuse: "Will you be my daddy for Christmas?"

Area Central Detectives Joseph Mancilla and Pamela Childs, heartbroken by the situation, answered yes and are now collecting gifts and starting a trust fund for the girl and her 6-year-old brother, they said at a press conference Saturday.

The children were allegedly abused by grandmother Goldine Williams, 47, of the 7500 block of South Kingston Avenue in South Shore, with whom they had lived for four years, police said. Williams was arrested late last month for striking, beating and burning the toddlers.

"This is one of the worst [cases] in a long time," said Childs, who has worked with special victims for 20 years.

The children attended Finkl Elementary School, and one day, a teacher noticed that the boy was limping, police said. When asked what happened, the boy "broke down," saying he couldn't handle seeing his sister getting hurt any more, police said.

But when Mancilla and Childs attemped to learn what happened, the girl said little. She kept crying for "daddy." Then, Mancilla said, the girl ran into his arms, grabbed his face, and asked over and over: "Will you be my daddy for Christmas?"

"It felt like a Lifetime movie or something," Mancilla said.

After the detectives agreed, the girl rattled off her Christmas list: princess cake and princess stuff. Police have been collecting gifts, including princess items for the girl and Transformers toys for the boy, that they will deliver on Christmas Eve. Currently, the children are staying with family.

Giving gifts is more than just a kind gesture for Christmas. It's way for the children to trust an authority figure after being estranged from biological parents and allegedly abused by a grandmother, Childs said.

"It's so that they can understand that we're the police, and we're good people," she said. "You can trust us."

While the girl wanted princess-themed toys, the boy only had one Christmas wish, the police said: To see his sister stop getting hurt.

"This is a six-year-old kid," Mancilla said. "It kind of blows you away."

People interested in donating toys, clothes, shoes or money for the children can leave items at the 2nd District reception desk at 5101 South Cottage Grove Ave.


Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20121...#ixzz2ElFykNcF

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The heartbreaking part of this, for me, is that there are probably other kids who need someone to help out with their Christmas. The U.S. Post Office in downtown Chicago always offers letters to Santa Claus for people to pick up, respond to the request, and then bring back the request and items so it can be delivered. They always get a lot of letters and I bet this year will be no exception with the economy so shaky.

[kuhio98]

Socks for Seniors
Often the elderly or aging in our local assisted living facilities or nursing homes are overlooked during the holidays. I found an organization online that provided simple tools to project manage a holiday program to provide fun holiday socks to those in the homes. We placed boxes and posters around town and collected over 250 pairs of socks. My 2 sons and nephews wrapped each pair along with a nice Christmas note and delivered them to the seniors in our local homes on Christmas Eve. Everyone was so excited to get a small gift from random strangers on the holiday. The kids loved handing them out, seeing the smiles they brought to their faces. We are now planning on holding this program every year! Who would have thought such a simple idea would bring so much joy!

[kuhio98]

Because the Little Things Matter
I was having a tough day, so I gave in to the smell of Starbucks and stopped by with a friend. In line I made a passing comment to her about how much I liked their special holiday coffee cup. The man behind me picked up the cup, bought it and handed it to me, saying "Merry Christmas." That small act of kindness turned my day completely around.
-Elyse Butler, St. Louis, Missouri

[kuhio98]

Theresa Strader Rescues Thousands of Puppy-Mill Dogs
When lifelong animal lover Theresa Strader heard about a massive dog auction in Missouri in 2007, she thought she would check out the scene and adopt a pet or two.

"I said, 'I'm set up to take care of two or three of them,' " remembers Strader, 48, a pediatric nurse and mom of four from Black Forest, Colo.

But when she arrived at the auction site – a collection of tents set up by a large-scale commercial breeder going out of business, a.k.a. a "puppy mill," says Strader – it broke her heart.

"The first thing that hits you," says Strader, "is the smell. Then you are overwhelmed by the emotion of seeing dogs live like that, in cages, frantic. These were dogs who never felt the sunshine on them."

Appalled, Strader ended up adopting 13 of the 561 dogs up for auction – and that was just the beginning. That February, she founded the nonprofit National Mill Dog Rescue, which has since housed, rehabilitated or found homes for more than 6,900 dogs, from poodles to pugs, cavaliers to chihuahuas.

At her 160-acre facility, Strader and a team of 1,400 volunteers, plus a small paid veterinary staff, "take immaculate care of every single dog. We don't cherry-pick," she says. "We take everybody."

Sherrie Lidderdale can attest to that. In August 2011, she adopted a Welsh corgi from Strader.

"Most people who love animals know about Theresa and all of the work that she does," says Lidderdale. "It's just so cool when one single individual can make such a huge difference."