The good guys thread

[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.
-------------

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

-----
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."

[jackie]

I was feeling a little down today and this thread really cheered me up.

Thanks!

[kuhio98]

Driving home from work one evening in the pouring rain, my headlights illuminated two eyes on the side of the road. I stopping to investigate, finding a very wet, bedraggled-looking cat looking up at me, meowing pitifully. A car must have hit it and it now lay in the gutter, unable to move. I checked for a collar and ID but there was none. I flattened a cardboard box from the boot and slid the cat onto it, covering it in a rug.

At the nearest veterinary clinic, the vet gently examined it. "He's about eight months old and has a broken front and hind leg, but I would need X-rays to know the extent of the damage," he told me. "As he's not your cat, I don't know if you want to go ahead with this. It could be rather expensive."
I knew it would cost me hundreds of dollars, but the alternative was the cat being put to sleep. The following morning the vet rang to say the X-rays confirmed a broken front leg and two badly splintered breaks in the hind leg. "I'll put a metal pin in his back leg to keep it immobilized until it's healed," he told me. "He'll have slightly shorter hind legs but it won't affect his movements at all."

I contacted the RSPCA to no avail, so all day I looked forward to picking up my little friend. Carrying the cat, the vet smiled, "He's a happy little fellow - he hasn't stopped purring since he woke up. The staff are quite taken with him!" I hardly recognized him. His previously matted, dirty fur was now a beautiful silver grey, with a dark charcoal mask around his eyes and nose, like a bandit. His front leg was in a cast and the hind leg was taped, with the pin protruding at each end. He lay there looking at me, purring loudly.

I thanked the doctor and went out to the receptionist to pay the bill. "I think you've given me the wrong account," I said. "This is only $85. He's had X-rays and an operation on his legs." "No, that's right," she replied. "The vet has only charged you for the drugs and medication. There's a message on the bottom." Written underneath the total were the words "SPECIAL RATE FOR ADOPTIONS." I was speechless at his kind and generous gesture. It was obvious he would be embarrassed if I made a fuss, so I paid the account and underneath his message I wrote "WITH GRATEFUL THANKS, BANDIT AND MUM."

[kuhio98]

I was feeling a little down today and this thread really cheered me up.

Thanks!

Jackie ~ I'm so pleased to hear that these stories cheered you up.
Feel free to share any happy, positive stories you run across.

I was very down when I started this thread. 2012 has been the worst year of my life.
Scouring the news/internet for positive stories has helped immensely.

[kuhio98]

Growing food to give away
When Katie Stagliano was in third grade, she planted a cabbage in her garden. After a lot of hard work, it grew into an impressive 40 pounds. She decided to donate it to a soup kitchen. The cabbage was big enough for the meals of 275 people. Katie was amazed at how many people she could help with just that one cabbage. It inspired her.
At only 11 years old, she got the idea to start her own nonprofit organization called Katie's Krops. Katie's Krops grows food and gives it away to soup kitchens.
The organization has 6 gardens, where they grow thousands of pounds of lettuce, tomatoes and other vegetables, all of which they donate to people in need.
Everyday, Katie tends to the plants, managing to take care of them while also playing tennis, swimming and maintaining the highest GPA in her class. Luckily, she has a lot of help - her idea has really brought her community together. The seeds for the plants are donated by the organization Bonnie Plants and the organization Fields to Families has sent a professional gardener, Lisa, to help care for the plants. Katie's family, classmates and local volunteers also help by working in the gardens.
Katie encourages everyone to help in any way that they can. She reminds people that even the smallest effort can make a big difference. Katie's Krops is also accepting applications from other kids aged 9-16 who want to start their own charity garden. The winner will be awarded a grant to help fund their new garden. You can read more about Katie and her organization at the http://www.katieskrops.com/ website.