The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

Lost, blind dog finds way back to Fairbanks owners

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Blind and alone in Alaska winter temperatures that dipped 40 degrees below zero, a lost 8-year-old Fairbanks dog wasn't given much of a chance to make it home. But after walking 10 miles to the edge of a local musher's dog yard, Abby the brown-and-white mixed breed was found and returned to her owners, a family that includes two boys and one girl under the age of 10.The dog that the family raised from an animal-shelter puppy went missing during a snowstorm on Dec. 13, and the family never expected to see her again, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. "It's a miracle, there's no other words to describe it," said McKenzie Grapengeter, emotion choking her voice and tears coming to her eyes. "We never expected to have her to be returned safe and alive. "Musher and veterinarian Mark May said he came across the dog while running his team on Dec. 19, but didn't stop to pick her up. "It ran with us for about a mile on the way home before she fell off the pace, but I had a big dog team so I couldn't grab it," he said. "I said, 'boy I hope it finds somebody's house.' "The next day, the dog turned up at May's house.

"Everybody just assumed it was some kind of scaredy-cat, but there it was in front of the door in our dog lot and it was blind," May said. "It was sitting there, all the way from 14 mile on the winter trail down into this neighborhood, I guess by just sniffing, so I picked it up and brought it in. "To May's surprise, the dog had no signs of frostbite. "No frozen ears, no frozen toes, she'll probably go back home and it'll (be) business as usual. She's no worse for wear but quite an adventure," he said. The Grapengeter family hadn't tagged or put a microchip in the dog, but the community used emails and Facebook posts to track down Abby's owners. "We're so, so grateful for all (the community's) hard work," McKenzie Grapengeter said. "They've given us the most amazing Christmas gift we could ever ask for."

[kuhio98]

SAN ANTONIO -- An undercover Santa Claus dropped by the Goodwill store on Austin Highway on Saturday and anonymously paid for 68 customers.
Goodwill spokesperson Jason Meza said the grand total came out to just over $1,900.
Most impressive of all, the same “Secret Santa” dished out more than $1,000 at the same Goodwill store last year.

Meza simply explained the good deed: 'Tis the season.
"We're emotional at this time of year because already we're seeing families that are truly in need, coming and having great deals," he said. "But even times 10 when this happens because we now know that these families are being taken care of by somebody else, including Goodwill."

[kuhio98]

While serving in Iraq in 2009, Specialist Troy Yocum received several distressing e-mails. “My good friend, an Iraq War veteran, was hurting financially,” says Yocum. “I wanted to help, but I [felt] powerless.” The episode stuck with Yocum. When he returned home to Louisville, he ruminated about how to raise money for financially strapped vets and came up with Hike for Our Heroes. The 7,000-mile walk, also known as the Drum Hike because of the instrument he plays en route, kicked off in Louisville in April 2010 and is expected to end there this September. Yocum collects donations through his website and delivers checks to the doorsteps of needy military families. When his march wraps up, he will have trekked to 38 large cities in 30 states and touched down on all three coasts—in San Diego, New Orleans, and Boston.
“I thought, What better way to spread the word than literally going from town to town,” says Yocum. With the support of his wife, Mareike, and sponsors, including Merrell shoes, Yamaha, and Green Beans Coffee, Yocum has logged an average of 20 miles a day, sleeping in donated hotel rooms, host homes, and his tent. If all goes according to plan, by fall he will have given away several hundred thousand dollars. “Every step is worth it because when I arrive to help another family, it is the best feeling.”

[kuhio98]

Car Troubles
Well me and my girlfriend had decided to move to a new town for school. I currently did not have a reliable car. I had also waited a little to long to enroll in school. So i decided to go ahead and work a full time job until second semester to cover bills. Money was tight after paying for the move and getting everything set up. The brakes had finally gone out on my little car. I could not go to work unless it was the same schedule my girlfriend went to school so she could drop me off. I clocked in at work that same morning my car stopped working and to my surprise i had a customer waiting. I was told to install a protective shield for his tablet. I apologized to my manager and quickly informed him of my transportation issue before helping the customer. I am also not one to take home-problems to work. Little did i know the customer overheard my problem. As i started working on his tablet, he began to ask me questions about my life pretty much. school, family, work, cars. When i finished my work he took a roll of cash out of his pocket and firmly pressed it into mine. he told me to use it for my car and "pay it forward". To my surprise he had handed me $200 which was way more than enough for my brake problem. I never got his name, but that man changed my life forever. Random acts of kindness don't just turn someone’s day around. it changes their life. Pay it forward.

[carole]

My parents neighbors down the road a bit came over and offered to mow their lawns for free for Xmas,how nice,they did not leave empty handed though,a bottle of finest scotch whiskey ,was given for their troubles,but what a nice gesture from them,and not expecting anything in return.

[kuhio98]

On a cold winter's morning, an old man sat awkwardly against a wall at Sydney's Circular Quay station I glanced his way for a moment but disregarded him as a derelict and walked on along with the throng of people caught up in the bustle of commuting.

On my way home that afternoon, I saw the same man in the same place. He was crumpled over, his head almost on the ground. Two ambulance attendants were crouched beside him. This time my step paused. He wasn't a derelict at all. He was old certainly, but he wore a nice suit and was clean-shaven. And in a very bad way.

Shame rocked me. How torturous for that sick, old man to have endured the coldness of the entire day, sitting on the hard, unforgiving ground. He probably reached out to passersby for help. No-one stopped. No-one cared. Out of sight, out of mind.

A different season and I again came across an old man half lying on the footpath, not far from where the Winter Man had been. The morning heat was stifling. Caught up in the familiar stampede of people commuting, I barely glanced at him. However, the memory of the old Winter Man came back to me vividly. I walked back to the man on the ground. He was dressed in smart clothes with a neatly trimmed beard and only a straw hat for shade. I knelt down to ask if he was OK. His kind face looked at me.
Beside him, a takeaway cup of coffee and sugar sachets lay open. A flow of people kept walking by. He regained consciousness, albeit weakly, and told me he was diabetic and it might be a good idea to call an ambulance, which I did - it was a few minutes away.

In barely a whisper, he said to me, "Nobody stopped. Thank you." Fighting back tears, I asked his name. "Greg," he said. We looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Volumes were spoken without a word being uttered. I saw a proud man who didn't like what was happening to him. As the approaching ambulance's siren proclaimed the arrival of help, a number of emotions rushed at me. I felt sadness tugging at my heart for the Winter Man and shame that I had almost walked past another person in need. I was amazed that it had been so easy to be helpful.

[Louie and me]

My husband has a really bad heart condition so I have always done most of the heavy work around the house and garden. My neighbors have always cleared deep snow falls for me with their snow blowers and I did lighter falls that just needed a shovel. That is until this year when I started having severe back problems due to disc issues. Yesterday one of my neighbors came over with his shovel to clear the driveway in the morning and this morning two other neighbors came over and cleared the rest of it. They are the best and I am so grateful.