The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

bojjro's journey
I was a teacher in Jessore Bangladesh, I lived in a small village, it is 95% Muslims, the day was Eid, 40 days after Ramadan, everyone was in the streets praying. I noticed two boys with baseball bats, hitting a street dog. I have seen this dog, many times, its back legs did not work. he just would lay on the side of the road, and drag himself around to find anything to eat, I wanted to go over and shake those two boys, and tell them Allah made this dog, and he is trying to find food, and leave him alone. Instead I found my self going over to these two boys, and telling them to leave this dog alone, I picked this dog up, and most of his hair came out, and he had bugs all over him. I wanted to show the people of my village that dogs are not like a bug, or something you just get rid of. Most of the people saw me carry this dog back to my house, I bathed him and all of his hair fell out, and the bugs washed away, I tried to feed him but he could not keep his eyes open, I gave him a space in my small house and let him sleep, he slept for 24 hours, I thought he had died, when he woke up I feed him some cooked beef and rice, he ate everything, slowly he gained his strength, and became my best friend in Bangladesh, I would talk to the people in my village, and they tried to tell me that Allah had given me this special dog, I would tell them he is like all the other street dogs, looking for some kindness for someone, a human, and it had nothing to do with Allah. I became sick, and Peace Corps sent me home, If I left my dog here he would be killed for sure, so I filled the proper paper work and brought him home with me. That was in 2005, to this day 2011 I get e mail from Jessore Bangladesh, asking me about my dog, he is a great pet, and so very smart, I ended up calling him Ed, after the Muslim holly day Eid.

[kuhio98]

Stranger with a Gift

I've always wanted to get my private pilot license but I've never had the cash to get started. I talked to a stranger about it at work one day who was a pilot and when he was leaving for the day he came to find me and gave me an envelope. I was too busy to look inside at the time he gave it to me, and I assumed it was just information on how to get started. To my surprise, when I checked the envelope after work it had the $500 you need to register for ground school! Needless to say, I registered the very next week. Such kindness from a total stranger!

[kuhio98]

A tiny girl hero. Please consider signing your donor card. And let your family know your wishes.



A father and mother kissing their dying little girl goodbye.

If you are wondering why all the medic people are bowing . .

in less than an hour, two small children in the next room are able to live thanks to the little girl's kidney and liver.

[kuhio98]

Felicia Dukes and her four children had been living in a homeless shelter – but now they have a cozy house all their own – thanks to a Los Angeles lawyer who has temporarily given up his residence to the family in need.

Tony Tolbert, 51, decided he wanted to give up his fully furnished home, rent-free for one year, to a struggling family. So he sought out Alexandria House, a homeless shelter for women and children, where he was connected with Dukes.

"You don't have to be Bill Gates or Warren Buffet or Oprah," Tolbert, who has moved back into his parents' house for the year, told CBS News. "We can do it wherever we are, with whatever we have, and for me, I have a home that I can make available."

Dukes, who was joined by her three daughters and son, tearfully tells CBS, "My heart just fills up and stuff … I'm just really happy."

Tolbert says his generous spirit comes from his father, an L.A. entertainment lawyer, who taught his son about the virtues of giving when he was growing up. Tolbert says his dad regularly lent out the family's spare bedroom to someone in need.

"Kindness creates kindness; generosity creates generosity; love creates love," Tolbert said, while emotionally addressing his dad, who has Alzheimer's disease. "I think if we can share some of that and have more stories about people doing nice things for other people, and fewer stories about people doing horrible things to other people, that's a better world."
Tolbert's ways are nothing new, according to his mom Marie, who says, "He's so giving, and he's always been that way."

[kuhio98]

Sheets, Toys, Socks & Pet Food:

Mary Marzano found a way to reuse gently-used sheets from hotels that would otherwise be thrown away by donating them to homeless shelters. Since she began, Mary has provided bedding for 8000 beds. Audience members and staff each contributed a new sheets to Mary's organization for a total of 340 sets.

10 year-old Ashlee Smith saw a need to help children who have lost everything due to fire. With the help of her firefighter father, Ashlee has given out 50,000 toys in the last 2 years.
Hannah Turner first gave her pink socks to a homeless man at the age of 3 and decided with her mother to donate 100 additional pairs to a shelter. Since then, Hannah's Socks has given 100,000 pairs of socks to those in need.

12 year-old Mimi Ausland started http://freekibble.com/ to donate dry pet food to animal shelters in need. Since starting the site, the organization has helped to feed 1 million homeless animals.

BTW ~ Mimi also has a page for cats: http://www.freekibblekat.com/

[cassiesmom]

(source: happynews.com -- I really needed something to smile about today!)

It's a Friday night at a Pittsburgh area dek hockey rink. You have the ball on your stick, racing towards your opponents' goal crease. You're watching the goaltender's eyes, trying to anticipate his next move.

Then you realize the goalie you're trying to out-think looks remarkably like Sidney Crosby.

Such was the scene at Dek Star last weekend, as the most famous hockey player on Earth strapped on the goalie gear and played for a ball hockey team in a 26-and-over league -- unannounced and completely anonymous to his foes until his identity was revealed later in the game.

"The greatest hockey player in the world was next to me, talking. It was super cool of him to be able to try and be like us normal guys, just come out and play with the guys," said Joseph Heaney, a ref at Dek Star for seven years that officiated the game.

Like the rest of his NHL peers, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain has been locked out since mid-September. Many of them have left for ice rinks in Europe; Crosby, meanwhile, opted to stay local for near-daily practices with his Penguins teammates on the ice — and the occasional goaltending foray onto a hard plastic dek hockey rink, apparently.

Crosby's moonlighting at Dek Star, located about 10 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, was first reported by The Pensblog on Monday. Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette caught up with Crosby, and a few folks at the facility, to confirm the validity of this surreal moment.

How, exactly, did Crosby end up playing goalie for a dek hockey team?

From the Post-Gazette:

"My buddy plays in the league there. I talked to him about playing," Crosby said. "I played a lot of goalie in street hockey growing up and stuff. Just asked if he needed a goalie. He said sure and I came out. It was cool."

Due to his equipment, the presence of hockey's most recognizable figure was not known by those at the rink until late in the contest. "I had all the [goaltending] gear on," Crosby said. "I was talking to the ref once toward the end of the game and I think he recognized me."

(Sidney Crosby, talking to a referee? Boy there's something you never see ...)

"My referee walked over just to kind of say, 'Hey, you're not the normal goalie. It's about time they get a goalie.' " said Chris Evans, general manager of Dek Star. "Instead, he looked at him and he was like, 'Holy [cow] that's Sidney Crosby.' "

"The other team played against him for an hour and had no idea. They didn't even know until I told them until after he left."

For the record, the team he played against was nicknamed "Flyers Suck." You just can't make this stuff up...

According to Heaney, Crosby "pitched a 4-0 shutout" in the game.

This shouldn't come as a surprise, mind you: Crosby frequently tends goal during road hockey games in the offseason in Canada, and has strapped on the pads during Pittsburgh Penguins practice before. He also played street hockey during his day with the Stanley Cup.

Hockey fans have been drained of joy by the NHL lockout, which is threatening the viability of the 2012-13 season. But there have been some surreal benefits to the work stoppage, from charity games with NHL stars to impromptu street hockey games with players … to Sidney Crosby, ball hockey goalie.

"I'd like to thank him for the experience," said Heaney.

"It's one that I'll be able to tell my 7-month-old son. As soon as he knows who Sid is."

[kuhio98]

Being an Everyday Hero doesn't mean you have to wear a red cape or leap high buildings. An Everyday Hero simple looks for opportunity moments to give others small acts of kindness.

Years ago, while I lived in Norway, I would travel back to the United States every summer to visit family. I always made the trip alone with my two little girls. Early one morning I boarded the plane in Oslo with my then six year old and one year old daughters. We were buckled into our seats when a stewardess approach us. She asked me if I'd packed a breakfast for my girls. Surprised, I answered I hadn't because I'd ordered kids meals for this portion of the trip. The stewardess explained that the food staff was currently on strike, and therefore, no food would be served. I felt so bad for my girls because they were hungry and needed breakfast.

Moments later this stewardess returned, and handed me a brown paper bag. In it was the breakfast she'd packed for herself that morning. She gave it to my children so they would not be hungry. Thirteen years later I still remember this act of kindness.

Many times during a typical day we have opportunities to offer a little extra to others. If I have a cart heaped with groceries, and the person behind me has only a few items, I can allow her to go ahead of me in line. While shoveling snow from my sidewalk, I can take a little more time and do my neighbor's sidewalk too.

[Catty1]

So incredibly sad...and so selfless. The parents are the heroes here. I just noticed the father's face below; rips my heart out. And the anonymous hand comforting the mom. May they be very very blessed and lucky the rest of their lives.

A tiny girl hero. Please consider signing your donor card. And let your family know your wishes.



A father and mother kissing their dying little girl goodbye.

If you are wondering why all the medic people are bowing . .

in less than an hour, two small children in the next room are able to live thanks to the little girl's kidney and liver.

[Karen]

I have an organ donor card signed and in my wallet, and Paul knows that if anyone can benefit from any parts of me once I am done with 'em, so be it! Those of us with functional organs like kidneys, lungs, liver, eyes - we tend to take them for granted!

[kuhio98]

Hal Colston - Good News Garage:

Explaining that many people are just 1 car repair away from disaster, Hal Colston is doing his part to help those in need of dependable transportation with the Good News Garage. Repairing donated cars and selling them to those in need for 1/2 of the value or what they can afford to pay, Hal has helped more than 3,500 people get into cars they can trust. With 80% of the vehicles going to single mothers, Hal saw a need and responded with a great idea to help.

Dealership owner, Rick Hendrick, wanted to contribute to the cause, and donated 10 2008 Impalas and gas for the year for each car.

[kuhio98]

My dog Coffee is a little black-and-brown Australian terrier. He’s not a particularly bright or obedient dog. He’s not even especially loyal. He comes when I call him only if he feels like it or if I have food in my hand. He confuses every command I give him and has no inkling when I’m upset or injured, so there would be no chance of him ever rescuing me from a perilous situation like the smart dogs you often read about.

But I’m the first to admit that a big part of the problem with Coffee’s attitude is his upbringing: he’s spoilt rotten. My dad is the biggest culprit. While Dad can instil fear in my sister and me just by the tone of his voice, I have never heard him raise his voice at Coffee – no matter how naughty he is. In fact, one look from Coffee at the biscuit tin is enough to send my dad flying to get him a snack. Whenever we protest about the unfair treatment, a guilty smirk creeps across Dad’s face. It’s become a long-standing family joke that Coffee is the closest thing to a son Dad will ever have.

Then, five years ago, our lives were turned upside down when Dad suffered two major strokes in the space of a month, caused by a massive brain haemorrhage. At the time he was in Hong Kong on business and, luckily, my Mum and sister were with him. I was in Melbourne, studying at university, but left Coffee with a relative and hopped on the first plane as soon as I heard the news.

Unfortunately, the prognosis wasn’t good and the doctors told us that, most likely, Dad would not pull through. For four long months it was touch and go as he remained unconscious in intensive care. Mentally he was non-responsive. However, physically he was still able to move and would frequently thrash about trying to pull out the vital tubes that were keeping him alive. Within a 30-minute period, he would make an average of five attempts. His movements were often swift and strong and we had to take turns standing by his bedside, on guard, to protect him. We were exhausted after every "shift" but grateful, despite the doctor’s warning, that he was still alive.

As the months went by, I started to miss Coffee terribly. I couldn’t help but talk about him constantly, often recalling the silly little things he would do. Although this no doubt irritated the other visitors, Mum and my sister enjoyed the light relief immensely and any Coffee stories would always make them laugh. In fact, it was the only way we kept up our spirits during those tense four months, and the intensive care nurses often commented that we were the happiest family in one of the most serious situations they’d ever seen.

In time, we became able to assist the nurses in conducting their routine check-ups on Dad. One way of testing whether there was any improvement in his mental state was to ask basic questions that would generate yes or no answers from him. "Is your name Francis?" "Are you a man?" "Do you know where you are?" These were some of the questions we would ask him daily. Sadly, we never got the answers we were hoping for.

Then one day, as I was reeling off the standard list of questions, my mind started to wander and, before I knew it, I was thinking about Coffee again. Without even realising it, I blurted out: "Is Coffee a tiger?" Thinking I was being silly, Mum turned to tell me off but stopped suddenly when she saw Dad move: slowly, the corner of his mouth began to turn up. Even under the tape that kept the oxygen tube in his mouth, it was unmistakable: he was smiling. It was the first sign in four months that Dad had showed any awareness of what we were saying.

After that, Dad’s condition stabilised and he was moved out of intensive care. However, there was still a long, hard road ahead. Over the next nine months, Dad had to go through extensive physiotherapy to relearn all the basic things we take for granted. Even sitting up for longer than five minutes was difficult for him. Dad, who was a fiercely independent man with a successful career before all this happened, found it increasingly frustrating and degrading. The only thing that ever bought a smile to his face was talk of Coffee. Somehow, Coffee wriggled his way into most of our conversations.

I would remind him of how Coffee, for some reason, hates walking on grass. We had a massive backyard in Melbourne and every time we threw a ball, Coffee would run along the edge of the garden, on the brick pavers, to the closest point where the ball had landed, tip-toe onto the grass to pick it up, then run back along the pavers again.

When Mum, my sister and I would massage Dad’s arms and legs to prevent his muscles from weakening, Mum would often comment that he was the luckiest man alive to have three women massaging him, and I would always chime in: "Now all you need is Coffee to give you a ‘lick-lick’ foot massage!" No matter how many times I repeated this comment, the whole family would laugh.

It took almost a full year of extensive physiotherapy and rehabilitation before Dad was finally well enough to return home to Australia – and it was a homecoming I’ll never forget. Naturally, Coffee was there waiting for Dad and, with no idea that he wasn’t as steady on his feet as before, Coffee promptly launched himself into Dad’s arms, almost bowling him over. But Dad didn’t seem to mind one bit: the smile on his face was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen and the tears in his eyes said it all.

It seems unbelievable now to look back and realise that, during the worst crisis my family ever faced, it was humorous stories about a silly little dog which kept us all sane, but that’s the truth. It’s not just smart dogs that save the day – Coffee is living proof of that.

Mona Chung-Chao, 26, works as an auditor in Melbourne, where she lives with her husband Ian, 26, and Coffee the dog.