The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

School raises money for 6-year-old in need of new heart

NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- As the old saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword, but the students at a North Haven elementary school hope the penny is even mightier as they go to battle for a classmate in need.

"Is it something about your heart," asked News 8's Jeff Valin.

"Yes," replied Matthew Jacques.

"What do you need," asked Valin.

"A new one," Matthew said.

Six-year-old kindergartener Matthew Jacques already has three surgeries to his resume, including one at just 10 days old.

"He's the million-dollar baby," said Alphonse Jacques, Matthew's father.

For Matthew, heart failure has been a way of life and a threat to life all along, but his school mates at Montowese Elementary in North Haven are going to war for him, a "penny war." Each grade level is trying to out-do the others, raising funds for his mounting medical costs.

"It's very challenging emotionally, financially," said Melissa Jacques, Matthew's mother.

"We want all pennies in our jar, or dollar bills," said Lara Silvestro, Matthew's teacher. "Any silver coins deduct points, so at the end of the day we can be in the negative instead of the positive, but all said and done, the money is the money at the end of the week."

You'd never know his troubles to look at him.

"I'm happy," said Matthew.

"We don't want to limit him to what he can't do, it's what he can do," Melissa said. "And I think, with that attitude, he has a great attitude towards it."

There's no prize other than bragging rights and hopefully a life saved, which brings us to another reward that can't be counted.

"It's taught them a sense of community and coming together to help out each other," said Silvestro.

"To see the amount of support that we get from his teacher, from his classmates, from the school," Melissa said, it's extremely overwhelming, it's very heartfelt.

Spare change everyone hopes can spare a life.

"Do you think this will help you get one," asked Valin.

"Yes," Matthew said.

Anyone interested in learning more about how you can donate, can contact Matthew's teacher Lara Silvestro directly by e-mailing her on the school's website . http://montowese.ct.nhs.schoolinsite...ndingID=139420

[kuhio98]

Disabled 'Kangaroo' Dog to Walk Again – with the Help of $7,000 in Donations


What's in a name? A whole lot when it comes to 1-year-old Chihuahua Victory, who always puts her best paw forward – even when she physically can't.

The disabled dog was born with deformed front legs, which cause her to totter around, almost like a kangaroo. Now, she's getting a chance to take the next step toward a normal life.

Victory is due to receive a protective vest, a set of wheels and a sled-like apparatus to improve her mobility, thanks to people around the world who heard her story and wanted to help, reports Today.

It's been just a few weeks since Victory was found on the streets of Dearborn, Mich., where she was taken in by the local Dearborn Animal Shelter and given her ever-appropriate name. No one came to the rescue to claim her.

Though there was no surgery available to help Victory, shelter staff found a solution through a combination of three orthopedic devices. The only problem? The price tag: $2,000.

But that was quickly solved after a newsletter telling Victory's story garnered global buzz. Within a week, the shelter staff met their goal – and then some – to the tune of $7,000.

Victory won't commit to a forever home until she's acclimated to her new devices, says Elaine Greene, executive director of Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter, a nonprofit that runs the organization. "We're all very attached to her, and she to us," Greene tells Today. "So we're looking for a very special situation."

Until then, Victory is enjoying life in the winners' circle.

"We thought that she needed a name that really described how she looked at life and the fact that she survived when many animals with deformities don't," Greene says. "She has such a wonderful personality and spirit that we felt she's been victorious over what could be barriers that stand in the way."