The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

Student, four-legged best friend to graduate college

UNIVERSITY CENTER, MI (WNEM) - Delta College is holding its annual commencement ceremony on Friday, and two unique individuals will cross the stage and get a special recognition of their accomplishments.

A highlight of the ceremony will be the acknowledgment of Alan M. Reno and his service dog, Roxie.

Reno, who has cerebral palsy, was paired with Roxie in 2011. Reno earned an Associate of Arts and is graduating as a member of Phi Theta Kappa with high honors.

Roxie has accompanied Reno through 62 credit hours of instruction at Delta and will travel across the stage with Reno on Friday evening to receive recognition for her supporting role in his achievement.

Roxie is a 3-year-old black lab-golden retriever mix. She can open doors with a pull rope or by pressing a door switch. She will retrieve anything that is dropped, can turn lights on and off, retrieve a beverage from the refrigerator and assist with removing clothes.

Roxie was born into a litter of eight pups. Five of those canines went on to become working dogs, including one that works at Comerica Park and another that is a seeing-eye dog in Chile. Roxie was professionally trained at PAWS® with a Cause, located near Grand Rapids.

Reno and Roxie currently live in Midland. Reno plans to transfer to a four-year school, possibly Saginaw Valley State University, to earn a degree in business. From there he plans to attend law school to become a disability rights attorney. According to Reno's family, Roxie has been and will continue to be at his side, everywhere he goes.
WNEM.COM

[kuhio98]

Man gives 100 free meals to strangers

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) - It's National Pay It Forward Day, a movement in which everyone is encouraged to perform a random act of kindness for a stranger. The hope is they'll pass that kindness along to someone else. Las Vegas resident Marcus Mitchell dedicated his life to paying it forward and gave 100 free meals to strangers Thursday.

"You do something kind for a stranger without expecting anything in return, with the understanding that one day you'll go off, pay it forward to someone else, you'll remember this kind act," Mitchell said as he handed out free meal coupons to people in front of the Miracle Mile Shops. He used his own money to buy 100 meals at Fresh Grill and Bar and gave all of them away to total strangers.

"I'm just trying to spread some kindness," said Mitchell, who has dedicated his life to performing random acts of kindness around Las Vegas. It's part of a promise he made to his wife before she died from stomach cancer four years ago. Since then, he's spent half of every dollar he makes on making others smile. That's about $40,000 total in gift cards, hotel rooms, food, concert tickets and more items all given away to people Mitchell doesn't know.

It's not always easy convincing folks on the strip that there is such a thing as a free lunch. Several people ignored Mitchell when he asked if they wanted a free meal. Others simply declined his offer. Rejection doesn't discourage Mitchell, who says if just one person passes the kindness along, it's worth the effort.

"It's pretty rare in this county, good to see someone out here doing something for someone else rather than doing it for themselves," said free meal recipient Sean Dobbs.

"I'm going to give this to somebody that I see that would need a meal," said another recipient, Theresa Talbot.

Mitchell handed out more than 100 coupons for free meals, but fewer than half of the recipients redeemed them.

(KVVU Broadcasting Corporation)

[kuhio98]

Wheelchair Swing Allows Siblings To Enjoy Outdoors

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4)- A brother and sister living with cerebral palsy will soon be able to enjoy the warm spring weather.

Wheelchairs prevent 11-year-old twins Libby and James from using ordinary swings found at parks and on playground equipment.

Students in the Construction Management Program at Colorado State University set out to change that. They designed, built and installed a customized playground for them in their backyard.

Construction on the giant swingset won’t be complete for a few more weeks but Libby said she can hardly wait to test out the ropes.

“Because we can go outside and swing and play with my brother,” said Libby.

“It’s a great opportunity to apply skills but more importantly make a difference in these kids’ lives,” said CSU Student Kyle Snow.

Five CSU students worked on building the playground as part of the CM Cares programs. They will also build an elevated sandbox for the siblings.