The good guys thread

[cassiesmom]

(Reuters) - A trade group representing makers of artificial limbs on Tuesday promised to provide prosthetics free of cost to the estimated 20 to 25 victims of the Boston Marathon bombings who underwent amputations.

The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association offered initial services and prosthetics not covered by insurance for patients injured in the blasts, which tore the lower limbs off some spectators near the finish line of the race on April 15.

Costs for a below-knee device average $8,000 to $12,000 each and $40,000 to $60,000 for above-knee prosthetics, said Greig Martino, a prosthetist treating bombing victims.

Three people died and 264 were injured in the blasts, which police said resulted from two homemade bombs in pressure cookers that a pair of ethnic Chechen brothers left near the race's finish line. One of the suspects died in a shootout with police and the other has been charged with crimes that could result in the death penalty if he were convicted.

The association's offer, announced on a conference call with reporters under the name Coalition to Walk and Run Again, will only cover a portion of the expected costs for amputees. Victims who lost both legs face estimated medical bills of $450,000 over the next five years, said Tom Fise, executive director of the association, citing a Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs study.

The association estimates that at least half the Boston Marathon amputees lack enough insurance to cover their prosthetic costs as some policies provide as little as $1,000 per device or only provide one artificial limb. Many prosthetics need replacing every five to seven years.

"The last thing that someone should have to worry about when they lose ... a leg is to have adequate insurance coverage for a prosthetic device," said Kendra Calhoun, president of the Amputee Coalition, an organization supporting the estimated 2 million amputees in the United States.

Other efforts are under way to help victims of the largest mass-casualty attack on U.S. soil since the attacks of September 11, 2001. The One Fund, a relief group set up to provide aid to victims, has brought in some $27.7 million in donations that it promised to pay out to victims.

Members of the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association, including prosthetists and manufacturers, will provide the evaluation needed to design devices and treat the bombing victims, at least one of whom is a child.

"Many of these patients even today don't know what their insurance has in store for them, nor do we, so the program is about making sure the decisions to restore mobility to these patients are made as independent as we can from any considerations of what the insurance limitations may be," Fise said.

[kuhio98]

BECAUSE THESE BRACELETS COULD BUILD A SCHOOL

Ladies’ Home Journal Editor-in-Chief Sally Lee often wears these gorgeous bracelets in her office. When we asked where we could get them, we were surprised to find that they’re handmade by Samburu tribeswomen in northern Kenya. And they’re not just colorful arm candy: 100% of the profits go to the Thorn Tree Project, which builds schools and funds scholarships in the poorest regions in Africa. www.thorntreeproject.org

[kuhio98]

Pet oxygen masks donated to fire crews
Donation made by Emma Zen Foundation

SAN DIEGO - Local firefighters and first responders now have the necessary equipment to help save pets thanks to the efforts of a nonprofit group.

No one can forget the scene in Ocean Beach last December when firefighters had a four-year-old dog named Spyder hooked up to an oxygen mask and administering CPR.

Numerous rescues like this have taken place throughout San Diego County, but now crews are better prepared for any future incidents.

"It's going to standardize the equipment that we use and there won't be a delay in trying to figure out how to put an adult mask or something that works on a human on a pet," San Diego Fire-Rescue Capt. Harold Lemire told 10News.

The pet oxygen mask kit has three different sized masks, and its unique shape and rubber seal gives pets in an emergency the best chance for survival.

"These actually close the joules on the pet and deliver the oxygen directly to the pet's nostrils so it simulates proper CPR," said Debra Jo Chiapuzio, president of the Emma Zen Foundation.

Firefighters are also given proper training on not only how to use the masks but also the best way to check for vitals and administer CPR. The masks also work on birds, cats, dogs and pigs.

"Yes, any normal sized household pets, the most interesting rescue I've seen with the mask is a hamster," said Chiapuzio.

Each kit costs $75 and the nonprofit holds several fundraisers throughout the year to purchase the kits.

So far, Fire Station 28 in San Diego is the first to receive them, but they are hoping to get the kits to every station in the county by the end of the year.

"When you can say to a family, 'We saved your pet,' everything else doesn't matter. That family is so happy and appreciative. They thank you; that gives the fire fighters such a great feeling, it makes them just as excited as if they had saved a human," said Lemire.

[kuhio98]

BECAUSE SCREENING SAVES LIVES

When genetic testing showed she had a 90% chance of getting breast cancer someday, Marissa Levesque got a preventative double mastectomy. After her surgery she couldn’t stop thinking about all the high-risk women who can’t afford the expensive tests – and those lives would be at risk. So she started Pink-Surance which provides funding which provides funding to screen for mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that can cause breast and ovarian cancer. Learn more at www.pink-surance.com

[kuhio98]

Hundreds of beds donated for families in need

TUALATIN, OR (KPTV) - Hundreds of new beds will help give people in need a good night's sleep throughout the Portland metro area.

Sealy Mattress Manufacturing is donating 360 mattresses to agencies including Community Warehouse, The Salvation Army, the Good Neighbor Center and Human Solutions shelters.

More than 160 brand new beds arrived at the Tualatin Community Warehouse, 8380 S.W. Nyberg St., Wednesday.

The beds range in sizes from twin to queen and will be ready for families when the agency opens Thursday morning.

Community Warehouse serves as a furniture bank for the region, offering essential household items to 6,000 people each year.

"This is huge for us," said Tom Elston, program manager at Community Warehouse. "The most requested item is always beds, and one of the hardest things is looking at our empty mattress section in the morning, knowing 10 families will be visiting that day in need of beds. This will help tremendously."

[kuhio98]

Because Flowers Could Help Cure Breast Cancer

Teleflora will donate 15 percent of the proceeds from sales of its Pink Hope bouquet to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, which has raised more than $270 million since 1993.

[kuhio98]

Coin Operators

These groups will make every last cent count.

Common Cents Penny Harvest
Schoolchildren contribute their pennies to help support community organizations. Kids even get to choose which groups receive their contribution. commoncents.org

Central Asia Institute's Pennies for Peace
The group uses your spare change to build schools for children in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- particularly for girls, who have limited opportunity to get an education. penniesforpeace.org

Penny Lovers of America
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the organization is kicking off the National Penny Recycling Campaign; the money it collects funds college scholarships for disadvantaged kids. pennylovers.org

Originally published in Ladies' Home Journal, April 2009

[Catty1]

This is just FANTASTIC!!!!

[QUOTE=cassiesmom;2468440](Reuters) - A trade group representing makers of artificial limbs on Tuesday promised to provide prosthetics free of cost to the estimated 20 to 25 victims of the Boston Marathon bombings who underwent amputations.

The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association offered initial services and prosthetics not covered by insurance for patients injured in the blasts, which tore the lower limbs off some spectators near the finish line of the race on April 15.

Costs for a below-knee device average $8,000 to $12,000 each and $40,000 to $60,000 for above-knee prosthetics, said Greig Martino, a prosthetist treating bombing victims.

[cassiesmom]

Here's a link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0..._ref=good-news

Kevin Spacey adopted a dog from the North Shore Animal League ...
And named her Boston, in honor of the city

[kuhio98]

A story I found on the net (not sure of the website).

She was Lost and Sick

He stood in the middle of the street and called me over in a heavy accent. A lady in a car had that here's-the-map-but-I'm-lost look. We three conferred and then I got in the lady's car and guided her to her hotel. She was in town for a week of medical treatments and had driven 13 hours. It was a beautiful summer evening and I was able to walk home, smiling the whole way.

[kuhio98]

BECAUSE COMFORT FOOD REALLY HELPS

My daughter, Lisa, and her husband had just moved to a new neighborhood when their 8-week old son, Harrison, was diagnosed with leukemia. Since he had to be hospitalized for 6 months for chemo, Lisa stayed with Harrison in the hospital and my son-in-law was home with their two other boys. When the families in their neighborhood found out, they brought over dinner not just for the first week, but for the entire 6 months of Harrison’s treatment!
Carole, Altamonte Springs, Florida

[kuhio98]

Favio Chavez Helps Children Make Music – Out of Trash

Back in 2006, ecologist and musician Favio Chavez found himself working on a recycling project in Cateura, Paraguay – a small village that sits atop a landfill.

He was horrified by the conditions in which children were living.

"It is not a place where people are supposed to live," he tells PEOPLE. "It's where the city throws its garbage."

So he decided to do something about it. Chavez, who had once run an orchestra in his nearby village Carapeguá, was inspired to create the Recycled Orchestra, where kids play instruments made from recycled garbage.

Cellos are made from oil cans and wood. Violins are made from whatever is around, including recycled forks.

"If the community wasn't next to a dumpster it would've never occurred to us to create instruments out of trash," says Chavez, 38. "This was just a natural solution based on our surroundings."

Chavez and the band are highlighted in Landfill Harmonic, a film that documents the harsh conditions of living on the landfill.
Kickstarter has launched a campaign, which ends May 15, to raise money to finish the project and bring the film to theaters worldwide. The campaign includes opening the Landfill Harmonic social movement and a world wide tour for the orchestra

"I know one shouldn't be naïve," Chavez says. "Music isn't going to change or fix all problems, but through the orchestra they can find stability they don't have in their family and communities."

Since its inception, Chavez has taught more than 100 kids. They say the band has done more for them than just bring music into their lives. It's brought hope.

"Before the orchestra, there was nothing to do," says Brandon Cabone, 16, who plays bass created from a can. "There are a lot of bad things to get into like drugs. It's been a big change in my life. My father is happy the orchestra is there."

Now, he says, he dreams of going to college.

"Favio has taught me many things about life and education," he says. "I would like to advance my education at a university, have a better life and integrate a formal orchestra."

In 2011, Chavez quit his job to devote all his time to the band.

"The orchestra is super important to me and I'm happy my wife is involved too," he says. "The kids are like our family now."

[kuhio98]

UWS Students Raise $800 To Pay For Injured Dog’s Vet Bills
Pup Found On Brooklyn Street With Serious Bite Wounds

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A dog that was rescued after being dumped on a Brooklyn street and left to die is recovering thanks in part to students from an Upper West Side school that helped raise money to pay for her medical bills.

The young pit bull puppy named Misty was found with serious injuries and bite wounds all over her face and body. She is believed to have been used as a bait dog for dog fighting.

When Second Chance Rescue took Misty from a city shelter to treat her wounds, students at the Stephen Gaynor School began following the pup’s progress on the “Misty’s Journey” Facebook page and decided to help.

They set up bake sales and raised more than $800 to help pay for Misty’s care.

Dr. Kim Spanjol, a school counselor who works with the students on humane-education programs, said the students were inspired to help Misty.

“We do donate to a lot of dogs, but Misty was the victim of dog fighting which is a big problem in our city, around the country and around the world” she told 1010 WINS.

On Thursday, Misty visited the school so students could meet her in person.

Spanjol said she hopes the students’ work will help raise awareness about dog fighting.

“There aren’t any bad dogs, there are bad owners,” Spanjol said. “And that’s a message that the kids feel really strongly about – that pit bulls are often victimized because of that image and it’s really, really shameful and the kids want to do everything they can to show people that pit bulls are also sweet and loving dogs and Misty is a perfect example of that.”

Spanjol said the students have formed a group called the Youth Animal Protectors Club.

“It’s an issue that they care about very deeply,” she said.



Misty is doing much better and is ready for adoption. If you’d like to adopt or more information, visit www.nycsecondchancerescue.org