The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

These Surfers Went Out For A Morning Of Surfing And Ended Up Being Heroes To This Wallaby!
Adam G. I knew wallaby’s liked to swim, but this little guy tried to go out into the ocean and bit off more than he could chew! Two surfers saw him and put their aquatic skills to work bringing him to safety. Talk about a stroke of luck! This is a great example of people helping an animal and releasing them the right way.

Watch the heroic event below!

[Karen]

Awww, how nice! And away he hopped, away from those scary waves!

[kuhio98]

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...E-in-the-world

[kuhio98]

Corona Firefighters Save Man — And Then Finish Mowing His Lawn

There is going above and beyond, and then there is really going above and beyond.

A Corona man lost consciousness while mowing his lawn.

Officials said a crew from Engine 1 came to the man’s aid, provided lifesaving treatment and taking him to a hospital.

After the ambulance left the man’s house, fire crews did something extraordinary.

The firefighters finished the man’s yard work. The front lawn was growing rapidly, in definite need of a mow.

The grateful homeowner, Willy G., spoke to KCAL9’s Crystal Cruz.

“This my machine here. My grass was so, so high,” Willy said.

Wednesday morning Willy and his lawn mover were in the front yard working hard — so was the sun.

“I was cutting grass here, I feel dizzy a little bit, so I stand over by the car here,” he recalled.

In the drive way Willy face planted.

Corona Fire showed up and he went to the hospital with a scratched up face, but firefighters stuck around, finishing what Willy started.

“We all kind of looked at each other, kind of looked around at the lawn equipment and realized this family was going through a very traumatic event right now and they some simple acts of kindness,” said Fire Dept. Engineer Jamie Pirritano.

“The five guys, they went down and cleaned all the grass for us I say that’s so nice. I never had the experience like that before. I feel like safe,” said Willy.

Just one family of guys helping out another family, whose lawn wasn’t going to cut itself.

“I appreciate what they did,” Willy said.

Willy told Cruz he fainted because there was too much heat and too much exertion.

[kuhio98]

Heroes Among Us
Meet Jeff Balek – the Blind YMCA Volunteer Who Teaches Children How to Read

Jeff Balek has never actually seen a book – but that hasn't stopped the blind man from teaching struggling kids how to read.

Growing up learning braille, "I felt pretty empowered thanks to teachers and my family," he tells PEOPLE. "Teachers were very supportive of me, working with me through high school on my braille and computer skills," he says.

So thankful is Balek, 34, to the people that taught him, that when his sister forwarded him an e-mail about volunteering for the Y Readers program at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte in North Carolina two years ago, he signed right up.

"I was really excited to help these kids," he says of joining the after-school program, which aims to boost literacy among first, second and third grade children who are reading below grade level.

"They need help, and I've always been into reading – it's really rewarding," he says.

Balek uses twin vision books to read along with the children, reading a page in braille then listening to them read the next in print.

"They're reading the same thing I'm reading, so I can help them with sounding out or spelling a word," he explains.

Naturally curious, "kids ask me questions about my blindness – how I became blind, the challenges I had to overcome," Balek says.

"They put a lot of confidence in me reading braille; and I think for them, [learning some] braille gives them confidence, too," he says.

The kids like him, too.

"He's so unique," says Michael DeVaul, senior vice president of organizational advancement at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte.

"We hear from a lot of kids about how 'cool' he is," he says. "And he really has a passion for kids, and a passion for reading. I think parents who have met him know that.

He also seems to be the most popular volunteer at the YMCA.

"He doesn't know this, but he usually gets moved around a lot because he's so good at what he does," DeVaul adds.

"Most volunteers see two kids in an hour, but Jeff sees four to five because kids want to touch his books, learn braille," he says. "It's beyond words – it really cements the concept of reading comprehension, which is what we're after."

Though Balek is humble about his contributions – "I'm just glad I got chosen to participate," he demurs – DeVaul contends he's brought more to the table than he'll ever know.

"He's extraordinary in general," he says. "But it goes beyond reading, to this life lesson of pushing through challenges and being resilient. It's powerful."

[kuhio98]

Texas Homecoming Queen Gives Her Crown to Friend Who Was Pranked

Lillian Skinner was thrilled when she was told she'd been nominated for homecoming queen at Grand Prairie High School in North Texas.

But the news turned out to be a cruel joke made by some unnamed girls at her school.

Thankfully two young ladies who were actually nominated have hearts of gold. When Anahi Alvarez and Naomi Martinez, who are longtime friends of Skinner's, heard about the prank, they vowed to give their pal the crown regardless of who won.

"We promised each other and we were like, 'No matter what, no backing down. If one of us wins, we're giving Lillian the crown,' " Martinez told NBC 5 in Dallas.

And when Alvarez was named homecoming queen, that's exactly what happened. She called Skinner up to the stage, much to the teen's surprise.

"I said, 'It's okay. It's okay. It's your crown ... My name is not on the list,' " Skinner recalled.

"Seeing the look on her face and the way she reacted toward it, it was priceless," Martinez said. "I knew it was the right decision."

"For me, I want to say, and I always say, 'Lilly won. I just ran in her place, in her position,' " Alvarez added. "When they ask me, 'Were you homecoming queen?' I say, 'No, Lilly is homecoming queen.' "

From left: Naomi Martinez, Lillian Skinner and Anahi Alvarez

[kuhio98]

Hundreds of 'Tyler's Troops' help celebrate boy's 7th birthday
First responders gather to honor Tyler Seddon

BURRILLVILLE, R.I. —First responders have gathered in Rhode Island Thursday to help a very special boy celebrate his birthday in a big way.

Battling leukemia for a second time, Tyler Seddon turned 7 on Thursday, and the firefighters and police officers he loves so much really came through for him.

Tyler's birthday party began at the police station, where he wore his own uniform as he was sworn in as honorary police chief for a day.

Tyler stopped at his school to see his friends before continuing to another celebration at Wrights Chicken Farm, in Burrillville.

"We have officers in the audience here today who just arrived from Hew Hampshire. We have police officers that arrived here yesterday from Ohio," Burrillville Police Department col. Stephen Lynch said.


Tyler was released from the hospital just in time for the big party. Birthday messages keep pouring in.

Hundreds of first responders gathered to wish Tyler well brought him gifts, cards, patches, uniform and memorabilia.

"My house is full of boxes. We have a 10-by-20 storage unit that's half full. So, we'll have a lot of presents to go through -- probably until next birthday!" Tyler's mother, Rachel Seddon said.

One of the gifts was presented by someone who feels a special kinship. Deborah Hanna-Kearney is the daughter of a Massachusetts State Police trooper killed in the line of duty.

"I was given this jacket and I want to give it to you. This is a real State Police jacket," she said.

Hanna-Kearney loves the police as much as Tyler, but she also understands his illness.

"It touches me because I'm a carcinoid lung cancer survivor. So, I wish Tyler the very best of luck," she said.

"Honestly, I think the whole world needs to see something positive in the news and I'm glad that we're part of it. I think it's amazing that there's so much support out there one child," Seddon said.

The celebration has grown out of Rachel Seddon's Facebook post that asked first responders to send cards to Tyler to make his seventh birthday special. He's had a tough fight with leukemia.

"He touched our heartstrings. It was something we wanted to do," said Deputy Rhonda Rose, of Fairfield, Ohio. "We are 700 miles (away)."

Tyler is also in need of a bone marrow transplant, and party guests can sign up to be possible donors.