The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

People.com Heroes Among Us
Teenager Nicholas Lowinger Gives Thousands of Shoes to Homeless

Laid off from her job at a grocery store just before Thanksgiving, Brittany Taylor, 28, and her children John, 7, and Johneya, 5, soon found themselves at a homeless shelter in frosty Providence, R.I.

Among needs the shelter couldn't fulfill were children's shoes. With a snowy winter approaching, Johneya only had flat, ballet-style shoes that were peeling, and John's sneakers were dirty and worn out.

Within days, however, the children were handed new sneakers and new winter boots by local teen Nicholas Lowinger, whose Gotta Have Sole foundation has distributed nearly 16,000 pairs of shoes in 32 states.

"It definitely made me happy to see my children in a better mood, and it took a little stress off of me," Taylor says. "It warmed my heart."

Nicholas, 16, says his interest in helping homeless children started at age 5, when his parents took him to visit a homeless shelter. His excitement over a new pair of shoes with lights turned to sympathy for children who barely had anything to wear.

"I couldn’t imagine how some kids were unable to make it to school because their shoes were falling apart," Nicholas says.

Nicholas started donating his outgrown shoes to shelters, but realized it's uncomfortable to wear shoes broken in by someone else. For a community-service project tied to his bar mitzvah four years ago, he created a project to donate new shoes to homeless children, and what started as one bin in one temple dedicated to one shelter has grown into a national operation with several shoe retailers (including 6pm, Timberland, Stride Rite and Walmart) as sponsors.


A Homespun Operation
Although the base of the operation is the Lowinger family garage in Cranston, R.I., the effort is extremely well-organized. Shelters turn in orders for shoes, and Lowinger and his volunteers fill them using shoes provided by sponsors. If he doesn't have the right shoes handy, Nicholas will buy them, using donations. If the shelters are local, Nicholas will hand out the shoes in person.

The gift packages include socks and messages personally written by Nicholas on cards shaped like shoes, saying things like, "This is a gift because you're worthy."

Nicholas says he's "trying to also change people’s mindsets about homeless people, that they're just people who have fallen on hard times."

Lori Lowinger says she's blown away by her son's service to others.

"I look at this young man here whose heart is bigger than anything I've seen," she tells PEOPLE. "He's changed who I am as a person."


Stepping Things Up
Gotta Have Sole has chapters in Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts and South Carolina, with a rotating roster of roughly 2,000 volunteers participating at any given time.

Rachael Kaplan, 38, is one of several moms in Rhode Island who bring their children to Nicholas's home to volunteer. Her daughter, Madelyn, was 6 the first time she volunteered (she's now 9 and still volunteers), and Kaplan wanted to "teach her to feel lucky with what she has." They picked up one of the many orders sent to Gotta Have Sole, had Madelyn buy shoes that her family paid for, and brought the shoes to Nicholas, who explained what he was trying to do. Madelyn also helped design and write several cards.

"Through opportunities like that, we are becoming better people," Kaplan says.

In February 2014, Nicholas received a Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Award, named after one of the children killed in the Newtown shootings.

As he accepted the award, Nicholas told the crowd: "I just have a challenge to all of you … to find some way to be a kinder person or be a peacemaker, and make the world a better place. I think there's a peacemaker in all of us."

[kuhio98]

Paying it forward: Stranger picks up $93 tab for Maumee woman's groceries

Jessica Wagner had her young children with her in line at register nine at Kroger when she realized her wallet was at home.

"I sort of panicked," Wagner said. "I've never done that before."

She turned to the cashier, Emily Gratcl, embarrassed.

"[I said,] ‘I'm sorry. I live about 10 minutes down the road. I'm going to have to run home,'" Wagner recalled.

The store was ready to hold her groceries, but another customer decided to "Pay it Forward."

"The lady behind her just inched forward and swiped her card," Gratcl said. "And she was like, ‘It's OK. It's on me. I got this.'"

"And I'm like, ‘No, no. I can't let you do that,'" Wagner said.

The kind stranger not only saved Wagner the trouble of running home, she also saved her a significant amount of money. Her total for groceries was $93.

"I got tears in my eyes. I started crying," Wagner said. "I was so overwhelmed that somebody would just do something like that, without asking anything back."

"It was an emotional fest after that, and we were just all in tears," Gratcl said. "Thank God for people like that!"

Even the Kroger employee bagging the groceries was crying, according to Wagner and Gratcl.

Wagner says she tried to get the stranger's name and address to pay her back, but the woman would only accept a hug as thanks. She just wanted Wagner to take her groceries home and enjoy time with her children.

"That's a lot!" Wagner said. "I mean, imagine someone, like I said, like a stranger, just handing you $100. Like, what? That doesn't happen!"

Wagner says she plans to pay it forward to someone else in need, and so does Gratcl. They hope others are inspired to do the same.

[kuhio98]

Family kicked out of Racine homeless shelter receives a new home

RACINE-- A father and daughter were kicked out of a Racine homeless shelter left with no place to go, but thanks to the kindness of many strangers-- tonight, they have a place to call home.

"It's going to be filled with so much warmth and love," said Derreck Gray, inside his new home.

Candles light the way through Derreck and his daughter's new home. Their family is still waiting for power, but Derreck says they're just lucky to have a roof over their head.

"I was kind of speechless, overjoyed," said Derreck.

A generous stranger gave them the house after they were told to leave the Halo homeless shelter Monday.

"I had no idea where I was going to go, I have no family out here," said Derreck.

Derreck says they were kicked out of the shelter after a dispute over lunch. We asked Halo for comment, but officials declined our request.

"It wouldn't have been a bad idea if they put me out," said Derreck, "but putting my daughter out on the streets, that's what really upset me."

The single father and his ten year old daughter, Alexis, soon met a woman who would put a roof over their head.

"I'm just so glad she opened her heart," said Derreck, "and welcomed us into this nice, beautiful house."

Together, Derreck and Alexis walked into a two bedroom house to call their own.

Not long after opening the door, Alexis picked out her bedroom upstairs.

When she saw the pink sticker on the wall that said "Girly," she knew the room was hers.

The sticker was pink-- Alexis' favorite color.

"When I get it all situated, I want to paint my room pink," said Alexis.

The woman who gave Derreck and Alexis their home, only would be the first of many generous strangers.

There was the person who gave Derreck a new bed, the people who filled their kitchen cupboards with food, and the ones who gave their family some of the things-- many of us take for granted, like hygiene products.

For The Grays, the community's generosity has been overwhelming, and once they settle in-- they plan to pay it forward.

"I can share the opportunity by helping other people out," said Derreck.

Derreck says he will open his home to friends from Halo who need a place to go during the day. He says he also plans to donate some of his daughter's old clothes to help other children in need.

[cassiesmom]

Doctor uses social media to help her patients

Krupali Tejura, MD, a radiation oncologist, treats patients at the Corona Cancer Clinic in Corona, Calif. And via the internet, she channels another powerful form of energy on behalf of patients with advanced-stage cancer — the goodwill and kindness of other people.

Krupali uses the tools of social media to fulfill the wishes of patients, many of them with terminal conditions. Tweeting and posting on her blog, which reads like an open letter to the world, Krupali has fulfilled patients’ dreams as varied as—attending a taping of the Ellen DeGeneres show and meeting a famous violinist—to seeing a Pittsburgh Steelers football game at Heinz Field.

“My wife is a big Steelers fan, and Dr. Tejura arranged an all-expenses-paid trip and even got NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swan to meet my wife and sign her jersey,” writes Chuck Chavez, whose wife has late-stage breast cancer. “It was the best medicine for my wife.”

On her blog, Krupali writes, “I honestly don’t do anything but put out a call to the world and at times the world responds.”

Krupali describes how it all started: “I have a patient support group called Ruby Red Slippers, and at one of our meetings, I heard a young patient with Stage IV cancer say she wanted to go to the Ellen show (Ellen Degeneres’ talk show). I went on the Ellen’s website but I could not get any tickets.

“So I put it out on Twitter, and a follower of mine who is a breast cancer survivor who works in the industry—she’s a makeup artist—got two VIP tickets so I could take my patient. When I first met this girl, she was metastatic and couldn’t walk because her knee was riddled with cancer. But by the time we went to the show, she was walking on her own, which was amazing.”

Through her unique care of terminally ill patients, Dr Tejura is showing us how to transform a seemingly hopeless situation into one filled with joy and caring.

For Dr Tejura social media has been an incredible tool to change the lives of her patients.

[kuhio98]

Devils Lake runner carries injured Fargo South runner during championship race

Glyndon, MN (WDAY TV) - Every once in a while in athletics, the scoreboard; who wins and who loses just doesn't matter.

Saturday, more than 20 teams and hundreds of competitors competed in the EDC Cross Country Championship.

The real winner? A show of compassion; a young woman from Devils Lake, who finished 8-and-a-half minutes behind the first place finisher.

This picture says it all. Devils Lake Senior Melanie Bailey carrying a distraught and injured Fargo South runner Danielle LeNoue…

Danielle LeNoue- Fargo South Runner: “I was past the two-mile mark; close to the finish line.”

…at the EDC Cross Country Meet held at the Ponderosa Golf Course near Glyndon.

LeNoue: “It happened instantly and felt like a pop in my knee… Down I went.”

“My left leg.”

Danielle, just back from the doctor Thursday, hurt her knee. Her left leg buckled during the run… That fast… An injury to her patella tendon.

LeNoue: “Just sobbing and so I started walking and I could not go any farther and she said, ‘here, hop on my back,’ half my size.”

The good Samaritan was Devils Lake High School runner Melanie Bailey…

Melanie Bailey: Devils Lake Runner: “All I could think about was she was in a lot of pain. And I wanted to help her.”

…A competitor, who says she was doing the right thing.

LeNoue: Honestly, I loved the way I ended it. It was a great way to end my cross country season.”

Now this is what winning is all about: Two runners finishing the race together, one carrying the other… Because that's what you do.

LeNoue: “So nice, she didn't have to do that. How many people ran past me? And she stopped.”

The two girls have been Facebooking each other. Strangers now friends. It's good to give someone the shirt off your back; even better to carry them on it when they're down.

LeNoue: “Pretty cool, touching moment for me.”

And the Devils Lake Senior plans a career in physical therapy.


http://www.wday.com/content/devils-l...ce?hpt=us_bn10

[kuhio98]

6th grader raises money for teacher battling Lymphoma

CULLMAN COUNTY, AL (WBRC) - Eleven-year-old Coleman Callan has always had a creative mind and now he's using his skills to help a teacher at his school.

"I like using my hands to make stuff and craft stuff," said Callan.

Add that to his passion for helping others and it was no surprise to his parents that he wanted to help Tamika Powell, a teacher at his school battling Diffused Large B Cell Lymphoma.

"He said, 'I just need to do something to help them.' Whatever it is to raise money or what," said Coleman's mom, Amanda.

Amanda Callan said her son learned how to make key chains out of paracord at camp.

Now, in a matter of ten minutes he's making them by the dozens and selling them to raise money for Powell.

"It's just very inspiring. You know, to see a little child that can make such a difference," said Powell.

Since her diagnosis in June, Powell and her family have been through a rollercoaster of emotions and the financial strain of battling cancer.

But it's the actions of Callan that help keep their positive attitude and faith.

"He took time out of his weekend, out of his life and did nothing really but make key chains for Tamika and our family. That's the inspiring part. He could have been doing anything. Playing on the iPad or anything. He chose to support us and help us," said Powell's husband, Cliff.

Since June Coleman has raised close to $400 for the Powell family.

For the Powells, the gesture means just as much as the financial support.

"He literally didn't just give us $300. He gave us a weekend to a week of his time. And is willing to do it again," said Cliff Powell.

Callan still has orders coming in and said he plans to continue making the bracelets as long as there's a demand.

If you would like to buy a keychain or help the Powell family contact Amanda Callan at [email protected].

[kuhio98]

Teens Save Dog Trapped in Mud

DES MOINES, Iowa — Students with an 8th grade class from Bergman Academy are being hailed as heroes. They were jogging around the drained Greenwood Pond as part of a gym class Thursday when they spotted two dogs, one stuck in the mud and the other by its side.

“It was a pretty short dog. It didn’t have very long legs so it was stuck in there pretty good and it couldn’t get out because its legs were too short,” says student Maev Cleary.

“The dog was right here,” adds student George Holtz, pointing to a hole in the mud, “The black dog was right here and looking at the dog with concern. And then we put this stick down so then we wouldn’t sink in the mud when we tried to rescue them.”

It took some work but the kids finally freed the dog.

“The dogs were really scared at that time. They were like shivering and whimpering and all that stuff,” said student Nate Stenberg. “It was an awesome feeling after they got finished because they saved their lives, so,” adds teacher Cristy Reeves.

And, like any real heroes they’re humble — sort of.

“I wouldn’t say heroes. I guess,” Stenberg says, “If you want to call us heroes I guess you can.”

The ARL tells us the dogs were micro-chipped so they were quickly returned to their owner.