Quote of the Day: “I’d far rather be happy than right any day.” – Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (published 40 years ago today)
Image: by Kurt Stocker – CC license on Flickr, cropped
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
A baker who donates freely to support causes of every kind, the real-estate developer who offers a year rent-free to promising entrepreneurs who may not have the resources to get started on their own, the local philanthropist who returned to his hometown to donate $500,000 to rebuild the town’s beloved Firestone Park.
These are just some of the examples of people giving back to the community of Columbiana, which has been named by Reader’s Digest as the 2019-designated Nicest Place in America.
Nestled in the green, rolling hills of eastern Ohio, about halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, Columbiana is a small town that’s been going through some changes. Downtown, restaurants now outnumber antique shops. There’s a new development that offers housing, golfing, and shopping on the land where Firestone Farm once stood. Men who used to gather for coffee in the morning outside of a place called Newtons now do it at McDonald’s.
But one thing hasn’t changed: Nobody gets left behind, from blue-collar workers, to retirees, to folks who sometimes need a little extra accommodation. In Columbiana, giving back without wanting anything in return is a way of life.
A spirit of community infuses this town, just as it has for the better part of a century, ever since tire magnate Harvey Firestone donated 52 acres of land to create the sprawling Firestone Park. Time and again, residents come together to boost their neighbors, whether it’s volunteering with Project MKC to deliver diapers to needy moms or donating money to help the Columbiana Community Foundation offer more service grants.
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Greg Aker, a pastor at the Upper Room Fellowship, a church in town, says that, no matter your station in this town, you get pulled along by your neighbors’ kindness. “Columbiana is a community imbued with faith—but you don’t need to be a person of faith to be embraced by the community.”
Mayor Bryan Blakeman told Reader’s Digest, “A certain morale, an ethic, is instilled in everyone here from a young age. It’s a pay-it-forward mentality.”
Another extraordinary example of leading with kindness is on display at the Main Street Theater, owned by Don and Dawn Arthurs. They started directing theater productions put on by special needs residents, using their theater to enrich the town life and spread a message of love and inclusion—and it’s been a big success.
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Crown Theater Productions was one of the main reasons Columbiana was chosen as the ‘Nicest Place in America’, a contest for which GNN was one of the judges.
(WATCH the video below to experience the town and see the theater in action…)
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If you love your pet, you hope they never get hurt. But, when accidents happen, or they need surgery, or treatment for infection, the outcome for your precious pooch or curious kitty may well depend on a blood transfusion.
Luckily, there are blood and plasma donation programs for cats and dogs to help save the lives of their fellow animals in crisis.
“Many people do not realize the significant impact their dog could make,” Casey Mills of North American Veterinary Blood Bank told NBC.
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Did you know that dogs and cats actually have blood types that are specific to their species? Cats have three different blood types, and dogs have twelve, so a wide donor pool is needed. It’s worth noting that greyhounds seem to have a universal blood type, similar to O-negative in humans.
Each state has their own requirements and a screening process for animal blood and plasma donations, but asking your veterinarian about it is the first step.
Right now, there are only a few animal blood banks across North America: you can find them in the California cities of Dixon and Garden Grove; in Stockbridge, Michigan; in Richmond and Bristow, Virginia; and Annapolis, Maryland. If you live in one of these areas and your pet meets the criteria for donation, he or she could become a lifesaver. Not only that, it takes about 30 minutes and doesn’t require anesthesia.
The pets that donate are pampered and given lots of treats, and in return for their donations, their owners are often given discounts on exams and screenings—a nice bonus for the pocketbook.
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“[The animals are] always so excited when they come in the door to see us because they know we’re going to give them tons of peanut butter or Milk-Bones … whatever their little heart desires,” added Mills.
As the need for canine and feline blood continues to grow, you and your pet could become heroes to another pet and their family. As with human blood, it is by donation only, so the more people who know about the need, the better. Tell your animal-loving friends about how they can save lives and prevent the loss of a companion, and ask your vet during your next visit how you can get started with this very special kind of rescue.
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A Polish politician is being hailed as a hero across the political spectrum after he rescued a toddler and his father from a burning car earlier this week.
Reporters say that 43-year-old Robert Biedron witnessed the automotive collision from his own vehicle on the road in Tabor.
The party leader and MEP then rushed to the aid of the injured driver and his 2-year-old son so he could tend to them until emergency crews arrived.
Not only that, OSP Regut firefighters say that “like a real fireman,” Biedron tackled the burning car with a fire extinguisher.
The fire department then published a photo of the politician to Facebook so they could praise him for his heroic actions and ask their followers if they were aware of the man’s identity.
Once he was recognized as the left-leaning Biedron—the first openly gay politician to be elected to the Polish parliament in 2011—his story was shared by left- and right-wing citizens and news outlets nationwide.
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Earlier this week the LEGO Group announced the launch of a new project to encourage their fans to donate their old LEGO bricks so they can be used by less fortunate children.
LEGO Replay is a new pilot program that will accept any and all previously used LEGO bricks and donate them to children’s nonprofits in the United States. The process is simple, because it needs to be. The number of donations they receive is critical to a successful campaign, so they’ve made it as easy as possible for folks at home to send in their idle bricks.
Collect any loose LEGO pieces, sets, or elements, place them into a cardboard box, and visit the LEGO Replay website to print out a free shipping label, and possibly call the service, either UPS or FedEx, depending on your location and the label, to have them pick up the package at your door.
The package will be sent to the Give Back Box facility, where each brick will be sorted, inspected by hand, and given a rigorous cleaning.
The effort is a collaboration with Give Back Box, Teach For America, and Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston.
Most people don’t throw away their LEGO bricks, according to Tim Brooks, the Environmental Responsibility Vice President at the LEGO Group. “The vast majority hand them down to their children or grandchildren. But others have asked us for a safe way to dispose of or to donate their bricks. With Replay, they have an easy option that’s both sustainable and socially impactful.”
Brooks and his team spent the past three years working on the project to ensure the process met the highest quality and safety standards and adhered to U.S. regulations. They then connected with Give Back Box, a charity dedicated to “recycling” 11 million tons of unused clothing, footwear, and other textiles that end up in U.S. landfills each year.
“I am excited to join the LEGO Group in this pilot program,” said Monika Wiela, founder of Give Back Box. “Growing up in Poland, I didn’t have many toys as a child, so this collaboration is rather personal for me. What’s better than giving a child the gift of play?”
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Teach For America will receive the majority of the elements and will provide them to thousands of classrooms across the country.
“Learning through play can have a tremendous impact on a child’s cognitive development. Through play, children develop fine motor skills, think creatively, and can learn how to problem solve through teamwork,” said Susan Asiyanbi, Teach For America’s chief operating and program officer. “But not everyone has access to such resources. LEGO Replay, and the instructional resources they provide educators, will help give more students access to this opportunity.”
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Bricks will also be sent to Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston for their after-school programs. Both non-profits can expect to receive the first shipments in November 2019. Once the pilot is complete in spring 2020, the LEGO Group will evaluate a possible expansion of the program.
LEGO Replay is one of the many sustainable and philanthropic efforts the LEGO Group has announced in the past year. Recent efforts include Plants from Plants, LEGO Braille Bricks and LEGO Audio and Braille Instructions.
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Quote of the Day: “One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach—waiting for a gift from the sea.” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Photo: by RJR in NB – CC license on Flickr
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Denmark, with a landscape as flat as a pancake, might be a new whimsical destination for skiing, thanks to Copenhagen’s new power plant.
That’s right. Last weekend in Copenhagen, an 8-year dream was realized when the first paying skiers took their runs down a one-third-mile course, wrapping around what is possibly the greenest power plant in the world.
The plant is so clean and safe that designers were able to turn its building mass into a new hub for social life.
A hybrid between a building and a landscape, the huge glass and mirrored structure contains planters covering the façade in a checkerboard pattern that might one day give the illusion of a green mountain from every direction.
Copenhill, as it’s called, features ski-lifts on the outside and also a glass elevator for seeing the inner workings of how the city’s trash is transformed into both electricity and heating for more than 200,000 homes.
The waste-to-power plant itself opened in 2017 under the name Amager Bakke (Amager, for the island Copenhagen is on, and Bakke, the Danish word for “hill”).
Bjarke Ingels is the architect whose company, Bjarke Ingels Group, came up with the idea eight years ago of designing a power plant structure that would incorporate mountain sports into its very nature.
“It is the cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in the world. It is a crystal clear example of ‘Hedonistic Sustainability’ (a phrase he coined because) a sustainable city is not only better for the environment—it is also more enjoyable for the lives of its citizens.”
Ingles says 97% of city residents get their heating as a byproduct of energy production, from an integrated system where the electricity, heating, and waste disposal are combined into a single process. He believes that it is also becoming a beacon that others can look to and say, ‘if Copenhagen can do it, why can’t we?’
There are no hills on this island city, but now residents can ski and snowboard locally, while enjoying the best views ever seen of the harbor. Another thing missing here is snow cover throughout the winter, so designers installed a specially-coated “plastic grass” that provides the perfect friction for downhill winter sports.
In a country where 600,000 skiers always had to travel to practice carving their turns, to be able to finally ski in their backyard—and, all year-round—is, as one skier said, “EXTRAORDINARY.”
Visitors can relax in the restaurant and bar at the highest point of the building, or meander on the steep hiking and running trails. It even features the tallest climbing wall in the world— 270-feet (85 meters) high, designed with overhangs and ledges of white, like an icy mountain. (For certified climbers only at the top.)
The $660 million power plant will process up to 440,000 tons of waste each year using furnaces, turbines, and steam. The electricity it produces can heat 160,000 homes and provide electric power to another 60,000. And though these numbers are impressive, the 24-hour operation of the entire facility can reportedly be handled by just two engineers.
The developers hope to see 300,000 visitors enjoying the multi-purpose experience of CopenHill each year, with the ski slope costing $22 an hour or just $366 for a full season pass.
Professional skier Nikolaj Vang said, “I’ve been skiing for 35 years, and I was very surprised and pleased that the coating had the perfect friction. I had feared that one would either get too little or too much slip, but I think the coating is perfect for all levels.”
Meanwhile, the city is one step closer to its ambitious goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2025. We think it might be all ‘downhill’ from here.
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WATCH some freestyle skiers using the jumps and railings on the building, and meet the designer…
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This university has become the first in the United Kingdom to install vending machines that are designed to dispense free short stories for students to read on campus—and any writer will soon be able to submit their own prose.
The machines on the campus of the University of Lincoln print out tiny works of literature that are dispensed after someone chooses how long they want to be reading— one, three, or five minutes—all at the touch of a button.
Students will be able to read on a whim anything from crime to contemporary fiction, including authors like Virginia Woolf, Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens.
LOOK: School Installs Vending Machine That Dispenses Free Books to Kids Who Read
The machines also contain an exclusive story written by British author Anthony Horowitz—a whodunnit called “Mrs. Robinson” that was designed to be read in less than a minute.
The stories are delivered randomly from a database of 100,000 titles on a receipt-sized scroll of eco-friendly paper using heat transfer instead of ink.
Ian Snowley, Dean of Student Learning Development and University Librarian said: “Not only will the new machines offer the opportunity to access stories at seemingly unexpected spots around campus to encourage people to engage more with reading, but we also hope that it will encourage students, staff, and people across the city to become published authors by submitting their own work.”
The machines are made by French publishing company Short Édition and were previously installed at London’s Canary Wharf following success in France and Hong Kong.
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Later in the year, students and the public will be able to submit their own stories for possible inclusion in Short Édition’s repertoire of over 9,000 authors.
Professor Mary Stuart, the University’s Vice Chancellor, said: “I’m delighted that Lincoln is the first UK university to use this innovative technology to support the development of reading and writing in our university and city communities.”
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A dog-lover who cares for sick and disabled pooches from around the world has been dubbed a “miracle worker” after getting many of them back on their feet again.
48-year-old Claire-Louise Nixon shares her modest home with 27 dogs that no one else wanted.
Many of them are injured street dogs who have been abused—or lost limbs from landmines and explosives in former war zones. But, no matter what condition the dogs arrive in, Nixon is determined to get them walking again through intense physical therapy sessions and walks on wheels.
Her motley crew of dogs all share her four-bedroom semi-detached house in Milton Keynes with her husband Gary and 22-year-old daughter Rhia-Louise.
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While Nixon’s strategy is to find forever homes for the dogs, their immediate needs are quite often too complex. Several of her pups are—or were—paralyzed; and some of them even have to wear nappies (diapers).
For long walks the dogs are put in specially-made harnesses with wheels to act as false legs so they can enjoy getting outside while those that can’t walk are put in buggies. Other dogs are regularly taken for doggy hydrotherapy, while all those that can walk are taken out for exercise in rotation, a few at a time.
“When I get these dogs who are in such a bad way, the vet would say ‘Claire, you won’t get them walking again,’” says Nixon. “But now they say nothing is impossible! They say we work miracles with them!
“I think all they need is love, kindness and patience,” she continued. “When they walk into my house, they see other dogs like them so they don’t feel any different that’s why I think they do so well here.
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“If you give them a reason to walk again, then they will,” she added.
Her addiction to caring for sick dogs all started 12 years ago when a puppy who was only a few days old was brought into the vet’s office to be put down. He had a hair lip and cleft palate which prevented him from suckling milk and feeding—but Nixon was determined to save him.
Nixon painstakingly hand-reared the puppy by feeding him with a bottle every few hours—and it escalated into having 27 disabled or sick dogs from there.
All her dogs are named after celebrities which she feels describes their personalities.
Sir Elton John, which Nixon named because of the song “I’m Still Standing”, was rescued from Romania after he was hit by a car and left with a broken spine. Thanks to Nixon’s help, he can now go on small walks.
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Sherlock Holmes, who was aptly named for his intelligence and curiosity, was a street dog in Oman who was shot by a security guard.
“The dogs arrive with the most horrible pasts and we give them love and wonderful futures. They come from all over the world but with me, they are home forever.
“I’m really lucky in that all the neighbors have dogs themselves so we don’t get complaints. And although 27 dogs sounds a lot, they are really quite well behaved.”
In order to finance the dogs’ medical treatment, rehabilitation, and mobility equipment, Nixon raises funds through her organization, Wheels to Paws UK.
Vets bills can be a huge drain on resources, but local vets are sympathetic to her cause and often offer a discount.
Nixon added: “The dog rescue charities abroad all know of me. So if they get a badly injured or disabled dog in need of specialist care they will pay to transport them to me in the UK. I can never say no.
“It is tremendous hard work but I can’t tell you how rewarding it is. The love these dogs give back is amazing. I would not be without any single one of them.”
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Quote of the Day: “What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action.” – Meister Eckhart
Photo: by seabamirum – CC license on Flickr
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Reprinted with permission from World At Large, a news website of nature, science, health, politics, and travel.
Marking its 30th anniversary, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) has been renewed by U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt with $28 million dollars for conservation of coastal and non-coastal wetlands across the country.
Wetland areas constitute one of the most important and also fragile ecosystems in the nation and the world. They’re home to a panoply of specialized plants that act as a buffer between storm surges and property, they help to prevent soil erosion, and provide nesting and feeding habitat for hundreds of waterbird species.
Of the funds issued, $23.9 million was allocated to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners to conserve or restore more than 150,000 acres of wetland and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds in 20 different states. These grants will be matched by more than $72 million in partner funds.
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For instance, the Upper Snake River in eastern Idaho will receive $1 million to ensure the protection of one of America’s great rivers—surrounded by 1,691 acres of migrating, breeding, and wintering habitat for birds like the trumpeter swan, northern pintail, and mallard.
Programs benefitting the Missouri River Valley Wetlands and the Texas Bays, Wetlands, and Prairies II will get $1 million each to acquire, restore, and enhance major wetland and grassland complexes within the Missouri River Alluvial Plain in western Iowa and northwest Missouri and on the mid-coast of Texas. The funding will aid populations of northern pintail and lesser scaup, and in the South, mottled ducks, black-bellied whistling ducks, and fulvous whistling ducks.
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The commission also approved $4.2 million from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to conserve 2,200 acres in Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. These funds were raised largely through the sale of Federal Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, commonly known as “Duck Stamps.”
Funds raised from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps go toward the acquisition or lease of habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Duck Stamps—while required for waterfowl hunters as an annual license—are also voluntarily purchased by birders, outdoor enthusiasts, and fans of national wildlife preserves who understand the value of protecting some of the most diverse and important wildlife habitats in our nation.
31 small grants were already approved in March. The commission has authorized $5 million for more grants to fund small scale conservation projects—and this year, $3 million in grants were matched by $11.1 million in private partner funds.
“These public-private grants help uphold President Trump’s important promise to America’s sportsmen and women to preserve our nation’s wildlife and provide access to our public lands for future generations,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt.
“Landmark legislation like the North American Wetlands Conservation Act has made that possible for all Americans and these treasured natural resources during the past 30 years.”
Multiply The Good By Sharing The Positive News With Your Friends On Social Media — File photo by Bureau of Land Management, CC
A woman was thrilled to be reunited with the last text messages from her late father after a diver managed to find the iPhone she had lost in a river 15 months earlier.
39-year-old Erica Bennett was doubly stunned to hear a diver had found the device buried in silt on the Edisto River bed, in Ridgeville, South Carolina. Not only that, the phone still worked.
Bennett had originally lost the iPhone after it fell overboard during a river float trip in June 2018. Her husband had dived into the water to try and retrieve the cell phone, but couldn’t find it.
When Erica realized the device was gone—along with all of the last text messages from her father William Sikes—she couldn’t help but cry tears of grief.
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Sikes had died that month from leukemia at the age of 63.
“That was one of the things that hit me hard [about the phone],” says Erica. “I thought I would never be able to read those words again.
“All I remember is thinking of all the photos and texts I had just lost in the bottom of that river. Memories I thought I would never get back.”
A year later in September 2019, Michael Bennett (no relation) was scuba diving in the Edisto River and saw a large rock in eight feet of murky water. When he saw a phone lanyard trailing behind it, he managed to uncover the lost iPhone.
“I have found hundreds of phones on my dives, but most of them do not turn on. I figured it would never work,” said the 25-year-old diver.
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Michael, who is also a full-time YouTuber, took the iPhone home with him, plugged it into a charger and the device turned on. Since he did not know the iPhone’s password, he removed the SIM card and inserted it into a different phone. He the found Erica’s cell phone number by retrieving her contacts.
Luckily, Erica had kept the same cell phone digits.
The personal trainer was getting into bed when she received Michael’s call on September 22nd.
“I thought it was a spam call at first,” she said. “It was unbelievable. I felt like I was getting punk’d.”
The next day, Michael delivered the long-lost iPhone to Erica, reuniting her with the messages from her late father.
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“There were big waves of emotions. I felt really happy and relieved,” said Erica.
The cell phone’s screen is dimmer and the battery drains quicker after spending more than a year on a river bed—but Erica said the most important thing is that she can now read her father’s last words again.
“I have those memories back now,” she said. “It’s just a phone. But then again, it’s not.”
(WATCH the video below)
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This week, a food company announced that they have successfully taken “one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind” in producing lab-grown meat in space.
Aleph Farms, an Israeli food company that grows cultivated beef steaks, says that they managed to grow the material aboard the International Space Station 248 miles (339 kilometers) away from any natural resources.
Aleph Farms’ production method of cultivated beef steaks relies on mimicking a natural process of muscle-tissue regeneration occurring inside the cow’s body, but under controlled conditions.
Within the framework of this experiment on the Russian segment of the ISS, a successful proof of concept has been established in assembling a small-scale muscle tissue in a 3D bioprinter developed by 3D Bioprinting Solutions, under micro-gravity conditions. This cutting-edge research in some of the most extreme environments imaginable, serves as an essential growth indicator of sustainable food production methods that don’t exacerbate land waste, water waste, and pollution. These methods are also aimed at feeding the rapidly growing population, predicted to reach 10 billion individuals by 2050.
Through an international collaboration set to reach new heights with 3D Bioprinting Solutions, Meal Source Technologies, and Finless Foods— Aleph Farms, co-founded with the food-tech incubator The Kitchen, and Professort Shulamit Levenberg of the Technion university, is making a significant progress toward fulfilling its promise: to enable on Earth unconditional access to safe and nutritious meat anytime, anywhere, while using minimal resources.
In an historic report published on the 10th of September 2019, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, established by the United Nations, has emphasized the integral contribution of the conventional animal farming methods on climate change, creating “a challenging situation worse and undermining food security.” The 107 authors who contributed to the report have shed light on climate change effects on land, especially desertification, land degradation, and diminishing availability of food supplies.
“In space, we don’t have 10,000 or 15,000 liters (4,000 gallons) of water available to produce one kilogram (2.205 pound) of beef,” says Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms.
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“This joint experiment marks a significant first step toward achieving our vision to ensure food security for generations to come, while preserving our natural resources.
Jonathan Berger, who is CEO of the mission’s partnering organization The Kitchen, added: “The mission of providing access to high-quality nutrition anytime, anywhere in a sustainable way is an increasing challenge for all humans. On Earth or up above, we count on innovators like Aleph Farms to take the initiative to provide solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems, such as the climate crisis.”
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by NASA
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When two Arab brothers found out that one of their clients was a Holocaust survivor, they insisted on performing their services free of charge.
According to a recent online report from the Times of Israel, Simon and Salim Matari are two Israeli plumbers who were called to fix a broken pipe in an elderly woman’s home in Haifa earlier this week.
The house belonged to 95-year-old Rosa Meir. As Simon fixed the leaky plumbing fixture, Salim chatted with the woman about her life and learned that she was a Holocaust survivor.
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Once the Matari brothers had successfully fixed the plumbing system, they knew that they could not charge the woman for the $285 service fee.
Instead, they left a note for Meir saying: “Holocaust survivor, may you have health until 120 [years old], from Matari Simon and Matari Salim.”
Not only that, they added that their services cost zero shekels—and if she ever had need for additional services in the future, then they would be more than happy to return to her home and fix her plumbing for free.
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Quote of the Day: “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” – Rabindranath Tagore
Photo: by Joseph Walker – CC license on Flickr, cropped
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Not many brides wear a parachute to their own wedding—but a woman named Ruth did just that when she married her childhood friend, Claude Hensinger shortly after World War II.
The parachute survived, along with the groom, during an aborted WWII mission, when Maj. Hensinger was a B-29 pilot. In August of 1944, he was returning to an Allied base from a bombing run over Yowata, Japan when an engine caught fire. The entire crew had to abandon ship over China, and that’s when the epic parachute unfurled to save his life. That night, it also served as a blanket and pillow for Hensinger as he waited for daybreak.
Luckily, the crew was able to reassemble the next day, and they were taken in by friendly Chinese. Maj. Hensinger was able to return safely to the US, and when the war ended a year later, he resettled in his native Pennsylvania, taking his lifesaving parachute with him.
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Back in civilian life again, Claude decided to look up his friend Ruth and began courting her. When it was time to propose marriage, Ruth was startled to see Hensinger on his knee offering not a ring, but the precious fabric that aided him during wartime.
“This is the parachute that saved my life. I want you to make a wedding dress out of it,” he said.
While Ruth wasn’t exactly sure what to do with the massive yardage of nylon, inspiration hit when she saw a billowing dress in a store window designed to look like the one featured in Gone with the Wind. She hired a local seamstress to sew the bodice and veil, and Ruth herself designed and created the skirt from the parachute. She used the parachute cords to create ruching all around the skirt, hiking it higher in front and leaving it longer in back for a train.
With his request for a parachute wedding dress finally realized, Claude married Ruth in Neffs Lutheran Church in Neffs, Pennsylvania, July 19th, 1947, getting his first glimpse of the gown as she walked down the aisle.
The historical dress was later worn by both their daughter and their son’s bride, and today is housed at the Smithsonian Institution as a significant item in American History.
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New reports say that countries in Latin America have set an ambitious new goal for renewable energy that is more than double what has been pledged by the European Union.
Back in September, Colombia’s energy minister Maria Fernanda Suarez told Reuters that nine Latin American countries have collectively set a target for achieving 70% renewable energy use by 2030.
The countries participating in the historic pact include Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia, while Panama and Brazil are reportedly still considering participation.
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With the EU only maintaining a goal for 32% energy, Suarez says that Latin American legislators made the announcement for their ambitious new initiative with the intention of putting themselves at the forefront of the international fight against the climate crisis with the UN climate change summit taking place in Chile in December.
“It’s the most ambitious goal in terms of a global region. Right now nine countries in the region have agreed to this plan and we will continue to get more countries to be part of this goal ahead of the upcoming summit,” she told Reuters, adding that “the introduction of viable renewables, meaning wind, solar biomass or other clean energy, is the first priority” for Colombia’s own renewable energy goals.
Power Up With Positivity By Sharing The Good News To Social Media — File photo by Steven Damron, CC
When Megan moved to a new school and members of her new drill team learned about the loss she endured one year ago, they rallied the entire high school to comfort her—and honor her fallen friend…
Hear our Good News Guru tell the heartwarming story on the radio in Los Angeles—during the October 4, 2019 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5.
SEE the full story with photos on GNN…
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When 6-year-old Hayden Williams was terrified of sleeping alone in his new bedroom, his mother Amanda tried everything to soothe his anxieties—but nothing worked.
Before the family had moved to a new home in Eldridge, Iowa, Hayden had shared a room with his 15-year-old sister; but since then, the youngster with an active imagination, has refused to sleep alone for fear of being attacked by the monsters and villains he believed to be lurking in the new house.
“I’ve tried everything under the sun to get him to sleep in his own room,” Amanda wrote in a Facebook post back in August. “Nothing is helping. He says he … can’t stop the scary thoughts that are creeping into it. He begged me to call the police and a doctor to help him. Seriously breaks my mama heart.”
Determined to convince her son that there was nothing to be afraid of, Amanda took him to the police station in hopes that one of the officers would have the time to ease his fears.
“Of course I’m his mama who fiercely protects him and assures him that those things aren’t real,” she added. “Still doesn’t convince him those things don’t exist. Nothing wrong with allowing him to think an officer could help.”
Initially, Amanda was anxious that the police officers would look down on her for bringing her son to the station like this—but, after taking Hayden to the Eldridge Police Department, the youngster was almost immediately befriended by Officer Bruce Schwartz.
After the officer listened to Hayden’s story, he visited the family home so he could inspect the bedroom and reassure his new pint-sized friend that there weren’t any villains hiding in the closet. Schwartz also confessed that he too experienced scary thoughts before bedtime—but he always made them go away by thinking about happier things instead.
Schwartz’s inspection proved to be just what Hayden needed; the very next day, he awoke at 7AM and proudly told his mother that he had made it alone throughout the night. Not only that, Officer Schwartz returned the same morning so he could check up on Hayden just as his mother was snapping some back-to-school photos of the youngster.
Amanda took some pictures of Hayden and Schwartz and published them to Facebook so she could praise the officer for his kindness.
“Truly takes a village to raise kids right these days! I am beyond thankful that Officer Schwartz took time out of his busy day to come over and talk with Hayden,” Amanda wrote.
“He had a GREAT night last night and went to sleep peacefully and is a very vibrant happy little man. This too will pass and I’m happy Officer Schwartz had a hand in Hayden getting over this very normal hump most children experience.
“Officer Schwartz, if you’re reading this, thank you from the bottom of my mama heart. The kindness you’ve shown Hayden certainly doesn’t go unnoticed and I know he will remember this forever.”
Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story Of Community Kindness With Your Friends On Social Media…
Education has a laundry problem. According to teachers nationwide, one in five students struggle with access to clean clothes, which leads to students missing school—and those kids who miss school are seven times more likely to drop out.
When the Whirlpool laundry brand heard about this hidden problem of chronic absenteeism, it decided to break down this barrier to attendance by providing schools access to clean clothes—and it’s actually working.
Today, embarking on its fifth year, the Care Counts laundry program has grown to support students in need across 18 U.S. cities, providing laundry machines for more than 38,000 students in 82 schools around the country.
“New data this year continues to show the program has contributed to decreases in chronic absenteeism,” said Chelsey Whitehead, senior brand manager for Whirlpool. “And we are just getting started.”
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This year, for the first time, Care Counts is inviting schools that serve low-income families nationwide to apply for a laundry pair to bring this program to even more students.
“We hope to make even more progress by expanding the program well beyond the footprint of our pilot program.”
In analyzing the most recent data from the 2018-2019 school year, Whirlpool found more promising results:
“We know every day counts. Getting students back in the classroom can make the difference between staying on course with their academic performance, or falling behind in a significant way,” said Dr. Richard Rende, a developmental psychologist, researcher and educator. “Since its inception, the program has contributed to decreases in chronic absenteeism and increases in grades and levels of self-esteem in at-risk students. The data indicates substantial promise for the program and at-risk students nationwide.”
With research over the years showing the program has the greatest impact on high-risk elementary school students, the nationwide expansion will focus on qualified Title I elementary schools. Whirlpool is partnering with CSC Serviceworks, an industry leader in installation and service, to help more schools combat the laundry crisis.
“This program is such an easy way to help solve a very difficult problem in our schools,” said Jo Carrigan, principal of Doull Elementary. “We’ve been lucky enough to be a part of the program to see the results firsthand, and I’m so happy that the program is opening applications because there are countless schools not just here in Denver—but all over the country that will benefit. Our new washer and dryer are an amazing resource for our students.”
With the help of Dr. Rende, Whirlpool collects and analyzes anonymized laundry and school attendance data to prove that access to clean clothes improves attendance and more.
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The program is pivoting this 2019-2020 academic year to study the longitudinal impact of clean clothes on educational development. To keep a pulse on the effectiveness of the program, new regions involved in the collection of anonymous laundry, attendance and grades data include: Cleveland, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Miami and Phoenix. Whirlpool works with Teach For America to identify these qualified and at-need schools.
The first phase of the pilot study in 2015-2016 proved the program is feasible and sustainable for schools. A second phase from 2016-2019 observed notable increases in attendance after implementation of the program for elementary and middle school students at risk for chronic and problematic levels of absenteeism.
To learn more about the program or nominate a school to receive a washer and dryer, check out the Care Counts website.
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