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Accidental Encounter Results in Tiny U.S. Town Becoming 14th Ever Location for a World Peace Flame

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Good News Network
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An accidental encounter with a glass-enclosed monument while she was turning her car around in Wales on vacation has led to a tiny city in Oregon becoming only the 14th location in the world to install an eternal World Peace Flame.

Nestled deep in the Snowdonia Mountains, the monument contained a burning flame.

“It moved me so deeply,” Irene Kai told GNN.

She had stumbled upon one of the World Peace Flames. The caretaker in a nearby building told her the story:

The original Flame, at The Hague in the Netherlands, was created in July 1999 when seven living flames, lit by world peacemakers on five continents, were united as one, after being transported via military jets while still burning.

She learned there were 12 other World Peace Flames as far away as Australia. The only one in the United States burns at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, the assassination site of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Irene for 20 years has lived in Ashland, Oregon, a unique city of only 20,000 people with a magic that draws spiritually-inclined people to reside there—folks like Jean Houston, Gary Zukav, and Neale Donald Walsch. It also holds a deep history for the Native Peoples. Still active tribes nearby include a descendant of “The Chief of Peace”, Chief Joseph’s great, great, grandson.

RELATED: Kids to Ignite One Billion Acts of Peace in Just 10 Days, Starting Now (Let’s All Join Them)

“I was so inspired to bring the flame back to Ashland to honor the Natives,” she recalled of the serendipitous encounter in September 2015.

Upon her return, and two years ago on Peace Day, she co-founded the Ashland Culture of Peace Commission, and later the city declared itself an International City of Peace. She and Executive Director David Wick had one problem: Where would they put the flame? It costs a lot of money to build monuments.

At that very moment plans were underway to erect a pavilion that would facilitate “Outrageous Arts and Sustainability” on the Southern Oregon University campus. Two 24-foot cedar carvings by a local Native American, Russell Beebe, called teaching poles, would be the site’s focal point.

When Irene and David first saw drawings for the site, Irene immediately said, “That’s the monument!” When they approached Barry and Kathryn Thalden, the local philanthropists who were funding the pavilion, the peace activists didn’t even get to speak before Barry asked, “Do you want to put your peace flame in our tower?”

“We just couldn’t believe it,” Irene recalled. “It was amazing.”

On International Peace Day, September 21, the new World Peace Flame, was lit using a torch employed at the original flame site in the Netherlands, delivered by a delegation from The World Flame Foundation. An official two-foot high oil lamp that burns on biofuel will be tended by 12 Middle School students in Ashland to keep the glow burning bright.

The Ashland monument will forever mark this energetic location as an important City of Peace for travelers from around the world.

After the eternal flame was lit, hundreds of people gathered heard speeches by local political dignitaries and Peace Foundation officials. The event was live streamed and you can view some of the video on YouTube here.

Share this magical story with the hashtag #DoItForPeace, as we join Ashland and people everywhere to tally one billion acts for peace in 10 days!

Photos of 75-Year-Old Volunteer Napping With Cats Hauls in Funds to Run Sanctuary for a Year

By
McKinley Corbley
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There are plenty of cute cat pictures on the internet, but this particular set of photos has provided a mountain of funding for a Wisconsin animal sanctuary.

The Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary Inc. Facebook page recently published pictures of one of their star volunteers: 75-year-old Terry Lauerman.

Every day for the last six months, Lauerman has been volunteering at the no-kill sanctuary so he can spend time with the felines. Described as a “Pied Piper” of felines, the senior has a serious knack for brushing cats. The shelter says that even the most anxious cats flock to him and his brush when he arrives.

Furthermore, Lauerman enjoys taking cat naps with his furry friends.

RELATED: Man Bought School Bus to Rescue Shelter Pets During Hurricanes –He Just Saved 64 During Florence

Earlier this week, Safe Haven published photos of Lauerman napping alongside some of their feline residents, praising him for his labor of love.

“We are so lucky to have a human like Terry,” the shelter wrote in their Facebook post. “Terry just came along one day and introduced himself. He said he’d like to brush cats. Eventually, it became everyday.

“He brushes all of the cats, and can tell you about all of their likes and dislikes. He also accidentally falls asleep most days. We don’t mind – cats need this! Terry is a wonderful volunteer.”

MORE: Watching This Little Girl Read to a Sleepy Cat is the Video to Soothe Your Soul

The photos were immediately shared thousands of times. The donation section of Safe Haven’s website ended up crashing because the page started getting 1,000 visits per minute.

As news outlets reached out to him for interviews, Lauerman said that he wasn’t very interested in internet fame – he only wanted people to donate to the shelter.

WATCH: Man Creates Elaborate Cardboard Castle to Reconcile With His Cat – and It Worked

In addition to being a no-kill and no-cage shelter, Safe Haven specializes in special needs cats, as well as older and abused felines who are still adoptable.

So at the suggestion of the shelter workers, Lauerman hosted a Facebook fundraiser in the hopes of easing Safe Haven’s website server overload.

Within 13 hours, the fundraiser had garnered enough money to finance the shelter for over a year, according to ABC News.

Be Sure And Share This Pawesome Story With Your Friends – Photos by Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary Inc

Kids to Tally One Billion Acts of Peace in Just 10 Days (Let’s All Help By Using Hashtag #DoItForPeace)

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Good News Network
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We are about to find out if the world can accomplish a billion acts of peace in ten days, thanks to a global experiment called #DoItForPeace.

Today, on September 21st, the International Day of Peace, two global nonprofits, Kids for Peace and Peace One Day, joined by Good News Network, have launched #DoItForPeace, a worldwide campaign to ignite one billion people to take action for peace.

#DoItForPeace began lighting up the world with 1000 ‘Ignitors’ completing their act of peace, and sharing it on social media (tagging it with #DoItForPeace), and then inviting five friends to do the same. By using simple math, at the end of ten days, 1.2 billion people—over 10% of the world’s population—will have taken a moment to shift their consciousness toward peace.

The ten-day initiative was developed by Kids for Peace, with its peace-building network of 10 million youth in over 20,000 schools in 121 countries. Joining them is Peace One Day, the organization founded in 1998 by Jeremy Gilley, the British filmmaker who was the mastermind behind the United Nations’ unanimous decision to adopt the first-ever annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence, now known as Peace Day – September 21.

Several key events will fuel the ten-day campaign, from sea to sky. Kids are forming their own peace signs during launch events in USA, UK, Kenya, Pakistan, India, and Australia. Next Thursday and Friday 33 Guinness World Record-holding skydivers in Oceanside, California will perform the first-ever skydiving peace sign formation. And, on Tuesday, September 25, professional surfer Rob Machado will lead surfers to create a peace sign on the waves at 6:30 am at Cardiff Reef, California.

POPULAR: Muslims in Town Adopt a Sacred Hindu Tenet So They Won’t Hurt the Feelings of Their Religious Neighbors

Acts of peace by Ignitors and the public will be tracked and dynamically visible using technology that will light up a spinning globe as hashtags are circulated on social media. Powered by our tech partner InsertChange.org, it is believed to be the first graphical representation of its kind documenting worldwide hashtags—along with posted videos and images—allowing us to watch where people are participating, along with names of those signing up as Ignitors.

Amplifying the impact of the event will be full coverage on Good News Network, the #1 website for positive news and inspiring content. GNN Co-owner Anthony Samadani became the Do It For Peace master uniter, bringing together strategic partners like Peace One Day, Insert Change, and TaTaTu, the campaign’s major sponsor.

MORE: Forgiving the Unforgivable: Mom Worked With Daughter’s Killers to Bring Hope to a Desperate Community

“Everyone has a role to play in creating peace in the world, beginning with their own hearts,” Samadani pointed out, reflecting on the recent uptick in suicides. “GNN is honored to support this inspiring initiative, which has unprecedented potential to shift global consciousness.”

“Children of all ages around the world have decided they want to lead a shift from a culture of fear and division to one of love and respect,” says Jill McManigal, Co-founder and Executive Director of Kids for Peace.

Sign-up for free to be an Ignitor today at www.doitforpeace.org. Make a creative peace sign, reach out to someone you need to forgive, or create a video of a peace song, poem, or prayer… Whatever you do, #DoItForPeace over the next ten days!

The campaign’s main sponsor is TaTaTu, a new entertainment platform launched by Italian filmmaker Andrea lervolino that rewards users for watching free movies and gaming online with advertisers paying users in blockchain-based cryptocurrency tokens—and additional tokens being earned whenever they get friends to join and watch, too. This #DoItFoPeace sponsorship is the company’s first foray into social causes as part of TaTaTu’s larger push into community activism & global stewardship.

Let’s all take a moment today, to take on the heart of a child and watch the world light up, using the hashtag #DoItForPeace.

SHARE this campaign and hashtag it NOW, #DoItForPeace!

“Our goal is peace now—this very instant. It is central to our happiness that our years be free of anger and that our body be used as a means of giving others the gift of kindness.” –Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D.

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Our goal is peace now—this very instant. It is central to our happiness that our years be free of anger and that our body be used as a means of giving others the gift of kindness.” – Gerald Jampolsky, M.D.

Photo: by Dennis Jarvis, with watercolor and texture by Dianne Lacourciere, CC license

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?

When Man in Wheelchair Can’t Get into Shop, Barber Happily Cuts His Hair on the Sidewalk

By
McKinley Corbley
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When a man in a wheelchair approached a barbershop in hopes of getting a haircut, this barber was not about to turn him down just because their building was not wheelchair-accessible.

Victor Burgos is a barber at Joe’s Upscale Barber Shop in Webster, New York. Earlier this week, he was working at the shop when he noticed a man in an electric wheelchair out in front of the store.

The shop phone rang and Burgos heard an electronically-assisted voice asking if they accepted walk-ins – and he knew that it had to be the man outside.

Burgos, who has worked at the barbershop for the last three and a half years, says that because they’re based out of an older building, it has not yet been made wheelchair-accessible.

LOOK: Guy Gives Shelter Dogs Free Haircuts to Help Them Get Adopted 

Instead of turning the man away, however, Burgos grabbed his tools and offered to give the man a haircut right there on the sidewalk.

“He definitely needed a haircut,” Burgos told Inside Edition. “It looked like he hadn’t had a haircut in about a month. It was pretty shaggy [and] I know how good it feels to get that weight off of you. I could tell that he’s never had a good experience. I could tell without even asking him, and I just wanted to change it for him.”

As it turned out, his efforts were a success. The man was so pleased by Burgos’s attitude and skill, he later sent his aide to the same shop for a haircut of his own.

RELATED: Barber Gives Free Haircuts to Kids If They Read Stories to Him

Social media users have praised Burgos for the gesture after a fellow barber secretly snapped some photos of the haircut. Joe Cocozza, the owner of the shop, made sure to praise Burgos as well by publishing the pictures on Facebook.

“I wasn’t there, but a few days ago at the shop we had a man in a wheelchair come to the shop on a recommendation,” wrote Cocozza. “I couldn’t be happier when I was told this story. I couldn’t be happier to work and know a person of such kind nature as Victor. I’m proud to know that even when I’m not around our staff will go out of their way. Just to make someone happy!!

CHECK OUT: After Spending Years Trying to Cut Autistic Boy’s Hair, Compassionate Barber Has Breakthrough

“He did not have to do this,” he continued. “Vic is one of our busiest barbers and is always busy. So Vic thank you for being that guys and not only always proving what type of person you are, but also being a CLASS ACT and bringing class to Joe’s Upscale Barber Shop. Vic had no idea these pics were even taken.”

Furthermore, the photos have inspired community members to rally together and buy a ramp for the barbershop in the future.

(WATCH the interview below)

Be Sure And Share The Good Deed With Your Friends – Photos by Joe Cocozza

Watch Mother-of-Three Break Record for Fastest Human on a Bicycle: ‘Now I know how Evel Knievel felt’

By
McKinley Corbley
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Denise Mueller-Korenek has just broken the record for fastest human being on a bike – a record that was previously held by a man.

Riding a custom-made bike, Mueller-Korenek broke the record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah going 183.9 miles per hour.

The 45-year-old’s bike was attached to the back of a drag racing car that was being piloted by professional female racing driver Shea Holbrook until she reached 100 miles per hour.

Upon detaching from the car, Mueller-Korenek started pedaling – and each rotation of the pedals propelled her forward by 128 feet.

RELATED: A Man Got the Nobel Prize for Her Discovery. Now, 44 Years Later, She’s Awarded Breakthrough Physics Prize and $3Mil

This is not the first time that the mother-of-three has been on a rocky bicycle ride. She retired from being a champion in competitive cycling so she could start a family and create her own home security company.

Her recent stunt broke her previous record for fastest female on a bike which she set at 147 miles per hour in 2016.

MORE: She Prevents Gender-based Violence in India by Using a Powerful Law

The record for fastest human on a bike has been broken 10 different times – all by men – over the course of the last century. The last titleholder was Dutch cyclist Fred Rompelber, who hit 167 miles per hour in 1995.

According to The Telegraph, Mueller-Korenek celebrated her achievement by demounting her cycle and yelling “Beat that, Fred!”

The record is yet to be confirmed by Guinness World Records, although it seems that Mueller-Korenek was happy enough to complete “the ride of her life,” saying “Now I know how Evel Knievel felt.”

(WATCH the video below)

Be Sure And Share The Incredible Feat With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Ron Stoeklin / Stoecky Films

Here’s How You Can Visit Any of These 1,500 Museums For Free This Weekend

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Good News Network
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If you have been putting off going to your local museum, then you now have a pretty good excuse to go this weekend.

In celebration of Museum Day this Saturday, over 1,500 museums will be allowing free admission to their institutions for the day.

The event, which is orchestrated by Smithsonian, is allowing one free admission ticket per email address and each ticket will allow free admission for two people.

LOOK: Fans of Netflix ‘Stranger Things’ Series Inundate Museum With Mountains of Cash

Cultural institutions in all 50 American states – from history museums to botanical gardens and state zoos – will be participating.

If you want to look at a complete list of participating museums or you want to get free tickets, you can check out the Smithsonian website.

Additionally, Smithsonian just released a list of their 10 favorite can’t-miss museums, including the Zoo Miami and the quirkier National Barber Museum in Canal Winchester, Ohio.

Plan A Trip: Tell Your Friends About The Good News By Sharing To Social Media – Photo by Brady Harvey / Museum of Pop Culture

UPDATE: Janitor Who Was Surprised by His Students Finally Gets to Feel Like a ‘Trillionaire’ On His Vacation

By
McKinley Corbley
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A beloved janitor is finally getting a much-deserved vacation after he was surprised by 230 university students back in June.

Herman Gordon is a custodian at Bristol University in England. Described adoringly as a “legend” and “hero” of the school, the students took to one of their school social media pages so they could talk about how much they loved Herman and his “jolly” disposition.

One of the students in particular made a post about how Herman had not been able to see his family in Jamaica for four years – so the young adults banded together to raise money for the 65-year-old janitor to visit his family.

The students all donated to a JustGiving page that eventually managed to raise over $2,000 (£1,500); enough for a one-week vacation to Jamaica for Herman and his wife Denise.

RELATED: Watch 10-Year-old Boy’s Emotional Reaction to Seeing Color for the First Time in His Life

One of the young donors surprised Herman with the gift by handing him an envelope filled with cash. As the student filmed the emotional moment, Herman can be seen breaking down into tears, overwhelmed by the compassionate gesture.

The video was shared thousands of times – and now, the students get to see the wonderful fruit of their labor.

Herman and Denise recently published photos of their glamorous two-night stay at the Sandals Resort in Motego Bay, saying that they are finally getting to celebrate their 23rd wedding anniversary.

The lovebirds got to enjoy a couple’s massage and candlelit dinner at the 5-star resort before they head off to see Herman’s family in Kingston.

After Herman released photos of his celebrity treatment, he wrote to the Bristol students, saying: “God bless you all. Everybody will see this and think that I’m a trillionaire.”

Denise chipped in as well, adding: “I just wanted to say thank you to all the University of Bristol students for this gift that they have given to me and Herman.”

WATCH: ‘Misbehaved’ Class Comes Together to Help Cash-Strapped Teacher

Judging by how the students talk about the Jamaican janitor, however, it seems like it was the least they could do for such a compassionate man.

“All year round, this man works hours on end to provide us with a clean working space in which to study,” one of the students wrote in the original social media fundraising thread. “But most importantly, his undying positive energy and chit-chat has managed to turn many students’ dark days into positive ones filled with joy. Whether you’re just feeling generally down and out or stressed out due to exams, Herman is always there to speak to you.”

“This legend proves that happiness is not about what you own, what job you have or how much money you’ve got, but about appreciating what you currently have in life.”

Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story Of Kindness With Your Friends – Photos by Sandals

“What you can BECOME depends upon what you can OVERCOME.” – Anthony D. Williams

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Good News Network
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Andrey Nefedov, CC license

Quote of the Day: “What you can BECOME depends upon what you can OVERCOME.” – Anthony D. Williams

Photo: by Andrey Nefedov, CC license

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?

Watch Celebrations Erupt When Country Border is Finally Opened After 20-Year War

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Good News Network
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Following a violent 20-year conflict, the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea have officially opened the border between their two nations.

Ecstatic Africans rushed across the border in celebration of the historic event, many of them family members who were finally able to embrace after years of forceful separation.

The countries that have been at odds since 1993 when Eritrea voted with a super majority to separate from Ethiopia. The border conflict eventually resulted in a two-year war in 1998 and harsh tensions between the two nations.

Early in April, however, Abiy Ahmed took over as Ethiopian Prime Minister after the previous leader resigned suddenly in February amid massive anti-government protests. In Ahmed’s inaugural address, he called upon Eritrean leaders to aid him in ending the deadly two-year old border conflict and resolved to create a new chapter in the two nation’s histories.

RELATED: Africans Are So Happy Border Fight is Over They’re Calling Random Phone Numbers On the Other Side

Ahmed’s administration has also been praised for its release of thousands of jailed political prisoners, and a greater focus on maintaining the basic rights of Ethiopians, as well as a more open relationship with the press.

By reopening the border, Eritreans were invited to celebrate the Ethiopian new year alongside their international neighbors last week – and judging by footage that was released by the Associated Press, the festivities were happy indeed.

(WATCH the video below)

Be Sure And Share The Awe-Inspiring Story Of Peace With Your Friends – Photo by The Associated Press

Watch Dad’s Reaction to Being Surprised With the Beloved Car He Sold to Pay Wife’s Medical Bills

By
McKinley Corbley
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It has been 12 years since Wesley Ryan watched his beloved car drive away from him – and the sight “broke him in half”.

Back in the day, Wesley was known around San Antonio, Texas for his white 1993 Ford Mustang, which he fondly called “Christine”.

But when his wife and high school sweetheart, Laura Ryan, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Wesley sold the car to help pay for her mounting medical bills.

“[It’s] not his world, but it’s one of the pieces to his heart. You just can’t replace it with any other vehicle,” Wesley’s daughter Jeni Ryan told CBS News. “He’s not materialistic — he just wants his family taken care of. And at the end of the day, this all started because my mom was diagnosed with cancer and my dad being the man that he is, he decided to sell his vehicle in a heartbeat.”

RELATED: Watch the Emotional Moment When Students Surprise Janitor With Enough Money to See His Family

So as a means of thanking their father for all his years of kindness and devotion, Jeni and her brother Jake Ryan tracked down the very same Mustang and presented it to their father earlier this week.

Jake managed to find the Mustang’s VIN number on Craigslist, and within the same day, the siblings explained the situation to the owner, struck up a deal, and drove for an hour and a half to pick up the car in the city of Kyle.

With the help of their mother, now cancer-free, Jake and Jeni asked their father to meet them in a Kohl’s parking lot for the surprise. They blindfolded their bewildered father before parking the Mustang in front of Wesley.

WATCH: Paul McCartney Brings People to Tears With Surprise Visits to Liverpool Hangouts

Needless to say, he was overcome with emotion with when the blindfold came off.

The siblings took a video of their father’s reaction and posted it to Facebook where it was viewed thousands of times.

“I know how much it broke him in half seeing that car drive away from him. A day I’ll never forget,” Jake captioned the video. “Well… She’s back home pops and here to stay this time. Looking forward to building this car with you this time instead of being in a booster seat looking out the window.”

MORE: ‘Misbehaved’ Class Comes Together to Help Cash-Strapped Teacher

Jeni told CBS News that she and her brother had tried to buy the car back several times over the years – which is why she can’t help but cry every time she watches the video of Wesley and Christine’s reunion.

“He never expected anything back from us. All my dad wanted us to be is successful, and that’s all he ever asked from us. He never asked for his vehicle back,” she told the news outlet. “Literally, words cannot explain that video because that video explains absolutely everything.”

(WATCH the video below or our international readers can watch the video on the CBS News website)

Drive This Sweet Story To Your Friends By Sharing To Social Media – Photo by Jake Ryan

Germany Launches World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Train

By
McKinley Corbley
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The world’s first ever hydrogen-powered train has just been launched for commercial use in Germany, signaling yet another victory in the shift towards sustainability.

The Coradia iLint passenger train, which was developed by rail transport company Alstom, can travel 600 miles (1,000km) on a single tank of hydrogen. Using special fuel cells, the trains generate energy through a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, with excess energy stored in lithium ion batteries.

Though they have the same range as diesel-powered trains, they produce no greenhouse gas emissions and they are cheaper to run than their fossil fuel counterparts.

“This zero-emission train emits low levels of noise, with exhaust being only steam and condensed water,” says Alstom. “The iLint is special for its combination of different innovative elements: clean energy conversion, flexible energy storage in batteries, and smart management of traction power and available energy.

RELATED: Book-Sized Solar Panels Could Power a Whole Home in New Breakthrough

“Specifically designed for operation on non-electrified lines, it enables clean, sustainable train operation while ensuring high levels of performance.”

Two of the Coradia iLint trains will be managing a 62-mile stretch of railway in Lower Saxony, Germany. With several more provinces expressing interest in the eco-friendly transit, Alstom says that they expect to launch 14 more of the zero-emission trains within the next few years.

Power Up With Positivity And Share The Good News With Your Friends – Photo by Alstom

After Serving 3 Million Meals in Puerto Rico, Chef Travels Ahead of Hurricane Florence to Feed Even More

By
McKinley Corbley
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After Puerto Rico was clobbered by Hurricane Maria, this celebrity chef and his team were on the ground serving meals to all of the survivors. Now, he has set up shop right in the middle of Hurricane Florence so he can feed everybody throughout the storm.

José Andrés and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen are responsible for feeding millions of people during every kind of natural disaster. In Puerto Rico alone, he served over 3.6 million meals and his team stayed for an entire year to keep making food for the recovering nation.

Last week, he and his volunteers set up kitchens in Raleigh and Wilmington, North Carolina – the most endangered parts of the state – just days before the storm.

According to CNN, the team has already delivered over 140,000 meals to dozens of shelters, police stations, response teams, neighborhoods, and families without access to food in the Carolinas.

RELATED: Man Bought School Bus to Rescue Shelter Pets During Hurricanes –He Just Saved 64 During Florence

Over the course of the last week, World Central Kitchen has reportedly been the only food relief operation that is currently serving on a large scale in the affected counties – and they still insisted on risking the weather in order to deliver their meals.

“Even though there is still a lot of flooding, I believe yesterday was more dangerous than today. I’m just glad the storm is finally over and people can start getting their lives back to normal,” he told CNN.

(WATCH the video below)

Feed Your Friends Some Positivity And Share The Good News – Photo by World Central Kitchen

“All problems become smaller when you confront them instead of dodging them.” – William F. Halsey

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Good News Network
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Ian Britton, CC license

Quote of the Day: “All problems become smaller when you confront them instead of dodging them.” – William F. Halsey

Photo: Ian Britton, CC license

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?

Strangers Write 125,000 Loving Letters to Breast Cancer Patients – How You Can Join Their Mission

By
McKinley Corbley
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There can be a lot of emotional challenges that come from fighting cancer – but according to this charity, a little letter can be a big help in overcoming those obstacles.

Girls Love Mail is a nonprofit that asks strangers to write letters of love and encouragement to breast cancer patients.

Since the charity was launched in August 2011, there have been over 125,000 letters sent to cancer patients around the world. Letter writers have ranged from fourth graders to 90-year-olds across the US, plus Canada, Japan, Germany, Korea, Brazil, UK, Ireland, Australia, Malta, Burma, and The Netherlands.

Regardless of the author’s background, the letter recipients have been grateful for the messages of support.

WATCH: Man’s Cancer is Healed After Doing Random Acts of Kindness for a Year

“I received a note from a complete stranger and it was so powerful,” says one patient. “Now I keep the letter on my nightstand and read it every night before bed to gain strength. I’m amazed at the kindness in this world.”

The founder of Girls Love Mail, Gina Mulligan, says that she got the idea for the charity after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. At the time, the author had been working on a novel that was entirely made up of letters – and then she started receiving hundreds of hand-written well wishes and cards in the mail.

“Letters were all around me, and I realized letters are a precious gift with the power to heal,” says Gina.

She then started the charity with the intention of generating enough letters to send to every woman who receives a breast cancer diagnosis, which is roughly 250,000 per year. The charity’s Miles of Mail 2018 campaign hopes to garner at least 40,000 letters for the year.

Past studies have shown that positive phrasing can help hospital patients better deal with their symptoms and illnesses. In a more surprising case that was described as “unexplainable by western science”, this man is believed to have cured his rare form of stomach cancer by performing random acts of kindness for a year – so it’s no stretch of the imagination to believe that reading letters of love could help breast cancer patients heal as well.

MORE: City Gives Trees Email Addresses So Folks Can Report Problems, But They Send Love Letters Instead

If you would like to participate in the charity’s mission, you can visit the Girls Love Mail website for more details. Additionally, Mulligan has published a compilation book of the charity’s letters called “Dear Friend”, which is available on Amazon.

(WATCH the emotional 2017 footage below)

Cure Your Friends Of Negativity And Share The Inspiring Story To Social Media – Photo by Girls Love Mail

Students Ditch Electing Homecoming Queen and Give an ‘Excellence Award’ Instead

By
McKinley Corbley
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In light of how the stereotypical “homecoming queen” title has placed value on things like prettiness and popularity, these teens are ditching the school tradition in favor of something better.

The student council of Chelsea High School in Michigan have unanimously agreed to replace their homecoming queen tradition with a new “Excellence Award” that will instead recognize students based on their emotional, social, or academic attributes.

The students hope that the new award will help prevent bullying within the school. In the past, the homecoming queen process has been notorious for pitting girls against each other, hurting student feelings, and even being used for bullying purposes.

The school has been working to fight bullying since they launched their #WhyYouMatter campaign in 2016. The new Excellence Award, which will be unveiled at the homecoming football game later this week, is just another way in which the youngsters hope to reward and emphasize student kindness and character, regardless of gender.

RELATED: After 77-Game Losing Streak, Watch High School Team’s Reaction to Finally Winning

Student Council President Drew Vanderspool says that the majority of the high school’s student body has welcomed the change.

“Previously with the homecoming queen award, we thought that it was saying that as a school we really valued the kids that were the prettiest or the most popular,” Vanderspool told Michigan Radio, “and we think that by changing the idea behind the award into the Chelsea Excellence Award, we’re saying as a high school that we value kids with character and kindness and school spirit above that, and we allow kids to be who they want to be without being judged or without feeling like they have to fit into certain categories here at CHS.”

Be Sure And Pass On The Positive Story To Your Friends – Photo by Chelsea High School

One of the World’s Biggest Power Plant Developers Just Gave Up On Coal

By
McKinley Corbley
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In one of the “biggest breaking stories of 2018” illustrating the ongoing transition from fossil fuels to renewables, a top power plant developer has just announced that it will be pivoting away from coal in favor of sustainable energy.

Japanese energy company Marubeni will no longer be building coal-powered plants. Instead, it will be doubling the sustainable energy capacity of its net power supply from 10% to 20% by 2023.

The conglomerate also plans on reducing its environmental impact by slashing its coal-powered energy of 3GW by half.

According to Japanese newspaper Nikkei, the company plans to avoid job loss by reassigning their employees currently working on coal-related projects to their renewable energy initiatives as they develop.

RELATED: Book-Sized Solar Panels Could Power a Whole Home in New Breakthrough

“Marubeni Corporation recognizes that climate change is a major issue shared by all of humanity,” said the company in a statement detailing their new initiative. “It is a problem that threatens the co-existence of the global environment and society, a problem that has an enormous effect on Marubeni’s business and its shareholders, and a problem that Marubeni believes must be dealt with swiftly.”

Marubeni is already one of the driving masterminds behind the Noor Abu Dhabi project: the largest solar project in the Middle East and one of the cheapest solar projects in the world.

MORE: Tesla’s Solar Roof May Actually Be Cheaper Than Your Own Roof

With the company currently ranked as the world’s 11th biggest coal power developer out of 120, the announcement is being hailed as a watershed victory for sustainability.

Energy finance specialist Tim Buckley made a post on Twitter saying that “this has to be one of the biggest breaking stories of 2018 in terms of energy transition.”

Power Up With Positivity And Share The Good News With Your Friends – Representative photo by Tj.Blackwell, CC

Man Bought School Bus to Rescue Shelter Pets During Hurricanes –He Just Saved 64 During Florence

By
McKinley Corbley
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This man is not driving a school bus so he can bring children to class – instead, he is using it as a makeshift Noah’s Ark for all the dogs and cats left behind during hurricanes.

When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas back in 2017, Tony Alsup heard about all of the animals who were in need of rescuing from the danger area. So he simply bought a school bus, ripped out the seats, filled the passenger area floor-to-ceiling with kennels, and started picking up as many shelter animals as he could fit into the cages.

According to The Washington Post, he used the bus during Hurricane Irma as well. When his bus was unable to help with Hurricane Maria battering Puerto Rico, he volunteered to look after horses.

MORE: After Evacuating His Own Home, Guy Fieri Cooks Up Thousands of Meals For Wildfire Victims

Now, the 51-year-old trucker been piloting his bus across North and South Carolina to rescue shelter pets from Hurricane Florence.

Last week, Alsup rescued 64 animals from 4 different shelters in just two days. He then brought all the animals to his friend’s animal shelter in Alabama before turning around and heading back up the coast so he could pick up more animals.

RELATED: Celebrity Chef Brings 45,000 Meals to Puerto Rico—and Won’t Stop There

“I’m like, look, these are lives too,” Alsup told The Post during a pit stop. “Animals — especially shelter pets — they always have to take the back seat of the bus. But I’ll give them their own bus. If I have to I’ll pay for all the fuel, or even a boat, to get these dogs out of there.”

Saint Frances Animal Shelter from Georgetown County, South Carolina praised Alsup’s efforts on social media, saying: “Tony swooped in at 4am Wednesday morning to pick up our ‘leftovers‘ – the dogs with blocky heads, the ones with heartworm. The ones no one else will ever take. And he got them to safety.

“Not the most conventional evacuation, but surely the one with the most heart,” they added.

(WATCH the interview below)

Be Sure And Share The Pawesome Story With Your Friends – Photo by Tony Alsup

“When life looks like it’s falling apart, it may just be falling in place.” – Beverly Solomon

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “When life looks like it’s falling apart, it may just be falling in place.” – Beverly Solomon

Image: by David Denicolò, Antelope Canyon, CC license

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?

There Are Now 75,000 Little Free Libraries Around the World – and Here’s Why You Should Add More

By
McKinley Corbley
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What started as a modest literacy project in 2009 has grown into a worldwide phenomenon: Little Free Libraries.

Little Free Libraries are tiny houses filled with books that can be placed in people’s front yards so that neighbors can take and leave books at their leisure. The libraries ensure that – no matter a person’s place, income, or circumstances – they can always have access to a good book.

Todd Bol created the nonprofit in 2009 after placing one of the boxes in his own front yard. Now nine years later, the charity is celebrating its 75,000th Little Free Library which was placed in Jenks, Oklahoma in late August.

“With 75,000 Little Libraries around the world, we estimate that 54 million books will be shared this year alone and 900,000 neighbors will meet each other for the first time,” says Bol. “But book access remains a critical challenge in so many communities around the country. We believe everyone has the right to read, and we want to help make that a reality.”

LOOK: Little Free Pantries Spread Goodies From Sidewalks, Let Neighbors Pay it Forward

The libraries have been placed in 88 countries around the world. At Jenks East Elementary, a community of more than 1,600 elementary school students, more than 67% of the pupils qualify for free and reduced lunch and 25% are English-language learners. The student body includes resettled refugees from Myanmar as well as immigrants from Mexico, Syria, China, Puerto Rico, Korea, Russia and Iran.

This is just one example of a community that can benefit from the joys of free books. Similar community-sharing ideas have also manifested in the form of “Little Free Pantries” and “driveway art galleries”.

RELATED: Dolly Parton Quietly Gives Away 100 Millionth Book for Her Child Reading Program

Little Free Libraries hopes that more people will choose to become stewards of book-lending boxes in their own towns.

If you would like to become a steward of a Little Free Library in your neighborhood, you can check out the charity’s website.

Help Your Friends Read This Good News: Share To Social Media – Photo by Little Free Libraries

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