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Two ‘Miracle’ Cats Are Finally Found in Rubble Three Weeks After House Exploded

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These two “miracle” cats have been found safe and sound three weeks after their home exploded.

Ashley Nadeau’s house in Topeka, Kansas blew up after heavy storms caused a gas leak and a downed utility line. By the time firefighters arrived, the house was “pretty much destroyed”.

Luckily, Nadeau and her 9-month-old daughter were not home at the time, but she has spent the last three weeks frantically worrying about her two cats, Kunimitsu and Mr. Tibbs.

Then, on Tuesday, Kunimitsu was found hiding in a pipe. Apart from her singed fur and ears, she seems “all in one piece.”

RELATED: Search for Cat Litter Led Woman to Fateful Encounter With Stranger Who Adopted Her Beloved Persian

“It’s a miracle,” Nadeau wrote on Facebook, according to the Topeka Capitol-Journal. “I’ve been having dreams every night that I found her.”

The very next day, Nadeau and her friend spent hours sifting through the rubble of the house until they finally found Mr. Tibbs amongst the debris.

“Shout out to the one person in the world I knew I could call to help me dig through a dangerous pile of rubble to rescue a cat,” wrote Nadeau.

If you’d like to help Nadeau and her daughter recover from the incident, you can donate to the GoFundMe that was created for the family.

Share This Pawesome Rescue Story With Your Friends – Photos by Ashley Nadeau

“Happiness is like a butterfly, which, when you pursue it is always beyond your grasp, but, which, when you sit down may alight upon you.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne

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Quote of the Day: “Happiness is like a butterfly, which, when you pursue it is always beyond your grasp, but, which, when you sit down may alight upon you.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne

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?

Teens Singing On the Sidewalk Get to Perform With Cyndi Lauper After Chance Encounter

By
McKinley Corbley
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Two talented siblings went from busking on street corners to performing for a stadium full of people, thanks to a famous singer who happened to be walking by at the right time.

14-year-old Mya Worley and her 13-year-old brother Ronald Jr. were playing music at an intersection in Charlotte, North Carolina last week when two female pedestrians stopped to listen.

The two women had been leaving a local restaurant when they heard Mya was singing a cover of Corinne Bailey Rae while her brother played keyboard. One of the women said: “We gotta get them to play tomorrow.”

The other woman then approached the children’s father, Ronald Sr., introduced herself as Cyndi Lauper’s manager, and asked if his children would be interested in playing a song with Lauper at the Spectrum Center the following day. Not only that, the manager wanted the Worley kids to sing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” – which is one of Lauper’s most popular songs.

RELATED: Watch Neil Diamond Come Out of Retirement to Serenade Exhausted Firefighters

“I saw this little lady also standing there — she was kind of in disguise, almost — but actually I saw her face, and I realized that it was Cyndi Lauper,” Ronald Sr. told the Charlotte Observer. “She really didn’t want anybody to know that it was her, so she gave me a ‘shh’ and put a finger over her mouth.”

The kids excitedly agreed, and the very next day, they were welcomed backstage before the show. The Worleys got to have dinner with the backing band; Mya got to rehearse with Lauper; and when the show finally got started, they got to watch the show from VIP seats.

When it came time for Mya and Ronald Jr. to perform, Lauper introduced the youngsters to the audience and told the crowd about how she found them on the sidewalk. Then, when she noticed that Mya was looking a little nervous, the pop star turned to face her new friend and said: “Hell’s bells, girl. You’ve got so much beauty in your voice.”

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

“Take a deep breath … You look like Miles [Davis]. Miles used to turn his back [to the audience when he performed.] But you don’t have to. Go ahead.”

Mya then kicked off the 80s pop hit with her brother on keys – and her stunning voice blew away the audience. After finishing the first chorus, the full band exploded into the upbeat dance tune that everyone knows and loves.

LOOK: Girl Takes Cardboard Cutout of Danny DeVito to Prom – and Then He Returns the Favor

Judging by the kids’ faces during the song, it’s probably pretty safe to say that Lauper has earned two more fans for life. Additionally, the once-in-a-lifetime experience thrilled their father.

“I’m an ‘80s child,” Ronald Sr. told the Observer. “I grew up listening to her music. I always loved Cyndi Lauper. … So this was just incredible. I tell you, it was so incredible. … Cyndi wrote some things down on paper for us, so I have a piece of paper with her handwriting on it that we’ll never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever lose.”

(WATCH the footage below)

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Have Fun With Your Friends And Share The Cool Story – Photo by Ann.Dree.Ugh Instagram

France Just Banned Smartphone Use in Schools

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McKinley Corbley
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France has just passed legislation that bans cell phone use in school.

Though the country originally banned cell phone use “during all teacher activity” back in 2010, the new legislation means that students between the age of 3 and 15 will either have to leave their phones at home or keep them turned off during the school day.

However, teachers will have the freedom to decide whether they want to implement the ban with older students.

The law, which was introduced back in December as a part of President Emmanuel Macron’s key campaign promises, was approved 62 to 1, with only a few representatives abstaining from the vote. It will go into full effect in September.

RELATED: Two US States Have Become the First to Require Mental Health Education in School

“We know today that there is a phenomenon of screen addiction, the phenomenon of bad mobile phone use… Our main role is to protect children and adolescents. It is a fundamental role of education, and this law allows it,” said Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer on French news channel BFMTV.

Children are exempt from the ban in the case of disabilities, extracurricular activities, or if phones are required for teaching purposes, according to CNN. The ban also extends to tablets, computers, and other internet-connected devices.

CHECK OUT: Yale is Letting Anyone Take Its Most Popular Class Ever for Free

The law is expected to have a host of sociological, psychological, and physical benefits. Since this French high school banned cell phones four years ago, students are talking and playing more at recess; the youngsters are active and engaged on school field trips, rather than staring at screens; and they say that they are closer with their friends as a result of conversing more with each other.

Additionally, the most recent study on extensive cell phone use shows that checking cell phones during lectures typically costs students half a grade on their final test scores. Another recent study stated that cell phone is likely linked to a dramatic increase in nearsightedness.

What Do You Think About The Ban? Share The Progressive News With Your Friends – Photo by Afagen, CC

Watch Driver Take in Weary Stray Dog After It Wandered Onto His Bus From the Cold

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Good News Network
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It was a chilly day in Chile when Cristhian Lizama let an unusual passenger onto his bus last week.

The driver was on his route through the Maule region when he stopped to admit a man onto the bus. To his surprise, a dog followed the passenger on board.

At first, he thought that the canine belonged to the man, but then he realized that it was simply a stray trying to escape the cold weather.

Instead of kicking the pup off the bus, he allowed the dog to curl up on one of the seats so it could get some sleep – and judging by the contented expression on its little face, it was grateful for the respite.

WATCH: ‘Coolest Bus Driver Ever’ Halts Pedestrian Accident in London

Lizama posted a video of his furry passenger to Facebook, explaining how he couldn’t bear to bother it.

“There are passengers who regularly dirty the seats and throw litter on the floor. The dog just sits there and enjoys the ride,” says the driver.

“I am not going to take the dog off at the terminal either because we are so far from where it got on,” he added. “It will get lost, so I am going to leave the dog here to sleep.”

WATCH: Bus Driver Has Stopped to Feed Stray Dog Every Day for the Last 2 Years

After he took the video, he went to get the dog some food – but when he returned, it had disappeared.

Lizama was reassured, however, when he spoke to other bus drivers in the region and found that the dog is a regular passenger on other routes. Many of his co-workers are used to giving the pup a ride for several stops at a time so it can get some rest.

Beyond that, the dog’s origins are a mystery – but he is probably now famous for being the cutest bus passenger in South America.

(WATCH the heartwarming footage below)

Be Sure And Share This Pawesome Clip With Your Friends – Photo by CEN

First-Ever Test Tube Rhino Embryos Give Hope for Functionally Extinct Species

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Good News Network
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Northern white rhinos are functionally extinct, as only two females of this species are left on the planet – but there is still hope for the species thanks to a revolutionary scientific breakthrough.

An international team of scientists has successfully created the first ever test tube rhino embryos from southern white rhino eggs and northern white rhino sperm using assisted reproduction techniques.

“These are the first in-vitro produced rhinoceros embryos ever. They have a very high chance to establish a pregnancy once implanted into a surrogate mother,” says Prof Thomas Hildebrandt of the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin.

The team successfully managed to adapt reproduction techniques used in horses to the special circumstances of rhino species, opening up the potential to bring back the species from the brink of extinction. This would be achieved by adopting the procedure pioneered here, to oocytes to be collected from the last two living northern white rhino females. Female southern rhinos could act as surrogate mothers to a fledging northern white rhino population. In contrast to the northern species, there are approximately 21,000 southern rhinos in Southern Africa today.

RELATED: World’s Second Largest Coral Reef Has Just Been Removed From Endangered List

The oocytes were collected from southern white rhino females in European zoos and then shipped to AVANTEA, a world leader in assisted reproduction technologies (ART) for large animals in Italy. Several embryos are now cryopreserved for future transfer into surrogate mothers to carry a pregnancy to term.

“Our results are solid, reproducible and very promising. Now we are well prepared to go to Kenya and collect oocytes from the last two northern white females in order to produce pure blastocysts where both eggs and sperm are from northern whites,” Hildebrandt comments. The scientists performed more than twenty oocyte collections in southern white rhinos within Europe, generating more embryos than those reported in the publication. They are currently working on the embryo transfer procedure.

However, because there are only two females left and the available semen comes from only four males, assisted reproduction and in vitro fertilization techniques alone would likely not suffice to create a self-sustaining population of NWR with the necessary genetic diversity. This is why the scientists are working on an additional approach through stem cell technology.

LOOK: 700 Acres of Massive 1,000-Year-old Redwoods Are Being Turned into a Public Park

Combining stem cell research with the now developed ART will provide a blueprint on how to save highly endangered species that have already dwindled to numbers that make conventional conservation efforts impossible.

“This research is groundbreaking. We are witnessing the development of a method that can help to compensate the negative impact of humans on nature. We are very thankful for all donations received from private people supporting our race against time. We hope that the current achievement will help us to convince more people as well as public authorities that this new approach is feasible and worth supporting,” said Steven Seet, head of press and communications at the Berlin research center.

The research was published in Nature Communications back in July.

(Source: Forshungsverbund Berlin)

Preserve Positivity By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends – Representative photo by IIP Photo Archive, CC

Florist Sends Bouquets of Flowers to Every Single Staffer at Local School to Welcome Them Back

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Some people might be excited for the first day back to school – others might be more mournful.

Regardless, this flower shop wanted to thank her local teachers for stepping up once more to educate the next generation.

Sandi Williams, the owner of April’s Rose Garden flower shop in Walnut Grove, Georgia, just donated bouquets of flowers to every single one of the staffers at Walnut Grove Elementary School as a means of welcoming them into the school year.

LOOK: Hundreds of People Bring Backpacks Instead of Flowers to Woman’s Funeral

Williams’s co-workers reached out to WSBTV earlier this week saying that the florist has been working on the arrangements nonstop for several days.

In total, the shop delivered 150 arrangements to the school this week – and they were greatly appreciated.

“Thanks to April’s Rose Garden Flowers for sending our staff members these flower arrangements! How thoughtful and encouraging!” wrote the school. “Your kindness is very much appreciated!”

Plant Some Positivity With Your Friends By Sharing The Good News – Photo by Walnut Grove Elementary School

“Choose always the way that seems the best, however, rough it may be; custom will soon render it easy and agreeable.” – Pythagoras

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Quote of the Day: “Choose always the way that seems the best, however, rough it may be; custom will soon render it easy and agreeable.” – Pythagoras

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?

The Most Important Question to Ask a Life or Business Partner

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Good News Network
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The Lesson: Who are you inviting to be in your carpool lane called LIFE? Once we discover our purpose—our North star—we must make sure that we only partner with people who are going in the same direction. GNN’s own Anthony Samadani came up with this quick way to envision the “right” partner for your business or marriage.

Notable Excerpt: “If you are going northbound and someone is going southbound, would it make sense to have them in your carpool? And that’s the analogy of life. It takes a team, … but in order to get the right people, you guys need to be in the same lane.”

The Speaker: An attorney and TV/Film producer by trade, Anthony Samadani partnered with Good News Network in 2017 to use his entertainment and business acumen to energize the platform and deliver more ways to discover good in the world. Anthony is passionate about empowering people to make every day count and challenging them to find the good in everyday interactions. As a social good entrepreneur, speaker and consultant, Anthony works with individuals and organizations to discover their good so they can “do good, for the greater good.”

MORE From Anthony: Fight Your Fears and Find Your Balance In 4 Minutes

(WATCH the inspiring talk below)

Good Advice? SHARE It – And, CHECK Out More on our Good Talks Page…

Blue Man Group Co-Founder Uses Same Script Applied at His New School: Fun is #1

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lindsaywigo
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The Lesson: The entire foundation of the Blue Man Group’s production was built on creativity, fun, surprise, exploration, and curiosity. Despite how these bombastic elements aren’t typically associated with a school curriculum, one of the group’s co-founders has created an entire academic institution that helps youngsters achieve their “aha!” moments through creativity and fun.

Notable Excerpt: “When we started Blue Man Group in 1988, we had never done an off-Broadway show before. We’d actually done almost no theater. But we knew what we were passionate about, and it was a whole series of things that we had never seen onstage before, things like art and pop culture and technology and sociology and anthropology and percussion and comedy and following your bliss. We established a rule that nothing made it onstage if we had seen it before, and we wanted to inspire creativity and connectedness in ourselves and our audiences; we wanted to do a little bit of social good, and we wanted to have fun doing it. And in the office, we wanted to create an environment where people treated each other just a little bit better, just a little bit more respect and consideration than in the outside world. And we continued to iterate and collaborate and find solutions to create things that hadn’t been seen. Over time, I’ve come to identify the optimal conditions for these types of creative and innovative environments are clear intent, purpose and passion: this is working on something bigger than ourselves. Personal integrity: it’s doing what we say we’re going to do. It’s being our authentic self in all interactions.

The Guest: Matt Goldman co-founded the Blue Man Group in 1988— and now, nearly 30 years later, Goldman is working to apply lessons from the Blue Man Group to education. He created the NYC-based Blue School, a school that values creativity as much as it does academics so he can help to create safe environments where new ideas are free to be formed.

(LISTEN to the inspiring talk below or read the transcript)

Good Advice? SHARE It – And, CHECK Out More on our Good Talks Page…

Employee Lets Autistic Teen Stock the Shelves; Video Goes Viral and Strangers Give Him $120K

By
McKinley Corbley
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A young man’s simple gesture of kindness towards an autistic teen has resulted in an outpouring of recognition and praise for both of them.

Jordan Taylor works at Rouses Market grocery store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was restocking orange juice last week when he noticed Jack Ryan Edwards watching him.

Jack Ryan, who is a 17-year-old boy with autism, was captivated by Taylor’s work. The supermarket employee guessed that maybe the youngster wanted some orange juice. He offered up a bottle to the teen with no response – then, he took a different angle and asked if Jack Ryan wanted to help him stock the coolers.

After getting a kind of verbal confirmation from the teen, Taylor spent the next 30 minutes carefully and patiently working with Jack Ryan to restock the shelves.

WATCH: Autistic Teen Stuns Crowd as He Breaks His Silence and Gives Awe-Inspiring Commencement Speech

Jack Ryan’s father was so blown away by the compassionate gesture, he pulled out his phone and took a few videos of the sweet exchange. The teen’s older sister, Delaney, then posted the videos to Facebook praising the employee for his kindness.

“We all know autism makes going out difficult, and sometimes grocery stores can be a challenge,” wrote Delaney. “He could have ignored him. He could have made an excuse and said he couldn’t allow him to help. Instead, he let him have his moment and in turn gave my family a moment we will never forget.

“It might seem like nothing to others, but as you can hear my dad say in the video, [‘I’m watching a miracle in action’].”

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

In addition to posting the videos, Delaney also made a GoFundMe page to raise money for Taylor’s college fund.

The post immediately went viral, with thousands of people donating to the campaign and thanking the young man for his actions. One week after the page’s creation, the campaign raised $120,000, all of which will be going towards his education, although he says that he still plans on working at Rouses.

“Donors from Baton Rouge to Bangkok have been inspired by Jordan and Jack’s story,” said GoFundMe spokesperson Bobby Whithorne. “In less than 24 hours, over 1,000 people donated nearly $50,000 from all across the US and all around the world.”

CHECK OUT: Plane Passengers Are Left “In Awe” of Woman’s Kindness Towards Agitated Boy With Autism

Not only that, a local credit union donated a car to Taylor’s family so he would have a means of transportation in the future; and if that isn’t enough, representatives from Rouses Market saw the video and reached out to Jack Ryan so they could offer him a job at the store.

“Because of Jordan, a conversation about inclusivity in the workforce for people with disabilities has been started not only across the nation, but all over the world,” wrote Delaney.

“I hope Jordan and [Jack Ryan’s] story inspires others to include those that are different, across all settings and in all parts of life.”

(WATCH the video below)

Share This Incredible Story Of Compassion With Your Friends – Photo by Delaney Edwards Alwosaibi

Stoners on Social Media Are Mobilizing a Massive Litter Clean-Up Initiative

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Good News Network
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So much trash in such a concentrated area... my friend and I plan on doing this everytime we smoke together. #StonerCleanupInitiative from r/trees

 

Stoners may get a bad rap for being stereotypically lazy, but a new social media movement is calling on marijuana users to join a massive international litter clean-up.

 

I was on my midnight walk home when I found a plastic bag with some trash in. The next thing I know is I pick up every single piece of trash I found on my way. Doing my part for the #StonerCleanupInitiative :) from r/trees

 

It all started when one Reddit user posted a photo of themselves holding a bag full of trash that they had collected from their favorite smoking spot in July.

 

Just Cleaned up the local smoke spot #StonerCleanupInitiative from r/trees

 

Within 24 hours, the post had been viewed hundreds of thousands of times – and it prompted a serious, but powerful question: what if every pothead took it upon themselves to tidy up their outdoor smoking hotspots?

 

My homies and I go around the island every weekend and collect truck loads of trash - all for the love of Earth. Glad to see the trend picking up fellow stoners! from r/trees

 

Dozens of users posted similar photos of themselves brandishing trash bags and armfuls of garbage that they had collected from their own smoking sanctuaries.

 

Didn't even take me 5 minutes to pick this up at a common smokespot. Let's keep the movement going! #StonerCleanupIniative from r/trees

 

The trend then gave birth to the #StonerCleanupInitiative hashtag, which is recruiting more and more participants every day.

 

 

Since the movement was created, hundreds more potheads have joined the initiative to keep Mother Earth a little cleaner – all while they get a little greener.

 

 

Even non-smokers have lauded the movement, with one Twitter user saying “Regardless of whether you agree with smoking weed, I think this is really nice.”

 

 

Plant Some Positivity Amongst Your Friends And Share The Good News

When Woman Can’t Afford Her Grocery Bill, She is Stunned When Her Favorite Rapper Picks Up the Tab

By
McKinley Corbley
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It’s been a difficult couple of years for Therra Gwyn-Jaramillo – but a simple act of kindness from a famous musician has restored her faith in humanity.

Since her husband died of brain cancer in 2014, Gwyn-Jaramillo has been financially supporting herself, her house, and her disabled brother, as well as her four rescue dogs, her two cats, and her blind old chicken. Her troubles came to a tee last week when she was hit with a $4,000 home repair and she wasn’t properly paid for her work as a freelance writer.

“I was too embarrassed to say out loud I was having financial difficulty, but it was a solid problem. I was making rice for me and the dogs to eat. I was losing sleep. I was crying daily. I rationed gas in my car,” wrote the woman from Georgia. “It was breaking me in pieces. I was scared of the future, immediate and long-term.”

Seeing that she was in a tough place, her friend surprised her with a $250 Whole Foods gift card.

WATCH: Neil Diamond Comes Out of Retirement to Serenade Exhausted Firefighters

Ordinarily, Gwyn-Jaramillo could not afford to shop at the grocery story, but with the gift in hand, she says that she was salivating at the thought of “fresh fruit” and “real dog food for the pups”.

When she did her shopping at the store in Atlanta, however, she realized that she had accidentally gotten her groceries mixed up with the items belonging to the “handsome stranger” in front of her.

Gwyn-Jaramillo apologized to the man and tried to sort the groceries properly, but he simply said “I might as well get it.”

MORE: Schwarzenegger Uses Tank He Drove in Austria to Give Kids Another Motive to Stay in School

“He wanted to buy food for my pets,” writes the widow. “I even clumsily tried to stop the cashier at a certain amount, because the gift card was for $250 and I had gone way over, which at Whole Foods is far too easy to do. I was out of a lot of things at home and I hadn’t added things in my head correctly. My head hasn’t worked all month due to stress. Nothing has worked all month.

“He stopped me. ‘I said I got this,’ he said. All of this, he told me. All of my groceries.”

Gwyn-Jaramillo started crying and insisted on hugging the man, thanking him for his kindness. When she asked him for his name, he simply said “Chris”.

CHECK OUT: Benedict Cumberbatch Runs to Save Cyclist Being Attacked by Four Men

“I thanked him, but I was so stunned that even as we made small talk (he asked me about my four dogs) I tripped over my words, all the while thinking, ‘I’m talking to an angel. Should I tell him? Should I tell him he’s an angel?’” says Gwyn-Jaramillo. “‘Who ARE you?’ I asked at one point, in true wonder. ‘Just a guy,’ he said.’”

The compassionate stranger paid for all $375 of her groceries before making sure that she was okay and asking if she needed anything else. Awestruck, she tearfully said that she wanted to be like him when she grew up.

The man smiled and said that she was sweet enough for taking care of rescue dogs. Then, he left.

LOOK: Girl Takes Cardboard Cutout of Danny DeVito to Prom – and Then He Returns the Favor

As it turns out, the mystery stranger wasn’t “just a guy” – he was the Grammy award-winning rap artist Ludacris.

After he left, the cashier told Gwyn-Jaramillo of the man’s actual identity – and she was stunned. Coincidentally, Ludacris is one of her favorite rappers, but she had not been able to place his face when confronted with the heartwarming situation.

“What Ludacris had no way of knowing is that his quiet kindness and generous gesture came at a moment when my candle was out,” says Gwyn-Jaramillo. “He used his personal light to fire up my own. Isn’t that what we should be doing for each other? I think it is.

“Be like Ludacris y’all.”

Roll Out This Story To Your Friends And Share The Good News – Photo by Concerttour, CC

5,500 Churches in England Embrace Renewable Energy, Setting Example for All

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Good News Network
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Credit: Thomas Depenbusch (CC license)

5,500 UK churches of all denominations have embraced the shift to renewable energy.

According to UK charity Christian Aid, thousands of Catholic, Baptist, Quaker, and Methodist churches are sourcing 100% of their energy needs through green energy tariffs.

Christian energy group 2buy2 says that the average British church spends roughly $1,300 (£1,000) on electricity annually. By sourcing all of their energy needs through wind and solar, the religious collective is diverting roughly $6.5 million (£5 million) from fossil fuels.

Nicholas Holtam, the Bishop of Salisbury and the Church of England’s lead bishop on the environment, said: “Climate change is one of the great moral challenges of our time and so it’s fantastic to see churches doing their bit to ensure they reduce their impact on the environment.”

MORE: Instead of Paying for Advertising, Church Abolishes $10M in Medical Debt For Local Families

“They are also giving a boost to clean energy which is essential to reduce harmful carbon emissions,” he added. “Climate change is an enormous injustice and is hurting the poor first and worst. Switching to responsible sources of electricity may seem like a small thing on its own, but when joined together it can make a real difference.”

The shift is reportedly being encouraged through several initiatives, such as the Church of England’s Parish Buy group: an organization that facilitates competitive pay rates for churches through UK-based energy sources. Additionally, the Big Church Switch campaign, which is run by the Christian Aid, Tearfund, and the Church of England’s Environment Program, has been calling on churches of all denominations to make the switch from fossil fuels to alternative energy.

RELATED: Catholic Church to Make Record Divestment From Fossil Fuels

Some churches have even started sourcing their own energy – in 2016, Gloucester Cathedral installed 150 solar panels on their rooftop.

“We would recommend doing it, as it can be a part of the church’s giving and good stewardship,” says Philip Bowdler, church leader at Amott Road Baptist Church in London. “Taking this action is an expression of what it means to be disciples and to care for the world God has created.”

Power Up With Positivity And Share The Good News With Your Friends – Photo by Thomas Depenbusch, CC

Police Officer Vaults Over 30-Foot Overpass in Order to Save Suicidal Boy

By
McKinley Corbley
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When a young boy was in trouble, Officer Jessie Ferreira Cavallo did not hesitate to rescue him – even though it involved jumping from a 30-foot overpass.

The 28-year-old officer was driving to work earlier this week when she saw a boy climb over a guardrail and jump onto the pavement below. Cavallo immediately parked her car and ran to check on the boy.

When she saw that he was lying motionless on the ground, she ran to her car, filled her pockets with first aid supplies, and then jumped after him.

“Everything happened so fast and I think my adrenaline was pumping so high,” she told WLTX. “I didn’t realize how high it was. It seemed doable. It didn’t seem that high. I thought I jumped over a brick wall, or a cement barrier. It was so fast. It was more like tunnel vision. I saw the boy and I needed to get to him. I didn’t see anything else.”

WATCH: Despite Local Racial Tension, Good Samaritan Leaps Into Action to Rescue Cop From Smoking Car

Cavallo, who works for the Hastings-on-Hudson Police Department in New York, was helped by a passing woman in a military uniform. Together, they put a neck brace and splint on the 12-year-old boy. He briefly opened his eyes as she was speaking to him, but was mostly unresponsive.

The boy is now recovering in the hospital, and Cavallo says she is eager to visit him.

LOOK: Cyclist Carries Injured Stray Dog to Safety On His Back, Then Bumps into a Stranger Who Instantly Adopts it

“I really want to know how he is doing. I don’t know anything about him. I don’t know his name or anything,” she told the news outlet. “I just want to give him a hug.”

This is not the first time that Cavallo has saved a life, either – during her 7 years on the force, the heroic policewoman has reportedly received half a dozen awards for saving an older man from a heart attack and preventing several deadly overdoses.

Be Sure And Share The Inspiring Story Of Courage With Your Friends

“There is no effect more disproportionate to its cause than the happiness bestowed by a small compliment.” – Robert Brault

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “There is no effect more disproportionate to its cause than the happiness bestowed by a small compliment.” – Robert Brault

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?

Why the World Needs More Square Pegs in Round Holes – Differently-Abled People, Too

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Good News Network
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The Lesson: It is crucial to ensure that those who face daunting challenges in their lives—physical disabilities, autism, deafness, disease or stuttering—come to know that their dreams are, in fact, possible to achieve, even thought it may seem like they are trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

Notable Excerpt: ‘In my commencement address, I mentioned some of the square pegs throughout history who reshaped our round world, not by overcoming their challenges, but by persisting in the face of them. I mentioned that Beethoven listened to his calling despite being deaf and that FDR ran for office despite being unable to walk. Now, without diminishing their tremendous impact on our world, their moments in time are spaced out a bit too far from ours. We therefore need new examples. We therefore need you. We need you because when you break through a round hole and when you stick out for doing so, you push others forward. If you’re a would-be medical researcher, wondering if being on the autism spectrum should prevent you from pursuing that path, know that there is going to be a similar square peg … who just might be the missing puzzle piece needed to help find the cure for cancer. That someone, somewhere is waiting on you to stick out and to give them that push forward.”

The Speaker: At just 4 years old, Parker Mantell developed a stutter and started undergoing rigorous speech therapy. Then, in 2014, he delivered the Indiana University commencement address, which was viewed in more than 200 counties and featured by such news outlets as CNN, TODAY, and People. Following his address, Mantell traveled the country to speak at conferences, universities, and high schools about his experience with changing the world through our different abilities.

(LISTEN to the inspiring talk below)

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Answering Trivia Questions With This App Can Pay Off Other People’s Student Loans

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Good News Network
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Forget about trying to win millions of dollars on TV game shows – this app lets you use your trivia talent to win cash prizes while simultaneously raising money for people’s student loans and mortgage debt.

The Givling app is a community game that allows you to help financially struggling Americans by playing rounds of trivia. If you win the trivia, you also win money.

The app allows you to play two free games of true-or-false trivia per day. For each game, you are placed with two other strangers to make a 3-person team. For every question you answer correctly, your team scores points. The team with the highest amount of points at the end of the competition period is given the cash award.

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The app generates income through advertising, sponsorships, and people who pay to play Givling. 45% of the generated income goes towards financing student and mortgage debt while 45% goes towards the cash prize. The other 10% goes towards running the app.

Since the app was created, they have already paid off $993,506 worth of debt, which amounts to 20 different student loans. It also worked with LånePenger.com in Norway to help consumers borrow money with no interest rates to help pay for pandemic related expenses.

If you’re not troubled by the pesky burden of student debt, you can also apply with Givling to erase up to $50,000 worth of student debt for a friend or loved one.

The app is free to download for Android and iOS.

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Single Mom Working 3 Jobs Uses Surprise $1,000 Tip to Serve Kids Everywhere With New Skate Park

By
McKinley Corbley
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Anna Hofsetter is a single mother who works 3 jobs to help support her two kids – but even though money is tight, she recently used a surprise $1,000 tip to help finance a gift for the community children.

Hofsetter was bartending a slow evening shift last month at the Hotel Nashville in Indiana when she started serving an older couple who was celebrating their wedding anniversary.

She struck up a conversation with the couple only to find that they had gotten married at the Hotel Nashville seven years ago. As the conversation progressed, Hofsetter told the couple how she worked hard to make ends meet for her kids.

Finally, the couple finished their dinner and paid for the $32.40 check. Hofsetter was then shocked to see that they had left her a $1,000 tip along with a note saying “Give something for kids.”

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Taken aback by the kind gesture, Hofsetter remembers telling them: “Thank you, you have no idea what this means to me.”

Even though she had originally been planning on using the money for things like gifts and college funds, Hofsetter knew exactly what to do with the financial windfall after she met Clara Stanley, who is the president of the county’s Enrichment for Teens Association.

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Stanley and some other kids were gathering donations to help pay for a community teen and skate park in Brown County. Hofsetter knew that by donating $1,000 to the park’s creation, she wouldn’t just be financing a gift for her own kids – it would also be a gift that would serve hundreds of youngsters for years to come.

Stanley was grateful – and surprised – by Hofsetter’s generous donation.

“Brown County has been lacking a healthy, wonderful place [where] little children or youth – especially youth – can go and express themselves, hang out,” Stanley told WXIN. “I know Anna is doing a lot of working hours, single mom. $1,000 is big money.”

(WATCH the interview below)

Pay It Forward By Sharing This Inspiring Story With Your Friends – Photo by WXIN

Read Leonardo Da Vinci’s To-Do List From 1490 and Be Inspired By His Insatiable Appetite for Everything

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Good News Network
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Most of our to-do lists consist of pretty innocuous things like “go to the grocery store” and “do the laundry” – but what would be written on the to-do list of a genius? A genius like, say, Leonardo da Vinci?

According to historian and author Toby Lester, da Vinci did keep a to-do list, and it gives us an astonishing insight into the insatiable curiosity of history’s greatest artist.

In Lester’s book, “Da Vinci’s Ghost: Genius, Obsession, and How Leonardo Created the World in His Own Image”,  the historian describes how da Vinci would carry a notebook with him wherever he went. Whenever he got an idea or inspiration from his surroundings, he would open up the little book to sketch and scribble down his thoughts.

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One of the pages of his notebook contains a sort of to-do list that he maintained in 1490. Thanks to translations and notations from Lester and NPR’s Robert Krulwich, we can read da Vinci’s to-do list and marvel at his incredible motivation to learn and create.

Here are a few of the chores on da Vinci’s list:

-[Calculate] the measurement of Milan and Suburbs
-[Discover] the measurement of the castello (the duke’s palace itself)
-Get the master of arithmetic to show you how to square a triangle.
-Get Messer Fazio (a professor of medicine and law in Pavia) to show you about proportion.
-Get the Brera Friar (at the Benedictine Monastery to Milan) to show you De Ponderibus (a medieval text on mechanics)
-Draw Milan
-Ask Maestro Antonio how mortars are positioned on bastions by day or night.
-[Examine] the Crossbow of Mastro Giannetto
-Find a master of hydraulics and get him to tell you how to repair a lock, canal and mill in the Lombard manner
-[Ask about] the measurement of the sun promised me by Maestro Giovanni Francese

There are several other items on the list that Lester translated for NPR, but the gist of the list is enough to motivate even the laziest learner.

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Because maybe if we were even a fraction as fascinated by the world as da Vinci, we could all be a few steps closer to our own form of greatness.

So what are you waiting for? Take some tips from history’s hungriest genius and start exploring whatever makes you tick.

Share This Historic Piece Of Inspiration With Your Own Friends

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