As the first winter snow coated the Washington, D.C. area this week, the National Zoo’s giant panda cub, Bao Bao, showed the exuberance of a child playing in it for the first time.
The sixteen month-old panda cub tumbled down the hill in her outdoor enclosure, climbed trees and pounced on her mother Mei Xiang.
The zoo reported that the big cats, seals, and wolves also enjoyed the wintry weather.
(WATCH the adorable video above)
A fourth grader in Tyler, Texas has made 200 thank you cards and delivered them after Christmas to law enforcement officers around Smith County.
Savannah Solis, who attached candy bars to each card, said she just wanted them to know she was “thankful for what they do every day.”
Inside the note reads, “Dear police officer, My name is Savannah Solis, and I am 10-years-old. I just want to say thank you for taking care of us every day. You are my hero. I’m so glad we have you. You’re so brave, too. I pray that God will protect you. Please keep watching out for us, Love Savannah.”
She has been hand delivering the cards so she can meet the officers in person, and collecting autographs. She said she was also sending notes of gratitude to the New York City Police Department.
Whitehouse, TX Police Chief Craig Shelton told the Tyler Morning Telegraph, “It really touched me. When I was reading the card, she was sitting across from me with a beautiful little smile on her face; it choked me up.”
(WATCH the video below or READ the story from KLTV or Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Story tip from Megan Stock
The CITYPAK Project is distributing 2500 custom-designed backpacks to homeless people in NYC and surrounding areas this February, bringing the total number of PAKs given away to 15,000 across the U.S.
Inspired by the simple desire to create something that would make life on the streets of Chicago a little easier, businessman Ron Kaplan partnered with the design team at High Sierra, the adventure gear manufacturer, to come up with a high quality backpack.
High Sierra, and a growing list of corporate and individual donors and a variety of non-profit partners, have allowed The CITYPAK Project to distribute the PAKs in a growing list of cities.
More info at www.citypak.org – Photo by CITYPAK
“A team of researchers in Boston has eagerly exhumed and reburied dirt as a part of a strategy to access an untapped source of new antibiotics,” the outdoor microbes that refuse to grow in laboratories.
Now, their technique has yielded a promising lead: a previously unknown bacterium that holds promise for killing infection.
If the drug makes it through clinical trials, it would be a much needed weapon against several increasingly hard-to-treat infections.
(READ the story from Sciencemag)
Story tip from Joel Arellano
A group of tired security guards rose from their slumber and leapt to the rescue of a couple left dangling over a river in their vehicle.
The couple’s car had skidded off a New Zealand highway at the Waioeka Gorge following the three-day Rhythm and Vines festival.
Seven members from the Red Badge Group security had to form a human chain to pull the man and woman to safety.
Making the ordeal even more frightening, every time one of the pair moved, the whole car moved as well.
(READ the story from Stuff.co.nz)
Story tip from Nancy Roberge
A Florida golfer in Sarasota made history last month as the oldest person ever recorded to hit a hole-in-one.
The PGA confirms 103-year-old Gus Andreone recorded the ace at Palm Avis Country Club besting the mark previously held by a 102-year-old woman.
Even more amazing, the avid golfer says this is his eighth hole-in-one since 1939.
(WATCH the video above from Local 12 News)
Story tip from Kelly Harrington
When Kristen Patterson sent quarterback Peyton Manning an inspiring letter about her husband, she never expected a response from the NFL superstar and so didn’t include any contact information.
Yet, after reading about Army Sgt. Ryan Patterson, who during two tours in Afghanistan would set alarms at odd hours of the night just to hear the Broncos’ football games, Manning requested the team’s public relations team try to find her.
It took three months but the Broncos tracked down Patterson’s phone number through an Alaska utility company and sent word to Kristen through a sheriff to arrange a surprise meeting in the couple’s hometown of Cincinnati, where they would be staying for the holidays.
(READ the story from the Indianapolis Star)
Story tip from Joel Arellano
A man who lived with a severe disability for decades in an Oregon nursing home created a collection of amazing artwork using only a typewriter.
Paul Smith was born in 1921 with cerebral palsy, but could still type using one finger, and the ‘paintings’ he created are extraordinary.
As a young man with limited movement, he discovered that he could use the symbol keys on the top row of a typewriter to create shading and forms, even replicate the Mona Lisa.
He moved the paper around and used both black and colored typewriter ribbons to get the desired effects.
Broadcast journalist John Stofflet shared Smith’s story on YouTube last year, after covering it for Seattle’s NBC station in 2004.
(WATCH the inspiring video from KING-5 News below)
Paul Smith died at age 85 in 2007, having never married. According to Wikipedia, his art was published in several books.
Story tip from Honey Lamore
A moose caught in an avalanche in Alaska has three passing men on snow machines to thank for surviving into the new year.
The men spotted what looked like a nose sticking up out of the snow field, and dug out the moose apparently unharmed. It was trapped in the area of Hatcher Pass on Dec. 28, and one of the men, Marty Mobley, said that without the group’s help, it would not have survived.
(READ the story from the Alaska Dispatch News)
Photo of Rob Uphus and Marty Mobley, by Avery Vucinich
A program by the Nature Conservancy seeks to restore grasslands in Illinois, which is known as the Prairie State even though 99 percent of that landscape has been lost to farming.
Until October, their efforts, which included sowing multiple native grasses on 3,500 acres, had been missing one thing it needs in order to really thrive: grazers.
A herd of 30 bison now roam the undulating hills as the centerpiece of the restoration project located in the north-central part of the state.
(READ the full story from the Natural Resources Defense Council)
While at dinner I overheard that the person sitting 15 feet away from me has the same name as mine “Arun,” with both of us having origins in India.
Just to be funny — and possibly get a donation of $11 for a foundation I am involved with, www.tinysmilingfaces.com, that supports underprivileged kids in India — I shouted “HI, Arun!,”as if I had known him forever. He looked at me and said ‘Hi’ and stood up to shake my hand.
I got into conversations with him. He is a Doctor who is president of a foundation called “Bridges for Brain Injury” which helps many people recover from brain injuries. They have a Wildlife Defenders outreach program that brings different unique animals to family events.
In December Bridges For Brain Injury brought their education animals to five community events and benefit close to 7000 kids. Next year they plan to exhibit at all events and benefit close to 15,000 kids.
Its amazing how a small joke turned into so much fun for so many kids. We anticipate this great partnership to continue for a long time.
Through this story I hope to encourage more people to share the good that they or their company does. It’s good to share good news — because more good will happen.
A San Ramon, California family had a merrier Christmas than they ever thought possible, after a group of community members raised money to surprise them with a gift they desperately needed — a second car.
Cora Bolton works nights and her daughter Deirdra works the day shift. Together, they’ve been caring for Deirdra’s twin sons while sharing a single car.
The excited volunteers didn’t have to spend all the money to buy the car.
“They found a nonprofit that was willing to donate a minivan and all the money raised will go into a fund to keep the car running and insured for years to come,” reports KGO-TV.
(WATCH the video below or READ the story from KGO)
Story tip from Mike McGinley
Six months ago, Raphael Hameed was walking with his 5-year-old son, Ish, when they were hit by a speeding car.
NPR wrote:
Raphael was seriously injured, but Ish, his only child, was killed. The driver’s sister, Megiddëh Goldston, has formed a bond with the Hameed family and now visits them to help with their day-to-day life.
Raphael’s wife says that two days after the accident, Megiddëh’s sister asked for forgiveness. “My heart broke for her, actually, because I know that she has to live for the rest of her life with this. And I told her, immediately, ‘Yes, of course I forgive you.’ “
“We love,” sais Raphael. “That’s how we roll. And your sister made a mistake. We all make ’em. That’s why we try to embrace you guys.”
(READ the StoryCorps article or LISTEN to it at NPR.org)
Story tip from Judy Ritchie
The Oakland Zoo has become a national pioneer in elephant welfare, especially because it helped revolutionize the way these large animals are cared for in captivity.
“The Oakland Zoo speaks up for elephants at every turn. And most of their investment has nothing to do with the display of elephants — it’s for the species as a whole,” said Deniz Bolbol of Humanity Through Education, a Redwood City group that advocates for the welfare of circus animals. “The Oakland Zoo has really become one of the most progressive zoos in the country.”
(READ the story from the San Francisco Chronicle)
Photo credit: Finn Frode (CC license) / Story tip by Mike McGinley
The Cottonwood Heights Police Department in Utah posted a picture to their Twitter feed saying “This note was left on the windshield of a marked CHPD patrol car. Thank you!”
One of their officers found a signed note from “the Christensen Family” left under a wiper blade of the patrol car:
“Officer, thanks for protecting our community. Don’t let the media get you down. You are loved!”
“Since 2011, the Climax-Fisher High School Lady Knights have been booting and bobbling their way into the record books. This team from western Minnesota somehow strung together 84 straight losses – that’s four straight years of ridicule.”
“A few girls have quit but the ones that remain are more determined than ever to turn this team around,” reported Steve Hartman. “Which is why it was so heartening to see the miracle that happened last month.”
(WATCH a video below or READ the story from Steve Hartman on CBS)
SHARE the Inspiration with the Buttons below…
A little boy desperately wanted to go hunting with anybody who might want to take him. So when Alex Collins saw the invitation from the Chester County Sheriff on the department’s Facebook page, he jumped at the chance and wrote a letter.
He wrote to the sheriff explaining, “It’s just me and my Mom and she’s too sick to do stuff… She has a bad heart. I think you are really nice to do this. I hope you pick me to go.”
But there was one problem: The sheriff offering the outing lived in Chester County, South Carolina — not Chester County, Pennsylvania.
To begin their adventure, Sheriff Alex Underwood took little Alex shopping for boots, pants, a camouflage jacket and a fishing tackle box before heading into the woods.
He spent $220, much of it his own money, and had to hold back tears when he was asked about his feelings for the boy during an interview.
(WATCH the videos – below is a follow-up story – or READ the full story from WBTV)
SHARE the Story with the Buttons below…
Shirley Ratliff, who always has a smile for every customer, takes three buses to get to her job opening a Raleigh, North Carolina bagel shop at 5 a.m. each day. Recently her customers showered her with appreciation for that dedication.
The 47-year-old has aspired to owning a car but couldn’t save enough money in recent years, after a cancer diagnosis a few years ago and other financial setbacks.
“When I asked [people] to contribute, they didn’t even blink,” David Burton told WRAL.com. “They said, ‘How much do you want?’ And they said they would give $100, $200.”
They even covered tax and insurance for her.
(WATCH the video below from the News & Observer, or READ the story from the Fresno Bee)
SHARE the Good News with the Buttons below…
Canadian astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield, former commander of the International Space Station, made a New Year’s resolution to help make our world a better place. His first step was to post an uplifting video about why we should be optimistic about the future.
“It is easy to look to the future and lament how far there is left to go, but sometimes it is helpful to stop and reflect on just how far we’ve come,” he wrote in the video’s introduction.
(WATCH the video below)
Story tip from Kelly Harrington
A jovial 87-year-old has parlayed a huge construction business in Iran into a Canadian philanthropic legacy that will continue long after he is gone.
His Djavad Mowafaghian Foundation has given away tens of millions of his personal wealth to improve children hospitals — building a mental health facility and oncology wing in Vancouver — and building schools for children in Africa, Asia and Haiti. Most ambitious, his Foundation has built a new $68.8-million center for brain health at the University of BC with 500 scientists working on diseases like alzheimer’s.
Djavad Mowafaghian, who is passionate about children, education and health, was one of three B.C. philanthropists honored last fall with a humanitarian award from Vancouver’s Dalai Lama Centre.
Also honored as a humanitarian was philanthropist John Volken, who immigrated from Germany in 1960, at the age of 18, with only a small amount of pocket-money. He spent more than 20 years building the 150-store United Furniture Warehouse, and now gives away all the money he earned after selling the business.
His wealth has funded three long-term residential drug and alcohol treatment facilities in Vancouver, Phoenix, and Seattle that go well beyond just helping with addiction. Another initiative funded entirely by his Foundation is Lift the Children, which helps the poorest of the poor in Africa in their struggle not only to survive, but also to become self-sufficient.
The third recipient of the award was Vancouver businessman Frank Giustra, whose main focus these days is his Clinton-Giustra Enterprise Partnership, launched in 2007 with $100 million to help communities in developing countries build sustainable economies.
(WATCH a video about Mowafaghian)
