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Girl Sends Wish to Santa on 2 Pink Balloons, Answered 700 Miles Away

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Dec 24, 2011

pink balloons take note to Santa

A little girl’s Christmas wish is coming true after a letter to Santa soared 684 miles on two little pink balloons, landing on a rural California ranch.

When the girl asked for toys and clothes for Christmas, her mother wasn’t sure how the family could afford it. She is out of work and her husband only recently found a job, with a paycheck to cover the overdue electric bills.

The rancher, who recognized the tattered letter written in Spanish as a note to Santa, traveled 50 miles to the nearest shopping mall on one of the busiest days of the holiday shopping season to battle the crowds and find gifts for the little girl. He planned on shipping the presents overnight on Friday hoping to get them to the Washington family by Christmas.

1,500 Employees Skip Holiday Party to Transform Local Farm

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Dec 23, 2011

Volunteers from NVIDIA Project Inspire

In place of a holiday party, computer technology company NVIDIA conducted one of Silicon Valley’s largest-ever employee volunteer events, with 1,500 employees and community members gathering to bolster a local farm’s ability to continue providing students and families with access to fresh local produce.

NVIDIA’s annual holiday initiative called Project Inspire began on December 9 and in two days transformed Full Circle Farm’s operations, building structures to enable it to become financially self-sustaining and to expand its ability to provide nutrition education to students and families in Silicon Valley.

Employees constructed a new farm stand for selling produce, large swathes of land were primed for spring planting, irrigation was added to the farm’s orchard and they created an outdoor teaching facility where students can learn about the science of food and how to prepare healthy meals. They also improved the food storage and packing area, building and furnished an entirely new facility.

1,500 Employees Skip Holiday Party to Transform Local Farm

Most Popular

By

Good News Network

-

Dec 23, 2011

Volunteers from NVIDIA Project Inspire

In place of a holiday party, computer technology company NVIDIA conducted one of Silicon Valley’s largest-ever employee volunteer events, with 1,500 employees and community members gathering to bolster a local farm’s ability to continue providing students and families with access to fresh local produce.

NVIDIA’s annual holiday initiative called Project Inspire began on December 9 and in two days transformed Full Circle Farm’s operations, building structures to enable it to become financially self-sustaining and to expand its ability to provide nutrition education to students and families in Silicon Valley.

Employees constructed a new farm stand for selling produce, large swathes of land were primed for spring planting, irrigation was added to the farm’s orchard and they created an outdoor teaching facility where students can learn about the science of food and how to prepare healthy meals. They also improved the food storage and packing area, building and furnished an entirely new facility.

Little Dresses Bring Hope to Malawi

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Dec 23, 2011

Dresses for girls in Malawi

Rachel O’Neill fell in love with the sweeping vistas of Malawi, Africa, but especially with the little girls, whose only clothing were the thread-bare dresses on their backs.

Her original idea was to get a church group to sew dresses for her to bring back for the children.

Eventually, word spread and dresses were sent from all fifty states, so many that it took teams of volunteers to sort them, and it became a symbol of friendship from women 8,000 miles away.

UPDATE: One Family Became Angels for Another Family 1300 Miles Away

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Dec 23, 2011

immigrant-family-4shot-MSNBCvid

A heartwarming update to a story that aired on NBC in September about a family in Florida down on their luck and facing foreclosure: A Texas businessman and his family, after seeing the tears of the teenage daughter, decided to help.

The Texan, John Vann, began by sending monthly checks for $2,000 and making personal contact with the family through employees who worked nearby in Florida.

John recently received a Christmas card from the daughter, Gavi, and good news from her father, who had been job hunting.

(WATCH the inspiring story below – See our original video here)

Fairy Dog-Parents Help Owners Keep Their Pets in Tough Times

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Dec 23, 2011

Dog collage

Fairy Dog-Parents, a non-profit group, aims to help dog owners keep their pets through tough financial times.

After the project’s founder Marlo Manning was featured in a Making a Difference segment on NBC a year ago, money and assistance rolled in — $50,000 to help keep dogs in homes with their families.

Fairy DogParents even assists with owner’s veterinary bills.

The Global Outcry That Saved the Amazon

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Dec 22, 2011

amazon-forest-river

Half a million citizens of the world joined with 1,000 indigenous protesters in demanding that Bolivian President Evo Morales halt construction on a highway that would slice through the heart of the Amazon.

Avaaz.org launched the petition that was delivered by staff to top Bolivian cabinet ministers during a long and stormy meeting.

“The pressure worked!”

New Clean Air Act Protections Tackle Deadly Mercury Pollution from Dirty Power Plants

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Dec 22, 2011

smoke stack pollution

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency yesterday announced the first-ever national standards to reduce dangerous mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollutants from power plants.

The agency projects that the new safeguards will prevent as many as 11,000 premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks and 130,000 cases of childhood asthma each year. The pollutants have also been found to harm lakes, streams and fish and might even cause cancer. The new rules are likely to cut mercury emissions by 90 percent.

The new rule aimed at out-of-date power plants has been 20 years in the making and children, in particular, have paid the price for delays: More than 300,000 are born every year after being exposed to unsafe levels of mercury while in the womb, increasing their risk of having learning disabilities later on.

Americans are the Most Generous, Global Poll Finds

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Dec 21, 2011

kindness-founders

Americans give more to help others than the residents of 152 other countries, according to a new global survey.

The poll, conducted last year with about 1,000 residents in each of 153 countries, tried to find out how many people donated money to a charity, volunteered their time, or helped a stranger in the previous month.

Following closely behind the United States (with a score of 60) was Ireland, with a score of 59, Australia (58), New Zealand (57), and the United Kingdom (57).

(READ the story in CS Monitor)

Related Story: Americans Spent 8 Billion Hours Volunteering in 2010

Off His Meds by Christmas After Only 6 Weeks of Veg Diet

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Dec 21, 2011

image by imelenchon via Morguefile

“He is living proof that chronic heart disease can be reversed in weeks.”

56 year-old Mark had a history of heart problems and eventually had to have stents implanted and tubing in his legs. Until recently, he was on ten different medications.

After waking up with blood coming from his ears, nose and eyes, “He had had it,” said his wife. He saw President Clinton talking about Dr. Esselstyn’s diet and decided that this vegan program was for him.

“For six weeks he has religiously followed Esselstyn’s plan and is reversing his heart disease already,” she said in amazement. “Mark went for blood work and the numbers don’t lie!”

Human Trials for HIV Vaccines Approved by FDA

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Dec 21, 2011

A vaccine that may prevent HIV has been given the green light by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials in humans, according to Canadian researchers.

The announcement was made on the campus of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont.

The vaccine stimulated a strong immune response in early testing and appears to have no adverse effects, according to the researchers.

Missouri Woman Gets $6.1 Million From State’s Unclaimed Property Office

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Dec 20, 2011

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A Kansas City woman got an early Christmas present when she received a state record $6.1 million from the Missouri unclaimed property fund, which works to return stocks, bonds, bank balances and safe deposit box contents to unknown owners.

The Missouri state treasurer says the average payout is about $300 but there are still thirty-eight accounts of more than $100,000 each remaining unclaimed in the state, Reuters reported.

The lucky recipient had purchased the obscure financial equity some time ago, and its value had substantially increased in value.

(READ the story in reuters)

Photo by alvimann via morguefile

Secret Santa Inspires Addict’s Clean Up

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Dec 20, 2011

Secret Santa with heroin addict - CBS News video snippet

Remember the businessman dressed in red who traveled to Reading, Pa. to give out hundred dollar bills to strangers? One of the people that Secret Santa gave money to is 30-year-old Thomas Coates.

Coates is a deadbeat by most accounts, including his own. Addicted to heroin, he recently hocked his own son’s toys for drug money – that’s how bad it is.

But when the Secret Santa called him a good man, pushing hundreds of dollars into his hand even when he said he didn’t deserve it, a prayer was answered…

(WATCH the video from Steve Hartman and read it at CBS News)

Secret Santa Inspires Addict’s Clean Up

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Dec 20, 2011

Secret Santa with heroin addict - CBS News video snippet

Remember the businessman dressed in red who traveled to Reading, Pa. to give out hundred dollar bills to strangers? One of the people that Secret Santa gave money to is 30-year-old Thomas Coates.

Coates is a deadbeat by most accounts, including his own. Addicted to heroin, he recently hocked his own son’s toys for drug money – that’s how bad it is.

But when the Secret Santa called him a good man, pushing hundreds of dollars into his hand even when he said he didn’t deserve it, a prayer was answered…

Police Issue Gift Cards Instead of Tickets

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Dec 20, 2011

Driver gets gift card from police-KTSM video clip

A North Texas police department is handing out gift cards instead of tickets, rewarding good traffic habits.

“I have never been pulled over before, so I was like, ‘Oh no,'” Prosper resident Caitlin Woody said.

She was handed a gift card as a reward for proper driving in a school zone.

“I was like, ‘That is really awesome’. It makes my day,” Woody said.

(WATCH the video and read the story from KTSM)

MIT to Offer Free, Graded Web Courses

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Dec 20, 2011

MIT-building-wikimedia-commons

Earning an A from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will never be easy, but next spring, students in at least one class will be able to do it for free, without traveling to Boston.

The university announced a plan to launch “MITx,” a set of specially designed Web-only classes that will be graded and offer certificates to those who pass.

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