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

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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

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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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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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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)

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

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.

RELATED: Because His AirBnb Guest Had a Heart Attack, Man’s Ingenuity is Now Saving Thousands of Lives

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.

Raise Awareness For This Innovative Solution By Sharing With Your Friends

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

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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.”

RELATED: Firefighters Pay it Forward Big Time After Waitress With Heart of Gold Picks Up Tab

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.

MORE: To Repent for Their Part in Patient Hardship, Doctors Team Up to Forgive $1.4 Million in Medical Debt

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.

RELATED: Tribute to the Russian Who Once Single-handedly Averted a Global Nuclear War (1939–2017)

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.

MORE: Boy Trips, Falls and Discovers Rare Million-Year-old Fossil

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

Walmart Cashier Steps In When Nail Salon Refuses Woman in Wheelchair

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McKinley Corbley
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Every girl deserves the opportunity to get their nails done – so when a woman was turned away from a nail salon because of her disability, Ebony Harris stepped up to help.

Harris works as a cashier at the Walmart in Burton, Michigan. As she was taking her lunch break last week, she watched as Angela Peters, a woman who is in a wheelchair for her cerebral palsy, was turned down at the indoor nail salon because her hands shake as a result of her condition.

Not wanting Peters to leave the store without a beautiful manicure, Harris offered to paint the woman’s nails herself.

The two women picked out the perfect polish, sat down at the Subway restaurant inside the store, and Harris spent her lunch break painting Peters’s nails.

RELATED: 15-Year-old Melts the Hearts of Airline Passengers When She Befriends Blind and Deaf Passenger

“I just wanted to make her day special. I didn’t really want her day to be ruined. That’s why I did it. And plus she’s a sweetie,” Harris told WJRT. “And you know, she moved her hands a little bit and she kept saying she was sorry. And, I told her don’t say that. I said you’re fine.”

Tasia Smith, who works at the Subway next to the nail salon, snapped a photo of the exchange and posted it to Facebook where it was shared thousands of times.

Some social media users commented on the photo saying that they plan on boycotting the nail salon for their actions – but Harris wants people to know that she did not want her labor of love to alienate the salon workers; she simply wanted them to realize that people with disabilities deserve the same amount of love and attention as anybody else.

WATCH: Quadriplegic Stuns Crowd by Nailing National Anthem With an Instrument He Designed Himself

“We’re not trying to bash the nail salon. We’re not trying to make them lose customers, make them look bad,” Harris told the news outlet. “But maybe spread awareness that no matter the person, who they are, what color they are, disability, whatever, they’re people too. She’s a girly girl. She’s just like you, me, Tasia, my daughter, anybody. She wants to look pretty, you know, and so why can’t she?”

According to WJRT, Peters and Harris have become friends after their initial encounter, and they already have plans to get dinner together in the near future.

Share This Sweet Story Of Inclusivity With Your Friends – Photo by Tasia Smith

“Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.” – Andy Warhol (on the 90th anniversary of his birth)

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.” – Andy Warhol (on the 90th anniversary of his birth)

Photo: by Travis Wise, 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?

Fewer People Are Returning to Prison, as Rate Drops by 23% in U.S. – Here’s Why

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An exciting new body of research shows that while America is becoming safer, with historically low crime rates—it is also becoming more progressive in its criminal justice system, with more than two-thirds of states having reduced both crime and imprisonment in the past decade.

The Pew Research Center published a study earlier this week describing how rates of recidivism dropped by 23% over the course of a 7-year period between 2005 and 2012. Pew analyzed more recent data, too, from the 23 states with reliable reporting, and found double digit declines in both recidivism and crime.

They found that investment in evidence-based programs to reintroduce the formerly imprisoned men and women into society have led to measurable success, which also happened right alongside declines in crime.

Several states have cut return-to-prison rates dramatically, including Georgia (35% between 2007-2016) and Michigan (43% between 2006-2015). In five more states, including Texas, Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, and South Carolina, recidivism has also significantly declined (according to several measures), while violent crime rates have dropped by double digits. (FBI crime statistics show that the combined national violent and property crime rate dropped 26 percent from 2005 to 2015).

RELATED: “Hangover” Producer Brings College Program to Juvenile Inmates, Changing Lives

In the decade after 2001, Arizona experienced a 13-percent decline in the rate of those reincarcerated within three years of release—and it’s also seen a 24% drop in the violent crime rate since then. They attribute much of the turnaround to changes in their probation services. They also used federal grants to support nonprofits offering mentoring services and providing technology career training.

Programs for inmates themselves have also shown great results. Actor Tim Robbins has dramatically cut in half repeat offender rates for California prisoners who take his acting class behind bars.  Prisoners in North Carolina have transformed their lives, by becoming expert braille transcribers. And, prison gardens have taught inmates to grow their own food—and skill set, at the same time.

SEE More Heartwarming Stories About Prison Relief and Heroic Prisoners on GNN

Equally positive is the rate at which black adults are imprisoned. It has declined 29 percent over the past decade, and fell 4 percent from 2015 to 2016.

SHARE the Good News to Uplift Society…

Man Saves Ancient Books From Dumpster and, Months Later, Finds Amazing Inscriptions (Podcast)

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This guy’s shocking dumpster discovery was the beginning of a fascinating chapter in his life—and turned trash into American treasure. Hear The Good News Guru tell the incredible tale (from the August 3, 2018 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5 radio).

READ the full story, here, on Good News Network…

Man Saves Ancient Books From Dumpster Only to Look Inside Months Later and Find Amazing Inscription

By
McKinley Corbley
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LISTEN to this story here, as told by The Good News Guru, from Friday’s radio broadcast with Ellen K and the GNN founder, on KOST-103.5 — Or, READ the story below… (Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes – or for Androids, on Podbean)

In a small town near Lake Tahoe, one man’s trash turned out to be another man’s incredible piece of American history.

Back in December 2014, Max Brown was rummaging through a dumpster for a community service project when he spotted a pile of ancient books hidden under some thrown-out cassette tapes.

As it started to rain, the 37-year-old gathered up as many books as he could carry and took them to safety.

For six months, the collection of decrepit volumes sat on Brown’s shelf in Incline Village, until finally, he and his friend cracked them open to check out the delicate pages. It wasn’t the books’ contents that caught Brown’s attention, however—it was the message that was written inside the front cover.

MORE: DNA Test Finds Long-Lost Brother at His Own College – And They’re Blown Away by Another Discovery

In two of the books he found hand-written inscriptions that said: “From the library of Thomas Jefferson.”

Excited about the prospect of owning a piece of American history, Brown reached out to several appraisal experts to get the signature verified. One of the appraisers told him the handwriting didn’t match and the books were fake.

Several months later, though—in a lucky twist of fate—he was watching an episode of “Pawn Stars” when someone on the show brought out several volumes that belonged to Jefferson—and their inscriptions looked identical to the ones on Brown’s shelf.

CHECK OUT: Woman Accidentally Buys the Same Book She Sold 5 Years Ago and Finds Mother’s Last Words

According to the Sacramento Bee, Brown started researching the former president’s literary habits and learned two important facts. Jefferson would often initial the pages of his personal books and, when rebinding them, he would put the first page of the text into the middle.

Both of Brown’s books—volumes of Pierre Charron’s philosophical “De la Sagesse” series—had these unique modifications.

WATCH: Trash Man Creates Free Library Out of 20,000 Books Found in Garbage

Rekindled with hope, he emailed an expert at Jefferson’s presidential library and asked if she could verify the books’ origins. (This time, he did not mention the fact that he found them in a dumpster.) The woman declared that they had, indeed, been purchased—in 1818—by the famous Founding Father who authored the Declaration of Independence.

Brown auctioned off the books for $8,000, saying the money was helpful to his financial state at the time, according to Inside Edition. Yet, he will forever own an incredible story to tell about the treasure—found in a pile of trash—that became a fascinating chapter in his life.

Help Your Friends Find This Fascinating Story By Sharing To Social Media – Photos by Max Brown

When Hiker Finds Injured Spaniel at the Top of a Mountain, She Carries Him Six Miles Back

By
McKinley Corbley
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When hikers found an injured dog on the side of a mountain, one determined woman slung the 50-pound animal around her neck in hopes of reuniting him with his family.

Tia Vargas found the pup when she was hiking through the Grand Tetons in Wyoming on an annual trek with her father last month. Tia wanted to travel all the way up to the 11,000-foot peak, while her father decided to wait on the trail as she soldiered on ahead.

One mile up, she found a concerned family standing next to an injured English springer spaniel. The dog was limping, but the owners were nowhere to be found in the surrounding area.

Tia then took it upon herself to literally shoulder the burden and carry the dog named Boomer back down the mountain.

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

When she rejoined with her father and continued heading down, the journey became excruciating. Occasional rain and snow made it difficult for them to find their way back, and they got lost twice in the inclement weather.

“Every time I put him down so I could rest, it was difficult,” Ms. Vargas told Mother Nature Network. “And every time I got down on my knees to put my head under his belly and try to use neck and body strength to lift him it was painful and difficult. I thought we would see people on the trail on the way down to help. But that wasn’t the case.”

Finally, with the help of her father’s constant humor and encouragement, Tia and Boomer made it down the 6-mile trail. Once they reached the bottom, they saw a “Lost Dog” flyer with a family’s phone number.

RELATED: Husky Saves Deaf Hiker After She Tumbled 700 Feet – and It’s Not the First Time He’s Saved a Stranger in Alaska

Boomer’s owners were overjoyed to be reunited with the pup. They explained that when they had been at the top of the mountain the day before, he had fallen off a 100-foot cliff and rolled 200 more feet down the mountain. The family rushed to find him, but he was nowhere to be found.

Coincidentally, Boomer’s owners told Vargas that they were moving to Arizona – and though they loved the dog very much, they were not allowed to take him with them and he was in need of a new adopted family.

Though they had prospective caretakers lined up, it was clear that Tia and Boomer had a special bond. Without hesitation, she adopted him.

LOOK: Heroic Puppy Saves Owner by Jumping in Front of Rattlesnake

The spaniel was taken to the vet and diagnosed with a torn ligament and a dislocated joint, but his leg is now healing in a little doggy cast. Despite the fact that it took his injury to bring them together, Vargas says that the incident could not have been more fortuitous.

“His personality is perfect with mine and the kids. We all love him so much,” Vargas says. “They begged me for a dog and I was worried because it’s a lot of time and work. I told them ‘no’ for so long. And I said if we get a dog it would have to be dropped in my lap and already trained. And he is both of those and so much more. He feels like one of my kids now.”

Share The Pawesome Rescue Story With Your Friends – Photo by Ted Kasper

“Look within, for within is the wellspring of virtue, which will not cease flowing, if you cease not from digging.” – Marcus Aurelius

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Within is the wellspring of virtue, which will not cease flowing, if you cease not from digging.” – Marcus Aurelius

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?

‘Raves’ for Seniors Fight Loneliness With Partying

By
John Large
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Champagne spraying, flapper girls dancing, and people dressed to impress – and the 1940s music isn’t the only thing getting older with age.

The Posh Club is a unique venue that hosts swanky soirees exclusively attended by older folks from all over East London. None of the guests are under the age of 60, except for the volunteers, and the festivities are hosted at 2PM, rather than 2AM.

The Posh Club’s mission is to offer a fun outlet for seniors to meet, socialize, and party – and so far, it has been highly successful. Women wear their best dresses; men wear cravats; volunteers serve high tea and champagne; and there is often an Elvis Impersonator dominating the stage.

All of this fun, however, isn’t just for kicks; the chain of ‘dayclubs’ hopes their social events become recognized as a public health activity.

RELATED:When a Preschool Opens Inside a Nursing Home All Heaven Breaks Loose

Studies show that communal activities amongst older people help to improve cognition and confidence, and is the best way to decrease anxiety and depression. The promoters of the event are roughly six months away from finishing a study showing the positive health effects of the bacchanals. Once the research is complete, the club can secure funding for the future so they can continue hosting many more ladies and gentlemen at the clubs – and the show shall go on.

“What we’re doing is really an anti-loneliness campaign presented as a club event,” Dicky Eaton, the producer of the events, told VICE. “A lot of our guests maybe don’t get out as much as they once did and don’t see friends as often. Well, this provides a unique way to do both, while also being part of something that’s vibrant and exciting.”

“Just because you reach a certain age, doesn’t mean you don’t want to have fun anymore. I think society has a habit of forgetting that. A lot of what we, as younger people, do to enjoy ourselves, they’ve not only seen it and done it all—they invented most of it.”

Pass On The Party News To Your Friends: Share To Social Media – Photo by The Posh Club

Starbucks Barista Hailed as ‘Hero’ After Student’s Photoshoot Gets Rained Out Before Major Surgery

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Good News Network
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When abysmal weather conditions ruined a student’s senior photoshoot, a local barista went above and beyond the call of duty to save the day.

Sydney Johansson had been planning an outdoor senior photoshoot in mid-July when it started pouring rain. The young student was unable to reschedule the shoot because she has cerebral palsy and she was set to undergo a major surgery later in the month.

So, as her mother Laura and photographer Jessica Vallia puzzled over how to continue the photoshoot, Laura got an idea. She would ask at the nearby Starbucks if they could take pictures inside the store.

“We drove over in the hurricane wind and rain and [Laura] ran in to ask,” Vallia wrote in a Facebook post. “She says to the guy at the counter… ‘You can tell me to screw off BUT it’s pouring, my daughter was supposed to have senior pictures outside. She is in a wheelchair, can we just come inside and take some pics?’”

“(We really weren’t sure what they’d say) and he replied with ‘Absolutely!’ and offers his umbrella to help us get inside.”

RELATED: Stranger Helps Lonely Widower Celebrate After Seeing Flowers and Cake in Shopping Cart

The barista, a young man named Chris, then followed Laura outside and proceeded to get soaking wet so he could keep Sydney dry with his umbrella. Once they were all inside, he gave them all towels so they could dry off. Chris, along with some of the other baristas, then helped the family move some of the furniture and fixtures so they would have room for the shoot – and that’s not all, either.

“After getting inside we were greeted with hot chocolates made with soy milk because they were unsure of allergies… who thinks that far into it?!?!” wrote Vallia. “I was blown away with gratitude at this point…

“But then, Chris comes by and asks if he can make Sydney some signs and pulls out markers and colored paper making her a little backdrop and rearranged some items in the store!!! Even upon leaving, he wouldn’t let us pay for more coffee. We were there a good hour at least, taking up the bathroom, as it’s no easy feat to change Sydney and we had several outfits.”

MORE: Good Manners Pay Off – When Man is Desperate to Meet Lotto Deadline And Stranger Lets Him Go First

In addition to helping set up for the shoot, the baristas also gave the group free coffee, food, and drinks throughout the event.

Vallia was so touched by the encounter, she posted some of Sydney’s (gorgeous) senior photos to Facebook along with a picture of Chris holding his umbrella over the youngster and a description of his kindness.

RELATED: Starbucks to Open Their First Ever American Sign Language Store

“There were serious tears from all after taking in everything from yesterday’s senior session,” says Vallia. “I just wanted her to have the average senior session, like any other girl and instead she got THE RED CARPET in a way I couldn’t have been more proud to be a part of!!!”

Be Sure And Share This Grandé Story Of Kindness With Your Friends – Photo by Jessica Vallia Photography

Struggling Farmers Turn Excess Milk Into Cheese and Yogurt for the Hungry

By
Andy Corbley
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Most people have, at some point in their lives, worked in the restaurant or hospitality field and had to grapple with the ludicrous notion of throwing away perfectly good food—either scraping off the plates of picky-eating guests, or throwing out all the products that have passed their “sell by” dates.

We come to realize that despite our parents and grandparents warning us about starving children in China or Africa, we tend to waste and throw out food before considering any other solution.

Enter Philabundance: a nonprofit that combats food waste in Pennsylvania by gathering excess milk from farms across the state and turning it into food for the hungry and homeless.

When dairy farms produce things like butter, a leftover layer of skim milk is cleared away and stored to make fat-free dairy products – but due to a significant drop in America’s interest in milk consumption; medical studies revealing unhealthy aspects of dairy; and concerns over the standards of animal care and exploitation in the industry, many people have begun turning to milk substitutes instead.

RELATED: World’s First Pay-What-You-Can Grocery Store! It Saves Food Otherwise Destined for Trash

Pennsylvania lost 120 local dairy farmers in 2016 alone, and many of those remaining didn’t have the financial wiggle-room to pay for processing the excess skim milk into cheese and yogurt, so simply started dumping it instead.

Last year, however, a statewide coalition of food banks came up with an idea. Using funding from the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System and donations from the dairy industry, they collected 12 tanker loads of surplus milk from a local co-op that was ready to discard it. They took the rescued milk to local cheesemakers and made thousands of pounds of cheese and yogurt to give away at food pantries and shelters for free.

For struggling farmers, it equated to about $165,000 in revenue.

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Last year, Philabundance purchased 27,680 pounds of that cheese for the purpose of donating it, before taking the idea one step further and buying more milk to make more of the same cheese – except this time, they started selling the cheese in fancy food stores throughout Philadelphia under the brand Abundantly Good. For every pound of cheese sold, $1 goes back to the farmer for processing excess milk into free cheese for hungry people.

Philabundance found such success with Abundantly Good cheese, it is now planning to add drinkable skim-milk yogurt to its product line. 4,500 pounds of milk makes 4,500 pounds of yogurt, and Philabundance will pay local farmers to process their milk by-product into yogurt before buying it from them and giving it away to people in need.

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“This new brand is Abundantly Good for our community on so many levels,” said Glenn Bergman, Executive Director of Philabundance. “It helps farmers by providing increased revenue, it helps cut down on harmful greenhouse gases created when food goes into landfills and the proceeds of sales help our clients access free, healthy, local food.”

Be Sure And Share This Cheesy Piece Of Good News With Your Friends – Representative Photo by SkanskaMatupplevelser, CC

Iconic Strawberry Field Will Open to the Public for the First Time Ever

By
Chris Smith
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“Strawberry Field”, the famous Liverpool landmark that was immortalized by John Lennon, will soon be open to the public for the very first time.

The site of a children’s orphanage that was frequented by the famous Beatle is being revitalized by The Salvation Army, which bought the Gothic Revival Mansion from a wealthy merchant’s widow in 1934.

In addition to making the location a training and work-placement hub for young people with learning disabilities, the restoration will also include a new Lennon exhibit that will function as a tourist attraction.

Attending the ground breaking ceremony was Julia Baird, the late singer’s half-sister. To commemorate the day, she buried a time capsule and praised the initiative.

“Just like The Beatles springing from the stage of the Cavern Club, it’s a wonderful idea that The Salvation Army is going to cultivate youngsters in the precious soil of Strawberry Field, for them to be nurtured to reach their full potential.”

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Also on hand was Judy Martin, widow of Beatles producer George Martin. She envisioned a grand future for the English landmark.

Photo by Adam Jones, CC

“The plan to open Strawberry Field to the public for the first time – so people can see a unique exhibition about the home, how and why the song was written by John, and allow visitors to explore the grounds as John did as a child – is very exciting,” said Martin.

Strawberry Field is projected to open in the summer of 2019.

Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed: Help Your Friends See the News… Share it!

“Our minds are so undisciplined that our doubts rule our lives and we don’t master our imagination—it masters us.” – Mother Angelica

By
Good News Network
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Nick Kenrick, CC license

Quote of the Day: “Our minds are so undisciplined that our doubts rule our lives and we don’t master our imagination—it masters us.” – Mother Angelica

Photo: by Nick Kenrick, 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?

To Repent for Their Part in Patient Hardship, Doctors Team Up to Forgive $1.4 Million in Medical Debt

By
Good News Network
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Hundreds of Kansas residents received letters in the mail last month explaining how they had been completely forgiven of medical debt – and it is all thanks to a group of doctors and nurse practitioners who want to atone for the hardships caused by their career fields.

The medical care providers donated $10,000 of their own money so they could buy out and forgive $1.4 million worth of medical debt for people in the Kansas City region.

The practitioners are all members of the Midwest Direct Primary Care Alliance: a group of doctors and nurses who support the Direct Primary Care model of health care in Kansas, rather than insurance-based billing and copays.

The physicians say that they joined the alliance because they regretted the financial distress that they helped bestow on their patients. So as a means of repenting for the flawed health care system in which they participated, the alliance members partnered with RIP Medical Debt to clear 784 people of medical debt.

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“When I worked within the large hospital systems, I couldn’t tell you how much an MRI was. Or what a lab would cost the patient. As doctors, we had been blinded to the cost of care, and – whether we like it or not – we bore some responsibility for patients’ bills,” noted one of the doctors. “But now’s our job, as direct primary care providers, to prioritize thinking about healthcare costs in the context of care and prevent debt like this from piling up in the first place.”

Anyone who is inspired by the group’s efforts can visit the organization’s website to make a donation and forgive someone’s medical debt. Since debt collectors purchase other people’s medical debt for pennies on the dollar, a simple donation of $50 can forgive $5,000 worth of medical debt.

“We take an oath to do no harm, but our profession seems to have forgotten that doing no harm should also include doing no financial harm,” said Kylie Vannaman, the chairperson of the organization. “It was natural, then, for all of us independent doctors to work together to provide the gift of debt relief to the region.”

Multiply The Good And Share The Incredible News With Your Friends – Photo by Kenteegardin, CC

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