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German 12-Year-old Boy Plants 1Million Trees, Takes Over UN Program to Plant a Trillion More

By
John Large
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The world is a lot greener thanks to this 20-year-old and his army of “climate ambassadors” who have pledged to plant trees and use youth power to avert climate change.

Ever since he was 9 years old, Felix Finkbeiner has been an international figurehead for saving the planet. In 2007, the German youngster founded a global youth movement called “Plant for the Planet” – an initiative that trains and recruits kids from around the world to plant trees as a means of combatting climate change.

Since its creation, the movement has already made significant progress with the help of over 100,000 enthusiastic youth between the ages of 9 and 12—and he planted his one-millionth tree in Germany when he was just twelve. Alongside the Paris Agreement, Finkbeiner’s campaign is a formidable defense of the planet.

His speeches as a pre-teen to the European Parliament and the United Nations General Assembly inspired kids from over 90 countries to join his coalition, saying “Forests are not only the livelihood of billions, but for us children forests are our future.”

The UN then handed over to Felix the leadership of its Billion Tree Program, which was inspired by the Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist Wangari Maathai, whose Green Belt Movement planted 30 million trees in Africa. He is enlarging the program, transforming it into a Trillion Tree Campaign: an audacious international grassroots effort to do exactly that – plant one trillion trees in the next 30 years.

LOOK: Remember the Young Man With a Plan to Rid Oceans of Plastic? His Massive Project to Launch This Summer

Just for some perspective, there are currently about 3 trillion trees alive in the world today – so planting a trillion more would be an incredible increase. That’s roughly 150 trees for every person on Earth, according to National Geographic.

“Children could plant 1 million trees in every country on earth and offset CO2 emissions all on their own, while adults are still talking about doing it,” said Finkbeiner. His motto, “Stop talking, start planting,” suggests the same sentiment.

The campaign is working in collaboration with organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society to meet the ambitious goal. The Campeche province of Mexico is already a staging ground for Finkbeiner’s no-nonsense motto. Plant for the Planet recently bought 33,300 acres (13,500 hectares) in the area and they plan to plant 10 million trees by 2020.

RELATED: Why We Should Practice Forest Bathing and How to Get the Benefits of ‘Forest Medicine’

Other countries’ have their own plans for reforestation too. One province in Pakistan has planted 1 billion trees; China is creating forests as big as Ireland; a group of African countries (Ethiopia, Niger, Mali, etc.) are reforesting degraded land; India recently smashed the world record for planting the most amount of trees in a day; and Latin American nations are signing on to reforestation efforts in the Amazon, as well.

All of these combined initiatives offer great hope for the planet, but organizations aside, Finkbeiner is a textbook example of what we can all do on an individual level to save the planet if we just stop talking and start planting.

Plant Some Positivity With Your Friends And Share The Good News – Photo by Felix Finkbeiner

Humble Bus Driver Who’s Learned From Past Mistakes is Hailed for Saving Frantic Mom on Vacation (podcast)

By
Good News Network
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A Boston shuttle bus driver is being hailed for an extraordinary act of kindness—doing something he never would have done in earlier days. Hear The Good News Guru tell the inspiring story (from the June 29, 2018 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5 radio).

WATCH the video, or read the full story, on Good News Network…

(Image from WBZ-Boston video)

Humble Bus Driver Learned From Past Mistakes and Saves Frantic Mom on Vacation

By
McKinley Corbley
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LISTEN to this Good News Guru story here, which was broadcast on the radio June 29th with Ellen K and Geri on KOST-103.5 — Or, READ the story below… (Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes – or for Androids, on Podbean)

A Boston shuttle bus driver is being hailed for an extraordinary act of kindness—doing something he never would have done in earlier days.

Mark Trocchio hopped off of his shuttle bus on Monday to get a cup of coffee at a Dunkin’ Donuts in nearby Cambridge. Before he walked into the store, however, he spotted a purse that had been left on the sidewalk.

He rifled through its contents in search of the owner’s identification when he was stunned by what he found inside. In addition to the credit cards and airline tickets, he found $8,000 in cash.

RELATED: Delivery Man Goes Above and Beyond With a Simple Box to Make Boy’s Dream Come True

According to Trocchio, there was a time in his life when he would have easily taken the money and not looked back. The former Marine spent 17 years in an unending battle with alcohol and drug addiction. But, what he did next revealed his true character.

He went inside the shop hoping to possibly find the purse’s owner. Inside, he saw a mother weeping and being consoled by her two teenage children. Recognizing her from the ID in the wallet, he called out her name and handed it back.

The emotional woman tried to reward him as he was ordering his coffee, but Trocchio turned it down and headed back to his shuttle.

LOOK: Police Officer Stands in the Pouring Rain With a Smile as She Protects Critter From Traffic

Before he drove away, she noted the name of the bus company—Transaction Corporate Shuttles—and called his employers to report the good deed.

The grateful mother named Tina told them that she, herself, was originally from Boston before moving to Georgia to raise her children. She had spent years saving up money so she could one day bring her kids to New England and show them her beloved hometown.

If Mark Trocchio had not returned the purse, the long overdue vacation would have ended in hardship, but she also realized that his act of service was a perfect example of why she adores the city to this day.

(WATCH the video below—or our international viewers can watch it on the CBS News website)

Share This Sweet Story Of Compassion With Your Friends – Photo by WBZ-TV

Watch the Heroic Pup Who’s Been Trained to Perform CPR on Police Officers!

By
Good News Network
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We’ve rarely seen a cuter hero than Poncho the pup.

Poncho is a police dog who has been trained to perform CPR on officers who may be experiencing symptoms of cardiac arrest.

Poncho’s employers, the Municipal Police of Madrid, recently uploaded a video of their furry companion completing a training round of CPR with one of their officers who was imitating a medical emergency.

RELATED: Dog Waits With Missing 3-Year-old in Cornfield Overnight Until Help Arrives

Seconds after the officer ‘collapses’, Poncho bounds onto the scene and starts conducting chest compressions by bouncing his weight on the man’s torso. Then, the little canine rests his muzzle on the officer’s neck so he can check for a pulse.

After a few more rounds of compressions, the officer finally “revives” himself and gives Poncho a well-deserved treat.

The police department ended the caption of their video by using an apt quotation from John Billings, saying: “The dog is the only being in the world that will love you more than you love yourself.”

(WATCH the video below)

Be Sure And Share This Pawesome Video With Your Friends – Photo by Municipal Police of Madrid

Basement Inventor Uses Long-buried Device to Help Neighbor Breathe During Power Outage

By
Good News Network
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When a storm knocked out power in this Iowa town, Harold McClure might have been in dire straits had it not been for his inventive neighbor.

McClure’s health issues requires him to be hooked up to oxygen tanks 24 hours a day, but when his house lost electricity earlier this week, his tanks only had enough power to last for a few hours.

Luckily, his neighbor, Joe Gazelle, is a tinkerer.

RELATED: Doctors on a Plane Save Woman’s Life by Constructing Makeshift Ventilator Out of Nearby Parts

A few years ago, Gazelle had created a contraption that generated electricity when attached to a lawnmower. After being untouched for almost half of a decade, the inventor dug out the device and started it up.

It ran like a charm, providing emergency power for a neighbor in need.

“It sat for the last four and a half, five years and hadn’t been ran. And to my surprise, as I was hoping it would, it performed just like it did when we developed our prototypes years ago,” Gazelle told WHO-TV. “It’s sitting there running right now, and getting the oxygen bottles filled back up for him.”

Gazelle’s device was able to power McClure’s oxygen tanks until lights were restored in their Indianola neighborhood.

(WATCH the interview below)

Power Up Your Friends With Positivity: Share The Good News – Photo by WHO-TV

“In exchange for the promise of security, many people put a barrier between themselves and the adventures in consciousness that could put a whole new light on their personal lives.” – June Singer

By
Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “In exchange for the promise of security, many people put a barrier between themselves and the adventures in consciousness that could put a whole new light on their personal lives.” – June Singer, Boundaries of the Soul: The Practice of Jung’s Psychology

Photo: by h.koppdelaney, CC

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?

Orphaned Bear Cub Rescued From Colorado Wildfires –Photos

By
Good News Network
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Dry, hot, and windy weather conditions have fed a dozen wildfires across Colorado forcing the safe evacuation of thousands of homes in the West and South, but one furry resident ‘bearly’ made it out.

Firefighters spotted a bear cub wandering alone in a burned-out area north of Durango with no sign of her mother.

The cub suffered severe burns to its feet, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff who have been treating the animal, estimated to be 4-5 month-old, at their Frisco Creek wildlife facility near Del Norte.

“When the bear was brought in I wasn’t sure if it was going to make it,” said Michael Sirochman, manager of the facility. “But she’s responding very well to treatment and by winter we believe we’ll be able to return her to the wild.”

WATCH: Childless Couple Rescued an Orphaned Bear—Now 7-feet Tall, He Loves to Cuddle

Firefighters working on the massive 416 fire, which burned 47,000-acres of national forest, but is 37 percent contained as of Saturday morning, kept an eye on the bear for a couple of days but didn’t see a mother bear nearby.

Matt Thorpe, area wildlife manager in Durango, then made the decision to send the bear to Frisco Creek to determine if it could be treated.

“We weren’t optimistic at first,” Thorpe said. “It probably hadn’t eaten in a couple of days, but it had survived on its own so we wanted to give it a chance.”

Photo by Colorado Fish and Wildlife

WATCH: Amusing Video of Two Cats Trying to Pass Each Other Atop a Narrow Doorframe

How the cub became separated from its mother is unknown, but Sirochman speculated that ‒ as is common with most wildlife species ‒ the mother placed the cub in a safe place but was unable to return.

One concern about treating bears for injuries is that they could become habituated to humans which, in turn, can makes them unfit to return to the wild. Consequently, Sirochman and his staff have set up Frisco Creek so that bears have almost no contact with humans. In the case of the injured cub, it must be anesthetized for every treatment, and when it wakes up the human is gone.

Photos by Colorado Fish and Wildlife

“We have good luck returning young bears to the wild,” Sirochman said.

The bear is being fed a liquid milk replacement that imitates the milk of a sow. It’s also receiving solid food.

MORE: Gorilla Hugging Man Who Saved Her Life: The Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award

Sirochman estimated that bandaging the feet will continue for up to a month. After the feet are healed it will be placed in an enclosure with the four other cubs currently at the facility. The bears will grow and fatten up throughout the summer and fall.

While no decisions have been made about how the bears will be released, it’s likely that after they begin to hibernate in late fall Colorado wildlife officers will build a den close to the area where the bears were found. Responding to the natural hibernation cycle, the bears will emerge in the spring of 2019, probably by April.

The fires are also affecting communities across the state with smoke inundating towns as far as a hundred miles away. One employee at a Conoco gas station in Pueblo told Good News Network, “The smoke has been really bad… A friend of mine had ashes falling all over his car.”

Spread the Good News–Share with your Pack!

This School Banned Cell Phones—and Everyone is Happy That They Did

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Good News Network
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It has been four years since this French school banned the use of cell phones – and while some people might have expected negative backlash, the students and teachers are quite happy with the regulation.

According to The Guardian, the 290 teenager pupils at La Gautrais Middle School in Plouasne have displayed “more social interaction between children, more empathy and a readiness to learn at the start of lessons”.

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.

“When I’m with my friends I prefer a proper conversation,” one of the kids told the news outlet. “If you’re all standing around with phones, you talk about what’s on the screen rather than really listening to each other.”

LOOK: These Little Athletes Glued to Their Phones Are Not Ignoring Each Other Like Adults Assume

While the staff of the school had initially expressed anxiety over enforcing the ban, teachers and administrators say it’s been relatively easy. There is only about 10 cell phones that are confiscated per year. Another French school that implemented a cell phone ban has actually seen a decrease in cell phone confiscations.

“We thought the toilets would be monopolized by children sneaking a look at their phones, but that hasn’t happened at all,” said one headteacher. “What we have seen is that pupils seem less addicted to phones.”

Share The Intriguing News With Your Friends

New Family of Enzymes Could Transform Common Plant Waste into Fuel and Biodegradable Plastic

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Good News Network
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Scientists have discovered a new family of enzymes that could pave the way to converting plant waste into sustainable and high-value products such as fuel, nylon, plastics, chemicals.

The discovery was made by members of the same UK-US enzyme engineering team that, in April, improved a plastic-digesting enzyme, a potential breakthrough for the recycling of plastic waste.

The new enzymes can directly act on the building blocks of lignin: one of the main components of plants, which scientists have been trying for decades to break down efficiently.

“Enzymes are biological catalysts that can perform incredible reactions, breaking down some of our toughest natural and man-made polymers,” said Professor McGeehan of the University of Portsmouth.

RELATED: Scientists Accidentally Create Super Enzyme That Can Devour Plastic Pollution

“To protect their sugar-containing cellulose, plants have evolved a fascinatingly complicated material called lignin that only a small selection of fungi and bacteria can tackle. However, lignin represents a vast potential source of sustainable chemicals, so if we can find a way to extract and use those building blocks, we can create great things.”

Lignin acts as scaffolding in plants and is central to water-delivery. It provides strength and also defense against pathogens.

“It’s an amazing material,” Professor McGeehan said. “Cellulose and lignin are among the most abundant biopolymers on earth. The success of plants is largely due to the clever mixture of these polymers to create lignocellulose, a material that is challenging to digest.”

MORE: Australia May Become First Country to Eliminate Cervical Cancer – Rate Drops From 22% to 1%

The research team found a way of releasing a key bottleneck in the process of breaking down lignin to its basic chemicals. The results provide a route to making new materials and chemicals – such as nylon, bioplastics, and even carbon fibre – from what has previously been a waste product.

The discovery also offers additional environmental benefits. Creating products from lignin reduces our reliance on oil to make everyday products and offers an attractive alternative to burning it, which would help to reduce CO2 emissions.

Sam Mallinson, a student in structural biology at the university and first author on the paper, said: “There is a long-standing phrase – you can make anything out of lignin except money – but by harnessing the power of enzymes.”

RELATED: Scientists Have Found an ‘Off Switch’ For Celiac’s Disease

The enzyme is a new class of cytochrome P450, and it is promiscuous, meaning it’s able to work on a wide range of molecules.

Dr Beckham said: “This new cytochrome P450 enzyme can degrade a lot of different lignin-based substrates. That’s good because it means it can then be engineered to be a specialist for a specific molecule and we can evolve it further to push it in a certain direction.

“We now have one of the most well-known, versatile, engineerable and evolvable classes of enzymes ready to go as a foothold for biotechnology to move forward and make the enzyme better.”

The group is now working together to discover and evolve even faster enzymes for turning lignin into high-value sustainable products.

The study was published in Nature Communications.

(Source: University of Portsmouth)

Be Sure And Share The Intriguing News With Your Friends – Representative photo by jkrebs, CC

Man is Hailed as Hero in China After Rare Organ Donation Changes Five Lives

By
McKinley Corbley
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Phillip Hancock was only 27 years-old when he passed away two months ago – but the compassionate young man’s death made history in Chongqing, China.

Hancock had been working as an English teacher there for four years until he fell ill from complications with type 1 diabetes.

When he was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, his heart had temporarily stopped beating. By the time his family arrived, he had fallen into a coma and died.

While this may seem like a fairly common tragedy, there was something remarkable about the Australian man’s passing because he was an organ donor.

WATCH Emotional Meeting Between Woman and the Man Who Received Her Late Husband’s Face

Not just any donor, he became the first foreign donor in the city’s history and only the seventh foreign donor in China—and his story may inspire more Chinese to rethink their end-of-life wishes.

“He had always thought that if he was ever in that situation, he would like his organs donated – whatever they could take – so he could help out in some way,” Phillip’s father Peter told the BBC. “He always wanted to help people in whatever way possible. That’s why he wanted to be a teacher.”

And help he did; his liver and kidneys were reportedly used in three life-saving operations and his corneas restored sight to two different people.

LOOK: When Wife Needed Kidney, He Walked For Miles Holding a Sign – and He Just Found a Donor

The donation is also significant because organ donation is very uncommon in China due to a cultural belief that a person’s body should remain intact after death. The BBC says that this mindset, compared to a general misunderstanding of the organ donor process, is part of the reason why China has one of the lowest rates of organ donation in the world.

So when Hancock’s story hit social media, it touched the hearts of many and inspired users to call him a “hero” and an “angel” who will “live on” through the people who he saved.

One could even dare to be hopeful that his story will inspire others to change their thoughts on organ donation in the future.

Share The Inspiring Story With Your Friends – Photo by Peter Hancock

Need a Laugh? Watch Sassy Daughter Scold Her Father for Not Putting the Toilet Seat Down

By
Good News Network
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Kids say the darndest things, but this no-nonsense youngster is speaking up for all the folks who’ve accidentally flopped on a toilet when the seat was up.

3-year-old Bradlee Rae Hayes did not hesitate to give her father Jeremiah a thorough talking to about his habit of not returning the toilet seat to the proper position.

In a video that was recorded by the bemused father, Bradlee delivers an exasperated lecture on why it’s important to put the seat back down “for the girls”.

(WATCH the amusing video below)

Be Sure And Share This Sweet Video With Your Friends – Screenshot image from YouTube

“Be mindful when it comes to your words. A string of some that don’t mean much to you, may stick with someone else for a lifetime.” – Rachel Wolchin

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Be mindful when it comes to your words. A string of some that don’t mean much to you, may stick with someone else for a lifetime.” – Rachel Wolchin

Photo: by Ed Yourdon, CC

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?

Four Agreements That Can Deliver Instant Happiness for You and the World (if You Practice Them)

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Good News Network
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The Lesson: If you often find yourself complaining about other people and the things going on around you, it may time to seek happiness by trying to change yourself first. ‘The Four Agreements’ provide a great starting point, and the author talks about each one in the podcast below. The agreements revolve around how we use our words, how we take things too personally, and how we too often make assumptions.

Notable Excerpt: “Whatever we want to change, first we need to start with ourselves. Happiness only can come from inside of us; it does not really come from outside. If you make an agreement with yourself to be impeccable with your word, just with that intention alone, the truth will manifest through you and clean all the emotional poison that exists within you.”

The Guest: Don Miguel Ruiz is a medical doctor and renowned spiritual teacher and internationally best-selling author who has spent the past 30 years teaching students about personal freedom through his insights concerning the nature of human reality. He is also affectionately called a ”National Heirloom of Mexico”.

The Host: Oprah Winfrey is an American talk show host, actress, producer, author, philanthropist, and media tycoon. In addition to being the richest African-American person in history, she also hosted the highest-rated television show of its kind and has been called the most influential woman in the world.

Podcast: Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday Talks podcast is available for free on iTunes. The OWN television network series is also available on YouTube.

(LISTEN to the inspiring talk below)

Good Advice? SHARE It – Or Check Out More On Our Good Talks Page…

His Love for Her is Deep–So He Proposed to Her Underwater at the Great Barrier Reef

By
Good News Network
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There may be plenty of other fish in the sea, but not for Lawrence Tufnel – which is why he orchestrated a very special proposal for his longtime girlfriend.

29-year-old Tufnel recently popped the question to 25-year-old Jasmine Robertson when they were both on an underwater tour of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

As the Perth couple was on a metal walkway overlooking the reef in Queensland, Tufnel turned to Robertson and pulled out the ring that had been secured inside the pocket of his swimming trunks. Their diving instructor then holds up a sign behind Tufnel saying: “Jasmine Robertson, will you marry me?”

Grinning, Tufnel indicated that she could simply give a thumbs up or thumbs down.

RELATED: An Amazing Story of Synchronicity as Heirloom Ring is Found by Strangers in Time for Marriage Proposal

Needless to say, she gave a thumbs up.

Tufnel says that he chose the unique proposal spot because he and Jasmine had gone diving for their first date six years ago.

“We had done a lot of diving in the past, so when the idea came to me I knew it would be something special,” said Tufnel, according to The Daily Mail.

“Jasmine had no idea what was going on. I just told her we were going underwater to see the reef, so she didn’t know about all the planning behind the scenes.”

(WATCH the video below)

It’s Not Hard To Sea That You Should Share This Sweet Story With Your Friends – Photo by Caters News Agency

Mystery Person Spends $1 Million at Toys ‘R’ Us So They Can Donate All of the Goodies to Kids

By
Good News Network
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In a fitting farewell to one of the closing Toys “R” Us stores, an anonymous donor bought all of the remaining toys so they could be donated to local children.

A staff member at the Triangle Town Center location in Raleigh, North Carolina told CBS that a mystery philanthropist had bought $1 million worth of toys.

RELATED: Boy With Autism Sells Drawings to Buy Toys For Sick Brother

Instead of closing up shop on the same day as other Toys “R” Us locations, the employees spent their final day at the store boxing up all of the goodies and preparing them for delivery.

While the news outlet was not able to give further details on the compassionate gesture, it’s an inspiring silver-lining to the toy company’s closure.

Be Sure And Share The News With Your Friends

Cop May Not Have Survived Near-Fatal Accident if This Stranger Had Not Rushed to His Aid

By
McKinley Corbley
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A mystery man is being credited for saving the life of a police officer who was involved in a near-fatal automotive accident earlier this month.

Officer Carlos Basurto of the San Mateo Police Department in California was driving home from work earlier this week when he dozed off at the wheel, resulting in his car turning off the road and flipping several times.

As Basurto was lying in the wreck, he knew that he was in grave danger and he had to stay awake long enough for paramedics to arrive. Luckily, he was soon joined by several good Samaritans who stopped their cars and rushed to help.

Basurto asked one of the helpers to tie a tourniquet on his arm to slow the bleeding. He then proceeded to instruct a man on how to tie off his arm as he was still entangled in the wreck.

WATCH: Migrant Pulls Off Incredible ‘Spider-Man’ Rescue That Earned Him Citizenship and a Job

The injured officer had only learned how to perform the life-saving technique himself during a police training course two months previously – and it’s a good thing that he did.

When emergency crews arrived on the scene, they managed to extract Basurto from the wreck and rushed him to the hospital.

“When he got to the emergency room the operating doctor said whoever placed that tourniquet on his arm saved his life,” Basurto’s brother Alfy wrote in a Facebook post. “[Carlos] had ruptured the major artery in his right arm and would have died at the scene.

WATCH: Police Officer Handles a Crisis With Toddler Wandering On the Side of Highway

“Had Carlos not attended that training, and had that caring man not stopped to help my little brother, he wouldn’t be here today. The nurses said Carlos arrived at the ER and told staff that he has 4 boys and a wife, and to please take good care of him.”

Though Basurto has undergone multiple surgeries, he still has a long way to go before he can return to a relatively normal state – although Alfy is quick to say that he is just glad his brother is alive.

“Thank you to that caring person that helped my little brother to remain on earth with us. We have no idea who that person is,” says Alfy. “They left the scene before police arrived.”

RELATED: Instead of Plane Making Emergency Landing, Engineer Fixes Medical Device Using Only a Pen

The San Mateo Police Department set up a GoFundMe campaign to care for the Basurto family and offset medical costs. It has already raised $63,000 of their $100,000 goal.

Alfy, meanwhile, remains optimistic for the future.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that Carlos will recover from this and will defy all of the odds. He already has.”

Share The Incredible Story Of Fate With Your Friends – Photo by Alfy Basurto

IKEA is Testing Buyback Program to Keep Customers’ Furniture From Ending Up in Landfills

By
McKinley Corbley
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In another bid to reduce their environmental impact, IKEA has launched a pilot program for taking back used furniture.

The Swedish retailer is offering to buy back customers’ used furniture in exchange for a voucher worth up to 50% of the original value of the product.

All customers have to do to sell their furniture is submit photos of their product to IKEA workers for appraisal. If the item is deemed to be in fair condition, they will buy back the furniture either for resale or for recycling.

RELATED: IKEA is Ditching All of Their Single-Use Plastics Throughout Stores

IKEA has even partnered with GoGet vehicle services to provide customers with a van for up to two hours so they have enough time to move and return the item without worrying about transportation or disassembly.

The initiative will not only save tons of furniture from ending up in landfills landfills, it is also an ingenious strategy for maintaining customer loyalty and return rates.

The take-back program is currently only running out of the Tempe location in Australia, but should it prove successful, it may expand to more of their stores around the world.

Make Sure Your Friends See The Good News By Sharing It To Social Media –  Representational photo by Sunset Removals, CC

Women Sew Dozens of ‘Rescue Quilts’ for Young Trauma Victims So Police Can Comfort on Call

By
Good News Network
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This crafty group of women is determinedly creating comfort for traumatized children one stitch at a time.

The Stitch and Chat sewing group of Rockhampton, Australia has made over 80 different “rescue quilts” that law enforcement officers can use to comfort children who may have endured a traumatic situation, such as a house burning down, domestic violence, or an automotive accident.

The gender-neutral patchwork quilts are made out of donated fabrics featuring everything from paisley prints to cartoon animals. Originally, the group only intended on creating enough quilts to put two in every police cruiser in the region – but according to Sandra McClelland, the organizer of the effort, the group doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.

They have already surged past their original goal of 48 quilts, and they hope to expand their project into the future.

RELATED: ‘Cuddle Crew’ Cops Comfort Premature Baby, Giving Relief to Parents

“When I read about how beneficial the quilts were to children, I thought it was a good idea to see if we could do something locally,” McClelland told the Morning Bulletin. “It’s a small way we can provide instant comfort to any child who is undergoing trauma.”

The oldest member of the Stitch and Chat group is 97, but they all put the same amount of care into their creations.

“There is a small label on the back of each quilt, that says ‘made with love’,” McClelland told the news outlet.

Patch Up Some Love And Positivity For Your Friends By Sharing The Good News – Photo by Stitch and Chat Rockhampton

“So long as there’s a bit of a laugh going, things are all right.” – D.H. Lawrence

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Good News Network
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Credit: Cherie Joyful

Quote of the Day: “So long as there’s a bit of a laugh going, things are all right.” – D.H. Lawrence

Photo: by cheriejoyful, CC

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?

After Tweeting About ‘Worst’ Sales Day, Independent Bookseller is Overwhelmed with Support

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Good News Network
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When a desperate independent bookseller tweeted about experiencing the “worst day ever” in sales, the community responded in full force.

28-year-old Georgia Duffy took to social media earlier this week saying that her book store, Imagined Things in Harrogate, England, had only earned $16.16 (£12.34) in sales on Monday.

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

Duffy first opened up the store in July after she decided to quit her job as a radiographer and open a book shop. Though the shop has experienced some tough times here and there, the last few weeks have apparently been especially difficult.

“If anyone was thinking about buying a book, now would be a great time!” she wrote. “A card, a book, anything makes a huge difference to a small business like ours. We’d be very grateful for your support.”

Within a few days, Duffy became inundated with support. Book orders, donations, and messages of encourage started pouring in from all over the country.

According to the BBC, the store sold 70 books on Tuesday, compared to its average of 12.

Additionally, Welsh author and columnist Allison Pearson offered to stop by the store to do a book reading and signing.

“The response has been phenomenal,” Duffy told the news outlet.

Help Your Friends Read About This Sweet Piece Of Good News By Sharing It To Social Media – Photo by Georgia Duffy

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