“Families of children with autism now have a place to go at Dollywood for a quiet, relaxing environment if they experience sensory overload,” reports WATE News.
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Called a “calming room”, the Tennessee theme park, founded by singer and actress Dolly Parton, is reportedly the first in the world to offer such a service.
(WATCH the video , and READ the story from WATE News)
This husband didn’t listen to his wife — but it paid off big time.
Staten Island homemaker Nancy Viola, 37, ended up with a jackpot pay-out of $169 million.
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The ticket was an instant winner on January 8.
Besides the initial screams coming from their home when she saw the matching numbers, the couple kept it quiet until they could assemble a financial team. They claimed the lottery ticket this week and chose to receive their prize in one lump sum, an after tax payment of more than $64 million.
(WATCH the video below or READ more from NY Daily News)
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A San Antonio man was motivated by frustration after reading several Facebook comments that mocked a photo showing low-income children using the back of a pick-up truck as a swimming pool.
So, Todd Arredondo (pictured above) surprised the family, buying a new inflatable pool with his own money to help them keep cool in the hot Texas sun.
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Through Facebook and GoFundMe, he has raised nearly $8,000, so far.
Enthusiasm has overtaken him—he’s dedicated three weeks of his vacation time to the project.
“We started out wanting to help five families,” he wrote in an update to his campaign. “We are at the point of helping 24 families now. I will continue all summer to raise money to buy as many pools that we possibly can for kids.”
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Kids in Texas now have new wading pools, while others get to sleep in the first beds they’ve ever owned—thanks to a recent sleepover project hosted by the Dallas Cowboys.
(WATCH the inspiring video below)
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A Tennessee boy used his allowance to give local jail inmates a chance at a better life by creating a library.
Nine-year-old Tyler Fugett told his mom he wanted to give people who were behind bars at the Montgomery County Jail something to take their minds off their surroundings.
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He showed up without warning at the sheriff’s office, armed with more than 100 books he had purchased on sale at local bookstores.
WATCH: Give a Prisoner an Abused Dog and See What Happens – Karmic Connection
Tyler isn’t finished — he’s collected more books and is now gathering hygiene items to donate to the jail to help inmates start a new chapter in their lives.
(READ more at Inside Edition) — Photo: Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
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Despite their elimination in the Euro 2016 football championship, fans of the Irish National Team have won the hearts of people worldwide with their charm and sportsmanship during the June tournament in France.
Their winning attitude inspired a Frenchman to write an open letter praising the Irish people ahead of last Sunday’s match with France.
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“If my country wins or yours, I’ll be happy. And I will celebrate,” Oliver Sauton wrote. “You do honor to your country, your people, to your ancestors. Even drunk, you’re a gentleman.”
They have “owned the Internet” during their time at Euro 2016, caught in videos serenading women, singing lullabies to babies, dancing with French police officers, and even repairing a car dented in one of their celebrations — and demanding the owner take their money to get it properly restored.
WATCH Romantic Irish Choir Serenade Newlyweds They Meet in a New York Bar
Saunton wrote in his open letter. “Since you’re here, Irish friend, we speak only of generosity, brotherhood and good atmosphere that you put in the stands. In the stands and on the streets too!”
“Even with your belly sticking over your shirt, you have class. Even defeated, you’re in good spirits If my blood is French, my heart–thanks to you and your comrades– is increasingly Irish. I think I am telling the truth when I say the whole France that has fallen under your charm. You can be proud. Because the Euro is not over and yet you’ve already won.”
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Ireland lost to France 2-1 in their Sunday match, but fans won’t go home empty-handed.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has since announced she’ll award the Medal of the City of Paris — the “Grand Vermeil,” the City of Light’s most prestigious honor — to a representative of Ireland’s fans for being “exemplary in their sportsmanship.”
(WATCH the video below and READ Oliver Sauton’s full letter at Lovin IE) — Photo: Storyful
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It was supposed to be just a stop on a family vacation, but Star Swain’s visit to the Lincoln Memorial stirred her patriotism and she burst into song.
RELATED: Businessman Gives $18 Mil to Restore DC’s Lincoln Memorial, His 4th “Patriotic Gift”
Now the woman who sings regularly at her church has become an internet sensation for the belting out the Star Spangled Banner at the Washington D.C. monument.
(WATCH the report below from CBS News)
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A small Missouri town has a new firehouse built to last generations, thanks to a humble Powerball lottery winner who wanted to give back to his community.
Mark and Cindy Hill won a $293 million jackpot in 2012, and have been quietly giving to local causes ever since. But their most generous gift yet could not be kept secret for long—they built a new fire station in Camden Point to thank local firefighters for twice saving the life of Mark’s father.
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The building features training rooms, large bays for fire trucks and the local ambulance, radiant heating in the floors, and is wired for maximum energy efficiency. It’s built from reinforced concrete to last into the next century.
The department plans to formally dedicate the building on July 16, and invite all 500 residents of the little town to the celebration.
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Mark doesn’t want people making a fuss over his family’s gift, saying it’s just their way of giving back to their neighbors.
“You know what? If my wife and I could have built this without anybody knowing that her and I were building it, that’s exactly what we would have done,” he told KMBC News.
(WATCH the video below from KMBC News) – Photos: KMBC video
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Maine’s first lady waited on tables for several weeks before people realized who she was.
Ann LePage kept a low profile, taking on double shifts hoping to make enough money over the summer to buy a new car, until a reporter recognized her as the governor’s wife.
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Her husband, Gov. Paul LePage, is the lowest paid governor in the U.S., making $70,000 a year. He’s tried unsuccessfully to raise the salary for whomever follows him into the office, citing the average salary for a governor in the U.S. to be $130,000.
Mrs. LePage hadn’t worked in years, spending her time as a caregiver to her late mother who only recently passed away.
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Ann has kept her identity secret while shuttling lobster and chowder to tables full of summer tourists, only admitting to being the state’s first lady if a customer or co-worker asks her because she “looks so familiar.”
“It’s all about the money,” she joked with a WBZ News reporter.
(WATCH the video below from WBZ News) – Photo: WBZ video
It took at least nine people to rescue a loggerhead turtle after she flipped onto her back trying to get back to the sea.
It was no easy chore for the volunteers because adult loggerheads weigh 350-pounds on average. This female had fallen into a trench on a rocky beach at Blowing Rocks Preserve on Florida’s Atlantic coast, couldn’t right herself, and was fading fast.
MANATEES: Manatee Population Has Rebounded 500 Percent, No Longer Endangered
The Fish and Wildlife Commission documented the rescue on its Facebook page and is using it as a “teaching moment” for people headed to the beach this summer.
The commission posted tips on protecting and helping the endangered turtles, including advice to refill any holes dug on the beach and stay away from turtles in the evening so they won’t be disturbed on their way to the sea.
Loggerheads are powerful and graceful swimmers in the water, but can become disoriented on land. Efforts to protect them in recent years have included declaring 88 beaches “critical habitat” for the species and even a Coast Guard rescue of 200 turtles when they were trapped in cold ocean currents on the North Carolina coast in January.
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These two dogs couldn’t stop frolicking when they eventually were reunited, after being rescued from their former life in captivity, confined to a tiny, muddy pen.
LOOK: Guy Gives Shelter Dogs Free Haircuts to Help Them Get Adopted
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) paid for their veterinary care, then got the brother and sister into a shelter with a high adoption rate.
WATCH: Bear Literally Can’t Stop Jumping For Joy After Being Rescued
The found forever homes with two different families, but PETA kept up with them and arranged for a reunion after each had settled in to their new surroundings. 
Buddy and Shelby instantly recognized each other and spent hours playing in the park — with the promise of more play dates in the future.
(WATCH the touching reunion video below)
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A Spix’s Macaw, the bird that inspired the character in the movie Rio, has reappeared in Brazil 15 years after it was thought to be extinct in the wild.
On June 18th the blue macaw was identified by at least six people on various occasions near the city of Curaçá, in Bahia. One of them actually made a video of the bird flying and making sounds.
RELATED: Manatee Population Has Rebounded 500 Percent, No Longer Endangered
In the Organization’s official announcement, Pedro Develey says, “The first person to see the Spix’s Macaw was Nauto Sergio Oliveira, a subsistence farmer… who told his neighbors.”
The following day, Lourdes Oliveira and her daughther Damylis saw the endangered bird at 6:20 in the morning and managed to record on Damyli’s mobile (see below). The excitement among Curaçá’s residents was palpable because the bird had not been seen in Brazil since 2000, in that same region. The species is now maintained through a captive breeding program at several conservation organizations under the aegis of the Brazilian government.
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For the next week residents will be helping researchers from another important organization, the Chico Mendes Institute (ICMBio), with the efforts to locate the bird and gather more information.
Develey believes the bird was kept as a captive pet and recently released to avoid punishment or fines, because environmental laws are being more vigorously enforced.
“Besides, if this bird was around for longer our video traps would have registered it already,” the director told Brazilian media outlet, O Estado de S. Paulo. “The fact is the bird is flying in his natural habitat and that’s amazing.”
(WATCH the video re-posted on YouTube)
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A Philippine teenager discovered a natural solution for killing the larvae of the aedes aegypti mosquito—the insect responsible for spreading the zika virus and other diseases like dengue and chikungunya.
The remedy, derived from the leaves of the San Francisco (Codiaeum variegatum) plant, was discovered by Paul Lumabao. In his research, the young man discovered that substances in the plant are a powerful poison against the larvae of the bug.
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Lumabao learned that many insecticides come from the extract of plants, so he began searching for an active ingredient and testing within his community. The ‘San Francisco’ was the perfect plant for the job. The species is very common in the region and often cultivated in public city gardens.
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The young researcher announced his findings on May 12th at the Intel science and engineering fair. This year the event gathered 1750 students from 75 different countries.
(Source: So Noticia Boa) Publicize the Progress—Share This…
German police are hailing the actions of a 25-year-old refugee from Syria who turned in a stash of cash that he found inside a donated cabinet.
The city of Minden has called him the “hero of the day” after his honesty led him to return several bank savings books and cash totaling more than 150,000 euros.
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Once the man determined by an internet search that the bills were “real” money, he called the refugee officials in Minden, who immediately informed the police.
“This young man has behaved exemplary and deserves great credit,” according to police. “That someone finds and gives smaller amounts of cash to the police is often the case, but such a large sum is the absolute exception.”
CHECK OUT: Syrian Man Pays It Forward Big Time After Diners Pick Up His Tab
The humble young refugee, whose family remained in Syria, arrived in Germany in early October, and has been taking language lessons. Since he already has a bachelor’s degree in communications technology from his home country, he would like to further his studies in Germany to achieve a master’s degree.
The police are now trying the find rightful owner.
MORE: With ISIS Gone, Kurdish Lady Promises to Only Wear Red the Rest of Her Life (WATCH)
Challenge The Stereotype of Refugees—SHARE This! Photos courtesy of Minden police
The wall between these two little animal friends was no match for a kitten’s climbing skills.
The little cat scrambled up and over the plexiglass barrier in a Taiwan pet store so it could be near the puppy in the next box down.
The dog couldn’t control it’s excitement when it realized the cat was coming for a visit —not stopping its licking of the kitten’s face during the arrival, nose-first to their play date.
(WATCH the adorable video above from JoLinn Pet House) — Photo: JoLinn Pet House on FacebookSend This Video To Play For Your Friends, Share It…
An Ohio police cruiser won’t be racing to crime scenes any time soon — it’s been turned into a nursery for the mourning dove and her chicks that hatched in a nest there.
The dove, named Gerty, built a nest below the windshield wiper of a back-up cruiser for the Parma Police Department.
WATCH: Cat Tolerates Baby Chick– But When it Grows into a Chicken? Laugh Out Loud\
Praise has been pouring in from around the world for the cops on the bird beat.
“I think that’s the cutest thing I’ve seen in my entire week. Thank you for your kindness, from France!” Léa Vallée posted on the department’s Facebook page.
“These cops rock!!! thanks for doing this!” Linda Taylor Woods wrote.
Lt. Kevin Riley says it’s all in the line of duty for the department’s officers.
“We care for all lives, human or animal,” Lt. Riley told WJW News.
(WATCH the video below from WJW News) – Photos: Parma PD, Facebook; WJW News
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A dying man’s wish to see his children reunited, years after a war separated them from their parents, came true—and just in time for Father’s Day.
Following a refugee group’s successful effort to reunite them, the man named Mawa collapsed to the floor when he saw his children for the first time in a decade and the five kids — some grown to adulthood — raced to hug him in a tearful reunion.
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Shortly after arriving in America, Mawa was diagnosed with kidney failure. As the condition worsened, his desire to see his children only strengthened.
Nora contacted the International Rescue Committee, which set to work finding the five, and eventually dealing with bureaucracies to bring them to America.
WATCH: 82-Year-old Woman Finally Finds Long Lost 96-yo Birth Mother
All five were reunited with their parents in Baltimore, Maryland, earlier this year.
“Today is a miracle day in my life, I am very happy,” he says in the video below.
(WATCH the inspiring reunion below) — Photo: IRC
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After $200,000 was gifted from the estate of a retired Minnesota farmer to the local ambulance crew, they decided to pay it forward, which sent ripples across three rural counties.
INSPIRING: Lawyer Bought His Own Fire Truck and is Out Fighting Wildfires
But, what started with one donated ambulance has resulted in upgraded trucks for three departments.
(WATCH the heartwarming video above, or READ the story from KARE-11 News)
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WANT a Good Laugh? Grandma Can’t Stop Laughing At Gift of Firefighter “Hunks” Calendar- WATCH
City and community leaders celebrated a grand opening in the River District of a mobile restroom facility called the Pit Stop.
The pilot program aims to provide access to a safe and clean bathroom for those who need it. The portable restrooms will be staffed by an attendant to ensure that the toilets and sinks are well maintained and used for intended purposes.
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The Pit Stop facility, located at Ahern Street, between North A and North B Streets, will provide toilets, sinks, used needle receptacles and dog waste stations. The goal of this effort is to not only provide people a place to take care of their needs with dignity, but to capture measurable data of those who use the facility, and how the City can further address homelessness in the surrounding region.
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Harris pushed for $100,000 in the budget to partnered with FAS Services, a San Francisco based organization, that provides staffing and facilitation of the attended restrooms. The restrooms will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The pilot program will run for six months allowing staff to fully evaluate the impact and efficiency of such a program.
The Pit Stop program has gained success in San Francisco and has more than a dozen locations in San Francisco.
(WATCH the video below from KCRA)
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Thousands of inner city students in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. will have the opportunity to see HAMILTON, thanks to a $6 million grant from The Rockefeller Foundation.
HAMILTON creator Lin-Manuel Miranda announced on June 23 the Foundation’s commitment to expand the educational partnership that has provided students with tickets to the Tony-award winning show in New York City. The #EduHam program will now reach 100,000 public school children across the United States.
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The musical production blended hip hop, dance, and rap, with the Revolutionary War, to create the hottest ticket on Broadway— and one of the coolest American history lessons one is likely to get. (Watch a preview below)
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The partnership between The Rockefeller Foundation, HAMILTON, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the New York City Department of Education was announced in October 2015 and was initially funded through a $1.5 million grant to bring 20,000 public school students from the five boroughs—with large numbers of students eligible for free and reduced price lunch—to see the Broadway sensation. Students in New York benefited from an integrated curriculum developed by Gilder Lehrman that enhanced their experience of the play. The program was such a success, that The Rockefeller Foundation.
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“Our initial partnership was such a monumental success, we wanted to fund the partnership nationwide as HAMILTON toured across the country,” said Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “Our goal is to not only bring history to life for students, but to have them relate to the actors who make this show what it is; demonstrating that everything is possible for them, no matter what neighborhood they live in, what school they attend, or where they come from.”
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The educational program includes a HAMILTON Student Performance and Study Guide and an online HAMILTON portal for students and teachers that offers students a creative platform for developing and producing their own original performances of poetry, rap, songs, scenes and other art expressions, to be performed at the theater prior to watching a performance of HAMILTON.
“The HAMILTON student matinees on Broadway have been such a rewarding experience for all of us at the theatre, thanks to the creativity and the passion the students bring to them,” said Lin-Manuel Miranda. “The performances that they come up with are unbelievable!”
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“Rooted in research, the student projects are creative, personal, and inspiring… Kids who didn’t before suddenly care about America’s past, and see their own connection to it,” said James Basker, President of the Gilder Lehrman Institute.
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The room was filled with 6,400 fans, and the Dalai Lama didn’t disappoint.
The speech quickly sounded more like a personal conversation than a presentation—and, as happens in conversation, he stumbled into many amusing moments.
(WATCH the video above or READ more from USA Today –Note: page auto-plays so adjust speakers)
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