Woman Helps Pet Owners in Poverty and Her Program is Now in 28 States

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Aug 13, 2015

A lot of attention is paid to helping pets get adopted—but one woman saw a need to help furry ones who already had homes.

Amanda Arrington, who was the North Carolina State Director for The Humane Society of the United States a decade ago, started the Pets For Life program to provide care and information for pet owners who are sometimes 20 miles away from a vet.

“A lot of us take for granted that we know what heartworm is, and its prevalent in the south because of mosquitos, but if you’ve never seen a vet and your parents and neighbors and friends don’t take animals to vet, then your just not familiar with it,” Arrington told Good News Network.

“There are no pet supply stores, no retailers, people don’t have access to what they need.”

The issue caught her attention during Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts, when she saw the high rate of pets not spayed or neutered.

“There was no access between Louisiana and Mississippi for people struggling financially to get vet care. There was one spay neuter clinic between the states,” she said.

In 2011, she got Pets For Life off the ground by sending teams to literally knock on doors, introduce themselves, and tell people about the services they provide.

“We build a presence in neighborhoods with three days each week of outreach,” she said. “People know that if they have a question, we’re coming back in two days.”

Everything is free, from vet checkups to transportation to the vet and any other services (except very expensive surgeries).

The program was incredibly well-received and, after a year, Amanda realized every town needed something like this—but their volunteers could only handle a few.

As the director of Pets for Life, she decided to reach out to local rescue groups and begin a mentorship program with the help of PetSmart Charities, providing grants and direct training to local groups.

Mentorship programs are operating in 30 cities and 28 states from Florida to New Jersey, they’ve even on a Native American reservation in Montana.

SEE More Inspiring Pet Stories Here, on Good News Network

Working in underserved areas isn’t without its challenges, though.

“We deal with everything you can imagine. We console families when they lose someone or help someone who took in a dog because cousin went to jail,” Arrington said. “It’s all related. You can’t just say, ‘I’m here to work on this one issue.’”

Sharonda Byrd knew something was wrong when their two-year-old dog, Treasure, refused to eat and began to lose weight. She wouldn’t go near water and developed sores on her skin. They didn’t have a car to take the 50-pound-pup to a veterinarian, and taking her on an Atlanta city bus wasn’t an option either.

Luckily, they found the organization’s walk-in warehouse space nearby, and one of their staffers swung by the house the next morning to drive Treasure to the vet. Treasure made a full recovery from intestinal parasites, thanks to the free treatment Pets for Life provided. She’s now back to waking everyone up with a face full of kisses and tail wag to the neck.

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Astronauts Grow Salad Greens, Eat Fresh Food in Space, a NASA First

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Sheila Key

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Aug 13, 2015

Astronaut cuisine has always consisted mainly of freeze-dried foods, but now a freshly grown vegetable garden is taking off.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station tweeted their excitement Sunday about an off-planet first: the next day’s menu would include veggies grown on board.

“Fun watching these (salad greens) grow,” astronaut Kjell Lindgren tweeted, as he shared the photo above. “Almost sad to eat them tomorrow. Almost.”

For weeks he and the rest of the crew had tended the ‘patch’ of “Outredgeous” red romaine lettuce. Though it was not the first crop cultivated in space, this time they were actually going to get to eat it.

SEE More Good News About NASA in the Good News Network Archives

“Lettuce take a #selfie,” crew mate Scott Kelly joked in his tweet. Behind him in the photo, fresh romaine leaves hover within a transparent box bathed in magenta light.

It is the classic image of science project–because that’s what it is.

Tomorrow we'll eat the anticipated veggie harvest on @space_station! But first, lettuce take a #selfie. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/fUKQMhEDjK
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) August 9, 2015

For decades, NASA and other space agencies have experimented with plants in space, but the results were always sent to earth for examination, rather than eaten. Likewise, half of this week’s crop will be withheld from the salad bowl and sent back to earth– just the latest results of ongoing experiments in zero-gravity gardening.

NASA’s aim with space farming, as it’s called, goes beyond the need to feed a few astronauts within the cramped confines of the International Space Station. With planned deep-space missions to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars in the 2030s, NASA needs to figure out how to grow food not only aboard spacecraft, but also on other planets.

Field of Greens: Baseball Stadiums Grow Veggies on Roof to Feed Fans

The Veggie Plant Growth System that produced Monday’s momentous salad is “aeroponic,” designed to cultivate vegetation in an air or mist environment without soil. Even on earth, plants grown this way mature up to three times faster than those grown in soil and require far less water and fertilizer, NASA explained. Such plants are much less prone to disease and, sealed safely away from the world of bugs, never need pesticide.

Besides, NASA said, on-board gardening gives astronauts something fun to do during long missions, between their systems checks, spacewalks and other official duties.

We’re sure it tasted out of this world.

(READ more at CNN) — Photos: Kjell Lindgren, Twitter

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Survival Rates for Ovarian Cancer Reach All Time High – Up 50%

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Terry Turner

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Aug 13, 2015

Women today are far more likely to survive ovarian cancer than their mothers’ would have been.

After comparing the survival rate of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 1975 and 2011, researchers found that women diagnosed in 2006 or later were 50% less likely to die from the disease than those diagnosed in 1975.

The survival rate has improved for women with all stages of ovarian cancer, according to Dr. Jason Wright, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. He led the study that looked at medical histories of 50,000 women diagnosed over 36 years.

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“They’re living with the disease for longer and longer periods of time as we have new chemotherapies, new drugs, new way to deliver drugs for ovarian cancer,” Dr. Wright told CBS News.

He also credits improvements in early detection of the disease, which isn’t always easy.

Meet the Chicago Teen Who May Cure Colon Cancer

Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose in the early stages and has a high recurrence rate, but new research is beginning to change that, allowing doctors to treat the disease earlier.

The study was published in the June issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

(WATCH the CBS News video below) Photo: ReSurge International, CC

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Americans Can Donate AC Units to Seniors Who Can’t Afford Repairs

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Terry Turner

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Aug 12, 2015

Instead of roasting in the oppressive heat of a Mississippi summer, an 81-year-old woman is breathing easier thanks to a donated air conditioner.

It’s more than just a cool thing to do. Donating an air conditioner, new or used, can save someone’s life.

John Armstrong of the Harrison County Senior Resource Center, installed the donated air conditioner in Annie McLaurin’s home after her old one stopped working.

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

As the hottest days of summer are baking much of the country, charities are grateful for donations of air conditioners, which are not just luxuries. Heat is one of the most dangerous weather conditions in America, according to the National Weather Service, causing hundreds of death each year.

Electric utilities also are assisting by giving portable air conditioners to people in need. For example, Reliant Energy joined the health department in Houston, Texas, to distribute 315 air conditioners for senior citizens earlier this year.

Brilliant Idea: Free Housing for Student Volunteers in Senior Home (w/ Video)

Seniors can contact the local LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program) for air conditioning help. The public can donate units by contacting their city or county health department. If you have AC technical experience, you might be able to fix units that are broken and provide relief to someone for the rest of the summer.

(WATCH the WLOX News video) – Photo: Mr.TinDC, CC

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Stranger Pays Parking Ticket for Mother Staying with Baby at Hospital

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Terry Turner

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Aug 12, 2015

The last thing an Australian woman needed after spending days in the hospital with her sick, infant son was a parking ticket.

Fortunately, a stranger felt the same way.

When the mother returned to her car—after days of sitting up with her nine-week-old son in the hospital—she found a note on the hood.

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

“I saw your car had a parking ticket on it,” the note read. “I’m sure whatever you’re going through at the hospital is tough enough so I have paid for you.”

The note even included the receipt number for the payment.

The stranger left only her first name, Laura.

The simple act of kindness brightened her day, but she had no way to track down the stranger and thank her.

Balloon Released at Gravesite Flies 25 Miles, Straight Home to Family

So the mother posted a photo to the Canberra Mums Facebook page, a virtual meeting place for new mothers, hoping Laura would see it.

There’s a pretty good chance she has by now — the post has been shared almost 15,000 times in the last four days.

(READ more at TODAY) — Photo: Canberra Mums, Facebook

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6-yo Boy Who Lost Both Parents Has New Purpose: Making Strangers Smile (WATCH)

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Terry Turner

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Aug 12, 2015

Jaden Hayes lost his father when he was only four, and his mother earlier this year.

But the six-year-old is tired of being sad—and seeing everyone sad all the time–so he is cheering up strangers in his hometown.

The adorably outspoken child asked his new guardian, Aunt Barbara, to help him with his master plan to give out small toys, “rubber duckies and dinosaurs” – the things that make people smile.

Sassy 5-yo Sets Up Ice Cream Shop So He Can Buy Medicine for Sick Kids

On four separate occasions, he approached people on the streets of Savannah, Georgia, who weren’t smiling and handed them a toy.

It worked like a charm: the little gifts instantly put smiles on strangers faces.

“The more people he made smile, the more his light shone,” Barbara DiCola, told CBS’s Steve Hartman.

12-Yr-Old Generously Uses ‘Make-A-Wish’ For Food Truck To Feed Others

At least 500 people have gotten one of Jaden’s gifts — and given the little orphan a big smile in return.

“I’m counting on it to be 33,000,” said the little smile collector.

(WATCH the video below from CBS News) Photo: CBS – Story tip from Bryan

View More: The Spark News|U.S. News|Live News|More News Videos

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It’s Unanimous: Every Country in the UN Signs Agreement to Protect Wildlife

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Terry Turner

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Aug 12, 2015

In an international body where it seems no one gets along, the United Nations has found something everyone likes – wild animals.

It took three-years, but all 193 member countries of the U.N. have signed on to a resolution to create new and stronger protections for the world’s wildlife.

Baby Tortoises Survive on Galapagos Island for First Time in 100 Years

The resolution calls on countries to beef up courts and law enforcement to protect wildlife, and encourage communities to join the fight against poaching, trafficking, and selling illicit goods taken or made from threatened animals.

“The resolution sends a message that wildlife crime, and the global criminal syndicates profiting from it, will not be tolerated,” Leigh Henry, of the World Wildlife Fund, told ABC News.

Trophy-Hunted Lion’s Tragedy Leads to Animal Rights Triumphs

Starting next year, the UN Secretary General will have to file an annual report on the state of the world’s wildlife and progress countries have made toward fulfilling the requirements of the resolution. The General Assembly is also looking into the idea of creating a special envoy to help keep pressure on countries to live up to their promises.

It’s rare for all the member countries to agree to any one thing, but animals have an appeal that reaches across borders, and attracts tourists.

Arizona City Mandates All Dogs Sold in Pet Stores Will Come From Shelters

Gabon and Germany proposed the original initiative, and 84 other nations joined as co-sponsors of the resolution.

(READ more from AP News) — Photo: Mara 1, CC

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Precious “Lost” Tolkien Story to be Published For the First Time

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Terry Turner

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Aug 12, 2015

“Not all those who wander are lost” — and not all lost manuscripts stay that way.

Fans of “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” have a new book to look forward to — one that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote more than 100 years ago. It was his first fantasy work and, though never finished, it laid the foundation for every book he’d go on to write.

Brand New Book by Dr. Seuss–Was Lost–Now Published 55 Years Later

Tolkien wrote “The Story of Kullervo” while at Oxford University in 1914. World War I interrupted his work on it, but he later called it “the germ of my attempt to write legends of my own.”

It’s about a young man who seeks revenge against an evil magician and Tolkien used the title character as a basis for the hero in “The Silmarillion” years later.

Harper Lee Novel, Watchman, Released After 50 yrs of Anticipation

The Story of Kullervo will be available in the UK on August 27, and in the U.S. October 27, but is available for pre-order now. It will include Tolkien’s drafts and notes on the work.

(READ more from The Verge)

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Baby Elephant Chasing Birds is Only Video You Need on World Ele Day

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Good News Network

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Aug 12, 2015

In honor of World Elephant Day, we are trumpeting the best videos on the web showing these adorable babies using their trunks to play.

No matter how many you watch, nothing beats this video (above) of a baby elephant discovering baby birds for the first time.

If you want more—and how could you not—check out these other elephant babies at play:

Baby Elephant Swirls a Ribbon Just Like a Child

At the Elephant Nature Park juveniles regularly engage in cute behavior. Watch Faa Mai enjoying her playtime with a steaming ribbon.

After Years Apart, Watch This Mother Elephant Reunite With Her Baby

Baby MeBai was only three years old when taken from her mother, Mae Yui, and forced to give rides to tourists in Thailand. Too young and small for the job, the young animal steadily lost weight until she could no longer carry passengers. Elephant Nature Park stepped in, rescuing MeBai with their “Pamper a Pachyderm” program. The reunion with its mother was a lovefest of touching and cuddling. (READ More here)

Baby Elephant Throws a Tantrum

This Little Elephant Loves Cuddling with Humans, Particularly Arthur

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Young Sisters Raise $650,000 Folding Origami to Build Wells Across World

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Sheila Key

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Aug 12, 2015

Normally, paper and water create a soggy mess, but add origami to the mix and you get clean water flowing through the hearts of two sisters and 70 newly drilled wells in Africa, India, Mexico, Peru, and the U.S.

It all started after 5-year-old Katherine Adams began folding origami with her father after they dropped off her older sister at school.

When Katherine learned that millions of people go thirsty every day—and many girls can’t even go to school because they spend all day hauling water—she decided to put her paper-folding skills to good use.

With the help of her dad, she would try to raise money to build a well in Ethiopia by hosting an origami sale at a local Starbucks in Dallas, Texas. Her mom and 8-year-old sister, Isabelle, began to fold, along with other volunteers who asked to join the effort.

The girls set a $500 goal and got busy folding dozens of origami ornaments in the autumn of 2011. The ornaments sold out by the end of their first day at Starbucks and, just eight weeks later, the girls had raised over $10,000, enough to cover the cost of a new well to benefit the entire village.

SEE More Inspiring Kids’ Stories at Good News Network

Almost four years later, the sisters—now 9 and 11—are co-presidents of Paper for Water, an organization whose hundreds of paper-folding volunteers have helped raise over $650,000. The girls have been tapped as keynote speakers and have even been given what amounts to a lifetime achievement award from nonprofit Living Water International.

Globally, 783 million people lack access to clean water and more than a billion lack appropriate sanitation facilities, a problem the girls’ dad, Ken Adams, M.D., said would cost some $20 billion to solve. Sounds like a lot, but when you consider that people in the U.S. spend over $400 billion during holiday gift-giving season each year, his daughters see it as “definitely doable” to eradicate global thirst in their lifetime.

“If everyone in this world helps a little, it all adds up to a lot,” Isabelle told Good News Network. “Folding origami is an easy way for people of any age to help change the world.”

The Adams family has visited two of the wells made possible through Paper for Water —one in India a couple Christmases ago, and one this past Monday on a Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. Eager to meet as many of the families as possible who have benefited from Paper for Water’s work, the family is planning a 2017 world tour.

The girls teach their craft wherever they go.

“It’s fun and it’s social and it’s a good way to use your brain to help other people,” Katherine said.

The simplest Paper for Water ornament takes an hour to make—and some can take more than five. One volunteer put over 22 hours into a single ornament, which will be on display at the girls’ exhibit at the Paper Discovery Center in Appleton, Wisconsin, starting in September.

You can buy the ornaments online at their website.

Photos via Paper for Water, Facebook

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Robin Williams’ Compassion Lives On Through Son’s Service in Prisons

By

Terry Turner

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Aug 11, 2015

A year after Robin Williams’ death, his son Zak is carrying on the comedian’s legacy of humanitarian service.

The actor’s oldest child is using his business education to teach prison inmates how to manage their finances after they’re released.

Zak Williams, by his own estimate, could have coasted through life, riding on the wealth of his famous father. Instead, he wanted to “take pride and joy” in his work, using his MBA degree from Columbia to give something back.

To do that, the 32-year-old started teaching a finance class at California’s San Quentin Prison last October.

Williams teaches the weekly course alongside one of the inmates, Curtis Carroll, whose prison nickname is “Wall Street” because he has studied stocks and predicts which ones will do well. Their course teaches inmates how to write resumes, look for a job, manage finances, and plan for retirement. Williams hopes to develop the program into one that will work outside prison, expanding it to low-income neighborhoods.

MORE: Michael J. Fox Climbs North Dakota Mountain to Fund Parkinson’s Research

“It’s not hard to be compassionate,” Williams told TODAY.

Robin Williams once told a forum on Reddit: “My children give me a great sense of wonder. Just to see them develop into these extraordinary human beings.”

Photos: Eva Rinaldi, CC; and Twitter, @zakwilliams

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California Restores Voting Rights for 60,000 Former Felons

By

Terry Turner

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Aug 11, 2015

A court settlement has just given 60,000 felony offenders the right to vote again in California.

They all committed low-level offenses and were released, placed under community supervision to ease prison overcrowding. They never regained their right to vote and a lawsuit was filed on their behalf to get those voting rights back.

A Superior Court Judge agreed back in May saying the idea of the community supervision sentence “was to reintroduce felons into the community, which is consistent with restoring their right to vote.” After initially appealing the case, the state agreed to a settlement last week.

Cops Decide Heroin Addicts Will Be Helped With Rehab, Not Arrested

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said, “If we are serious about slowing the revolving door at our jails and prisons, and serious about reducing recidivism, we need to engage—not shun—former offenders.”

Inmates Grow Along With the Gardens They Tend Behind Bars

The Sentencing Project says roughly six million Americans are not allowed to vote because of criminal convictions in their past. A bill before Congress and a possible referendum in Florida may restore voting rights to thousands more ex-offenders who’ve completed their sentences.

(READ more at Mother Jones) — Photo: FutUndBeidl, CC

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Stranger Pays Unpaid Court Fines to Break Cycle of Jail for Ex-Con

By

Terry Turner

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Aug 11, 2015

A good Samaritan has volunteered to pay off a former convict’s debt to the court — long after the man had finished paying his debt to society.

Shaunte “Tay” Rowe had been struggling for 11 years to pay off $4,700 in court fees and restitution in Spokane, Washington. After reading a news article about his plight, a stranger paid off the remaining $1,200 owed by Rowe.

It can be hard for an ex-offender to find a steady job, and Rowe has been sent to jail four times because he didn’t have enough money to make payments. While in jail, Rowe can’t earn the money needed to pay off his debt to the court, plus he runs up more fees — with the 12% interest rate.

Hundreds of Strangers Help Innocent Man After 24 Years in Prison

Jim Moses, an Arizona archaeologist and owner of Antigua Archaeology, LLC, told Good News Network he decided to help immediately after reading about Rowe’s struggle to gain a fresh start.

“The thought of charging released felons 12% interest on their administrative costs is appalling,” he said in an email today. “These people do their time… and then struggle to re-enter the world while laboring under an oppressive interest rate in an era of near 0% interest from the Federal Reserve. It is a horrible practice that must end.”

Moses believes debt is the biggest cause of economic inequality and thought helping Rowe would finally allow him a chance to start a new life.

The archeologist has not spoken or communicated with Mr. Rowe, yet, but said he may try to contact him to say hello.

SEE More Inspiring Stories About Ex-Offenders

(READ the full story at Aljazeera America) Story tip: Gal Adam Spinrad – Photo submitted, and Facebook

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Mom Starts Dog Treat Biz So Special Needs Adults Can Bake for Bucks

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Good News Network

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Aug 11, 2015

The chefs at this local Greensboro, North Carolina kitchen only work with a few ingredients: peanut butter, oats, oil, flour…and, of course, love.

Pat Clapp started ArcBARKS Dog Treat Company as a way to help her son, David, and other special needs adults find a fulfilling way to spend their time.

David has Down Syndrome, and Clapp says that opportunities for him are few, and far between, in their community.

“One of my chefs told me, ‘If ArcBARKS wasn’t here, I’d be sitting at home like a couch potato right now,’” said Clapp. “We have fun every single day, and the pickiest of picky dogs eat our treats.”

All of the 18 ArcBARKS chefs may have development disabilities, but it’s not even close to being a setback for the amateur treat chefs who hand-craft these natural, locally sourced biscuits.

Their treats are distributed at nearly 150 locations across North and South Carolina from grocery stores to animal hospitals.

ArcBARKS also prepares the young adults for careers outside of the treat-making business, training them in the art of collaborations, sales, customer service, and eye-contact.

Happiness, confidence, and acceptance are also amazing by-products of their work.

The company gets help from Arc of Greensboro, whose mission is to create opportunities for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Find out how to buy the treats, here.

(WATCH the video below from WFMY) Photos: ArcBARKS Facebook

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Photographer Finds Estranged Father While Documenting Homelessness

By

Terry Turner

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Aug 11, 2015

A photographer documenting Hawaii’s homeless stumbled upon someone she never expected to see among them — her dad.

Diana Kim’s father had owned a photography studio when she was a little girl, and she grew up with a deep interest in the art form. Her parents separated when she was five and her father grew more distant until she lost touch with him completely.

Rock & Roll Photographer Turns Local Homeless Into “Stars”

Kim began documenting Honolulu’s homeless in 2003 as a student and has been doing it ever since. One day in 2012, she spotted her father among the people she was photographing. She tried talking to him, but he wouldn’t respond. Kim kept trying to engage him in conversation for a year-and-a-half, but was unable to get him to make eye contact.

She documented their encounters in photos, and, when it seemed darkest, her father turned a corner and Kim was finally able to enroll him in mental health care.

By Putting Housing First, Utah Reduces Homeless Population by 91%

“Our paths crossed for whatever reason,” Kim told NBC News, “And I truly believe it was because we were truly meant to help each other and grow together.”

While the pictures from her father’s homeless days are stark black and white images, today, the pictures are in bright color, and imbued with smiling faces.

(WATCH the NBC News video and READ more at NBC News) – Photo: NBC News video

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Son Builds A ‘Tank’ Wheelchair to Delight His WWII Veteran Dad (WATCH)

By

Linda Hernandez

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Aug 11, 2015

A World War II veteran who came under enemy fire by German tanks in the 1940’s now has his own tank-like transportation – his wheelchair.

It had become tough for Peter Shaw to push his 96-year-old father’s wheelchair around the grounds of his Shropshire home in the UK, so he decided to invent something a little more hardcore.

With the help of locals who donated the materials and a local welder, Eddie Shaw’s son adapted a motorized wheelbarrow and a van seat to resemble an armored tank – complete with caterpillar tracks.

The all-terrain wheelchair took about 30 hours to build, and can reach speeds of up to 8 miles per hour.

Dad Builds “Awesome” Giant Swing so Daughter in Wheelchair Can Play

The elder Shaw, who served as a Sergeant with 918 General Transport Company in the 8th British Army Division during World War II, told The Daily Mail, “It brings backs memories of the war. I came under fire from tanks but never got to drive one – now I finally can.”

Typical wheelchairs offer limited mobility on unstable terrain, but that’s no longer an issue for this father-son duo, who plan on test-driving the custom wheelchair on trips to the beach.

Until then, Eddie is happily cruising around the English countryside.

(WATCH the video below and READ more at Daily Mail) – Photo: Daily Mail video

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Bulletproof, Fireproof, Eco-friendly Homes Are Made of Plastic Bottles

By

Terry Turner

-

Aug 10, 2015

People from Africa to Latin America are recycling bottles and using them to build fireproof, bulletproof, environmentally-friendly homes.

For about a quarter the cost of a conventional home, folks can build a two-bedroom house from 14,000 recycled plastic bottles by using the technique known as “bottle walls.”

The idea addresses both homelessness and pollution at the same time. Nigeria, for instance, has a housing shortage — 16 million people are homeless — and they have no manageable way to deal with plastic waste piling up across the country.

Nigerians have been getting help from Ecotec Environmental Solutions, a German firm since 2011, which is teaching them how to build with this model.

The bottles are filled with sand and stacked on their sides using cement filling frames to create solid walls – a foot or more thick – that insulate and protect the people inside.

The video below shows how the U.S. Peace Corps has been using a similar method to build houses in Guatemala with discarded bottles.

(WATCH the Peace Corps video below and READ more at The Plaid Zebra) — Photo: Andreas Froese, Facebook

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4 Year-old Advertises to be Flower Girl and Lands a Wedding at Courthouse

By

Terry Turner

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Aug 10, 2015

A four-year-old girl made a wish and her mom devised a brilliant plan to make it come true. It would involve a fancy dress, a basket of flowers, and a sign that read: “Can I be your flower girl?”

Don’t worry. Her mother didn’t suggest she stand in the streets–not this clever parent.

Annabelle whispered her wish to Yoko Ono’s “Wishing Tree” at the Smithsonian Institution’s sculpture garden earlier this year. When her mother, Kim Earl, asked what it was, Annabelle told her it was to be a flower girl in a wedding.

Sassy 5-yo Sets Up Ice Cream Shop So He Can Buy Medicine for Sick Kids

The problem was that none of her parents’ friends or relatives were planning weddings anytime soon, but Kim hit on an idea when the family got home to New York.

She took Annabelle to the City Clerk’s office all dressed up with a basket of flowers and the sign volunteering the little girl’s services for a quick wedding service.

Kids’ Lemonade Stand Hooks Up Bus Driver And Everyone on Board

About 20,000 people pay $25 for a no-frills wedding at the clerk’s office every year, so Mom figured the odds were in their favor that someone would agree to help Annabelle out. They did — on just the second try — and Annabelle’s wish came true.

Annabelle even got a slice of wedding cake afterwards.

(WATCH the video and READ more at TODAY) – Story tip from Lindsay Murray

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Arizona City Mandates All Dogs Sold in Pet Stores Will Come From Shelters

By

Terry Turner

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Aug 10, 2015

For the longest time, rescue groups, shelter volunteers, and animal lovers everywhere have hoped the day would come when pet stores would sell shelter pups exclusively, as a way to cut the profit from “puppy mills”.

Last week a federal judge in Phoenix, Arizona upheld a city law requiring that all dogs sold in pet stores come from shelters.

Photo of Shelter Pups Hugging Lands Them Home Together, Just In Time

Phoenix is one of about 60 cities in the U.S. that have similar laws designed to put an end to puppy mills by driving potential pet buyers toward homeless animals and reputable breeders.

An estimated 23,000 dogs are sold in Phoenix area pet stores every year, and shelter dogs can spend months or even years waiting for adoption.

Laws like the one in Phoenix are believed to cut that wait time and end overcrowding in animal shelters.

Clear Your Schedule: Baby Kitten Cuddling is a Real Volunteer Job

“We have so many dogs in Arizona that need homes, we don’t need to import them,” Phoenix City Councilwoman Thelda Williams, who helped champion the ordinance, told the Arizona Republic.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, The Pets Plus Natural pet store chain announced that, after being approached by the Humane Society of the United States’ Stop Puppy Mills Campaign, they will be converting all of their stores by December of this year.

The chain’s store in Bensalem, Pennsylvania converted and hosted a grand reopening on August 8.

(READ more at the Phoenix Business Journal) – Photo: pocketwiley, CC

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Elderly Man’s Home is Repainted by Strangers After Kids Make Fun Of It

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Good News Network

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Aug 10, 2015

Leonard Bullock is one of those guys who sits on his porch every day. And a railroad track inspector named Josh Cyganik has made it a point to wave to the 75-year-old every day for four years.

Josh and his fellow workers begin every day in the railroad yard across the street from Leonard’s run-down home in Pendleton, Oregon.

One day last month, Josh overhead some kids making rude remarks about how the house should just “be burned down” because it was in such bad shape. Leonard overhead them, too, and looked visibly hurt.

SEE More Headlines About Community Kindness in Good News – Community

Determined to erase that hurt with something positive, Josh asked a few fellow railroaders to help out. He also asked his friend, Brian Christensen, manager of Tum-a-Lum lumber, if he could donate some paint and supplies. They were all happy to help–and when Josh asked Leonard if it would be alright to paint his house, “he was ecstatic.”

Worried he wouldn’t have enough helping hands with only a week’s notice, Josh posted his plea on Facebook. “The post blew up like wildfire,” and was shared more than 6,000 times.

One week later, more than 100 people showed up to help paint, and others sent donations of money, food and drinks.

Starbucks even sent the crew water and iced tea.

“It was a random act of kindness, but to me it’s more about respect,” Josh said. “I was raised to respect the people who came before you, to help others out who don’t have much. Leonard can now sit on his front porch for the rest of his years while feeling good about his home.”

Thanks to more donations from Tum-a-Lum Lumber, construction of a new porch is underway. Volunteers have purchased new outdoor furniture, and–because the retired fork-lift driver doesn’t have the funds for a new roof–Josh is looking for a company willing to donate time to complete the renovation.

Photos courtesy of Union Pacific

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