The Good News Network Channel ~ “A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.” (Tom Stoppard).
Friday, December 21, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Boy wins trip to Disney, gives it to fallen soldier’s family
http://news.yahoo.com/video/orlandowesh-16122564/boy-earns-donates-disney-trip-to-fallen-soldier-s-family-29507858.html#crsl=%252Fvideo%252Forlandowesh-16122564%252Fboy-earns-donates-disney-trip-to-fallen-soldier-s-family-29507858.html
A 9-year-old Massachusetts boy who earned an all-expenses-paid Disney World vacation through an innovative Facebook experiment gave the trip away to the family of a soldier killed in Afghanistan.
Brendan Haas created the "Soldier for a Soldier" Facebook page in February. Inspired by the story of the guy who, through a series of trades, turned a paper clip into a house, Haas started with a toy soldier and eventually traded up to $900 worth of Disney gift certificates, airfare and hotel credits.
On Memorial Day, Haas gave the trip to the family of U.S. Army Lt. Timothy Steele, a 25-year-old soldier killed in Afghanistan last year. According to NBC's WHDH-TV affiliate, Haas pulled the name of Liberty Hope Steele, the fallen soldier's now-2-year-old daughter, out of a hat and surprised the Steele family at their Duxbury, Mass., home.
Not surprisingly, Haas' gesture was followed by dozens of Facebook comments thanking him.
"You're one amazing young man," Ann Marie Smith Braga wrote on the "Soldier for a Soldier" wall. "Our family lives on Hanscom AFB in Bedford, Mass. We are an active duty Army family. I want to thank you from all the Army families here at Hanscom."
"What you have done is unheard of in this day and age," April Johnson wrote. "I am so grateful for you and others like you! I am featuring your story in my newsletter. You are a very wonderful boy!"
"If everyone was like Brendan there would be no wars," Bob Wade wrote. "Brendan, being 9 years old you may not fully realize how incredibly thoughtful your gift is but someday you will. I hope you continue to do great things in your life. The world needs people like you."
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Firefighters donate Mega Millions
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/firefighters-donate-mega-millions-winnings-ailing-fellow-fireman-183135668.html
Five Albuquerque Station Eight firefighters who won a $10,000 share of the Mega Millions jackpot last week have decided to donate an unspecified part of their winnings to fellow fireman Vince Cordova, who is suffering from a life-threatening tumor.
"We decided to get tickets ten minutes before the sales closed," said Capt. Jed Hyland told local news affiliate KOB. "I ran in shouting that we hit 5 of the 6 numbers."
After convincing their fellow firemen that it wasn't an April Fools' joke, Hyland and his four fellow winners (Steve Keffer, Paul McClure, Clinton Anderson and Si Do) decided to donate part of their winnings to the local firefighters Survival Fund. "Everybody at the station agreed that this would be a good opportunity," Hyland said.
KOAT reports that Cordova, 24, has a rare aggressive tumor that puts pressure on his brain. He'll die if the tumor isn't removed, but life-saving surgery from a specialist in Los Angeles costs several hundred thousand dollars.
While the $10,000 is only a small portion of Cordova's total medical bills, his fellow firemen hope that their donation will help raise awareness and encourage others to donate.
KRQE News 13 reports that Cordova has already undergone two of the three necessary operations, with the final to be performed on Wednesday.
"I'm nervous. I'm scared. I've got these butterflies in my stomach that just won't leave, but I'm hanging in there," Cordova told the station in an interview before his first operation on Saturday. "I can't believe that the fireman b"I just want to tell everyone thank you for standing by me and staying strong," Cordova said. "Thank you for believing in me, and I promise to see you guys soon!"ond is so strong."
The final surgery will be performed by a team of five surgeons and is expected to last at least 10 hours.
"(Cordova) has such a great attitude. He looks at it as another challenge, like he would a structure fire that we face as firemen. He's going to overcome it. He's positive and he's strong—that's the kind of man he is," AFD firefighter Gilbert Baca, who trained Cordova in the academy, told KOAT.
Five Albuquerque Station Eight firefighters who won a $10,000 share of the Mega Millions jackpot last week have decided to donate an unspecified part of their winnings to fellow fireman Vince Cordova, who is suffering from a life-threatening tumor.
"We decided to get tickets ten minutes before the sales closed," said Capt. Jed Hyland told local news affiliate KOB. "I ran in shouting that we hit 5 of the 6 numbers."
After convincing their fellow firemen that it wasn't an April Fools' joke, Hyland and his four fellow winners (Steve Keffer, Paul McClure, Clinton Anderson and Si Do) decided to donate part of their winnings to the local firefighters Survival Fund. "Everybody at the station agreed that this would be a good opportunity," Hyland said.
KOAT reports that Cordova, 24, has a rare aggressive tumor that puts pressure on his brain. He'll die if the tumor isn't removed, but life-saving surgery from a specialist in Los Angeles costs several hundred thousand dollars.
While the $10,000 is only a small portion of Cordova's total medical bills, his fellow firemen hope that their donation will help raise awareness and encourage others to donate.
KRQE News 13 reports that Cordova has already undergone two of the three necessary operations, with the final to be performed on Wednesday.
"I'm nervous. I'm scared. I've got these butterflies in my stomach that just won't leave, but I'm hanging in there," Cordova told the station in an interview before his first operation on Saturday. "I can't believe that the fireman b"I just want to tell everyone thank you for standing by me and staying strong," Cordova said. "Thank you for believing in me, and I promise to see you guys soon!"ond is so strong."
The final surgery will be performed by a team of five surgeons and is expected to last at least 10 hours.
"(Cordova) has such a great attitude. He looks at it as another challenge, like he would a structure fire that we face as firemen. He's going to overcome it. He's positive and he's strong—that's the kind of man he is," AFD firefighter Gilbert Baca, who trained Cordova in the academy, told KOAT.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Gary Sinise Visits FOX23 News in the Morning
Gary Sinise Visits FOX23 News in the Morning
Actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise announces that the Gary Sinise Foundation and The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation are partnering as part of their Building for America's Bravest Program to build a "smart home" for Tech Sgt. Joe Wilkinson (USAF Ret.).
Wilkinson has extensive neurological damage following his service in Iraq. Doctors have told him he is suffering from a chronic, multi-symptom illness. The belief is he might have come into contact with toxic chemicals sometime during his tour of duty.
Despite several grueling surgeries, he has lost most of the feeling in his legs -- most likely the result of degenerative nerve damage in his back. Wilkinson is unable to walk and is wheelchair-bound.
The fundraising centerpiece to build Wilkinson a "smart home" will be a concert performed by Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band at the Washington Avenue Armory on Saturday, April 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert go on sale Monday, March 12 and range in price from $30 to $50 with all proceeds going toward funding the specially-equipped house for Wilkinson, that will allow him to live independently with his wife Lucretia and their children Austin, 13, Kennedi, 10 and Mia, 2.
Actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise announces that the Gary Sinise Foundation and The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation are partnering as part of their Building for America's Bravest Program to build a "smart home" for Tech Sgt. Joe Wilkinson (USAF Ret.).
Wilkinson has extensive neurological damage following his service in Iraq. Doctors have told him he is suffering from a chronic, multi-symptom illness. The belief is he might have come into contact with toxic chemicals sometime during his tour of duty.
Despite several grueling surgeries, he has lost most of the feeling in his legs -- most likely the result of degenerative nerve damage in his back. Wilkinson is unable to walk and is wheelchair-bound.
The fundraising centerpiece to build Wilkinson a "smart home" will be a concert performed by Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band at the Washington Avenue Armory on Saturday, April 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert go on sale Monday, March 12 and range in price from $30 to $50 with all proceeds going toward funding the specially-equipped house for Wilkinson, that will allow him to live independently with his wife Lucretia and their children Austin, 13, Kennedi, 10 and Mia, 2.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
'Cash mob' in Chagrin Falls lends a hand to 155-year-old hardware store
Published: Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 9:32 AM
CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio (AP) -- It began quietly, as an email to 40 friends.
But when a steady stream of customers began coming through the door before the family-owned Chagrin Hardware had even opened for the day on Saturday, it was clear that it had turned into much more than that.
The idea started with Jim Black, a resident of Chagrin Falls, a close-knit village in Cleveland's eastern suburbs that is part artist colony and part bedroom community. Black posted the email to a group of his friends. "Let's show our support for one of our local businesses," he wrote. "I challenge everyone to spend AT LEAST $20 at the hardware on the 21st."
Although his email referred to the idea of a "Cash Mob" or the notion to "Occupy CF Hardware," he really had no political agenda. And it wasn't meant as a protest against the big-box stores that have created an ever-tightening circle around the community.
It was just a way to thank Chagrin Hardware's owners for a beloved shop that has been a fixture in the village since 1857.
"These are good people who needed our support," Black said. "It's just that simple."
The store, overlooking meandering Riverside Park and the Chagrin River in the middle of town, has been run by the Shutts family for the last 72 years. It passed from uncle to father to older brothers Rob and Kenny and the three youngest, Steve, Susie and Jack, who run the store today.
Black's note was forwarded and forwarded and forwarded again. Calls started coming in from folks out of state who wanted to make a purchase over the phone.
And when the day came, so did the shoppers -- one by one, with dogs on leashes and children in tow, hour after hour until the hardware was teeming with customers.
"This is small-town America," said resident Martine Scheuermann, a bag of pet-safe ice melt in her arms and her Springer Spaniels tapping their toes on the worn wooden floor at her feet. "This is a special family business in a town where everybody knows you."
The store has seen its share of tough times. Road construction on Main Street at the store's front door some years back crippled business for a time. More recently, the weakened economy and the big boxes have stolen away customers.
On this day, though, those storylines were forgotten.
By 10 a.m. the place was jammed. By 1:30 p.m., the credit card machine was overloaded and had to be reset. "This is so cool," said Steve Shutts, a mix of joy, wonder and happy exhaustion spread across his face. "I've seen people today I haven't seen in years."
The line at the checkout stretched in two directions as people with snow shovels and light bulbs and fireplace grates and vintage movie posters and horse shoe caulk -- yes, horse shoe caulk -- waited to pay.
Chad Schron, 38, came with his 8-year-old son Robert. "We didn't have anything we had to get, but we found things we had to get," he said. As he spoke, Robert clutched an Ohio State desk lamp and two flying monkey toys to his chest.
"When I was a kid, my Mom would send me down here with a note to let me buy BB's," Schron recalled. "Lots of kids did that back then. The notes still are in a drawer over there," he said as he pointed past the register to a wall of wooden drawers containing everything from old springs to screws. In the drawer still labeled "BBs" were stacks of crumpled notes dating to the '50s, from mothers just like Schron's
When the final customer had finally left well after closing time with her fuzzy dice and floodlights, Schwind and Steve Shutts tallied the day's receipts. Shutts shook his head at the wild and unexpected ride.
He wouldn't say how much the store made that day, but was clearly pleased with the outcome.
"Thanks to Jimmy Black," he said. "Thanks to everyone. Thanks to Chagrin Falls.
"What a place to live."
AMY SANCETTA, Associated Press
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