Good People Doing Good Things — Beacons Of Light

Posted on June 5, 2024 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

I let you down last week when I got confused about the day of the week, missed posting a ‘good people’ post on Wednesday, promised one later in the week, then forgot to follow through! I’m so sorry! But I’m back this week with a few more good people to warm your hearts just a bit.

This first story comes from somewhere in the UK. A mother was enjoying a quiet moment in her local café with her daughter and baby nephew. The only other customer was a man sitting a few tables away who left after the mother and children had been there for about 15 minutes. A few minutes later, the man returned, walked over to the woman and handed her this card …

Before the woman could say anything the man simply said, “Someone has left this for you” and then walked out of the café. The café staff told the woman that he usually leaves money behind the counter to pay for a few families’ orders anonymously, as he had a very poor upbringing and wants to help other families.

I’ve said it many times … little things mean a lot.

Teenagers often get a bad rap, sometimes deservedly so, but two teens in South Yorkshire proved there’s more to them than meets the eye! Freddie Corbett, 15, and Harley Hollingworth, 16, were waiting for the last train home on a Saturday night last month, hoping to make it home before their 11:00 p.m. curfew.

As the train’s lights shone ‘round the bend, suddenly Freddie saw a man jump onto the tracks saying he was ending his life. Freddy didn’t even think twice but jumped onto the tracks with the train oncoming and said, “You’re not doing that, mate.” Harley followed Freddie’s path and together they were able to drag the man off the tracks with seconds to spare before the train arrived at the station.

When interviewed later by Sky News, Harley said, “I wasn’t worried about the train; I just wanted to make sure Freddie got him off the tracks. We could see the train’s headlights approaching; it’s not a very long bend.”

Harley’s father later said, “I was buzzing. I’m bursting with pride. He’s just a typical grumpy teenager, but clearly, he has a heart of gold.”

Good job, boys!

Daken Kramer is a 5^th grade student at Thomas Ultican Elementary School in Blue Springs, Missouri. Several of Daken’s classmates owed money for school meals and had no way to pay it back. So, Daken came up with an idea.

He posted a video last month challenging friends, family, and the broader community to help him clear the meal debt. His original goal was $3,500, but his message resonated deeply, and donations poured in from individuals and businesses alike.

“It was my last year,” said Daken, who will be moving on to middle school. “I just wanted to do something kind to say thank you to the school.”

The funds Daken raised exceeded his expectations, covering all the meal debt owed to the school and providing nearly $4,000 to reduce meal debt at Blue Springs High School. His initiative not only relieved the financial burden on many families but also set a powerful example of community spirit and generosity.

And that’s a wrap for this week, my friends. Think of these people this week when the newsfeed starts to overwhelm you and you start to feel the darkness closing in. These people are small beams of light piercing the darkness with their big hearts and shining love.

♫ Good People Meets Lewis Capaldi ♫

Posted on May 25, 2024 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Good people doing good things, music, music history, Re-blogs, Social commentary

For today’s music post, I’m sending you ‘cross the big pond to Clive’s place, Take It Easy! He took the foundation of one of my ‘good people’ posts, and built on it musically with the works of one Lewis Capaldi, a talented young musician who has put a number of his tunes to use as the background to stories of good people doing good things! Clive features 5 of the tunes with stories of ‘good people’ and they are awesome! Be sure to heed Clive’s warning about the tissues, though … a couple of them will definitely bring moisture to your eyes! Thank you so much, Clive, for this very inspiring post!

Music Doing Good

Good People Doing Good Things — Compassion Rules The Day!

Posted on May 22, 2024 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, education, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

Sometimes it’s hard to switch mental gears from the dark news I read and write about every day to the ‘good people’ I write about on Wednesday, but once I manage that gear change, I’m always glad I did! I find my smile comes a little bit easier while I’m working on a ‘good people’ post, and as many of you have said, these good people give us hope for a brighter future. Today, I have a few that I hope you’ll enjoy.

Throughout my career, I had some really bad bosses and some really good ones, but I don’t think I ever had a boss quite like Latavia Bennette, the CEO of Homebridge Health Care Agency in Norfolk, Virginia. Recently, Ms. Bennette discovered that one of her staff, Brettne Brownson, was a single mother, struggling to take care of her children, and that she did not have a car, so she sometimes relied on Uber and sometimes ended up walking to work. But despite all that, she always had a positive attitude and never missed a day’s work.

So, what did Ms. Bennette do? Well, of course, she bought Ms. Brownson a car! As soon as she discovered that Brettne didn’t have a car, she actually went out and bought her a brand new SUV! Ms. Bennette reminisced about her own experiences of feeling unsupported in her career and said how that motivated her to create a nurturing environment for her employees. “I had moments where I didn’t feel valued where I was at, so when I opened up my company, that was something that was very important to me.”

Let me tell you about Lillian Orlich from Manassas, Virginia. Ms. Orlich died on March 7^th of this year at the age of 95. Before retiring six years ago, she had taught high school for 67 years and was known affectionately to generations of students as “Ms. O”. Can you imagine teaching for 67 years???

Lillian never married and had outlived her parents and her sister. She was interviewed back in 2017 by The Washington Post where she said, speaking of her students, “I don’t have any living relatives. These are my family.” She was known for her dedication to helping students navigate the myriad challenges of high school life: friendship drama, unstable home lives and academic difficulties. She served as a school counselor for parades of siblings and generations of families, sometimes helping the grandchildren of students she counseled early in her career. (If you check out the article linked above, be sure to watch the short video clip! You’ll love it!)

So, we can see that Lillian was already a good people, but shortly after her death, officials at Prince William County Schools were notified that in her will, Ms. O had left one million dollars to the County for their education foundation, SPARK! How did she manage save a million dollars on a teacher’s salary? Well, she had no family, teaching was her life, and her friends say she lived very frugally. What a wonderful, giving woman she was … throughout her life and even beyond!

Three years ago, Araba Maze was reading a book to her niece on the front stoop of her Baltimore home in a perfectly ordinary fashion.

But as the pages turned, the number of local children gathered around for “stoop storytime” increased until Maze had to take notice. ‘What are they doing?’ she thought.

When she had finished reading to them, they asked her to read another. “Go home and read,” she said. “We don’t have any books,” they replied.

Little did she know, but those fateful minutes of reading time launched Maze’s career as a librarian and influencer who champions a cause of getting books into the hands of urban children with no access to libraries.

Now known as Storybook Maze, she started work at the nearest library, which wasn’t that near since her neighborhood is one of the worst ‘book deserts’ in Baltimore. Using her training, she began to curate collections of books and get them into the hands of children using three creative methods.

The first is a free book vending machine. Using her extreme popularity on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, she gathered funds to install a book vending machine for kids on the street in 2023. Through her efforts in opening pop-up bookstores, she’s distributed over 7,000 books to children.

Throughout the process, she routinely hosted more ‘stoop storytimes’ where she would read to children throughout the city, driving publicity through her social media channels.

Now, Storybook Maze is attempting her largest project yet—a book trolley. With the goal of raising $100,000 on GoFundMe, she hopes to have a colorful children’s train that will toot-toot its way through the book deserts of Baltimore, providing as many books as can fit in the carriage cars.

“This book haven on wheels aims to break down barriers and provide access to books that traditional libraries can’t reach. As the wheels of the Book Trolley turn, so do the pages of countless stories waiting to be discovered.”

Good People Doing Good Things — Catalina Campos

Posted on May 15, 2024 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Good people doing good things, Holidays, Social commentary

Catalina Campos from Kansas City, Missouri, is just ten years old, but she has probably brought smiles to more people than some people do in their entire lifetime. She first came to my attention last week when I saw an article about a 10-year-old girl spreading joy on Mother’s Day.

Turns out that last year, with the help of her parents, Catalina started a non-profit, Circul KC, dedicated to serving senior citizens and other local nonprofits in need by providing essential supplies and support.

Here’s a bit from the Circul KC website about how it all started … going back to when Catalina was just three years old …

The CIRCUL KC was created by Catalina Campos, a 10-year-old in Raytown Missouri. Catalina was just three years old when she held her first volunteer project, candy canes for Seniors. That same year she received the title, Miss. Armour Oaks Community Service Project, for raising $25 for Armour Oaks Senior Living Community. As time went on candy canes turned into door hangers and socks. Fastforward to 2021, Catalina’s Mom and Stepdad became concerned with the education she was receiving in public school. Catalina was having issues with bullying and with all the distractions in the classroom she struggled retaining information being taught. Her parents decided to give homeschool a try, Mom left her position as Director of Human Resources in a non-profit senior living community and Catalina said goodbye to public school. The change made it difficult for Catalina to give back to the Seniors, but she still managed to visit every Veterans Day to pass out something to all the Veterans. As time went on, Catalina began to have more “FREE” time. She began creating new ways to give back to those in need. She started visiting local cemeteries to clean gravesites overgrown with weeds and grass, picking up litter in local parks and visiting local Senior Facilities during the holidays to pass out cards or candy. This started to become a financial burden on the family. The family came together to explain the financial concerns arising and brainstormed ways to continue Catalina’s projects without breaking the bank. Catalina had many ideas from sewing and selling sock monkeys to holding a bake sale, however this would not bring in the revenue needed to continue her missions. The family explained to her what a non-profit was and that starting a business may be the best route. After much consideration and education, they decided to go all in. Receiving investments from family and friends the CIRCUL KC was created.

So, back to her most recent efforts to bring smiles to moms on Mother’s Day …

On Mother’s Day, Campos and her team set out with one goal: to make mothers feel special and loved. Armed with vibrant bouquets, they visited senior living facilities and ventured into Kansas City’s Loose Park, where they delighted mothers of all ages with unexpected gestures of kindness.

Reflecting on her mission, Campos expressed her joy at seeing the smiles on mothers’ faces, knowing that their simple act of giving could brighten someone’s day.

“It was nice to see them smile because sometimes moms don’t have… the kids don’t come and give them stuff.”

As the flowers found their way into the hands of mothers throughout Kansas City, they carried with them not just petals and stems, but a message of love, appreciation, and the power of small acts of kindness to make a big difference in someone’s life.

Little things, I know, but isn’t it encouraging and heartwarming to see one so young care so much about others? I predict this girl will do wonderful things in her lifetime!

Good People Doing Good Things — A Smile & A Hero

Posted on May 8, 2024 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

You know how at the conclusion of every ‘Jolly Monday’ I ask you to share your smiles with others, for a simple smile sometimes has the power to brighten a person’s day. When I came across this article in NPR’s ‘Unsung Heroes’ series a few days ago, I just had to share it, for it proves my point a hundred times over.

Ken Wilcox started off 1993 feeling hopeless. He was working a new job in Washington, D.C., and while it paid well, his boss was what Wilcox describes as a “tyrant.” On top of that, many of Wilcox’s friends were getting sick and dying from AIDS.

“Life felt bleak,” Wilcox said.

One January morning after a business meeting, Wilcox was walking down a busy street. It was bitterly cold, and all the holiday cheer of the new year had faded from the city. He’d just received two difficult phone calls: one from his angry boss and another from a friend who had recently been diagnosed with AIDS.

“So I was just really feeling miserable. And I just didn’t understand what the purpose of life was,” he remembered.

Because the sidewalk was crowded, Wilcox was moving along the outside curb near the road.

“And as I was walking, a city bus came along and it came so close to me that I could feel it brush the right arm of my coat. And suddenly an idea came to me … And that idea was that I could wait on the next bus and just lean a little further out and that bus could take me out of all of my misery.”

As he reflected on his idea, Wilcox made eye contact with a woman walking toward him.

“She quite deliberately looked at me and sought out my eyes. And when we locked sight, she just gave me this beautiful, wonderful smile,” Wilcox said.

“She didn’t say anything to me. She just smiled at me. And that one smile was enough to keep me going to keep moving forward.”

Soon after that interaction with his unsung hero, Wilcox quit his job. He’s now a minister, a job he loves.

“I have to marvel at the idea that all of that has come about because this one wonderful woman on a street in Washington, D.C. on a cold January day decided to smile at me. She is my unsung hero.”

Remember Ken Wilcox next time you see the basket of smiles at the bottom of Jolly Monday!

And then there’s this courageous good person …

It was pre-dawn on a Tuesday morning in February, and Ryan Pasborg of Green River, Wyoming was late for work.

It was still dark when Ryan turned onto Highway 374, and the temperature outside was still below zero. Suddenly, as he drove down the pitch-black road, a startling sight caught his eye. A house in Jamestown was on fire, and there were no emergency vehicles in sight.

He could smell the smoke and saw flames leaping out of a bedroom window. Realizing he was the first on the scene, Ryan quickly pulled his truck into the home’s driveway. That’s when he saw three small children, a 12-year-old girl and her 6 and 8-year-old brothers, huddled outside the house. Ryan rushed up to them, and they tearfully told him their mother and 4-year-old brother were still inside the house.

Without a second thought, Ryan dashed into the inferno. The smoke was so thick inside that he had to crawl on his hands and knees, blindly calling out for the mother and child. He’d just made it into the kitchen when he stumbled into the little boy, so he picked him up and carried him outside. Ryan then herded all four children into his truck to stay safe and warm while he went back into the house to find their mother.

Ryan had to crawl even further into the intense heat and smoke of the blaze to find the children’s mother, who was badly burned and unconscious. After dragging her unconscious body outside, Ryan performed lifesaving measures until she was revived. Getting her into the truck with her kids, Ryan drove the rescued family away from the house to the end of the driveway to wait for emergency services to arrive.

Incredibly, Ryan wasn’t finished taking care of these strangers in need! A sheriff’s spokesperson says Ryan even purchased hundreds of dollars of clothing and personal items for the mom and kids, who are staying with relatives nearby.

In a statement, Sheriff John Grossnickle of Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office says this story is one of the most incredible tales of heroism he’s ever heard.

“There are no words to adequately express the magnitude of Ryan’s bravery other than he is a perfect example of what it means to be a real hero. His actions speak volumes about the true content of his character, and people like Ryan are a testament to the overwhelming power and strength of community that we are so fortunate to share with one another as friends and neighbors here in Sweetwater County.”

Good People Doing Good Things — Kelvin Ellis

Posted on May 1, 2024 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Economic issues, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

Today’s ‘good people’ is something of a follow-up or addendum to last week’s good people post about young people doing good things to help others. This story crossed my radar a few days after that one, and it melted my heart. There are really two good people here … a boy and a man.

Kelvin Ellis, nine years old, is the boy who was willing to give his only dollar to a homeless man. Here’s the story from Upworthy …

Kids can be amazingly empathetic people, many of them doing what they can to help others in need unprompted. Homelessness has been an increasing issue across America and some kids have taken small steps to try to help when they can. Kids are seen doing things like volunteering at a soup kitchen with their family, handing out personal hygiene kits and even making sandwiches in their own kitchen to give out.

One kid has been noticing a growing homeless population and wanting to lend a helping hand, but every time he encountered someone without a home, he had no money. But Kelvin Ellis didn’t stop the desire of wanting to help so the next time he came across a man that appeared homeless, he was excited that this time he had a dollar in his pocket.

Kelvin, who is 9-years-old spotted a houseless person standing in the corner of a restaurant and knew it was his chance. The boy approached the man who was standing with his eyes closed and held out the only money he had–a dollar bill. But to Kelvin’s surprise, the man refused the kind gesture and instead bought him breakfast because it turned out the man wasn’t homeless at all.

Matthew Busbice, the man standing in the corner, was simply doing his morning devotional prayer after having to leave his apartment in a rush when the building’s fire alarm went off. The man stepped across the street to the coffee shop after it was confirmed to be a false alarm at his building. That’s where Kelvin spotted him and attempted to give charity to Busbice, a multimillionaire.

Busbice launched and owns several brands and outdoor companies with his family. The multimillionaire also starred in two popular reality television shows with his family, Country Bucks on A&E and Wildgame Nation on Outdoor Channel. His money and niche fame didn’t stop him from chatting with Kelvin over breakfast while the little boy’s dad was at the eye doctor.

“You gave the only money in your pocket to me and thinking I was a homeless man, and that speaks volumes of your character and what this generation that’s coming up. If they’re more like Kelvin and they’re going to give, they’re going to be filled with joy, they’re going to be happy. They’re going to change the community then change the parish and change the state, and they can change the world,” Busbice tells WBRZ 2.

Kelvin didn’t expect to make a friend that day, but he did. You can see how Busbice repaid the little boy’s kind gesture below.

It may have been only a dollar, but it was every bit of money he had and he didn’t even think twice about giving it away. What a young man, yes? Methinks he will grow up to do some great things for others during the course of his life.

Good People Doing Good Things — Ahhhhh Youth!

Posted on April 24, 2024 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, education, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

For this week’s good people, I am going to focus exclusively on the young people, for they are our best last hope for a brighter future, a better world. I think after you read these stories, you will at least be able to believe in the possibility of a better world going forward.

Many young people today take climate change and the environment far more seriously than we older folks!

Nissa Bek is now 24 years old and lives in Tripoli, Libya. When she was only 17, she took the climate change bull by the horns, founding Project Mulan …

Nissa Bek is leveraging the power of media to address the challenges of climate change. Seeing the impact of media during the pandemic led Nissa to consider ways through which it could be harnessed by activists for climate action. Because media has the power to mobilize people in large masses, she believes that using it to focus on climate, “we will be able to warn people about what’s coming and highlight coping strategies from around the globe, protect public interest and hold polluters accountable, promote necessary actions and finally play a role in climate policy formation.” So in 2017, Nissa founded Project Mulan to provide young people with a platform through which they advocate for climate solutions, educate the public about climate change, and hold major polluters accountable, while addressing other issues they’re passionate about.

For youth under 18 years old, Project Mulan was a novel opportunity as it gave them the ability to make their voices heard and take action through service activities. By taking a youth-focused approach, Nissa has been able to engage youth as young as 8 to share their concerns through TV and as radio hosts, script writers, and podcasters. Youth have also been trained on delivering workshops about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, have launched petitions about issues they’re most passionate about, and some now work for leading media companies! As Project Mulan continues to inspire youth activists, Nissa is looking to pursue international law as a way to making lasting, sustainable change. She hopes to one day eliminate gaps in international law that allow polluters to get away with the harm they are causing, push for more legally binding climate agreements, and bring justice to communities most impacted by climate change.

A nature and animal lover, John Smithie, age 16 from New York City, read Oyster, a book about New York Harbor, which opened his eyes to the way New Yorkers were once deeply connected to the water around them, and how oysters were central to them as a food source and part of their economic well-being. However, due to the highway developments in the city during the 1950s and 1960s, many New York residents, especially in lower income communities, have been cut off from the water by heavily trafficked roads that were built out along the river’s edges, and fragile water ecosystems were simultaneously destroyed. Inspired by the Lenape’s—the tribe indigenous to modern-day New York City, New Jersey, and much of Pennsylvania and Delaware—belief of shared resources cared for by all, John began volunteering with the Billion Oyster Project.

As a community scientist for the Billion Oyster Project, John grows oysters while monitoring oyster health and water quality at two sites along the East River, engaging a rotating group of up to 20 of his peers in his efforts. As oysters grow, they filter the surrounding water and capture carbon dioxide, while oyster reefs can serve as barriers to storms and tides and create thriving ecosystems. John is also working with restaurants and clubs in midtown Manhattan to recover oyster, hard-shell clam, and scallop shells that would otherwise end up in landfills. These shells provide a surface and necessary nutrients young oysters need to grow into self-sustaining oyster populations. John hopes that through his work, New Yorkers learn about the importance of oysters on New York City’s ecosystem and that people around the world can see that diverse animals can thrive in urban environments.

Makayla Cox, age 15 from Carson, California, has always enjoyed the beach, spending time with her family and friends at the pier, boogie boarding in the water, and playing in the sand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she became concerned about what she was hearing about Venice Beach—the second-most visited place in Southern California—in the news and how it was becoming a place people did not want to visit due to an increasing amount of litter. As someone who participated in beach clean-ups since she was 7 years old, Makayla discovered there were few of these events once restrictions were lifted. Because of this, she created the nonprofit Clean Up the Beach in September 2022.

Through Clean Up the Beach, Makayla organizes monthly clean-ups along Venice Beach, the Muscle Beach Boardwalk, and nearby parking lots. Her events, which engage volunteers from age 5 through late-70s, encourage people to respect the environment while having fun: Makayla has incorporated gift raffles and scavenger hunts into each clean-up, incentivizing her now more than 250 volunteers to participate regularly. As she looks forward, Makayla wants to address some of the more root-causes behind the litter. By the end of 2024, she aspires to fill or replace the hollow wooden logs that serve as a marker between parking lots and the Boardwalk in an effort to reduce trash that gets caught inside, as well as replace existing Boardwalk trash cans with heavy duty bins that have lids and separate compartments for trash and recyclables.

Isn’t it great to see the young people taking the initiative, doing what they can to make the world a little bit better place?

Good People (And One Critter) Doing Good Things!

Posted on April 17, 2024 by jilldennison under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

I have rather a hodgepodge of good people (and a critter) today to warm your hearts and remind you that kindness, compassion and humanity really do still exist in the world today!

This first story took place in Cahokia, Illinois. Officer Gemoules pulled over a vehicle with expired plates. Upon approaching the car, he found 22-year-old Ka’Shawn Baldwin behind the wheel without a valid driver’s license. However, instead of reacting with a ticket, Gemoules took a moment to listen to Baldwin’s situation.

Baldwin explained to the officer that he was on his way to a job interview and did not have any other means of transportation. Realizing the importance of the moment and the potential impact a ticket could have on Baldwin’s life, Gemoules decided to drive Baldwin to his job interview himself.

“Something came upon me, God, whatever it was, and said, ‘Give him a little break.’ So that’s what I did,” Gemoules said.

Baldwin not only made it to the interview on time, but also impressed his potential employers enough to secure the job.

Reflecting on the unexpected turn of events, Baldwin expressed his gratitude, saying, “It meant everything to me.”

Lou Coulon, a dedicated nurse working in the endoscopy unit at Baptist Health Deaconess in Madisonville, Kentucky, arrived for her shift on a chilly March day, completely unaware that she would be departing shoeless. The act of generosity was sparked by a memory of a patient she had encountered months earlier. The patient, returning for another appointment, was still wearing the same shoes with holes in them.

“The laces were all shredded, and the soles were torn up,” Coulon said. “You could see through the sides.”

That’s when Coulon decided to give the patient the shoes that she had on her feet. The shoes she offered were brand new, a pair she had just purchased for herself.

Despite her initial reluctance to part with her newly purchased footwear, a persistent inner voice encouraged Coulon to proceed.

“Something was just nudging me. I heard a voice saying, ‘Hey, take off your shoes’,” she shared.

Left shoeless for her journey home, Coulon ingeniously crafted makeshift footwear using socks with rubber grips, a thoughtful provision by the hospital for patients. “I put them over my socks,” she laughed, “I thought, ‘Oh, that will get me to the car’.”

The heartwarming aftermath of Coulon’s act was witnessed when the patient and a loved one returned to the unit.

“Later, when the patient and her loved one came back to the unit, he saw the new shoes and was so excited for the patient, he said as soon as we get home, I’m throwing these old shoes in the trash. They were both so excited and appreciative,” Baptist Health Deaconess shared.

But Coulon’s act of kindness did not go unnoticed. Brooks footwear, the brand of her donated shoes, learned of her selfless gesture and generously sent her a voucher to replace the shoes she had given away.

In the quaint town of North Haven, Connecticut, Detective Michael Harton isn’t just a member of the police force; he’s a beacon of warmth and kindness. Five years ago, Harton found himself in a situation that would forever intertwine his life with that of a precious family.

It was a fateful night when Harton’s quick thinking and decisive action saved the life of 3-month-old Eimaan “Tooka” Rolle. With nerves of steel, he applied a variation of the Heimlich maneuver for infants, refusing to let despair take hold.

“I kept saying to myself, ‘Not on my watch. Not on my watch’,” he told Fox News.

The encounter was a rollercoaster of emotions for all involved. Tooka’s mother, overwhelmed with panic and fear, could only watch as Harton fought to revive her precious child. But Harton’s determination prevailed, and Tooka was brought back from the brink, her tiny chest rising with life once more.

Since then, Harton and his wife, Susan, have been a constant presence in Tooka’s life, celebrating birthdays, holidays, and every significant milestone along the way.

“Everybody’s lives changed for the better that night — especially mine,” Harton shared.

For Tooka’s mother, the relationship with Harton and his family is a beacon of hope in an often divided world.

“We come from two different walks of life,” she said. “Two different cultures, two different races. And for us to come together, especially in the way today’s world is with community and police, it just brings a whole new light to things.”

And last but not least, a good critter doing good things …

Roger is an 8-year-old Labrador living in Taiwan. Roger was once a drug-sniffing police dog but lost his job due to being overly friendly. His love for fun, food, and people often diverted his attention and hindered his responsiveness to his handler’s instructions.

Then on April 3^rd, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan and it was … Roger to the rescue!

Amidst the chaos, rescue dogs like Roger play a crucial role in locating stranded individuals, offering hope in the face of tragedy. Roger, specializing in “rubble pile search and rescue,” proved his worth beyond measure during the recent crisis.

In a heartwarming moment captured on camera by the county fire department, Roger was seen mounting a boulder that had obstructed a hiking trail near Hualien’s Taroko National Park. With his keen senses and rigorous training, Roger detected clues that led to the discovery of a victim trapped beneath the rubble.

Mayor Chen Chi-mai lauded Roger and his handler, Lee Hsin-hung, in a Facebook post titled “The Paw Paw Team’s feat.” According to Hsin-hung, Roger wasted no time in his mission, locating the victim just five minutes after setting off into the treacherous terrain.

As Taiwan continues to recover from the aftermath of the earthquake, Roger serves as a shining example of resilience and unwavering dedication. His journey from a retired drug-sniffing dog to a lifesaving hero inspires hope and reminds us that every dog truly does have its day.

I hope these stories have brought a smile to your heart. And remember, we can all be ‘good people’ … sometimes all it takes is a small gesture or even a smile!

Good People Doing Good Things — Random Acts of Kindness

Posted on April 10, 2024 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, education, Global Issues, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

I don’t do it often, but every now and then I enjoy playing these “Random Acts of Kindness” videos that I come across. I snagged this one a couple of months ago from blogging friend Bee, set it aside, and rather forgot about it until this week. You won’t find any major things like someone rescuing a family from a burning house or feeding an entire village, but what you will find is people doing little things that make someone’s day a bit brighter — random acts of kindness of the sort we can all do from time to time. I’m a tough ol’ biddy, but even I found tears welling in my eyes at the same time as a smile crept across my face. I hope you enjoy this compilation of ‘good people’!

Good People Doing Good Things — Gone But Not Forgotten

Posted on April 3, 2024 by jilldennison under Global Issues, Good people doing good things, History, Social commentary, Tributes

Chef José Andrés and the people who make up the World Central Kitchen have featured in a number of my ‘good people’ posts since 2018 (see links below). It is with great sadness that I once again highlight them today, after 7 of them were killed yesterday while being good people, trying to provide food for starving Palestinians in Gaza. World Central Kitchens will continue to do what they have always done, but this is no doubt a blow to all those involved in providing humanitarian aid around the globe. I just wanted to honour these seven wonderful humanitarians in this week’s ‘good people’ post.

“These are the heroes of World Central Kitchen. These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day’s mission. Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories. And we have countless memories of them giving their best selves to the world. We are reeling from our loss. The world’s loss.” – Erin Gore, CEO