Sliver of Hope

[SubGod22]

People are amazing

NFL Fans Shocked by Sudden Collapse of Athlete Donate $5 Million in 24-hrs to His Humble Toy Drive-Including Tom Brady

The shocking news generated an avalanche of compassion that has already raised nearly $5 million for Damar’s charity in less than a day.

The 24-year-old, who now plays safety in Western New York, created the charity to provide toy drives and back-to-school supplies for children in his hometown of Pittsburgh.

‘Tom Brady’ just donated $10,000 in the past hour—being one one of 160,000 people who opened their hearts by contributing.

The Chasing M’s Foundation first posted the humble fundraiser on GoFundMe in December of 2020, with Damar writing:

“As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me.”

“I created The Chasing M’s Foundation as a vehicle that will allow me to deliver that impact, and the first program is the 2020 Community Toy Drive.”

I just checked and at 8:50am local time, his fundraiser sits at $6,173,080 with almost 204k people donating. The largest donation is $20k.

[SubGod22]

'We Fed Them, Had Coffees Going': McDonald's Workers Shelter People From Blizzard

Employees at a McDonald's in Buffalo opened their doors to the public during the blizzard.

The restaurant sheltered more than 50 people from the storm.

It was around 2:00 p.m. on Friday when Jeffrey Spangler, Kristin Kosha and Amanda Kendall were closing up the McDonald's on Sweet Home Road in Amherst when the snow started coming down.

"It wasn't safe to drive," Kosha told ABC News. "We had to make the right choice for us and our other manager with us."

Knowing they had a warm place to stay, and plenty of food, Kosha opened up an invitation to anyone stuck on the streets to come to the McDonalds.

It wasn't long before Amherst Police and fire were dropping off stranded motorists at the McDonalds, and into their care.

"I didn't think it would go as big as it did. I thought 10-15 people, but we were full," she said.

More evidence that when things get bad, people will do what they can to assist others in need.

[SubGod22]

Police Praise Local Hero Who Broke into School to Save 24 People During a New York Blizzard

A remarkable story from the Christmas blizzard blanketing the Northeastern United States featured the kind of ‘smash and grab’ we all need to hear about.

The school’s alarm went off at Edge Academy on Christmas Eve, but due to the ‘worst snow storm in a generation‘ the local police near Buffalo, New York, were unable to quickly respond.

When the Cheektowaga Police did arrive, they found one of the windows had been broken out—but checking the school building, they found nothing out of place.

They thought maybe the damage was caused from the hurricane-force winds—untill they saw a handwritten note left on a table.

The note started with an apology for causing damage to the window—and having to borrow the snow blower to rescue others who had run out of gas while trapped in their cars.

“Got stuck at 8 p.m. Friday and slept in my truck with two strangers. Just trying not to die.”

“There were 7 elderly people also stuck and out of fuel. I had to do it to save everyone and get them shelter and food and a bathroom.”

The note was signed, Merry Christmas, Jay.

When officers watched the video surveillance from the school, they were astonished. “We witnessed people taking care of people,” said a report on the Department’s Facebook Page.

After breaking in, Jay went back out into the storm and found others who were freezing in their cars, and brought them inside—24 in total, and 2 dogs.

In the school, he found granola bars, water, and blankets in the nurses office, and gathered apples, juice, and cereal from the kitchen.

Kids played in the gym and adults watched football games and storm updates on television, while the hours on Saturday turned into a Christmas Day Sunday, spent sheltering at the school.

They even made sure to clean up after themselves and didn't touch any of the "real" food in the freezer.

People helping people. I love it. And it just goes to show that despite the media, most of us are good people.

[SubGod22]

NY Couple Opens Home To 10 Korean Tourists Stuck In Blizzard

A couple in upstate New York opened their home to 10 Korean tourists after their bus got stuck in the snow.

On Friday, a bus carrying 10 tourists got stuck in the snow near Buffalo, New York. The group of tourists were making their way to Niagara Falls from Washington, DC, when they found themselves in the middle of a blizzard.

Two men in the group decided to knock on the door of a nearby home to ask for shovels. Their plan was to dig the bus out and keep moving.

Instead, they ended up with a warm place to stay until they could be picked up after the storm cleared, The New York Times reported.

"2pm frantic knock on the door today during the worst blizzard I've experienced, was from a Korean tour-group of ten en route from DC to Niagara Falls, whose bus got stuck and remains stuck in front of our house. A Festivus surprise for all," Alexander Campagna said.

You never know when or where opportunity to make new friends may come from.

[SubGod22]

Sometimes we forget how magical certain things are, or can be. Little boy sees snow for the first time.

Watch Lucky Little Boy Delight in Playing in Snow for the First Time During US Trip

This little boy was overcome with excitement after being able to play in the snow for the very first time.

Dominic laughs with excitement in the video posted by his parents—running and discovering all the joys of a thin layer of snow on grass and sidewalk.

Dominic and his parents Candice and Fidel were visiting his grandparents in Utah from their home in Mexico.

The 3-year-old was born in Mexico and has lived there all his life.

“Dominic was amazed and mesmerized,” said the 33-year-old mom.

“The first thing he did was put his hands in the snow and started jumping around. He said wow a lot.”

“It made me cry. My parents were just as emotional as I was.

Short video in the link.

[SubGod22]

Sweet tribute

Man Spell Out 'Hi Kevin' in Lights for 20 Years-to Honor His Neighbor

Every Christmas, Mike Witmer gets out his colored lights to weave a very specific message out into the night.

Witmer says passersby are sometimes confused by his lights, which read ‘Hi Kevin’ across his roof, but it’s to honor the memory of a young boy who passed away from cancer in 2010.

For the past two decades, he has featured a reference to Kevin in his light displays. Kevin was diagnosed with cancer in 2002 when he was just 11. That year Mike had written ‘Get Well Kevin’ in lights.

The pair had lived on neighboring roads and Kevin had loved seeing Mike’s light displays each December.

He continued to reference the lad in his lights every year until his tragic death eight years on in June 2010.

Mike vowed to honor Kevin’s life by continuing their much-loved tradition of installing his largest display yet on his roof, so that Kevin could still see the lights from above.

“Kevin was a cool kid in the neighborhood. He swam on the local swim team with my kids and we all became friends,” said Witmer from Gaithersburg, Maryland.

“When I heard he had cancer and was going through chemo and radiotherapy, I wanted to support him. I had this idea to write ‘Get Well Kevin’ in my Christmas lights—what 11-year-old doesn’t want to see their name in lights?”

Witmer continued to do it every year, even after his cancer went into remission and Kevin went off to college.

[SubGod22]

If this doesn't warm the heart, I don't know what to say.

Boy Scout Raises Money To Buy Christmas Gifts For Every Foster Child In Two Counties

11-year-old Jonathan Werner has only been a boy scout for nine months.

But he takes his service projects seriously.

Through popcorn sale money, Jonathan was able to buy gifts for every foster child in two counties.

"I adopted all the foster care kids in Kanabec County and Isanti County for Christmas," he told KARE11.

It's a need that's close to his heart.

"My dad spent 14 years in foster care and based upon stories that he had being in foster care, it doesn't really sound like they had much of a Christmas," Jonathan said.

90 second news video in the link.

[SubGod22]

This is a tradition I can get behind.

Every Penny Thrown into Rome's Trevi Fountain Goes to Help the City's Poor

Every year, the more than €1 million in coins thrown into the Trevi Fountain in Rome are hoovered up to feed, clothe, and house the city’s poor.

Completed in 1762, the marble marvel is one of the Eternal City’s most popular attractions. Commissioned in the 1730s by Nicola Salvi, it depicts the taming of waters.

Oceanus the sea god is pulled by a shell chariot of seahorses, all around which lie shells, coral, fishes, and other sea-things.

Normally it’s a tourist madhouse, taking up a third of the space in the already small Piazza di Trevi. Tradition has it that tourists put their back to the fountain and toss a coin over their left shoulder with their right hand—an act which supposedly guarantees they shall return to the Eternal City.

[SubGod22]

We hear a few stories like this from time to time, but it's not often a local one.

KAKE - Wichita restaurant server receives $2,200 tip for Christmas

"It was time for them to pay and I asked how they were going to do their checks and they said they will be all together. Then I bring the check over and all the family, friends started whipping out their phones.. and they got out a large amount of money like- 'Alright each year during the Christmas holiday we all bring out $100, and so we are gonna let you keep all the money. It's 22 of us and we all brought $100, so that's $2,200 for you to take home...and we hope you enjoy your Christmas and that everything goes well.'" said Sullivan.

"I was shocked most of the day. I was in disbelief until it was time to come home and I was taking a large amount of money more than I ever take home and working in customer service.. you never expect that amount of money coming in at a table. And with them giving me that...it's helped a lot. I'm gonna save it for a new car or moving," she said.

However, she didn't keep all of the money to herself. She tipped everyone at the diner, saying they are like family to her. Sullivan says to be grateful for every tip during the holidays and that she believes what goes around comes around.

A short video clip from KAKE is also in the link.

[SubGod22]

This one brings a smile to my face.

Heartwarming Moment Ex-Foster Kid Asks to Be Adopted by Family He Sold a Car To

There’s no substituting the need for family, and one young man raised in the foster care system hoped to find one in a pair of perspective car buyers he met last year.

Video shows the Wilkinsons family, who walked off the lot with a car and a new friend in April 2021, reacting tearfully to salesman Davon Woods’ recorded message asking them to become his ‘forever family’ and whether he could take their last name.

Growing up in the foster care system, the 27-year-old Woods said he never had a relationship with any parent ever, and after Sarah Wilkinson heard his story, she kept her and her parents in touch with Woods, attempting to reach out when they could

The Wilkinsons invited Davon for dinner on his birthday in August 2021 and to join them again for Thanksgiving later that year at their Savannah Georgia home. More than a year after their first encounter, Woods asked to become part of the family.

Although no legal adoption process has taken place, the Wilkinsons now treat Davon like family—which is all that really matters—and gave him the green light to become Davon Wilkinson.

“It was weird to be in a loving environment. I’ve never had a relationship with any parents ever, adoptive or biological,” said Woods. “It was something I’d always wanted. I’ve always wanted to say ‘this is my family.'”

As they say, there's the family you're born with (blood) and the family you choose (your people). So happy that this man found people to call family. Also beautiful that he's now started an organization to help serve foster kids.

[ShockTalk]

Employee Immediately Gives Her Favorite Shoes to Man Walking With Boxes on his Feet



Ace has her own financial struggles as well. She's better than me.

Ace, you're aces with me!!

[SubGod22]

Employee Immediately Gives Her Favorite Shoes to Man Walking With Boxes on his Feet

The manager of a Minnesota liquor store was surprised to come back from lunch yesterday to find his counterhelp walking around in her socks.

That’s because security camera footage revealed she had just given her favorite shoes—a pair of purple retro Jordans, to a homeless man she saw strapping boxes to his feet.

Brooklyn Center Liquor employee Ta Leia Thomas, known locally as “Ace” said the split-second act of kindness “was an easy decision.”

“He said nobody would ever give me shoes like that,” Thomas told CBS. “And I said, well, I’m not everybody.”

“I was always taught to help others. You never know what their problem is, or what they are going through.”

Ace has her own financial struggles as well. She's better than me.

[SubGod22]

I'd never heard about this program. A bit more info in the article.

National Guard Brings Santa To Frigid Alaska Village To Surprise Kids

Children in a small community in northern Alaska were so delighted for a visit by Santa that they braved wind chills of 25 degrees below zero just to see him.

Alaska National Guard's "Operation Santa Claus" is a program that helps bring Santa and Mrs. Claus to children in native villages.

Nuiqsut, Alaska is a roadless village of about 460 residents. It's just 30 miles south of the Arctic Ocean.

So, Santa left his reindeer at home and caught a ride on an Alaska Air National Guard cargo plane.

Excited kids were waiting for him at the snow-covered airstrip.

"Some of them were out on the deck and they were jumping up and down, excited to see the plane coming in," Principal Lee Karasiewicz of the Trapper School told the Associated Press. "They knew right away by the size of the plane, who was on that plane."

When Santa and Mrs. Claus stepped off the cargo plane, children rushed to greet him with hugs.

[SubGod22]

Not everything in California is ****

First Official Unicorn Husbandry License Given to Intrepid Young Girl in California - LOOK

California just granted the first ever state license for Unicorn Husbandry, provided the young applicant can find one, and ensure it has appropriate exposure to sunlight, moonbeams, and rainbows.

Department of Animal Care and Control added that its horn needed polishing every month with a soft cloth.

“Dear LA County, I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my backyard if I can find one,” wrote a girl named Madeline.

In response, DACC sent an emblazoned “Permanent Unicorn License,” in fuschia-colored metal, alone with a white unicorn plushie with pink hooves and a silver horn.

DACC Director Marcia Mayeda praised Madeline’s “sense of responsible pet ownership to seek permission in advance” and for thoughtfully considering “the requirements of providing a loving home to animals.”

In the grand scheme of things, this is nothing. But for a little girl, it is everything. This is something that would be easy to ignore or laugh off, but responding in this way harms nobody and makes someones day. I approve.

[SubGod22]

Dramatic Rescue Shows Community Teaming up to Save 4 Horses That Fell Through Ice into Freezing Pond

A team of neighbors, firefighters, and animal control officers worked for hours in the freezing weather to rescue four horses that fell through an icy pond.

The South Kalispell Fire Department responded to the scene near Patrick Creek in Montana, after the four horses fell through the ice, and were stuck up to their necks.

A video shared by Amber Countryman shows the numerous attempts to pull out the horses, each one failing until the rescuers eventually harnessed some extra ‘horse power’ when they brought in a tractor.

A dozen people, including firefighters, staff from Flathead County Animal Control, as well as neighbors, all worked together to free the horses.

They first tried to make makeshift pontoons from pallets and other pieces of wood in an attempt to make a ramp.

They then tried to pull one horse out of the water by using a long rope, taking care to avoid breaking any its legs, but they still couldn’t free the animal completely.

I like this sort of thing. I also saw video recently, not sure if it was new or old, of a number of people saving a herd of elk I believe from a frozen pond. They tried to cut through the ice to allow the elk to get to shore, but the ice was up to 2 feet thick and they felt they were running out of time. Ended up using rope and pulling them all up to safety where they then ran off like elk would do.

Horse or elk or anything else, I can't imagine anyone being able to stand by and watch something suffer in freezing water.