Sliver of Hope

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Wichita by EB - Wichita restaurant offering free pizza, no questions to those in need

Sterling James, the operating partner at Wichita’s Blaze Pizza at 2692 N. Greenwich Road, is stepping up for the community.

James went public over the weekend by announcing that Blaze Pizza will be reintroducing something the restaurant did in 2020 with FREE PIZZA FOR THOSE IN NEED.

It’s simple. Do you need food and can’t afford it? You can contact Sterling James on Facebook or email pizzaitforward@prlwm.com, and they will arrange for you to get some pizza at no charge, no questions asked.

I have no doubt that there will be some people who will abuse this generosity when they're not truly in need and just looking for free food.

I commend Mr. James for offering to do this for those in need in our community. I may have to go get Blaze for the first time ever to help support him and his business. I've heard it's fairly good.

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More dog rescues, this one quite literal.

'Miracle' Dog Found Alive In Underground Virginia Cave

Today's good news story comes from Narrows, Virginia.

A heartwarming rescue story has emerged from Narrows, where a dog was miraculously saved after falling 50 feet into a cave.

A group of cave explorers made the discovery while exploring an underground cave littered with animal skulls and bones.

Jesse Rochette, one of the brave cavers, played a crucial role in the rescue. With a piece of salami in hand, he rappelled 50 feet down into the cave to gain the pup's trust.

"She instantly came over and sucked up the salami and she loved that," Rochette recounted. The team then wrapped the shivering dog in space blankets, foam pads, and an old jacket hood they found in the cave to keep her warm.

"Over the course of 3 HOURS, the cavers above worked to safely bring her back to the surface, while Jesse Rochette (pictured above) stayed in the darkness," Giles County Animal Shelter shared. "He spent this time gaining her trust so he could strap her to his chest and begin their ascension together. Once they reached the surface, she was rushed to Virginia Tech's Vet School."

After numerous tests and x-rays, it was determined that Sparsy had miraculously suffered no broken bones. She was diagnosed with Lyme disease, some spinal inflammation, and temporary difficulty using her back legs.

"Her HERO Jesse came by today to check on her!" the shelter said. "And has affectionately named her Sparsy (AKA SPAR-C; Small Party Assisted Rescue- Canine)."

As of now, Sparsy is doing well under the care of the veterinary team. The search for her owner is ongoing, but in the meantime, she is in good hands and receiving the best possible care.

What are the odds of stumbling across this poor baby? She seems sweet and I'm sure thankful to be back in the light.

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We may not deserve dogs, but at times, someone steps up and makes me think that maybe a few of us do.

This Dog Wouldn't Eat After His Return To The Shelter - Then An Old Friend Saw Him On TikTok

Today's good news story comes from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A dog named Max has found his forever home after a viral TikTok video led him to a familiar face.

The Pennsylvania SPCA shared the journey of Max, who was adopted as a puppy eight years ago but recently found himself back at the shelter due to unforeseen circumstances.

Max's return to the shelter was heartbreaking. Terrified and heartbroken, he refused to eat, showing signs of deep distress. The Pennsylvania SPCA shared photos of Max's initial return.

Then, a TikTok video of Max's story went viral, capturing the attention of thousands. Among those viewers was someone from Max's past life who recognized him immediately.

Eager to provide him with a safe and loving environment, she stepped forward to bring Max back to a place where he felt cherished and secure.

"Max's new owner had seen the original TikTok and emailed our adoptions team," Sarah Brown, a worker at the Pennsylvania SPCA, told McClatchy News. "She had known him from his old life and we were excited to reunite him with a familiar face."

Before



After



That first picture broke my heart, but the second picture put it back together.

Stepping up to love a dog like this is special. Can't imagine how that poor dog felt losing his life and everyone he knew and loved for eight years. Heck, I saw the look on my mothers oldest dog yesterday as she was a bit depressed that my mom's pup was at the vet. And that hadn't even been 12 hours away from her little friend. They're such loving creatures that show us what unconditional love looks like.

I'll choose to believe that the unforeseen circumstances were legit and not closer to simple abandonment like some do. I can't imagine anything forcing me to give up my dogs so the list is very small. But it's beautiful that someone who had some level of history with this beautiful dog stepped up to show him some love and give him a safe a loving place to live.

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Operation BBQ Relief To Serve 10,000 Free Meals Daily In Texas After Hurricane Beryl

Today's good news story comes from Texas.

Kansas City's Operation BBQ Relief has been mobilized to Texas, providing much-needed meals to those affected by Hurricane Beryl. The nonprofit organization has begun scouting the areas in the most need, with one of their key locations being Lake Jackson, TX.

Stan Hays, CEO and Founder of Operation BBQ Relief, shared that the organization could distribute between 10,000 to 15,000 meals daily during their time in Texas.

For the first few days, their efforts will focus on feeding first responders and search and rescue teams, ensuring those on the front lines are well-nourished as they aid affected communities.

"Until we start getting it really known in the community that we are there," Hays said. "We're working with the state of Texas and emergency management to ensure that where we're going is also where they see the biggest need."

Since its inception in 2011, Operation BBQ Relief has served over 11 million meals across 36 states and the Bahamas.

"At the end of the day there is something very fulfilling about the reaction you see and you feel from somebody that you know can never repay you for that act of kindness," Hays said.

Things like this always make me feel a little warm and fuzzy inside. As crazy as the world is, people still generally care about others. Especially when those people are in need after an event like this.

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Young Stranger Spends $2,800 on Funeral for a Woman He Never Met - She Reminded Him of His Sister

When a young woman died before her time in Italy’s region of Puglia, a stranger felt compelled to help the grief-stricken family.

Paying off the major part of the woman’s funeral, he told Italian media he expected nothing in return, but was merely listening to the voice in his heart.

In the city of Fasano, southeast Italy, 25-year-old Ciela Ditano was killed when the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor of her condominium without an elevator to board. She fell four stories to her death.

In the days that followed, the devastated father and mother, Giuseppe and Giusy, received an unexpected gesture from an unknown person.

Steven Paparnesi, originally from Milan, had moved to the province of Brindisi where he works as maintenance staff at an old folks home and dreams of becoming a tattoo and street artist. He had never met Ditano, but her death “revived the tragedy” of his sister, Kimberly, who also tragically passed away at age 19.

Despite occurring 4 years ago, the pain and destabilization of that event still lingers for young Steven, and the news of Ditano’s death brought it all back again.

“I heard and saw her parents sunken in pain, and I immediately felt I had to help them,” Parpanesi told Corriere del Mezzogiorno. “Their situation touched me deeply, and in this way, I decided to make this gesture at least to take from Ciela’s family a portion of the economic burden, hoping that it will be a modicum of comfort in these circumstances.”

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This is a bit different as this one starts with tragedy, but it sounds like they've come a long way in a year.

KAKE - News crews were invited inside The Covenant School. It wasn't easy, but I accepted the warm invitation.

A small K-6 school in Green Hills was thrust into the spotlight after a deadly mass shooting.

The Covenant School kept a low-profile before the shooting on March 27, 2023. When six innocent members of the school community were killed on campus, everything changed.

I know firsthand that Covenant is a special place. My mother-in-law Diana Apple has worked at Covenant since it opened in 2001. She survived the shooting. When the shooter entered the building, she was taking a break off-campus.

For the first time since the senseless tragedy, the school invited news crews inside. It wasn't easy, but I accepted the warm invitation and visited the school on Tuesday.

From the moment you walk into the redesigned school, you can't help but smile. Hundreds of floating, bright origami cranes greet you just steps from the new front desk.

Trudy Waters, the new Head of School, told the pack of journalists that the beautiful paper birds were one of many gifts given to Covenant.

"When the events of March 27th happened, there was a gentleman in California who actually sent 209 to give to each of the students who were here," said Trudy Waters.

Reporters were told the point of the media tour was to show and express to everyone that the school's come a long way thanks to donations and prayers.

"We just are thankful. It's just hard to hold that really hard and really hopeful in the same space, and we've had to learn to do it, so we want to share that out," Waters said.

At times, it made me sad to be in the space where a mass shooter killed three students and three staff members. The intentional changes, like rainbows everywhere you look, lifted my spirits.

Rainbows mean a lot to the school community. Days after the shooting, a double rainbow appeared over the school. In the Bible, God set a rainbow in the sky as a sign of his covenant with every living creature.

Waters told the media she's proud of the playful, inviting feel of their school — which has been through so much.

"It has been good to be here," she said.

Some notable names like Billy Joel have made contributions to the school. The music legend's foundation donated new lighting and sound systems for the theater, technology for teaching and learning and an array of new instruments, including a piano.

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We all know I have a weakness for dogs.

Fishermen Save 38 Dogs From Drowning In Mississippi's Grenada Lake

Today's good news story comes from Grenada, Mississippi.

Helena native Bob Gist, a State Farm insurance agent in Jonesboro, became an unexpected hero while crappie fishing on Lake Grenada in Mississippi. What started as a peaceful fishing trip turned into a dramatic rescue mission that saved the lives of 38 distressed dogs.

Bob, accompanied by a friend and their fishing guide, set out on Lake Grenada, which spans over a mile and a half wide in some areas. As they were navigating the lake, they spotted a large number of dogs swimming far from the shore.

"These dogs were so far out the three men figured they needed to check on them," the social media post said. "Reaching the dogs they realized there were dogs everywhere. They could tell the dogs were in distress. Where the heck did all these dogs come from and how did they end up in the middle of the lake?"

Upon reaching the dogs, they discovered the animals were part of a Fox Run event at the lake. Each dog had large numbers painted on its side and wore expensive E-collars. The dogs had chased a deer into the lake and ended up lost and disoriented, unable to find the shore.

Bob and his crew sprang into action, pulling as many dogs as they could into their boat and transporting them to shore, where their anxious owners awaited. They made several trips back and forth, rescuing as many dogs as they could find.

Just as they thought their mission was complete, an owner with a GPS tracker informed them that four more dogs were still in the water. Bob and his team, accompanied by the owner, set out once more. They found the four dogs, who were nearly too exhausted to stay afloat, and managed to save them just in time.

"Bob told me they grabbed the last four dogs as they were sinking under water," the post stated.

In total, Bob, his friend, and the fishing guide rescued 38 dogs, all of whom had been treading water for nearly an hour.

Sounds like every dog was saved.

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College Lab Crafts 3D Printed Arms to Help 12-Year-old Amputee Reach Her Drumming Goals

12-year-old Aubrey Sauvie never let her lack of hands interfere with the pursuit of her interests, whether that was Tae Kwon Do, art, or doing her own makeup.

Born a triple congenital amputee and missing both arms from below the elbows and several toes on one of her feet, it was from a very early age that she demonstrated to her family that there’d be very little necessity to accommodate her.

“It’s just one part of me,” Aubrey Sauvie told WKRN. “It doesn’t make me, me. It definitely was a challenge to learn, but as time went on, it became easier and easier until it wasn’t difficult at all.”

Indeed the family photo album is packed with pictures of her in dance competitions, breaking boards with a flying side-kick, or lined up in front of her snare drum with her school band, the drumsticks stuck in the creases of her elbows.

But that’s where even her dexterity and determination couldn’t succeed in producing the results she wanted—the sound of the snare just wasn’t right.

Aubrey’s middle school band teacher recommended her as a candidate for the Tennessee Tech University program, Engineering for Kids, where 10 students decided to make it a class project to create a pair of custom prosthetics so the firebrand could play the drums.

Three minute news clip at the bottom.

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Shouldn't be surprised to see some of the Patriot Guard step up.

Strangers Attend Veteran's Funeral To Console Grieving Family

Today's good news story comes from Phoenix, Arizona.

The family of Navy Medic Pamela Middlebrook was concerned that her funeral service might not properly honor her legacy with only a handful of family members expected to attend.

However, a simple social media post changed everything, and the Arizona community stepped up to support a grieving family.

The sight of parked cars outside the awning brought tears to her daughter Brittany Rumery's eyes.

"I think I started crying before I got out of the car," she shared.

At the end of May, Rumery was preparing to lay her 69-year-old mother, Pamela Middlebrook, to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona. Middlebrook served as a Medic during the latter part of the Vietnam War, much of her service spent at Luke Air Force Base. She dedicated 16 years of her life to her country.

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We're on a sliver of hope roll today.

More brilliant young minds.

Texas Teenagers Win Prestigious Award For Inventing Device That Filters Microplastics From Water

Today's good news story comes from Los Angeles, California.

In a remarkable achievement for young innovators, Victoria Ou and Justin Huang, both 17-year-old students from Texas, have developed a pioneering device that uses ultrasound technology to filter out harmful microplastics from water.

Their invention has earned them the esteemed Gordon E. Moore Award at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), a prestigious annual competition administered by the Society for Science, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.

Microplastics, minuscule particles resulting from the breakdown of plastic waste, are pervasive contaminants that infiltrate water sources, food supplies, and even the human bloodstream. Addressing this critical environmental and public health issue, Ou and Huang's innovative device employs a novel ultrasound filtration system to effectively remove these particles from water.

The device, constructed with piezoelectric transducers attached to steel tubes connected by silicon tubing, harnesses the power of acoustic radiation force generated by ultrasound. When water containing suspended microplastics passes through the system, these forces prevent the particles from passing, resulting in microplastic-free water.

Their device demonstrated impressive efficiency during testing, achieving filtration rates of 84-94% for polyethylene microplastics at flow rates of 10, 20, and 40 mL/minute in a single-stage setup. In a two-stage configuration, the efficiency increased to 94-96%. Comparable results were observed with other common microplastics, including polyurethane and polystyrene, yielding filtration efficiencies exceeding 95%. Additionally, the system proved effective in filtering microplastics from laundry water and managing microplastic build-up in highly concentrated or large volumes of water.

"This is the first year we've done this," Huang shared with Business Insider after receiving their award. "If we could refine this—maybe use more professional equipment, maybe go to a lab instead of testing from our home—we could really improve our device and get it ready for large-scale manufacturing."

Short video over these two young minds in the link.

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It's also nice to know we have some compassionate young souls as well.

'I Was In Awe': School Recognizes 6th Grader For Act Of Compassion During Race

Today's good news story comes from Heart Butte, Montana.

In a remarkable display of sportsmanship and compassion, sixth-grader Brinley Tatsey from Heart Butte Junior High School intentionally sacrificed her lead in a cross country race to help a fellow competitor in distress.

Tatsey, who holds the school record for the one-mile run, was competing in a cross country race when she noticed a competitor from another school gasping for air and struggling to breathe among the trees. Recognizing the severity of the situation and seeing no one else around to assist, Tatsey immediately stopped her race to offer help.

She reached for her inhaler and offered comfort while waiting for help to arrive. Two or three minutes later the girl was in good hands, so Tatsey returned to her run.

When her mother, Gina Dosch, inquired about her uncharacteristically slow finish, Tatsey simply shrugged and said, "I was just slow this time."

Tatsey's selfless act might have gone unnoticed if not for an observant spectator from another school, who witnessed the entire episode. Deeply moved by Tatsey's actions, the anonymous supporter wrote a heartfelt letter to the Heart Butte athletic department, highlighting the young athlete’s exemplary conduct.

"Brinley Tatsey demonstrated an act of selflessness and compassion that truly embodies the spirit of sportsmanship," the spectator wrote. "She stopped her own race to assist a struggling athlete without hesitation. After finishing, she didn’t make excuses or seek praise, simply stating 'I was just slow today'."

On Monday, Tatsey was honored at the school's annual awards assembly. In recognition of her outstanding sportsmanship, sincerity, and humanity, she was presented with a special plaque. The school community applauded her not just for her athletic prowess but for her character and empathy.

The letter sent to the athletic department can be read in the article.

Also, there's a 7 minute clip of her recognition if you're interested.

This girl never once sought recognition for her actions or used it as an excuse for her race time. Pretty remarkable young lady there in Montana.

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It's no secret that our Native American reservations are in poor shape and the US Government has never done much to help a situation that they've created. Thankfully, there's a glimmer of hope, at least on some level, for improvements.

First of its Kind Medical School in Cherokee Nation Graduates First Class of Doctors

In 2020, GNN reported that the inaugural class of the nation’s first medical college on a Native American reservation had begun their studies. Well now, they’ve just graduated.

The 46 graduating students from Oklahoma State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation include fifteen members of tribes all around the country, including Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, Alaska Native, Caddo, and Osage.

Dr. Natasha Bray, the school’s dean, said that the college was formed to address a shortage of tribal physicians in the US, as just 0.3% of all licensed medical practitioners are Native American.

Part of what makes the college observing its first graduates so exciting is that the $40 million it cost to build and staff the facilities was paid for entirely by the Cherokee nation, who designed it to be a culturally relevant building, with the Hippocratic oath written on the walls in both Cherokee and English.

Cherokee artwork decorates the walls, and a medicinal plant garden is located on the site.

“I couldn’t even have dreamed this up,” said 26-year-old Choctaw member and now OSU graduate, Mackenzee Thompson. “To be able to serve my people and learn more about my culture is so exciting. I have learned so much already.”

According to PBS News, osteopathic doctors, or DOs, have the same qualifications and training as allopathic doctors, or MDs, but the two types of doctors attend different schools.

Hopefully this is a step in the right direction to help improve some of the problems on many reservations.

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It's always nice to see that we still have some brilliant young minds in this country.

16-year-old Wins $75,000 for Her Award-Winning Discovery That Could Help Revolutionize Biomedical Implants

First prize in the USA’s largest and most prestigious science fair has gone to a 16-year-old girl who found new ways to optimize the components of biomedical implants, promising a future of safer, faster, and longer-lasting versions of these critical devices.

It’s not the work of science fiction; bioelectronic implants like the pacemaker have been around for decades, but also suffer from compatibility issues interfacing with the human body.

On Friday, Grace Sun from Lexington, Kentukcy, pocketed $75,000 and was recognized among 2,000 of the nation and the world’s top STEM students as having produced the “number one project.”

The award was given through the Society for Science’s Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, one of the largest and most prestigious in the world.

Sun’s work focused on improving the capabilities of organic electrochemical transistors or OECTs, which like other devices made of silicon, are soft, flexible, and present the possibility of more complex implants for use in the brain or the heart.

“They have performance issues right now,” Sun told Business Insider of the devices. “They have instability in the body. You don’t want some sort of implanted bioelectronic to degrade in your body.”

Sensitive OECTs could detect proteins or nucleic acids in sweat, blood, or other transporters that correspond to diseases in their earliest stages. They could replace more invasive implants like the aforementioned pacemaker, and offer unprecedented ways to track biomarkers such as blood glucose, circulating white blood cell count, or blood-alcohol content, which could be useful for people with autoimmunity, epilepsy, or diabetes.

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Promise made, promise kept. What a journey.

Daily Herald - A bracelet and a 50-year promise kept. California woman coming to Arlington Heights to honor soldier killed in Vietnam

For more than 38 years, Kathy Strong wore a bracelet in tribute to a young soldier she never met and promised to never forget.

That stainless steel band is gone, buried 13 years ago with the body of Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class James Moreland, but the promise remains, and will bring Strong from her home in California to Arlington Heights this weekend for the village’s Memorial Day ceremony.

It’s there that Strong will help dedicate a brick in the town’s Memorial Park in honor of Moreland, a 22-year-old U.S. Army Green Beret who disappeared in February 1968, when his unit came under heavy attack during the Battle of Lang Vei in South Vietnam.

Strong was introduced to Moreland on Christmas 1972, when the 12-year-old living in the Bay Area opened her stocking and found a bracelet with his name on it. Produced by an organization called Voices in Vital America, the bracelets were at the time a popular tribute to service members missing or captured in Vietnam.

“I promised to wear it until he came home,” Strong said.

More than two years later, bracelet still firmly in place, Strong received a photo of Moreland in his Green Beret uniform through Voices in Vital America, along with a short biography of the missing soldier.

“That was the first information I’d ever received about him,” she said. “There was a picture — he was a Green Beret with a very intense look in his eyes. It was as if his eyes reached out into my soul and said ‘Please don’t forget about me.’ That cemented my commitment.”

She couldn’t have imagined at the time that the bracelet would stay in place for another 36 years.

A photo of Sgt. First Class James Moreland is next to a Memorial brick dedicated in his honor in Wichita, Kansas. It was the 35th brick on Kathy Strong's mission to dedicate one in every state to Moreland, who was killed serving in Vietnam in 1968. Courtesy of Kathy Strong

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You know I love any story involving a dog.

Helicopter Herder Follows a Dog's Tracks from the Air to a Miracle Rescue

A helicopter pilot in Australia recently found a man’s missing dog in the Outback in what the owner called a “needle in a haystack rescue.”

For those who’ve never been to cattle country Down Under, it might come as a surprise to know that because the ranches are so vast, farmers will often hire helicopter pilots to round the cattle up for them.

But in late April, pilot Jack Poplawski got a different sort of phone call—a man had lost his dog and was desperate for some help.

Jamie Rooney was driving along in a remote part of West Australia’s Pilbara region near the town of Newman, and, coming across a large creek, he thought he’d let his dog Rocky go for a swim to cool off.

The American Staffordshire terrier was all too happy for the opportunity. It couldn’t have been more than a minute that Rocky was out of sight—as Rooney had gone up to his truck to get something. But returning to the water, Rocky was nowhere to be seen.

After frantically looking around the water, Rooney drove up and down the trails in the area, standing on the roof periodically and calling his dog’s name, but Rocky never turned up.