Sliver of Hope

[Kung Wu]

Good job Andover. It is great to hear about things like this.

Oh and well done KungWu. Way to do your part.

Thank you /chucks QT cup out the car window/.

[SubGod22]

8-Year-Old Oklahoma Boy Saves Choking Classmate With Heimlich Maneuver

Cashton York was enjoying his chicken nuggets during lunch break when one suddently became lodged in his throat. His classmates noticed him struggling and tried to call for help from an adult.

Before a teacher arrived, 8-year-old Garrett Brown sprang into action, performing the Heimlich maneuver on Cashton.

After the food was dislodged from young Cashton's throat and he was rescued, Garrett became an instant hero in the community.

Not sure how many eight year olds would know what to do.

[SubGod22]

Despite all of the **** we see in the news all of the time, I will continue to believe that most people are good.

I love this story.

Ukraine Girl Bereft Without Her Cat is Reunited Thanks to Kind Strangers in 5 Countries and 7,000 Miles-Watch

A truly astonishing story of war-time goodwill to mend a 10-year-old’s broken heart will bring a tear to almost anyone’s eyes.

Nearly a dozen people, most of whom never met little Agnessa, all took turns helping to get her cat Arsenii travel-ready, out of Ukraine, across Europe, across the Atlantic Ocean, and all the way to the San Francisco Bay Area so the two could be reunited.

It all started on that fateful late February morning as Russian forces poured over the border into their southern neighbor. The Bezhenar family decided to flee Odessa, but just didn’t have the means to take an animal along.

After arriving in a refugee camp in Romania, the family was linked via a refugee program to a man in the Bay Area who had opened the doors of a second house he had to the Bezhenars for 2 years.

No doubt blessings were counted, but it was after the family were settling in that German stewardess Dee Harnish, who had kept in touch with them, discovered that the Bezhenars had left a family member behind.

“She [Agnessa] missed sleeping with her cat and she missed hugging him, she missed everything about the cat because she had grown up with him,” Mrs. Maria Bezhenar told Harnish.

There's a news clip at the bottom of the page.

[SubGod22]

Sometimes, it truly does take less than a minute of your time to do some good and make someone's day.

The Wholesome Moment an Italian Boy is Politely Invited to Peer Inside His Dream Sports Car

“Attenzione!” calls an Italian father to his young boy, who was eagerly peering inside the coach of a jet black Lamborghini parked in a quaint Italian mountain town.

The father had seen owner was approaching, and he was surely feeling a little vergogno, an Italian word for a kind of embarrassment, as his son looked into the car uninvited.

The owner, proving politeness has a magic of its own, encouraged the boy to come inside the car and check it out and snagged a cell video of his reaction.

28 second video of the encounter at bottom of the article.

[SubGod22]

Lock down changed this family's future in a way I'm not sure anyone would expect.

He Taught Parents how to Play Drums and Bass So he'd Have People to Jam With-Now They Have Album-WATCH

A New Zealander taught both his parents how to play the drums and the bass so he would have people to jam with—and now they have an album out.

Ryan Stokes couldn’t have his friends over to jam during lockdown so he decided to teach his parents how to play instruments.

Inspired by The White Stripes, a two-piece rock band, the 20-year-old guitarist initially taught his 55-year-old mom to play the drums. Two months later, his 60-year-old father picked up an electric bass for the first time.

The family appropriately named their band ‘Mommas Boy’, with Ryan crushing songs as the frontman vocalist, while Andrea Stokes keeps time on drums and Lyndon plucks the bass—all with with a lot of competence.

The trio has been practicing three to four times-a-week and they now have an album out called ‘Who Would Have Thought’, released in April on the band’s Spotify account.

“They were pestered to start the band by their very eager son,” joked Ryan, who was born in Hamilton, Scotland. “I had nothing to do during lockdown and wanted to play music.

“Mum loved the White Stripes—especially Meg White and was very excited to learn to drum like her.”

After a quick lesson on the drum kit in the garage, Ryan says “Sure enough she had a strong beat within an hour and was ready to play within three hours.” (See the video at the bottom…)

Both of the middle-aged newbies adapted to the rockstar life very quickly, appearing in videos on TikTok hours after picking up instruments for the first time.

The group quickly won the hearts of the internet, accumulating 72,000 followers on TikTok since their formation— with 700,000 views.

I pulled them up on Spotify and they're not bad.

My family never graduated from playing Guitar Hero/Rock Band.

[SubGod22]

Kindhearted Boy Uses His Birthday Money to Start a Food Bank in His Garden Shed

A kind-hearted 11-year-old boy used his own birthday money to launch a foodbank service which he runs from his garden shed.

Isaac Winfield fills bags of groceries which have been donated and hands them out
to the needy around his hometown.

Since starting the foodbank in 2020, the service has grown so much that Isaac’s family bought a shed to store the hundreds of donated items.

Well-wishers can now donate food or ask for supplies by contacting the schoolboy via his Friend’s of Isaac Food Bank Facebook page.

“We’d always donated to food banks, and during the pandemic he would take food parcels into school which would be given to people in need,” said his very proud mom Claire, who added that recently Isaac had moved to a specialist school which didn’t have a similar program, leaving him depressed that he couldn’t continue to help people.

“Being the resilient little lad he is, he said ‘it’s alright, we’ll give them food at my house,’” said Claire. “I was laughing, but he had just broken his arm so I let him do it to cheer him up. I doubled what money we gave them normally for food parcels and he went off to Aldi.”

[SubGod22]

Hero Honeymooners Rescue Sleeping Babies from Burning Nursery in Spain: 'Instinct Took Over'

Picture it: you and your spouse are on your honeymoon in Europe, you see a burning building, you decide to be heroes and run inside through the smoke and you end up in a room with panicking nurses, 20 sleeping infants, and no one speaks English.

Incredibly, that was the situation Rhode Island honeymooners David Squillante and Doran Smith found themselves in last month in Barcelona.

The newlywed 38-year-olds were on their way to tour a park when they saw a group of women standing around panicking next to a doorway, out of which was wafting thick smoke.

“I saw a flame coming out of the doorway, next to the door that these women had come out of,” Smith said. “So, I said ‘Oh my God there’s a fire.'”

Who knows what possessed the non-Spanish speaking honeymooners to run inside the burning building, as there was nothing on the exterior that hinted at the precious cargo within; they could have just been running into a normal apartment building.

[ShockerDropOut]

Hero Honeymooners Rescue Sleeping Babies from Burning Nursery in Spain: 'Instinct Took Over'

This kind of story is near and dear to my heart. Thanks for sharing it.

[SubGod22]

This kind of story is near and dear to my heart. Thanks for sharing it.

I much prefer positive news that shows what humanity is not only capable of, but truly is. I've said many times that I honestly believe most people are good and want to do good. I know that doesn't mean we would all do the same things, and honestly, most of us don't know how we would react in any given situation until we are there. I can't say that I would run into a burning building, not knowing who or what is inside, but I'd like to think that I would. I might freeze. I have a pretty analytical mind so it's possible I'd spend too much time weighing the scenarios in my head and opting to make a phone call, though I wouldn't know what number to call in Spain. I don't speak much Spanish either. None of that stopped this couple and I love that. I also like that it's inspired him to look into being a volunteer fireman back home.

Good people doing good things should get a lot more press. But if it bleeds, it leads.

That's one reason I started this thread. I don't go scouring the net for stories. I'm sure I could find at least one every day if I chose to. But I do enjoy coming across them and sharing them with others.

[SubGod22]

Pretty sure I've shared about her before, but she's at it again.

Billionaire MacKenzie Scott Donates $15m to Provide Glasses to Farmers With Blurry Vision in Developing Nations

Jeff Bezos’ former wife MacKenzie Scott has donated $15 million to provide hundreds of thousands of people with eyeglasses.

It’s believed to be the largest private donation towards assisting uncorrected blurry vision, and will help mainly low-income tea, coffee, cocoa and artisan workers in India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda.

While it might not be as glamorous as pledging 10 billion dollars to save the world from climate change, the difference a pair of eyeglasses makes is huge, personal, and immediate.

The donation was made to VisionSpring, a non-profit targeting this economic hinderance. It’s believed these workers could produce $1 billion annually in additional value for themselves and their businesses thanks to the increased productivity from being able to see well.

“The gift from Ms. Scott is an incredible acknowledgment of the power of a simple pair of eyeglasses to unlock earning, learning, safety and wellbeing for people vulnerable to poverty,” VisionSpring’s chief executive Ella Gudwin said.

“And, with this powerful endorsement of our work, we are embarking on a multi-year journey to put Livelihoods in Focus, addressing the massive vision care gap among agricultural and artisan workers in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.”

[SubGod22]

So many places I could put this one, but mental health in regards to those who serve or have served in the military has been a major issue for a long time. Recent numbers look to be improving and I hope the focus on mental health for these individuals continue well into the future so we can continue to improve the quality of life for them and their families.

Mental Health Focus Is Bringing Suicides Down Sharply Among Air Force, Marines and Army

A significant drop in the rates of suicide among active military members that was observed over 2021 has continued into the first 6 months of 2022.

Driven chiefly by sharp drops among the Marine Corps and Air Force, the declines come as a result of increased attention to the issue among high ranking officers and the Dept. of Veterans Affairs.

According to the data, the number of suicides in the Air Force and Marine Corp dropped by more than 30% in 2021 compared with 2020, and the Navy saw a 10% decline. The Army saw a similar 30% decrease during the first six months of this year, compared with the same time period last year.

All the services have been struggling to combat the complex issue of suicide throughout the ranks while dealing simultaneously with the dual challenges of insufficient staffing of mental healthcare workers, and continuing stigma of seeking help professionally.

For this, PBS reports, the services have been increasingly taking advantage of military chaplains, health and fitness coaches, and other support staff to support suicide prevention and mental health care programs.
.....
Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, for example, mandated once-a-year-visits with councilors at his post on Fort Riley, Kansas. All but 10 of the 14,000 staff used their 60-minute session to talk.

Too many people have lost this battle over the years. It's been years now, but I knew a guy who was close to a lot of people I know who was one of them. He was the little brother of a classmate of mine. I know a couple of them still struggle with it at times. They all said he was never quite the same after returning from duty overseas. I don't know if he sought any kind of help and I don't know what was available to him at the time.

I'm just glad to see some positive news come to light on this subject.

[SubGod22]

KAKE - Billionaire donates millions to Kansas foundation

TOPEKA, Kan. (KAKE) - The Sunflower Foundation announced today that it has received a one-time, unrestricted gift of $4 million from billionaire philanthropist and novelist MacKenzie Scott.

“We are grateful for and humbled by Ms. Scott’s gift,” said Billie Hall, Sunflower Foundation president and CEO. “That she chose our foundation to be part of her philanthropic vision is a testament to the determined work of Sunflower’s many partners across Kansas – nonprofit organizations and public entities that remain steadfast in their efforts to improve the health of their communities and enhance the quality of life for all who call Kansas home.”

The foundation’s partnerships with rural communities and support of their ongoing efforts to strengthen health care systems, address food and nutrition security, create more opportunities for people to get outdoors and stay active, and empower Kansas’ nonprofit sector has been central to the foundation’s work over the past 10 years.

Figured I should go ahead and give Ms. Scott some more praise as this donation hits close to home.

[SubGod22]

Young Man Makes Wrong Turn, Then Saves Sleeping Family From Fire: 'They're safe because of him'

A driver who took a wrong turn was able to save the lives of four people after miraculously driving down their street and seeing their house on fire.

A doorbell camera video captures the moment the young man from Omaha, Nebraska, ran around the house to start banging on windows, and calling 911.

Brendan Birt told KETV News 7 that the fire was getting worse every second, but he wasn’t giving up.

“I just felt like somebody was in there because it was so late at night, you know? I just knew that I had to act quick.”

On the video, three kids are eventually seen running out through the door in the Red Oak, Iowa neighborhood—and finally their 22-year-old brother, who was looking after his younger siblings, emerged.

When he saw the kids come out the door, Birt said, “I just felt like I wanted to break down and cry (and) I don’t even know these people.”

The boy’s mother, Tender Lehman, was in Montana at the time dealing with a family emergency.

Wrong turn, but right place at the right time.

[SubGod22]

This is brilliant, beautiful, and awesome!

Honda Designers Make Fun Electric Car to Bring Joy to Hospitalized Kids as They Drive Themselves to Treatments-WATCH

At Children’s Health of Orange County, California, you need to be on the look-out for tots getting lab tests—because they’ll be tooting the horn at the wheel of their new electric Honda, which is bringing laughs and comfort to sick children.

Designed by Honda engineers to ease the stress and anxiety of hospitalized children, the car brought tears to their adult eyes when talking about its genesis.

Called the Shogo, it was specifically designed to navigate hospital hallways and transport all the IV drips and monitoring machines a child might require. It allows them to drive themselves down the hallways to their treatments; turning what could be a stressful journey into a fun joy ride.

“To see the joy on the faces of these young patients when they get behind the wheel of Shogo is truly rewarding,” said Hundy Liu, manager of national advertising at American Honda Motor Co.

Randall Smock, a senior exterior designer of vehicles for the company, played a significant role in the design of Shogo and called it a ‘labor of love.’

“As someone who spent time in the hospital as a young child, I really wanted the number one objective of Shogo to be easing the hardship of a hospital stay by providing kids a lasting positive memory about that experience.”

[Shockm]

I'm glad for people who bring out only positive things in our society. If we admit it, everyone struggles at least a little from mental issues. The human mind is complex, and sometimes it can go into dark places. Human's have found a lot of answers to the problems of the past that at least equal the dark past of the human existence. The challenge is to deal with the "dark" in a positive frame of mind. I think that there is more than a "sliver of hope", and my hope is eternal. I wish everyone well in their life journey, as they search for answers.