Lately, my news feed has consisted of too many terrorist attacks, RIPs, uneducated political rampages and hateful remarks. Sometimes when we get hung up on all the "bad," we forget to remember that there’s also good. So, just in case you need to add some sunshine to your news feed (and maybe to your life), here are 10 positive and happy things that happened this week!
1. A restaurant owner went into a homeless shelter and hired the first smiling man he met. Dante Wilson was given a job at his local restaurant. With no experience, he started out by cleaning and busing tables. But within a week, he advanced to barista and earned himself team member of the month seven months in a row. The restaurant has since hired many more homeless individuals—giving them a second chance at life and Dante as their mentor.
2. Hollywood designers and tattoo artists have partnered with Starlight Children’s Foundation to create unique, one-of-a-kind hospital gowns for children receiving treatment. Instead of the same boring gowns that everyone else wears, children now get to hand pick gowns that tell their story and express their personalities.
3. A man known only as "Benny" has been leaving $100 bills all around Salem, Oregon. No one has ever seen him. No one knows who he is. But he is making a big difference in several families lives by giving them a financial boost when they need it most. A lot of the families are taking the $100 and paying it forward, continuing the random acts of kindness that the mysterious Benny has started.
4. Local neighborhoods have started The Little Free Pantry project to help provide food and supplies to those in need. Small cabinets are being placed out in the open full of food, supplies and other goodies. People are free to take the items they need/want as they need them.
5. A 25-year-old man by the name of Kyle Bigler spends his days working 20-hour shifts between his two minimum wage jobs. Kyle has a disability, making it extremely difficult for him to get a job closer to home, so he's forced to walk 16 miles every day to his jobs at Dunkin Donuts and Big Apple. A woman by the name of Joanna Griffiths happened to run into Kyle three times in one day and learned about his situation. She immediately took to Facebook to share Kyle's story. The next morning, Joanna was flooded with messages from several businesses offering Kyle a new job. But perhaps the best message of all was one from the owners of a local car dealership who wanted to donate a car to the young man.
6. A man in Lawrenceville, Kentucky had a medical emergency while working on his yard and was rushed to the hospital. Some of the first responders stayed behind in the hot sun to finish the job for him so he could come home to a job well done.
7. After staying silent on all things politics over the years, Michael Jordan has finally spoke out regarding the police vs. African Americans issue: “The problems we face didn’t happen overnight and they won’t be solved tomorrow, but if we all work together, we can foster greater understanding, positive change and create a more peaceful world for ourselves, our children, our families and our communities.” Jordan donated $1 million to the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Institute for Community-Police Relations and another $1 million to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in hopes for a better future.
8. An 18-year-old by the name of Swift Myers has been battling bone cancer on and off for seven years. Unfortunately, the cancer returned about one month ago, which got Myers thinking about his future. He knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the love of his life, Abbi Myers—so he got on the phone with her father and asked for his permission. Within a few hours, the young couple was engaged and planning their wedding for the very next day. The nurses at the Oklahoma hospital immediately started to help arrange their big day: bringing in a wedding planner, photographer, pastor and several decorations. One of their high-school teachers covered the cost of their wedding rings. Their wedding ceremony was live streamed on Facebook for all of their loved ones and friends to see. But it turns out, 78,000 people watched as the two said "I do".
9. Regardless how you feel about the new Pokemon Go game, you have to admit there are some pros to this new craze. A children's hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has totally embraced the game, calling it a form of therapeutic gaming. It has allowed the kids to get up and moving, socialize, and relate to their friends at home. It's a way for them to escape to a different world but still be present in their own. They can be separate from their fears and their pain. This simple video game is brightening children's smiles all across C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.
10. Dallan Cloward wasn't supposed to live past two years old. He was born with a Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, a severe developmental disorder. Coming up on August 12th, Dallan will celebrate his 30th birthday. To celebrate Dallan beating the odds and the beautiful life he's lived thus far, his father has arranged some pretty incredible birthday adventures (30 of them to be exact). Although Dallan is limited by his small size (55 lbs) and not being able to walk long distances, it certainly won't stop him from taking part in all of his birthday festivities! The two have already hiked and camped the Grand Canyon, rode four-wheelers in Utah and conquered a roller coaster in Herber Valley. Dallan was also able to ride an adaptive bike at the National Ability Center. They will continue celebrating his 30 years of life at Disneyland, flying in an ultralight plan and trekking to Mexico.
