Redwood Elementary School in Hartford, Michigan, has unveiled two BOOK vending machines in an effort to make reading more enticing. Each book costs one golden token. Kids can earn that token by achieving a reading or attendance goal, good behavior, or if it's their birthday.
Austin-based El Arroyo restaurant started making comic signs in the early 1980s, and they've been perfecting the art ever since then. When the pandemic reached the United States, bars and restaurants began closing across the country. The team at the popular Texas restaurant decided it was time to bring more comic relief to others.
The plane to Houston, Texas, had already left the gate when six-year-old Owen Lake realized he'd left his favorite toy, a stuffed tiger named Hobbes, at the airport in Tampa, Florida. The tiger was one-of-a-kind, made by Owen's grandmother to look like one of the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes."
When Lindsay Clowes and Alex Leckie exchanged vows along the St. Croix River in New Brunswick, Canada, it wasn't just the wedding guests at St. Stephen Wharf that were watching. The river forms a border (now closed due to the pandemic) between Canada and the United States, and just across the water in Calais, Maine, the couple's American aunts, uncles, cousins and friends looked on.
A pair of Texas twins have proven excellence runs in the family. In 2010, the sisters graduated high school as valedictorian and salutatorian. This December, they'll graduate with their second Master's in clinical nutrition...and their doctorate degrees in chiropractic medicine, nabbing the valedictorian and salutatorian honors for the second time.
When a wildfire tore through Berry Creek, California, last month, it destroyed the homes of six of the community's seven volunteer firefighter, and the fire station. Even with their own homes gone, the teams pushed on, evacuating neighbors and battling back the blaze.
Last year, the Boy Scouts of America started allowing girls to join. Already those girls are starting to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. Take Katie Hunter of Vienna, Virginia, for example. She started out as Girl Scout, but was jealous of her brothers since she felt Boy Scout activities were more fun. When BSA allowed girls to join, Katie jumped at the chance.
Nasser Jaber once lived in the Palestinian territories, dreaming what it would be like to vote in a free election. Now 41, he's lived in Brooklyn, New York, for nearly 20 years, where he founded Migrant Kitchen, a nonprofit organization which trains and hires immigrants and undocumented workers for careers in the restaurant industry.
Earlier this month, Los Angeles, California, became the first city in the country to add a firefighting robot to the ranks of the Fire Department, and it's already proven its metal on the front lines. Weighing about 3,500 pounds and about the size of a Smart Car, it can deploy 2,500 gallons of water per minute. It is controlled by a handheld remote from a safe distance, and has a high definition video stream so it can be easily maneuvered through difficult conditions, like the interior of burning buildings.
Thai Food Huntly is a popular restaurant in Huntly, New Zealand. It was packed with customers one night recently when suddenly a family staff emergency resulted in the chef being the only one left to serve hungry patrons. When Emily Puhi arrived, she saw filled tables plus people lined up to pay or pick up take-out. Since the cook was cooking, he could not take orders or collect money.
This dog is named Eclipse. Every day she leaves her house by herself and takes the bus downtown to the dark park, where she spends a few hour exercising and making friends. Then she takes the bus back home again. It started one day when her owner, Jeff Young, was taking too long when the bus arrived, so she ran ahead and got on by herself. The driver recognized her and dropped her off at the dog park, and later Jeff caught up.
Residents at Rosevale Care Home in York, England, always "benefit greatly" from pet therapy, which allows them to interact with animals. Sarah Fearn, activities coordinator at the home, says many residents who spend most of the day in their rooms eagerly interact with others when given a chance to stroke a pony.
Is there a more joyful, innocent happy feeling in the world than puppy love? It's an emotion with no strings, sine a dog's love is most often unconditional. When a dog licks your face or jumps in your lap, it simply means they're crazy about you.
An English gent, 27-year-old Walter Marano, had planned to pop the question to his partner of five years, Sophia Florio, in Italy. But the pandemic cancelled their vacation. So he brought a taste of Italy to them by arranging a romantic meal at a restaurant in Fitzrovia, London, where waiters brought our heart-shaped pizzas.
The Disney community is vast and strong, and right now their shared love of Disney joy is more important than ever. After the company announced mass layoffs because of the pandemic, DisneyTouristBlog.com organized a virtual fundraiser that netted more than $40,00 for a local food bank in central Florida.
Cartier Carey, 11, lives in Hampton, Virginia, and since the pandemic began he's noticed a shortage of diapers in stores. He knew poor mothers could hardly afford diapers, even if they were plentiful, and he wanted to help, so he started a lemonade stand.
In honor of World Teachers' Day, October 5, Qatar Airways gave away 21,000 complimentary tickets to teachers, to thank them for their vital work educating young people world-wide during the pandemic challenges. Teachers from over 75 countries where Qatar Airways currently operates were eligible for tickets.
Since 2014, a Crumb of Comfort has been posted almost every day, until today we reached crumb number 2,180 -- almost enough to make a crumb cake. We'll celebrate by sharing a note from 72-year-old Randy Long. Cleaning out his garage recently, he found some practice baseballs he used to toss to his son and grandson. Thinking others might find them useful, he left them at a local batting cage with this note.
Bishop Eusebio Phelps is the pastor of New Faith Christian Church in Stockbridge, Georgia. He recently ordered breakfast with extra bacon at a nearby Waffle House, and spoke with the pregnant waitress working that day. "She was just so kind, and so pleasant. She was a sweetheart and that just touched my heart," he remembered. Her name was Hannah Hill, and she was pregnant with her second child, who she planned to name Samuel, the same name as Phelps' son, who died seven years ago in Atlanta. And she was temporarily sleeping at night in her car.
Cavanaugh Bell, age 7, lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with his mother, aunt and cousins. He's experienced some harsh bullying, but it inspired him to help others. "After I was bullied and I felt a darkness inside of me, I knew I didn't want other kids to feel the way I felt," he wrote, "so I asked my mom if she could help me spread love and positivity.
When the pandemic began in March, his family focused on helping his local community. He made CARE packages with toiletries and groceries to help elderly people. He used his own savings and birthday and Christmas money. Eventually, fueled by donations, he and his mom opened a food pantry in a donated warehouse. After Cavanaugh was the focus of news stories in the media, he was praised by people in high places, including Democratic vice-presidential nominee Sen. Kama Harris of California.
Back in March, 2020, when the pandemic began, Ron Jacobson had already logged 900 volunteer hours at an elementary school in Cle Elum, Washington, during the 2019-2020 school year. Then the school closed and went to virtual instruction. That's when Ron realized his legacy. Students were missing the hugs he gave them every morning. The school received so many requests for "Grandpa Ron" as students called him, that administrators added his contact information to the school's online directory.
Wesley Hammett is a cargo handler, and after his dad passed away last year, he decided to raise funds for various charities and hospitals. To do this, he decided to ride from Glasgow, Scotland, to his home near Manchester, England, on a comically small bike his daughters learned to ride on, "just for fun."
When Brittany Reed, a busy mother of three, rolled up to a McDonalds drive-thru in Waynesville, Ohio, she made her order and drove to the first window, where she realized she didn't have her purse. The teenage server, Wyatt Jones, said he'd happily pay for the meals. Later that night, Brittany drove back to McDonalds to give Wyatt his money back, but he insisted the meal was on him.
Ben Beard and Ty Anderson were making college plans when the pandemic stopped everything in their hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. "We were working hard on academics and looking for ways to volunteer in our communities to have well-round college resumes," said Ben, "but then everything came to a halt." He decided to look for meaningful ways to give back to his community and "not just play the game of looking for a good college." That's when he discovered the organization Mask Now TN, which distributes masked to underprivileged people and essential workers. Donations were urgently needed.
In "The Mandalorian," Baby Yoda, or "the Child," pops up in places where grown men fear to tread and faces danger with wisdom beyond his years. Recently, a little boy named Carver and his grandmother were filling a box with supplies to send to first responders battling California's wildfires.
This dog's name is Max. He's a two-year-old German Shepherd mix. After he finished training as a police dog, he was on his first shift last month when he successfully located a missing woman and her child in Wales. The woman had not been seen or spoken to for two days before authorities began their search. Police had a starting point where the woman's car was found empty on a mountain road.
Since the pandemic forced schools to move online, some students have had to learn from the kitchen table, a couch, or even the living room floor. No having a desk makes it harder for them to be organized and focused. That's why Jessica and Al Berrellez, who live in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and have three children, have spent recent weekends delivering desks and chairs to students in Montgomery County who need them.
