Fifth grader saves student's life

It happened recently at Greenwood Elementary School in Henrico County, Virginia. Fifth grader Benjamin Ford was enjoying his lunch in the cafeteria when he noticed another student choking. "She was starting to turn colors and gasping for breath. I felt like I had to hurry and get to her," Ford said, "I thought in a couple more seconds she might not make it."

"I wasn't really calm, "he recalled. "My heart was racing. I just knew I had to help her," and fortunately he knew exactly what to do for her. He remembered it from a documentary he saw with his Mom a few years ago. When they first heard that Ford had saved a life, his parents assumed he was describing a video game. Then they learned it was a real person. "We were shocked. It was awesome," said his Mom.

When cheerleaders are true leaders

The CLAA conference's basketball tournament was held in Carroll County, Missouri, recently. Hardin-Central High School played Northwestern High School. Hardin-Central had a full squad of cheerleaders, but Northwestern had only one, Tori Adams. She explained that many of her teammates were sick and the game was rescheduled which caused scheduling conflicts. The coach said she did not have to cheer, but she felt she should support the team, so she did a few cheers alone, and then sat down.

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But not for long. The entire squad from Hardin-Central came over to join her. They soon learned her cheers and were able to present them to the crowd. Many in the stands supported the girls in this rare initiative. "They learned some of my cheers, and I learned some of theirs," said Tori. "It was a big relief."

Unconditional love and forgiveness

Madison Palm, 23, is deputy assessor title clerk at her county's DMV in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. During a break one day, she heard a co-worker describe a corgi who was being given away because she killed her family's chickens. Palm left immediately to meet the dog, who had been kept outside for seven years and fed only scraps. Her name was Cora. Palm took Cora, and on the drive home, Cora crawled into Palm's lap. After years of total neglect, Cora's ears were infected, her teeth were rotted and the water turned black when she got her first bath. But her attitude never changed. Palm says, "Cora taught me the true meaning of unconditional love and forgiveness.

"She is very sympathetic and in tune with my needs, yet she is so incredibly independent." Here's an example. Cora was flying with Palm from Idaho to see Palm's mother in Alaska. During a layover in Seattle, Cora slipped away and sat in front of a strange man. "I asked him if she was bothering him, and with watery eyes he said, 'No, I just lost my dog last night.'" Cora stayed with the man for a while as he scratched her ears and petted her and whispered how cute she was. Palm believes Cora has a gift. "She knows who is hurting and who needs her."

To my grandson Lucas

Play with wild abandon, no matter how old you are. Think big, and if that doesn't work, think bigger. Life is all about how you handle Plan B. In the end, this will be the true test of your character. Don't do dumb stuff (you know what!), because your future does not lie in front of you. It resides within you.

Rise up by helping others up. Forgive everyone everything. Be kind and always play fair, even when others don't. Honor your legacy with your integrity. There is no right way to do a wrong thing. The good guys always win, eventually. Always remember that I believe in you...always have...always will. And most of all, remember that you are enough, just the way you are.  Love, Grandpa

Denice Miracle lives up to her name

American Airlines employee Denice Miracle first noticed that something was strange when two girls, ages 15 and 17 approached her counter at the Sacramento, California International Airport last August. They were traveling alone, with almost no luggage. They had no IDs, and their first-class tickets to New York City were bought with a fraudulent credit card. All red flags.

Instead of letting the girls board the plane, Denice called police. The girls told officers that had been contacted on Instagram by a man named "Drey" who offered them $2,000 to fly to New York for a modeling gig. The girls never told their parents, and they both were shocked to discover the tickets were one-way only. It was a human trafficking plot, but the girls were soon reunited with their parents, who agree that Denice Miracle lived up to her name.

High school students perform deed of kindness

Today's crumb comes from an alert reader in Bloomington, Indiana. Students at Carmel High School near Indianapolis were distressed by the high school shooting in Florida. Then they learned local police had investigated both rumored and real threats of gun violence against their school. Two students were arrested and face felony intimidation charges. Tensions were so high that some students misunderstood and fled the cafeteria when staff restrained a special education student who had a "behavioral struggle." The students needed good news, and they got it on February 21.

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Art teacher Sarah Wolff said her class of 30 kids in grades 9-12 had been challenged earlier this year to come up with a random act of kindness that cost $20 or less. They used the money to buy painter's tape, and printed encouraging notes which they attached to all 5,100 student lockers.  Some said, "You are loved." Others said, "Be the type of person you want to meet." Students fastened the notes to the lockers during the final 90-minute period of the day. One of the organizers said, "With the rough past couple of weeks, I feel like Carmel really needed this."

Unexpected kindness

Lindsay Pualoa lives in Ashburn, Virginia. Recently her toddler, named A.J., felt sick all night. By morning he wasn't any better, so Lindsay called and cancelled the annual furnace check scheduled for that day. She apologized for giving the HVAC company such short notice, but explained she had a sick kid at home.

Three hours later, her doorbell rang and a florist was standing on her front step. The HVAC company, AllTech Services from Sterling, had sent her flowers with a card saying they hoped A.J. would feel better soon. "I'm floored," said Lindsay. "I've never had something like this happen before."