Lucky Shot

This week in the Tampa Bay area, a man owes his life to having his cell phone in the right place at the right time. When the convenience store where he works was robbed and the assailant shot him, his phone stopped the bullet. For the full story from Bay News 9, click here. 

Tremendous Tipper

Last week, a player from the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs made the news because of his kindness and generosity. After running up an $1800 bill while eating at a local restaurant with a big group of his family and friends, he then left a $1300 tip for the staff. Check out the full story from KCTV 5, the local CBS affiliate.

Fatman to Ironman

Yesterday CNN shared an amazing and inspiring story of a man who has changed his life through sheer mental fortitude and determination. Apparently part of a regular weight loss success series on CNN, the story and pictures of this man who's lost 135 pounds in less than two years will definitely encourage anyone who has struggled with their weight. For the full story and pictures, click here.

Sandbags

An amazing 11-year-old inventor from Florida was recently the winner of the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge for his invention of a new kind of sandbag that will help immensely in future floods. Check out the full story from ABC News.

Breaking News

Joyous Reunion

A few days ago The Huffington Post shared this heartwarming video that first went viral on the social news site Reddit. The 21-year-old co-founder of an orphanage in Uganda recently went back for a surprise visit and was met with incredible excitement and joy. For the full story, click here, or visit the Kwagala Ministeries website for more info on the organization that runs the orphanage.

Firefighting Mailman

This week the Fox affiliate in Detroit shared the story of a courageous local mail carrier who stepped up to fight a house fire on his route. Without even taking a break, he then went back to delivering the mail. For the full story, click here.

Fox 2 News Headlines

The Waterboy

This sweet story originally from the Appleton Post-Crescent in Wisconsin has definitely been bringing smiles to readers all week. The long time water boy of the high school team in nearby Little Chute was given the opportunity to score a touchdown in his final game as a senior last Friday night. For the full story along with a video of the big score, click here.

Payback Plus

As she so often does, last week Ellen DeGeneres took a nice story that went viral and turned it into an amazing story. A small act of kindness by a waitress in New Hampshire generated an incredible tip from the generous DeGeneres.

Papal Gift

Last week the New York Daily News shared yet another story of the generosity and compassion of the new Pope. When an elderly Venetian woman wrote him and told the story of her mugging, he sent her a check replacing the money she had lost. It's easy to see why the pontiff is being praised by religious and non-religious people alike. For the full story, click here.

Incredible Climb

An article in the October issue of Johnson County Lifestyle Magazine shared the story of a Kansas City area woman who will soon make an incredible journey. Through a non-profit organization called Inner Passage, she will join a group of 6 amputees as they climb Mount Kilimanjaro early next year as part of an expedition for disabled climbers. The trip is called Leg-a-manjaro 2014. For the full story, click here.

Unplanned Adoption

This Baltimore police officer got a call about a vicious dog and ended up finding a scared, abused animal who needed rescuing. Last week he shared their story on Rachael Ray's show, and you can watch the full video of their appearance on her website. You can also read the Huffington Post version of the story here.

Surfers Healing

This story from Yahoo News is about an organization similar to one featured here on Today's Positive Thing just a few months ago. Just like Surfer's for Autism, Surfers Healing is a foundation that allows autistic children the opportunity to enjoy the calming effect of the ocean. This organization was founded by a pro surfer whose connection to autism is intensely personal.

Adoption Plea

It's hard for most people to imagine growing up with no family and to understand the challenge of being a foster child. The challenges haven't broken the spirit of one 15-year-old in Florida. After spending his entire life in foster care, he took the job of finding a family into his own hands. His hopeful attitude and humble determination were so inspiring, he was recently featured in the America Strong series on ABC News. Check out the full story here.

Breaking News

GiveBackFilms

There's a new organization called GiveBackFilms that's making uplifting videos to share with the Internet. They simply believe in the power of giving back and paying-it-forward, and they plan to share that vision in a new film every Monday. Their first video had over 100,000 views in the first couple of days. Check out their YouTube channel here.

Picking Up the Tab

Yesterday The Huffington Post shared a story from the social news and entertainment site Reddit. After witnessing a family receive terrible news in a restaurant, a patron next to them picked up their tab anonymously. Read the full story from HuffPost here.

Amazing Determination

Over the weekend the last place finisher of the Chicago Marathon didn't cross the finish line until about 1:30 a.m., but it was still a huge accomplishment. The 38 year old man from Venezuela has a disability that stems from the oxygen deprivation that occurred during his birth when the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck (according to his website). Not only has he now completed multiple marathons, but he also has multiple degrees, is a motivational speaker and has climbed the highest mountain in his home country. For the full story of his recent marathon, check out the full story from Chicago's NBC station.

Facebook Connection

This sweet story from Good Morning America on ABC just goes to show that there are some good connections that can be made through social media. This young woman was able to find her long lost brother in just two short days thanks to her Facebook plea and all the people who passed it around. Read the full story from GMA and the original story by the ABC affiliate in Denver as well.

Gentle Barn

This emotional piece from Yahoo News highlights one woman's quest to save and heal abused and neglected animals and turn them into healers themselves. Her passion became The Gentle Barn, just north of Los Angeles. The story is five minutes long, but definitely worth watching when time allows.

Alzheimer's Hope

The BBC reported terrific news this week regarding a major research breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. At the University of Leicester in England, researchers have discovered the first chemical to prevent the death of brain tissue. Read the BBC story or the full study, published in Science Translational Medicine.

Survivor

This week Jon Stewart had an amazing guest on The Daily Show--the youngest person to ever be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. This girl is so brave, so brilliant and so beautiful. It seems impossible that she was shot in the head by the Taliban just one year ago because of her activism. Watch the extended interview on Comedy Central.

Emergency Landing

At a British airport earlier this week, a man who'd never flown a plane made an emergency landing after his friend who was piloting the plane became ill and passed out. Thankfully there was an air traffic controller in the tower who was able to talk him through the process of landing the small aircraft and avoiding injuring himself and possibly bystanders on the ground. For the full story and a video, check out BBC News.

Fotolanthropy

Fotolanthropy is an amazing website full of tons of positive and inspiring stories--stories that are part film, part photography and part philanthropy. Photographers and filmmakers donate their time and talents to share true stories of amazing people and families. The story of the Evans family is incredibly touching and should be watched with a box of tissue. You can watch the slideshow and read the entire back story here.

Breast Cancer Hope

This article may be a bit outdated since it was published late last year, but it's great information for October since it's breast cancer awareness month. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute reports that researchers have found that a diet high in colorful fruits and vegetables is directly correlated to a reduced risk of breast cancer. Now women can be proactive about fighting breast cancer before it begins. For the full report, click here.

Hero Dog

Over the weekend in Los Angeles, this beautiful girl was named the top dog at the 2013 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards. Check out the American Humane Association website for the full press release, where you can read more about this heroic pit bull and the other finalists.

Tiny Superheroes

TinySuperheroes is super special company that may have started only about 14 months ago, but in that super short time they have made over 1,700 personalized capes for children who are facing serious illnesses or living with special needs. They've been featured by every news outlet imaginable in the last week, but their original story was shared on ABC News last month. You can also read more or sponsor a tiny superhero on the TinySuperheroes website.

Breaking News

Uncle Bill

This video from NBC's Today Show is especially heartwarming during this period of political turmoil in our country. At a point when Republicans and Democrats absolutely cannot find a way to get along, former President George W. Bush's daughter proves that we can all be family. Watch her comments about the Clintons during a Save the Children event that she emceed earlier this week.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Unlikely Love

Although this story came from the UK earlier this week, it's a sweet story filled with hope. When a British single mother was in treatment for leukemia and had to be transported to the hospital regularly, she found in love in her ambulance driver, and they are now planning their wedding. For the full story, visit the Gazette Live website.

Kindr

Want to help make the world a kinder place? Now there's an app for that--seriously. The brand new app called Kindr is an easy way to send compliments to your friends. Check out the details in an article from The Huffington Post and then download Kindr from the iTunes app store.

A Lift From Locals

This week in Kansas City, the CBS affiliate KCTV 5 shared how a local business owner received an unexpected and unique economic boost. When his business was threatened due to road construction, a nearby congregation took it upon themselves to become regular patrons. Click here for the full story.

KCTV5

Subway Heroes

No one ever really knows how they will react in a life-threatening situation, especially when faced with saving a complete stranger. Last week several courageous men in Boston acted in a way that most people would hope to--they jumped onto the subway track to help a fellow passenger. The full story is available from the Boston Herald website, and the surveillance video from the station is below.