Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Cab Driver's Reward

Last week a cab driver in Las Vegas found a bag with $300,000 cash in his car, but he didn't think for a second about keeping the money. He turned it in to his supervisor and the rightful owner was located via the casino where the money was won. For his honesty, the driver was rewarded with $10,000--a portion of which he plans to share with his church. For the full story from the Las Vegas Sun, click here.

Monday, December 30, 2013

Gift Cards

CNN shared a heartwarming story last week of a young man with special needs in Buffalo, New York who got an amazing Christmas surprise. Thanks to the kindness of hundreds of strangers who responded to his mother's plea on Facebook, he received over 1800 Christmas cards this year. Watch the story below or read more here.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Family Promise

In Billings, Montana last week, many churches in the community came together to make Christmas happen for all of the children in the local Family Promise affiliate. This non-profit normally provides shelter, meals and intensive case management for homeless families, but through all of their volunteers, this Christmas they provided so much more. For the full story from the Billings Gazette, click here.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Service Dog Saving

In New York City last week, a blind man passed out and fell onto the tracks of the subway, only to have his service dog jump down onto the tracks to try and help him. Both survived the incident without major injury by ducking down underneath the train that passed overhead. Several witnesses shared stories of the dog's loyalty and heroism in the original story, and when the blind gentleman mentioned that he couldn't afford to keep his service dog after the dog's retirement, concerned strangers donated over $100,000 to make sure his expenses were covered. Read the full follow-up story from Yahoo News here.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Homeless Helper

In Vancouver last week, a man who stopped to give to a homeless person got a big surprise when he was given much more in return. The person wasn't really homeless, but was instead just generously rewarding those people who were kind enough to stop and help. Read the full story from The Vancouver Sun here.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Selfless Gift

A radio station in Des Moines, Iowa has a contest each year where they grant the Christmas wish of one lucky person who writes a letter to the station. This year, the contest winner was an unusual one, since she passed away two years ago. See the story of the amazing gift she left for her husband, as told on CBS This Morning below, or read it here.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Saving Donkey

Last weekend during a community theater's production of Shrek in Lawrence, Kansas, a 20-year-old actor playing the part of Donkey collapsed on stage, and his co-stars quickly realized he had no heartbeat. Thankfully, several medical professionals who happened to be in the audience were able to perform CPR, saving the young man's life. He woke from a medically induced coma on Monday with no apparent brain damage, and his mother calls that her Christmas miracle. For the full story from the Lawrence Journal-World, click here.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Christmas Renovation

In a terrific story from the Oklahoma City area yesterday, a local restoration company picked a local family in need of some home repair and gave them a $30,000 renovation for free. Watch the full story from OKC's KFOR below.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Homecoming Granny

This story from NBC's Today show last week is uplifting in a variety of ways. Not only did an 82-year-old widow in Kansas have the courage and determination to go back to college, but she also became the most popular person on campus in just a semester.

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Sunday, December 22, 2013

Hope for Paws

Just over a week ago a video of an amazing dog rescue went viral and now has over 10 million views. The pup's capacity for love was incredibly heartwarming despite her horrific condition. Watch the video below or read the story from The Huffington Post and check out the website of Hope for Paws, the rescue organization that saved this sweet girl.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Young Do-Gooders

Three little boys in Warren, Michigan were honored by the mayor of their city this week after finding a church collection box full of money and turning it in to the rightful owners. Watch the full story from Detroit's Fox affiliate below or read it here.

Fox 2 News Headlines

Friday, December 20, 2013

Generous Winner

A Canadian man who won the country's lottery back in May initially didn't even tell his own children about the 40 million dollars he was set to receive. Instead, he started a family foundation with the funds, and that foundation will distribute donations to different charities in honor of his late wife in perpetuity. For the full story from The Huffington Post, click here.


Thursday, December 19, 2013

First Family

This story from WFAA in Dallas is actually from October, but it's just so incredibly touching and has such a beautiful ending. It started when the ABC affiliate did a story in early September about a high school senior who had become homeless after aging out of the foster care system. What happened as a result of that story was an unexpected reunion.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Amazing Journey

This amazing story came out of the tornado that hit Illinois last month, and thankfully it has a very happy ending. When a family's dog escaped their damaged home during the storm, he was picked up a few days later--45 miles from his home. By the time his family had tracked him down, he had already been adopted to another family. After much deliberation, the adoptive family gave him back in time for the holidays. Read the full story and the follow up story from the Lafayette, Indiana Journal and Courier.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Anonymous Generosity

A woman server at an Applebee's near Louisville, Kentucky received an amazing Christmas bonus last week when an anonymous patron left her a $200 tip--on a $12 bill. Watch the full story from the Louisville CBS affiliate below or read it here.


Monday, December 16, 2013

Layaway Santas

An NBC affiliate in Orlando shared the story last week of a man who walked into a Florida Walmart and made the spur of the moment decision to pay off over $20,000 in layaway charges for complete strangers. There are similar stories of layaway angels popping up all over the country. For the video and more on this story, click here.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

The Tutu Project

The Tutu Project actually started 10 years ago when a man started photographing himself in unusual places wearing just a tutu, all in an effort to make his wife laugh as she underwent treatment for breast cancer. Now the project raises awareness and hope, as well as funds for women who are battling the disease, via The Carey Foundation. Check out the heartwarming story below.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

What Would You Do?

This week ABC posted a segment of an episode of What Would You Do?  that has been re-posted all over YouTube. Millions have watched it in just a few days and most have been inspired and encouraged by the courageous stand taken by many of the participants. It's worth the watch and only takes about 8 minutes.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Trees for Cars

A new app for mobile devices came out this week that has the potential to change the environment and change a person's life. It was designed to help people carpool in large cities and thereby decrease pollution and gas usage. If people start buying it for 99 cents, the life of the programmer who created it may be forever changed, as he is currently experiencing homelessness. Watch the story below or read more about the release of the app from Yahoo News here.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Very Big Loser

A former finalist on American Idol was on the Today show this week, but not because of his singing. He was actually interviewed as the most recent contestant to be eliminated from The Biggest Loser, after "only" losing 70 pounds on the show. Since his dismissal, he's lost another 42 pounds. See the full interview from NBC's Today below.

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

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Determined Equestrian

This inspiring teenager from England lost portions of all four limbs to meningitis when she was just five years old, but that hasn't stopped her from pursuing her passion. She was back on a horse within 12 months of her illness and hopes to someday compete in the Paralympics. For more, check out the U.K.'s Daily Mail story here.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

WestJet Santa Surprise

A Canadian airline pulled off an amazing stunt recently that definitely helps restore faith in big businesses. During a single flight, they managed to fulfill Christmas wishes of everyone on board, bringing tears to the eyes of many. Take five minutes to watch the heart-warming video below, and then read more about how the magic happened at The Huffington Post.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Showing Mercy

A coffee shop in the Akron, Ohio area made the news last week because of the employees' very unusual response to a theft from their tip jar. Instead of seeking the man out to press charges, they turned the other cheek and are attempting to help him instead. Watch the story from the Cleveland NBC affiliate below or read it here.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Lava Mae

ABC published a story last month about a marketing executive in San Francisco who gave up her career to build an organization to help the homeless. She's getting ready to launch Lava Mae in March, which will provide mobile showers to homeless men and women in her city. For the full story, click here.


Saturday, December 7, 2013

Printer Prosthetic

This story from CBS is from a couple of months ago, but it's too jaw-dropping not to share. This boy's dad made him a functional prosthetic hand using a 3-D printer and some free instructions on the Internet. It's absolutely amazing and the minimal cost is mind-blowing as well.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Miracle Rescue

Back in May an oil company's tugboat capsized off the coast of Nigeria, and all 12 crew members were initially thought to be dead. When divers went to recover the bodies a couple of days after the accident, however, they found one man very much alive. See the story of his amazing survival and the recently released rescue footage on CNN's New Day here, or read more from the Huffington Post.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Friendly Pharmacy

A Fox affiliate in Philadelphia shared a story this week of a pharmacist in the area who showed great compassion for one of his customers. When the elderly cancer patient couldn't pay for his pain medication, the pharmacist did something unusually kind in order to help. See the full story below.

Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Musical Gift

An ABC affiliate in Portland did a story last week about a Vancouver man who is an amazing pianist despite having never had a lesson. What's even more incredible is that he's never owned a piano or even had a home. He creates melodies all his own on pianos in churches, shelters and second-hand stores. Read the full story from ABC here or listen to his incredible sounds below.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Belated Apology

A few days ago the New York Post published a story that's a great reminder of what a small world we live in. A random post on Facebook reconnected two men whose only prior meeting was when one mugged the other 35 years before. Thankfully, this chance encounter gave the mugger the opportunity to finally apologize. For the full story, click here.


Monday, December 2, 2013

Survivor Dog

Just a few days ago, more than a week after deadly tornadoes devastated Illinois, a survivor was found in the rubble. This adorable six month old pup somehow rode out the storm in his owner's third floor apartment and then managed to hide from rescuers and survive on his own in the wreckage for nine days. For the full story about his rescue, check out the articles from the LA Times and from the New York Daily News.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Shift Your Shopping

There's a campaign called Shift Your Shopping happening this Christmas season with the goal of encouraging shoppers to shop their local, independent businesses. What's even better about supporting these local businesses is that the businesses are then turning around and supporting charities chosen by their customers. As an added bonus, Kevin Bacon is helping to promote this campaign in a super goofy way.