Jesus House

The city of Odessa, Texas recently celebrated opening a beautiful new shelter for women and children experiencing homelessness. Watch the story below or read it from NewsWest 9 here. For more information about Jesus House and what they do, you can check out their website here.

More Than Coworkers

In this amazing story from ABC15 in Phoenix, two nurses who'd worked together for two years recently found out they were related. Watch the heartwarming story below or read it here.

Laughing for Good

An incredibly popular (and hilarious) TV reporter turned internet personality, who has a following of over a million people on Facebook, has used her platform to raise almost $160,000 for charity. Read more about her fundraising project on her Facebook page and be sure to watch the highlights of one of her product review videos below for a good laugh. 

Twelve-Year-Old Trumpeter

The incredible dedication of a 12-year-old boy in Georgia was recognized during the inauguration last week, but here's the story about this talented tween from the CBS Evening News that originally aired last year.

Hope for Paralysis

Researchers in Germany have found a way to repair damaged spinal nerves in mice, giving them the ability to walk again after being paralyzed. Read the full story from NBC News here.

Restaurant Rescue

A woman in Orlando was recognized as a hero earlier this month when she noticed a little boy in her restaurant needed help. Watch the full story from Today below or read more from People here.

Loyal Friend

Last week in Turkey, a very loyal dog made the news by waiting outside the hospital where his owner was being treated. Watch the story from NBC News below, which includes a very happy temporary reunion, or read more on the story from an Australian news website here.

Kits Cubed

An amazing teenager in California started his own nonprofit during the pandemic to share his love of science with other kids through hands-on experiment kits. Watch this great story from NBC4 in Washington, DC, or check out the Kits Cubed website here.

The Hill We Climb

Positively, the most positive person all over the Internet this week is poet Amanda Gorman, who wowed the world with her amazing poem at the inauguration on Wednesday. Watch her performance in its entirety from The Guardian below or see this amazing human in an interview on Today here.

Bernie Meme

This week Bernie Sanders has taken the Internet by storm with his inaguration day attire. Watch the news story below from WHAS11 in Louisville about the resulting meme in all of its forms. Other great lists of hilarious Bernie memes can be found at the Men's Health website and The Wrap.

Pep Talk

Today's throwback video is from November of 2019, and it's the most recent pep talk from the young man who used to be Kid President. He shot to YouTube fame back in 2012 with words of wisdom that were always full of joy and encouragement. Check out more of his old videos here.

Indoguration

On Sunday, the Delaware Humane Association hosted a virtual party with over 10,000 attendees to celebrate the first dog adopted from a shelter moving into the White House. Watch the story below from ABC7 in New York or read it here.

National Day of Service

All over the country yesterday, people were honoring of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by volunteering on the National Day of Service. At just one event in Flint, Michigan, volunteers from the United Way served families in need by braving the elements and distributing free food and other supplies.

MLK Celebrations

There are so many online celebrations of MLK to check out on YouTube today, but here's just one great musical number that's a combined performance from an MLK Ensemble and Mama Foundation. This was bonus footage from the New York State 2021 celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.



For more great performances, check out this playlist from the Cleveland Orchestra after they're posted later today.

Giving Kitchen

A non-profit organization in Georgia that provides crisis support for people working in the foodservice industry recently expanded their services to help people who are being treated for substance abuse. They are also preparing to extend their organization's reach to Tennessee in 2021. Read more about their new recovery assistance program from the Restaurant Hospitality website here, or check out the Giving Kitchen website to find out about their other programs. The interview with Nashville Restaurant Radio below highlights their origins and their upcoming growth in that area.

Medical Clowning

There's a facsinating new type of medical care that might sound like a joke, but a recent TED Talk posted online shares the basics of medical clowning and how it helps hospital patients and staff. Read more form the Ever Widening Circles website here or watch the TED Talk below.

Kitty City

In a brilliant pandemic collaboration between two non-profit organizations in Lawrence, Kansas, artists created a very entertaining exhibit out of adoptable kittens in one of the gallery spaces of the arts center. Their Kitty City will be available for viewing until the end of February, and you can even watch the kittens play live on their kitty cam below. Read more from the Lawrence Journal-World here, or find out more on the Lawrence Arts Center Kitty City page. They have some very entertaining videos on the Lawrence Humane Society Instagram page too! 

Peanut the Orangutan

This video from Discovery UK originally aired about three years ago, but it's such an adorable story it's worth sharing. When you have 8 minutes, meet the sweetest little orangutan named Peanut and the amazing people at Orangutan Appeal UK who are teaching him how to climb.

Drug Development

There was a very exciting development in the pharmaceutical world this week, as drug company Eli Lilly announced positive results in the phase 2 trial of a medication to fight Alzheimer's Disease. Denver's 9News put together a very informative story about the findings you can watch below or read here.

Parade Love

Over the weekend, an entire community came together to support a young boy who is battling cancer for the second time. Read the full story from KCRA News in Sacramento here.

Best of 2020

The uplifting Stitch series from Hearst Television published a 10 minute clip of their most heartwarming stories from 2020. Watch the video below or check out the Stitch website here.

Australian Recovery

The reporters at CTV News in Canada shared some good news out of Australia, where rescuers have been working to rehabilitate and reintroduce the wildlife who were decimated after the wildfires last year. Watch the story on CTV's website here.

Record Adoptions

More great news that came out of the otherwise terrible pandemic is the increased number of homeless animals being adopted from shelters around the country. Read the full story from the Washington Post here.

Pandemic Pets

One good thing that came out of the pandemic was the huge number of work from home on camera bloopers. This is a great compliation of news + pet mishaps from around the world in 2020. The video is actually over 20 minutes long, but even just a few of these moments should brighten your day.

Incredible Family

This video from the TV show Born Different is from a couple of years ago, but it's definitely worth a watch when you have a free 10 minutes. This amazing family is absolutely inspirational.

Neighborhood Hero

A Phoenix area woman saved the lives of her neighbors when she alerted them to a house fire early on New Year's Day. Their home was a total loss, but thankfully, their community has rallied to help them rebuild. Watch the video below or read the full story from 12 News in Phoenix here.

Positivity Pole

A basketball coach at the University of Kansas has been spreading motivation and inspiration throughout the pandemic with his weekly trips down to the "Positivity Pole" in his neighborhood. Check out all of his encouraging Monday videos here.

Moving Heros

A national moving company has started offering free moving services to victims of domestic violence during the pandemic. People in need can apply for the free services from franchises all over the country through their local domestic violence prevention organizations.

Animal Grandpa

In this sweet story from the Good News Network, a retired teacher in Turkey volunteers his time to care for homeless animals. Read all of the details here. 

Happiness in 2020

The folks at NBC's Today put together a great list of 9 good news stories from 2020, including this terrific socially distant dance-off. Check out the full list of stories here. 

More Vaccine Hope

This week a new coronavirus vaccine, which is inexpensive and doesn't need special cold storage, was approved for use in the United Kingdom. Read the full story from the Boston Herald here or from The New York Times here.