Author: Darby Jones

  • Child’s Lost Christmas Gifts Returned After Being Found on Side of Road
  • As a family was driving home on Christmas Eve, a large bag of Christmas presents fell out of the bed of the truck.  Dawstin Chattin’s mother, Jaclyn, said her 5-year-old son’s gifts went missing. “We had them all wrapped up in the back of the truck,” said Jaclyn. “And my husband was driving behind us and he went to make a turn and didn’t realize the bag fell out.” The gifts ended up on the side of the road, and a man found them the next morning. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said a man turned them in, and with the help of social media, they were able to locate the owners.  "What a wonderful story," Tommy Liter with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said. "Every day we go to work we have some tough calls and not all of them work out the way we like them to and with this one, all the pieces seem to fit." "Oh it was a big relief, my dad had tagged me in it and said they found it and turned it into the sheriff's office and we were just ecstatic," Jaclyn Chattin said. "We would like to say a big thank you and to the man who turned them in, we're grateful." Image source: Fox17
  • Nurse Goes Beyond Duty By Rescuing Hospitalized Patient’s Dog from Shelter
  • Just after Thanksgiving, registered nurse Jennifer Smith received an early morning phone call from one of her favorite patients, John Burley. He was upset about his beloved dog, Boomer. "I came into work the Monday after Thanksgiving to the phone ringing at 7 a.m.," Smith told CNN. "John was calling from his hospital room saying, 'Boomer is in the pound!' Boomer is in the pound!' Boomer is John's world." Smith could tell that Burley was distraught and worried about Boomer’s future. "He took a breath and asked me, 'Will you take care of Boomer?' And I said, 'Of course, John. I will find Boomer and take care of him for you,'" Smith told CNN. Smith, who has been a nurse for 12 years, met Burley at the Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Rome, New York, through its adult day health care program. Burley, 60, had adopted Boomer 12 years ago when he was just a puppy. Most of Burley’s family still lives in his home state of Arkansas, so when he was hospitalized for pneumonia and lung problems, he had no one to take care of his dog. Smith says that she developed a friendship with Burley in the adult daycare program and he would often talk about Boomer, occasionally showing off pictures of his pup. "I couldn't separate the two of them. I just couldn't." Burley was not sure which shelter Boomer was in. Smith looked up nearby animal shelters and when she called the Rome Humane Society, she discovered he'd been taken there. "I was a little panicked because I didn't know how long he had been in the shelter or if he had already been adopted to another family. It's Christmas time and people get animals," she said. "I told John I have a 13-year-old dog myself who I've had since a puppy, so I fully understand the panic. It made my heart sad for him and Boomer." She drove to the shelter the next day and found 18-pound Boomer in a large cage in the back. Smith said, "OK, where are the adoption papers? I'm going to take him home." Boomer was not ready to be released just yet, but Smith called Burley to let him know she had found him. Boomer is now at Smith’s home, making friends with her dog.   "It was one less worry that John has, and he needs to focus on getting better and taking care of himself and know Boomer is in good hands," Smith said. While Burley is living in the rehabilitation wing of the center, Smith is able to bring Boomer to work with her. "It helps John with the healing process and gives him peace of mind," Smith said. Image source: CNN
  • Denver Museum of Nature & Science Receives Anonymous $25 Million Donation
  • The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) said it received a very generous, anonymous gift just before the holidays. An anonymous donor is giving $25 million to the museum and its supporting organization, the DMNS Foundation. This marks the largest gift given to the institution in its 121-year history.  According to the museum, 10% of the funds will go directly to the museum for initial staffing, equipment and launch activities. With the remaining 90%, an endowed fund will be established at the DMNS Foundation. Annual distributions from the endowment will support DMNS’ long-term conservation work. The museum’s collection contains 4.3 million artifacts and specimens. In a typical year, DMNS fields 350 external research requests, consults with dozens of tribal nation representatives, makes 160 loans consisting of more than 11,000 collection items, and hosts collection tours for about 13,000 people.  DMNS President and CEO George Sparks said the support will expand the museum’s capacity for collections conservation containing scientifically and culturally significant objects in archeology, ethnology, geology, paleontology, health sciences, zoology and archives.   "Collections are treasures held in the public trust. Preserving them and making them accessible to source communities, scientists and the public has long been an institutional priority,” said Museum Director of Anthropology and Senior Curator of Archaeology Stephen E. Nash. “This unprecedented gift will take our work to another level, with the expertise and state-of-the-art analytical equipment needed to advance the field and train the next generation of conservation professionals from a wide range of backgrounds. It will position the Museum as a leader in culturally-inclusive object conservation in the Rocky Mountain region, nationally and internationally.” Image source: Denver Museum of Nature & Science
  • TSA Officer Jumps Over Conveyor Belt at Newark Airport to Save Choking Baby
  • Transportation Security Administration officer Cecilia Morales has only been on the job for a few weeks, but her skills from her previous job are already making an impact. While working at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Morales leapt over a conveyor belt to save a two-month-old baby who stopped breathing.  Initially, Morales shouted instructions at the mother, but quickly realized that she would need to get involved. "She was so nervous and I knew if I didn't get over there, it wasn't going to be a good outcome," Morales, a former EMT, said in a statement. "I jumped over the checkpoint conveyor belt rollers and she gave me the baby. I performed the infant Heimlich maneuver on him." It took two times for Morales to place the baby face down on her arm and pat him on the back before he began to breathe again. "The mother was too nervous and in shock to hold her son, so I carried the infant through the walkthrough [the] metal detector," Morales said. Security footage of the incident was posted to Twitter, showing Morales springing into action. "Think if she didn't work that way or the woman was before or after that mark," one Twitter user said of the rescue. "It was literally a miracle. If she was anywhere else, in the car on the way, at the gate.... anywhere else this would have been a different story." Morales said that watching the footage was “mind-blowing.”  "I saw the video afterward," she said in the statement. "It was the first time I've ever seen myself in action, saving a life. It was mind-blowing to watch. I felt that my training and experience just took over." Image source: NY Post
  • Safety Alert App Citizen Partners with Tank’s Good News for “Good Vibes Contest”
  • Download Citizen app here This holiday season, real-time safety app Citizen is teaming up with Tank’s Good News to launch a campaign to encourage the public to share the good they are doing or the good they see being done in their communities through Citizen’s new “Good Vibes” feature. From now through Jan. 31, 2022, Citizen users, new and old, can share their own good news stories on the app and potentially be broadcast to Citizen's 10 million users and win $5,000 for the charity or community organization of their choosing, including non-violence groups and other safety-focused organizations. Who knows? Maybe you'll become a good news influencer too? Maybe we can hang out, become best friends? To enter, simply identify some good in the world, open the Citizen app, tap the camera icon at the bottom of the screen, tap “Good Vibes” and press the green button to begin recording! "I’m excited to partner with Citizen, to help give more people opportunities to share good news, feel safe and informed. Citizen is helping address one of our critical needs: safety. As a testament to how they’re doing so responsibly, we’re partnering on the launch of a new Citizen feature that highlights the good that people are doing in their communities, something that I know will be satisfying for everyone to see,” said Tank Sinatra, creator of Tank’s Good News. Throughout the holidays, Tank and Citizen will work together to select contest winners who demonstrate what “good” means. Participants will share “good” content via Citizen, and receive additional contest entries by sharing on multiple social media platforms. All eligible entries will be based on three equally-weighted criteria: community impact, creative storytelling and execution.  As a powerful force for good, Citizen has helped evacuate people from burning buildings, divert school buses from nearby terrorist attacks, and led to the rescue of trafficked and abducted children. Terms and Official Rules Apply.
  • “Shaq-a-Claus” Brings Christmas to 500 Georgia Kids with Toys, Clothes
  • It is that time of year again for the annual Shaq-A-Claus, a mission that was started over 20 years ago through the Shaquille O’Neal foundation. On Monday, Dec. 20, O’Neal kicked off this year’s Shaq-A-Claus at Wesley Lakes Elementary School in McDonough, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta. O'Neal and multiple community partners gave the students early Christmas gifts, including toys, jackets, socks, snacks, bicycles, $100 Walmart gift cards and more. Shaq-A-Claus was started in 1997 by his mother, Dr. Lucille O’Neal. She called her son one day, explaining that she was with hundreds of children who otherwise would not be receiving any toys for Christmas, so she asked him to help. "I told her I would handle it," he told Fox News, explaining he and his brother rented three moving trucks, visited a local toy store, and purchased and provided each child with several toys. "I was able to buy at least five toys each for about 500 kids." O’Neal said his mother has always been his inspiration for philanthropy. "I used to be a high-level delinquent [and] it wasn't all smiles in my house," O’Neal said. "Once I started playing basketball and becoming more responsible and learned how to be a leader instead of a follower, I would see her smile more. And that's when it became my mission [to make her smile]."  Shaq-A-Claus has become a nationwide mission to help underprivileged youth, with similar events taking place in California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Las Vegas, Boston and more. “I just want kids to be able to follow their dreams,” said O’Neal. Image source: Derek White / Getty Images for Pepsi Stronger Together
  • Maine State Trooper Carries Elderly Man with Alzheimers to Safety After Finding Him in Ditch During Storm
  • State troopers in Maine found an 82-year-old man with Alzheimer’s in a ditch on the side of the road early Wednesday morning. Authorities were responding to a report of an elderly man that had wandered away from home. They found the man around 5 a.m. in Vassalboro, Maine lying in a ditch, suffering from severe hypothermia and frostbite. Dash camera video footage shows trooper Tyler Harrington finding the man, Bernard Perry, and carrying him across the freshly plowed road back to his cruiser. The man was unable to walk on his own due to his condition after being caught in the snow storm. After carrying the man back to the cruiser, Harrington waited for an ambulance to arrive. Perry was transported to Maine General Hospital in Augusta, where police said he is recovering from his injuries. "We are grateful Bernard Perry was found in a timely manner and is recuperating," Main State Police wrote on its Facebook page in sharing the video. "We are also thankful for Trooper Harrington, Maine State Police Troopers and all Law Enforcement Officers in Maine who do an exceptional job protecting the citizens of Maine and all those who visit our great state."  Image source: Maine State Police
  • Mom Creates ‘Elf on the Shelf’ in Wheelchair for Daughter with Rare Genetic Disease
  • Two-year-old Stella Lackey has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disease that affects her motor function, and she uses a purple wheelchair and pink ankle-foot orthoses.  Stella’s mother, Samantha Lackey, wanted to make sure that her daughter saw herself represented in her Elf on the Shelf doll, so she created Bean on the Elf, who also uses a purple wheelchair and pink ankle-foot orthoses. When Bean the Elf does various activities through the month of December, he does things that Stella does, like going rock climbing at occupational therapy and using a nasogastric tube, which carries food and medicine to the stomach through the nose. However, Bean the Elf's tube is filled with hot chocolate.
     
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    A post shared by The Lackey Fam (@stronglikestella)

    "I don't think she even second guesses that the elf is in a wheelchair because that's just what she's so used to," Lackey, of Phoenix, Arizona, told "Good Morning America." "For me to be able to mirror this little elf with her personality, I think she truly appreciates it." Stella was diagnosed with SMA at just one month old, and received her first wheelchair, which she refers to as “wheels wheels,” at nine months old. Lackey said that when she and her husband gave Stella her first Barbie doll, who uses a wheelchair, they saw her confidence grow. They have since made even more efforts to ensure Stella sees herself represented in toys she plays with, books she reads and shows she sees. "As a mom, I was worried about how am I going to relate to my child. I don't have a disability, I unfortunately never had relationships with disabled people growing up," Lackey said. "So to see her truly appreciate how much representation can mean, it was a no-brainer." Image source: Good Morning America
  • Sixth Grade Boy Saves Choking Classmate and Woman from House Fire in Same Day
  • 11-year-old Dayvon Johnson is being honored for his heroic efforts earlier this month, saving two lives in one day. Johnson received three awards last week during the Muskogee School Board meeting.  On Dec. 9, Johnson performed the Heimlich maneuver on a choking classmate, according to a Facebook post by his Oklahoma school district. Later that same evening, he helped a woman whose house was on fire. Latricia Dawkins, the principal at Davyon's school, told the Enid News and Eagle that a student was taking off the cap of their water bottle to fill it up when the cap got stuck in their throat. Davyon noticed the student choking and performed the Heimlich maneuver, which dislodged the cap, saving the student. "He has always indicated that he wants to be an EMT," Dawkins told the newspaper. "So he got to put that desire into action and immediately saved that young man." Later that evening, Johnson saw a woman’s house on fire, and he helped her off her porch and into her vehicle. The Muskogee Police Department, Muskogee County Sheriff's Office and school board recognized Davyon for his actions. The police department presented him with an honorary officer certificate, the sheriff's department named him an honorary deputy and the school board presented him with the heroism award. Image source: CNN
  • Fleet of Ice Cream Trucks Join Funeral Procession to Honor “King of Ice Cream”
  • Savash Turkel joined a small group of family and friends last week in southeast London to bury his brother, Hassan Dervish, an ice cream man for more than 40 years who recently died of cancer. Something was unique about this funeral procession: The music from ice cream trucks, driven by colleagues who knew and admired Dervish, flooded the streets in memory of a 62-year-old man hailed by loved ones as the “king of the ice cream,” Turkel told The Washington Post. “The first one came and then there was another and then there was another,” said Turkel, 57. “All of a sudden, there were probably 10 ice cream trucks that followed him all the way to the cemetery. There were so many ice cream trucks for my brother.” The moment was captured by UK resident Louisa Davies, who posted a video to Twitter that has been viewed more than 13 million times. “Just witnessed an ice cream man’s funeral and all the ice cream vans came and followed in solidarity,” tweeted Davies “I AM SOBBING.” The ice cream truck procession is a common tradition for vendors to honor fallen colleagues. In February, 10 trucks came together to celebrate the life of Pasquale Marucci, an ice cream man in Hampshire, England, according to the BBC.  Turkel said his brother was passionate about his work. “He was always helping out all his friends. He helped them all out,” Turkel said. “That’s why so many people loved him. My brother was a really honest and hard-working person.” Image source: Press Democrat