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Keanu Reeves is sharing his generosity once again – the 57-year-old actor surprised his stunt crew from John Wick: Chapter 4 with individually personalized Rolex Submariner watches during a dinner in Paris last Saturday after wrapping filming. Bruce Concepcion, Jeremy Marinas, Dave Camarillo and Li Qiang were all gifted the watches by Reeves. The watches included a personal message engraved for each individual. Marinas shared the watches on his Instagram story, saying it is the “best wrap gift ever. His watch read, “The John Wick Five,” with the message, “Jeremy Thank you Keanu JW4 2021.”

 

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Concepcion also shared a photo on his new timepiece on his Instagram story, writing, “Got that new new thank you bro KR.” This is not the end for “The John Wick Five,” though; the group will be back together to film John Wick 5, which Lionsgate already confirmed has been picked up and is set to be filmed in the near future.

Multiple fights at Southwood High School in Shreveport, Louisiana led to the arrest of 23 students in just a matter of days. So, a group of about 40 dads stepped in to put an end to the violence. The group named themselves “Dads on Duty” and are on the school’s campus for the entire school day, operating in shifts to ensure someone is there at all times. They are there to lift the spirits of the students, tell dad jokes, offer advice and simply let the students know that there is someone in their corner.  Michael LaFitte told CBS News he started Dads on Duty because "we decided the best people who can take care of kids are who? Are us." Since the group was created, there have been no more fights on campus, with one student saying, "The school has just been happy, and you can feel it." The group would love to see similar groups pop up across the country. “Not everybody has a father figure at home — or a male, period, in their life. So just to be here makes a big difference,” said one dad. Image source: Good Morning America

Australian scientists are using sniffer detection dogs to rescue koalas struggling to survive bushfires as they aim to prevent a repeat of last year’s disastrous fires and loss of wildlife.  The rescue efforts are being led by Bear, a border collie and Australian cattle dog cross. Detection Dogs for Conservation saved over 100 koalas during Australia’s “Black Summer,” a period of devastating fires that lasted from late 2019 to early 2020.  According to a release from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Bear recently received a special honor for his rescue work. On Oct. 12, Bear was honored by IFAW at the Animal Action Awards at the House of Lords; Bear joined the event virtually to receive his surprise. "We think Bear really deserved this award because he's been such a good boy in helping us find and rescue a lot of koalas, especially during the bushfires, but he works throughout the year to help us in our job to make a better and safer place for koalas. We'll give Bear extra pats and extra play for his award," Bear's handler, Dr. Romane Cristescu of the University of the Sunshine Coast, said in a statement. Just before the summer of fires, Bear was having trouble fitting in with a forever family due to his “boundless energy” and “obsessive enthusiasm for play.” However, these traits made Bear a prime candidate for the University of the Sunshine Coast's Detection Dogs for Conservation Team. He excelled while learning to sniff out koalas and other wild animals and became an official team member. Image source: Reuters

Penny Umbers, 60, and Mark Bethel, 61 were forced apart as teenagers in the 1970s because their parents did not approve of their interracial relationship.  As a teen, Bethel flew from his home in the Bahamian capital, Nassau, to attend boarding school Trent College, near Nottingham, where Umbers attended school. They went on to study at separate universities in London — it was at this time that Umbers’ father secretly visited Bethel, telling him that he could pull strings to have Bethel’s scholarship revoked if he continued the relationship with his daughter. Bethel’s parents disapproved of the relationship as well, and had even withdrawn financial support, so he made “the hardest decision of his life.” “I didn’t have much power. I was 3,000 miles away from home in a foreign country. I was totally dependent on my scholarship,” said Bethel. “I had to make the hardest decision of my life and I had to make it in isolation. It was heartbreaking.” Umbers was heartbroken and quit college. She went on to marry and divorce twice. Meanwhile, Bethel finished his degree and had a career managing hotels all over the world. He also got married and later divorced, and neither Bethel or Umbers ever forgot about their first true love. Throughout the years, Bethel searched for Umbers, but was unsuccessful due to her surname changes. Finally, at the end of 2019, he found a photo of her on Facebook. The couple was kept apart for several more months due to pandemic travel restrictions, but finally flew to Bethel in the Bahamas in June 2021.  “There was that feeling of reuniting,” Umbers said. “But it was like we hadn’t changed one iota.” When she visited the Bahamas again at the beginning of October, Bethel proposed immediately. The couple wrote a book detailing their story called Thirty-Nine Years in the Wilderness. “I feel like a whole new person. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love Mark,” said Umbers. “We have had 39 lost years but we are looking forward to a really great future,” said Bethel. Image source: Daily Mail

Spanx founder and CEO Sara Blakely announced that she is gifting employees two first-class plane tickets and $10,000 to spend on a trip after the company announced its $1.2 billion deal with private equity firm Blackstone. "This is a very big moment for each and every one of you," she said in a video posted on her Instagram account Thursday. "To celebrate this moment, I have bought each one of you two first-class tickets to anywhere in the world."

 

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Some of the employees plan to travel to South Africa and Antarctica, while another will elope with his girlfriend in Sweden. Another employee will go on her honeymoon in Bora Bora. "I really want every employee to celebrate this moment in their own way and create a memory that will last them a lifetime! Cheers to 21 years of magic and many more to come," Blakely wrote in an Instagram post. Blackstone now holds the majority of the shapewear empire, but the mother of four will remain a “significant shareholder.” "With all my heart I love this brand. With all my heart I will continue to love this brand," she said. "I will remain a significant shareholder and continue to help the business fulfill its greatest potential, as well as continue to fulfill my greatest passion - elevating women." Image source: Email Tuna

After sixty years, former Miss America Marilyn Van Derbur is giving bestowing her crown upon someone else.  Van Derbur won the crown in 1958. “It’s one of my most prized possessions,” she told The Washington Post. “Anyone who knows a Miss America knows that a crown is the most special thing that she would personally own." The crown is currently being sold by Heritage Auctions to raise money for teachers in Colorado. The bidding starts at $20,000 and marks the first time that a Miss America crown has ever been auctioned. Van Derbur said she was compelled to sell it due to “unexpected expenses needed for COVID protections.” The Swarovski crystal-adorned crown and matching “crown motif” bracelet are rare, according to jeweler David Talarico, and could sell for up to $40,000. “I’m not sure why it was so rare and fleeting. I can’t believe she has it,” said Talarico. Image source: Insider

Evan Bisnauth, an 11-year-old boy from Bronx, New York, was just named ASPCA’s kid of the year for his outstanding efforts to help socialize and get dogs adopted at Animal Care Centers of NYC. "Our 2021 ASPCA Humane Award winners represent the best of us — heroic people and organizations dedicated to helping vulnerable animals, and amazing animals who demonstrate the invaluable love and comfort they're capable of providing," Matt Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA, said in a press release. “It makes me feel really good … but it also makes me want to do so much more,” Evan said to TODAY about receiving the award. Evan helps socialize dogs in a unique way: by reading to them. “I actually first read to my own dog when I was learning to read and write in school,” he said. Evan also creates animations of adoptable animals to help them get attention and ultimately be placed in a safe, loving home. “During COVID, I was not able to go in person and I needed to find a fun way to showcase the dogs and put them in a positive light,” said Evan. “I started animating them doing all the fun things dogs like to do to get people to picture them as a part of their family.” Evan’s favorite book to read to the dogs is the children’s book “Belly Rubbins for Bubbins,” written by Jason Kraus and illustrated by Connor DeHaan. "The story is about a dog that was placed into the shelter and got adopted," Evan said. "I like reading that to the dogs because when I'm done reading the book I'm like, 'You will get adopted. Now I have hope for you.'" "I just want people to know that shelter dogs are not bad dogs. They are just looking for good people," he said. "And to all the kids out there, you are never too small to make big changes." Image source: TODAY

Jack Harlow announced his most recent charitable efforts on Instagram earlier this month. “Growing up in Louisville, all I ever fantasized about was shining a light on the city,” he wrote. “I would hear my favorite rappers talk about where they were from in songs and I felt this urge to let the world know about us too. I’ve been blessed enough to build a platform during this journey & it’s become clear to me that giving back to the town that raised me is now one of my responsibilities.”

 

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He said he made five donations to local organizations, and he hopes that they will resonate with his followers as they did for him — the organizations are AMPED, the Center for Women and Families, Grace James Academy, Louisville Urban League, and Metro United Way. Instagram announced it would match up to $50,000 of what Harlow raises via its “nonprofit fundraising tool,” and Louisville-based KFC will donate its matched funds to AMPED and Grace James Academy. “I took some counsel from my mom, she has always had a giving heart, and she’s no stranger to a lot of these organizations. Aside from that, I really wanted to dive in and figure out what hit home for me,” Harlow said, according to People. Harlow is no stranger to giving back. In March, he won $500,000 in Bleacher Report’s Open Run Showdown and donated it to two HBCU’s in his home state — Simmons College of Kentucky and Kentucky State University. Image source: Desert Drip Las Vegas

Meadow Walker, the 22-year-old daughter of the late actor Paul Walker, announced on Friday, Oct. 22 that she married Louis-Thornton Allan. Paul Walker died in 2013 after being involved in a single-vehicle collision in 2013. He was 40 years old at the time of his death and was best known for starring in the first six of the nine “Fast and Furious” movies with actor Vin Diesel. Diesel, Meadow’s Godfather, was among the “Fast and Furious” stars to attend the wedding, along with Walker’s onscreen love interest Jordana Brewster. Diesel escorted his Goddaughter down the aisle, in place of her late father. The model wore a custom Givenchy Haute Couture gown on her wedding day. 

 

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Comments came pouring in after fans learned of Diesel’s sweet gesture. ​​"Vin walking you made me legit tear up and I'm a damn guy," read one comment. "Vin walking you down was so heartwarming. Paul is shining down," another fan wrote.  "Vin Diesel is so sweet for doing that," another commenter posted. Image source: Instagram / @meadowwalker

The 13th annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk is back this year — after having a virtual event last year due to pandemic restrictions — with a massive goal of raising $2.5 million for children with special needs and public education. Since its inception, the event has raised over $17 million for public schools, scholarships and the Friendship Foundation, a non-profit that offers programs to empower individuals with developmental disabilities to build friendships, be independent and live purposeful lives as active community members. This year’s event, presented by Kinecta Federal Credit Union, is taking place on Sunday, Oct. 24 and will include live performances, featured celebrities and prominent athletes such as Brooke Burke, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tony Romo, Meb Keflezighi and more. The event will also include an adopt-a-pet center sponsored by the Petco Love and Los Angeles Animal Services at the BOBS from Skechers store on Manhattan Beach Boulevard. “Kids can realize their true potential when given the right tools. And through the Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, we aim to give our children with special needs programs that enrich their lives, and provide their peers with the opportunities they need to succeed,” said Michael Greenberg, founder of the Walk, in a press release. Greenberg said their latest plans include a Friendship Foundation campus that will provide “college-based learning, job training and creative opportunities” so that young people with special needs will be able to learn and join the workforce. Image source: Getty Images for Skechers