This Year In 5 Good Things

The year is nearly over and if you are like me, you have forgotten much of what has happened in the previous 300+ days. As a way to offer a quick reminder of what I’ve asked, learned and written about in 2016, I will spend this week recapping some of the top posts/segments this blog had to offer from the past year.

Let’s take a look at this year in 5 Good Things…

(from April)

1. Good Samaritans do exist – A woman found a pediatric wheelchair in the middle of a Jersey City street Saturday night and is taking time to reunite it with its owner. The owner has yet to be found, but in our busy world, it is nice to know that there are still people out there who pause what they are doing to help someone they can’t even see.
2. We don’t have to be a superhero to come to the rescue – An 11-year-old boy with autism, walked out of class on Friday and hopped a BART train to San Francisco. Thanks to one woman’s instincts, the boy was safely reunited with his family.
3. We can watch videos and make a difference at the same time – My favorite politician, Kid President, is back on the campaign trail to help end child hunger with ConAgra. For every view or share of his new video, between April 14 through May 9, 2016, ConAgra will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America®, up to 100,000 meals.
4. Devils can act like angels – The Arizona State University football team took time out of their last spring practice to welcome a five-year-old who is battling stage three lymphoma. The boy was all smiles as he got to keep head coach Todd Graham’s whistle and got to try on ASU’s football helmet and gloves.
5. Even champions are too big for their smallest fans – Villianova stars Daniel Ochefu and Ryan Arcidiacono have been busy doing the media rounds since being crowned NCAA men’s basketball champions. But they aren’t too busy to share some cake with a struggling young fan. The players surprised a 4-year-old who is fighting bone cancer, giving him a handful of gifts and a Wildcats-themed cake. Check out the video below.

(from June)

1. Cristiano Ronaldo donates his €600,000 Champions League win bonus to charity – The soccer superstar is proving to be a champion off the field. The Portuguese forward was named the world’s most charitable sportsperson last year and it appears he is only upping his game in 2016.
2. Boy Plays For Vet Who Showed Up To Canceled Memorial Day Parade – Rain cancelled a Memorial Day parade in North Bellmore, NY. But when 11-year-old Nicholas DeGregorio heard that an elderly veteran was on his way to the parade site, the 5th grader grabbed his trumpet and put on a show.
3. Limbless man completes marathon in Canada – Chris Koch, a motivational speaker who was born without arms and legs successfully finished The Scotiabank Calgary Marathon by using a long board.
4. Mother of 3 takes on friend’s 6 children after death – Before Stephanie Culley lost her friend Beth Laitkep to cancer, she made a promise to look after Beth’s six children. Stephanie made good on that promise and welcomed the children (ranging from age 15 to age 2) into her home.
5. 9-Year-old Makes Beautiful Care Packages for Homeless Women – When Khloe Thompson asked her mom why people were homeless, the answer inspired her to start a charity. Khloe Kares, provides homeless women with beautiful shoulder bags that fills with necessities and sews with her great-grandmother. Check out the video below.

(from July)

1. Elderly Stranger Pays For Man’s Groceries – A conversation about race relations in America led to one man paying for another man’s groceries. “[It was] just a random moment of solidarity and love that made my day,” said Sampson McCormick, the man whose groceries were paid for.
   
2. Michigan Children’s Hospital Is Using Pokemon Go To Brighten Smiles – C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan has started using the new gaming sensation Pokemon Go in its hallways and around the campus to foster greater socialization within patients and brighten smiles all around.
3. ‘Heroic’ Dog Saves Lost Boy’s Life In Mountain Ordeal – A Labrador named Max has been hailed as a hero after coming to the rescue of a teenage boy who got lost during an expedition in Mexico’s Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range.
   
4. Builder Makes A Real Life ‘Where’s Waldo?’ Game For Sick Kids To Spot From Their Hospital Window – Another example of how a fun game can lift the spirits of young hospital patients. This time the game is Where’s Waldo.
   
5. Mom Made it her Mission to Go to Hospitals to Cook Healthy Food for Kids With Cancer – After her son was diagnosed with cancer, one woman created Happily Hungry, a program that consists of cooking and workshops for hospitalized kids and their families who are battling cancer and other illnesses. Learn more in the video below.
   

(from September)

1. Teen Makes ‘Sit With Us’ App That Helps Students Find Lunch Buddies – A 16-year-old from Sherman Oaks, California created an app that helps students find a place to sit and make friends in the lunchroom.
2. Airplane Passenger’s Kind Gesture Brings Mom to Tears – It is hard enough being pregnant on a flight. The space is cramped and no one wants to sit by you. Now imagine that, plus having to take care of a crying 1-year-old child. A mother traveling from Minneapolis to Atlanta was going through this struggle when a man seated nearby approached her and offered to help sooth the infant so she could get some rest.
3. Buckeye Lightning Strike Victim Is Saved By Neighbor – Trust me, you will want to read this story. It is the perfect example of living out the message to love your neighbor.
4. 12-Year-old Creates First App to Help Alzheimer’s Patients Keep Track of Things – Yep, another story about a young person creating an app to help others. It is amazing the good things that can come from technology.
5. An 8-year-old Writes a Book and Donates Its Profits to Charity – 8-year-old author Emma Sumner was challenged by her dad to write a 150-word story over summer break. The challenge turned into a 10,000 word fairy tale and the best part is she is donating the money she earns from the first few months of sales to Autism Speaks.

(from October)

1. 10-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Writes Book To Inspire Others – Luis Collazo, a 10-year-old North Texas boy, is using his cancer fight and bullying to inspire other children to celebrate their differences.
2. Cop Gets On Level With Boy Having A Bad Day, Wipes His Tears – Precious Cornner-Jones, an officer with the Indiana State Police, was participating in a rally at a school on Sept. 26 when she saw a small boy get so upset he threw himself to the floor. Cornner-Jones, herself a mother of three, stretched out next to the boy and comforted him.
3. Baseball Star Paul Goldschmidt Raises Money For Phoenix Children’s Hospital – The All-Star first baseman’s charity, Goldy’s Fund 4 Kids is having a bowling event where 100 percent of the proceeds will be going to PCH’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.
4. Pre-School Teacher Offers to Donate Kidney to Save Little Girl’s Life -4-year-old Lyla needed a new kidney. Turns out her preschool teacher, Beth Battista, was a perfect match, and has agreed to be the donor.
5. Little Boy Gives Charlotte Police Officers ‘Free Hugs’ and Donuts – When a young boy heard about injured police officers while listening to the radio, he did something awesome…decided to bring the cops donuts and give them hugs.