Kids ask us all to #DoItForPeace

Today, September 21, has been set aside as the International Day of Peace. Two organizations, Peace One Day and Kids for Peace are teaming up with the Good News Network to launch a worldwide quest: to perform one billion acts of peace in ten days. 

One billion. 

Under the hashtag #DoItForPeace, 1000 'ignitors' hope to shift global consciousness toward kindness, generosity, and peace. They shared their act of peace, then invited five friends to do the same. If those five friends invite five more, well, you get the idea. In ten days, over one billion people, 10% of the world's population, will have deliberately taken action to recognize and promote peace in their own lives. What an amazing transformation that would be! 

Some planned activities include:
Kids forming peace signs in the USA, UK, Kenya, Pakistan, India, and Australia;
Skydivers performing the first-ever skydiving peace sign formation;
Professional surfers creating a peace sign on the waves.

We don't need to form peace signs to promote peace. We can start with a simple kindness to a neighbor or a stranger. 

All participants are encouraged to post photos and videos of their acts of peace under the hashtag #DoItForPeace. Whatever you do, do it for peace. Let's make this grand experiment a success! 

Bus driver stops his route to help a blind passenger across a construction zone

Milwaukee, Wisconsin resident Gene Hubbard has been riding the transit bus to work for years. The 69-year-old is blind, and knows exactly how to navigate from the bus stop to his place of employment. 

As bus driver Thaddaus Turner approached Hubbard's usual spot, he saw it was blocked by construction. Despite knowing he is responsible to keep the bus on schedule, he stopped the bus and followed Hubbard down the stairs. He then took the man's arm and led him safely across the construction area.  

A driver in oncoming traffic snapped a couple photos and a video of this small kindness. Without knowing either Hubbard or Turner's identity, he shared the video with local news outlets, who in turn broadcast the good deed. 

Turner dismissed his act as something he and his fellow bus drivers do most every day. Hubbard praised Turner's kindness. “If I don’t have a regular locating point to start from, I may as well be in the middle of the ocean.” 

Eight-year-old Georgia boy shows us how to take care of each other

While driving home from a high school graduation with his mom and his sister, 8-year-old Maurice Adams Jr. of Milledgeville, Georgia spotted an elderly woman with a walker crossing a busy intersection. She was alone, and faced a set of on the far side of the intersection. Maurice asked his mom if he could help this stranger. Of course his mother said yes. 

So Maurice got out and walked beside the woman as she finished crossing the intersection. He stayed beside her as she climbed the stairs with her walker - an awkward feat for anyone! When they reached the top, the woman turned to Maurice, hugged him, and said, "You're special." 

Unknown to Maurice or the woman, a man named Riley Duncan had watched the pair. He captured some of Maurice's kindness on cell phone video. Duncan posted the video on Facebook, and through that learned the name of the kindhearted boy. He gave Maurice $100 as a reward, adding, "Thank God for our youth."

Then Duncan sent the video to a local news outlet. The video went viral. 

Maurice’s mom, Contricia Hill, is rightfully proud of her son. Thousands of others who watched the video are proud of Maurice, too. 

Here's my question for administrators in that town: why isn't there a ramp so elderly and others with special needs can get around independently?

NY couple finds rusty safe in their backyard filled with money and jewelery

Since they moved into the house four years ago, Matthew and Maria Colonna-Emanuel of Staten Island, New York knew there was a rusty metal box behind some thick shrubs in their yard. They figured it was an old electrical or cable box and left it alone. 

Deer ate the shrubs and the couple hired a landscaper to clear the area out and replant it. The landscapers uncovered the rusty box, obviously an old safe. Using a pickax, the couple opened it.

Inside were $16,000 in soggy hundred dollar bills, plus diamonds, jade, and gold jewelry. While the smelly bills were peeled apart and laid out to dry, the couple found a document linking the box to their neighbors. 

Matthew knocked on the neighbor's door and asked if they'd ever been robbed. They said they had, back in 2011. NYPD confirmed that this neighbor reported theft of their home safe seven years ago. 

Matthew and Maria returned the $52,000 worth of treasure to their neighbors. When the press asked if they considered keeping the items, their answer was unequivocal. "It wasn't even a question," Maria said. "It wasn't ours."  

"The reward is karma," Matthew added. "Good karma."

Man pays for the person behind him at drive-through, prevents suicide

Ontario's Pickering News has the same policy as many newspapers - they do not publish letters anonymously. Despite that policy, they ran this editorial in early November about an anonymous letter they received: 

The letter writer wrote about being in a bad place in July of this year, so bad in fact that they (I don’t know whether the author was a woman or man) intended to take their life. July 18 was going to be their last day.“I had planned to end it all at home in my own little ritual and explain my thoughts in a note for anyone who cares,” they wrote.
Prior to this final act, however, a trip to Tim Hortons was in order for a coffee and a muffin. While in the drive-thru at Kingston and Glendale in Pickering the lady at the window told them, “The nice man already paid for it and he said to have a great day.” She was referring to the man in the SUV in front of them.
“I wondered why someone would buy coffee for a stranger for no reason. Why me? Why today? If I was a religious sort I would take this as a sign. This random act of kindness was directed at me on this day for a purpose.”
Back at home, they began to sob uncontrollably.
“I decided at that moment to change my plans for the day and do something nice for someone. I ended up helping a neighbour take groceries out of her car and into the house.”
They explained every day since she has looked for ways to make someone’s life a little better, and, as a result, it has “enriched my life in more ways than I could’ve imagined.”A coffee and muffin saved a life that day, and although I don’t know who the person was who sent me that letter, I feel better for telling the story.
Random acts of kindness do so much more than you think.
“To the nice man in the SUV … thank you from the bottom of my heart, and know your kind gesture has truly saved a life,” they said. “On July 18, 2017, I not only had a great day, I had the greatest day!”

When that column appeared in the paper, Glen Oliver's wife pointed it out to him. She knew of his long-standing habit of paying for the person behind him at the drive-through, usually at that very same Tim Horton's. He later told reporters, “I was blown away, blown away — couldn’t believe it...You know for such a small thing, just a series of events that were set off from that point on … 
"It's exponential now, you know? Like such a small, insignificant thing to most people just turned out to be … the planets aligned for somebody."

Toronto police officer buys shoplifter the interview clothes he was trying to steal

For Toronto Constable Niran Jeyanesan, it sounded like a routine call - respond to the local WalMart for an apparent shoplifter. When the officer met with the young suspect and learned he was caught stealing a dress shirt, tie, and socks, he asked more questions. It seems the 18-year-old had faced some difficult times and was looking to turn things around for himself and his family. He had a job interview coming up and didn't have any decent clothes to wear. 

Constable Jeyanesan saw the authenticity of the young man's story, and did not arrest him. Even more surprising, he himself then paid for the clothes and presented them to the would-be shoplifter. 

With support like that, here's hoping the interview goes well and the young man in question can indeed provide for his family in a positive way. As for Constable Jeyanesan, he was commended by Staff Sergeant Paul Bois when he said, “We [the police] need to make a positive difference in people’s lives. I think he did.” 

400,000 people applaud this young man's small kindness

With the divisive atmosphere in our country and our media's focus on bad news and sensationalism, human decency seems in short supply. In fact, bad behavior seems more common than ever. As headlines and 24-hour news channels broadcast more and more stories of worthy of a dystopian novel, I ask myself - is the escalation in bad behavior a matter of garbage in, garbage out?

Call me callous, but I limit my intake of news. I can't spend my life's energy fretting about other people's bad behavior. I'm on the lookout for good news, hoping to fill my mind with examples of goodness and decency so my heart will absorb the message and my actions will reflect that. Goodness in/ goodness out.

That's the purpose of this blog. It's my way of calling attention to kindness, a chance to spread some decency, share some small reminders that people who behave with respect for themselves and others still exist. I believe their stories should be broadcast far and wide. Their behaviors are the ones which can and should be emulated.

Take this story for example. At a busy Massachusetts shopping mall, an 83-year-old man hesitated at the top of an escalator. A few people walked around him and still the man stood in place. Several paces back, a woman named Paula witnessed a young man later identified as 23-year-old Alonzo Johnson approach the elderly man. "Do you need help, sir?" he asked. The man explained that he'd once been caught by an escalator and still had a phobia about them. Johnson offered an outstretched arm and said he'd ride with him to the bottom. The man accepted the offer and did just fine.

Paula captured the kindness on her cell phone and posted the act of decency to Facebook. The shot has gone viral, which surprised both Paula and Mr. Johnson.

Apparently I'm one of over 400,000 people who like hearing good news. Here's hoping each of those 400,000 people spread some kindness of their own.

6-year-old boy and his dad find $2000, turn it in

Erik Dopman and his 6-year-old son Jasper were walking near a school on April 18th. Jasper noticed a black bag on the ground, and Erik opened it to investigate. The bag contained large amounts of cash and some deposit slips. Erik called the local Arlington, Massachusetts police and turned it in.

The bag and its cash belonged to a small family-owned Mexican restaurant. An employee who was supposed to deposit the money reported it missing. Police returned the money to the grateful restaurant owners.

Erik and Jasper were both recognized for doing what's right. They were given Outstanding Citizen awards by their local community and gifts from the Mexican food company.

No doubt, Jasper will remember the lesson - doing what's right won't make you rich in the eyes of the world. The richness it brings is far more fulfilling.

Tattoo artist covers hate tattoos for free

Dave Cutlip owns and operates Southside Tattoo near Baltimore. He was approached by a man who had 'grown up' and no longer wanted his racist tattoos. Because the series of tattoos were so prominent across his face, Dave was unable to cover them. He referred him to someone who could remove them with laser, an expensive procedure, but he felt bad about not being able to help.

When he told his wife the story, they came up with an idea - the shop would cover up racist, gang-related, or hate tattoos for free. They posted the offer on the tattoo parlor's Facebook page and the requests poured in. Many folks had gotten hate tattoos when they were 'young and stupid,' in order to fit in with a particular group. As adults, they found themselves branded socially and in the workplace. Dave's offer gives them a chance at a fresh start.

On a recent day, a man in his 20's showed Dave his tattoo: a Confederate flag with a noose below and the words 'Southern Pride' scrolled above. With no questions asked and free of charge, Dave covered the image with an eagle.

The idea is not new - the Southern Poverty Law Center has funded tattoo removal in the past. But Southside's offer went viral, and Dave is encouraging other parlors to join in. A GoFundMe site has been set up to offset the costs involved.

Dave and Elizabeth only ask one thing of their customers - pay it forward. They want to cover hate with kindness and love.

Subway passengers work together to remove graffiti swastikas

Strangers on a NYC subway car don't typically interact much. But Saturday night, Gregory Locke was on the 1 train headed toward West 72nd Street when he noticed graffiti on the subway car's advertisements. Closer inspection showed the graffiti to be anti-Semitic phrases and swastikas written in marker on all the advertising panels in the car.

Other passengers had noticed too, and shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Locke reports that someone stood up and announced, "Alcohol gets rid of Sharpie. Anyone have hand sanitizer? Tissues?" Smiling passengers dug through purses and pockets and sprang into action. With cooperative action and elbow grease, the words and imagery of hate were erased. 

A huge attaboy for the nameless stranger who called everyone to action. And kudos, NYC.

Ten-year-old Texas boy invents device to prevent infant deaths in hot cars

When fifth-grader Bishop Curry V learned about the death of an infant in a hot car near his home in McKinney Texas, he was sad. When he realized he rode right past the infant's house every day on his way to school, the horrible story became personal. He decided to act.

Always in his yard tinkering on an invention or two, Bishop set to work. He has created a prototype of a device he calls 'Oasis.' Part sensor and part activator, the device will attach to the car seat and blow cool air on the infant if a high temperature is detected. It will also send out a signal to notify parents and authorities of the infant's danger.

Bishop has received a provisional patent on the idea and has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for a full patent. With the help of his father, Bishop Curry IV, an engineer for Toyota, the 10-year-old presented his prototype to car manufacturers at the Child Injury Prevention Conference last year.

With infant hot car deaths averaging 37 per year, Bishop hopes his device will be a life-saver. I for one can't wait to see what this big-hearted prodigy does next.

What Best Buy employees noticed - and what they did about it

In the midst of the busy holiday season, employees at a Best Buy on Long Island noticed a pattern. One particular teenager stopped in the store every day to play the display model of the Nintendo Wii U.

Out of their own pockets, the staff got together the $300 needed to buy the game system for the young man. They presented the gift to him as an early Christmas gift, and captured the moment in this video. They also gave him a Super Smash Brothers game to go with it. The young man was stunned and practically speechless.

One of the employees then drove the teen home, where he shared the news with his delighted family. The following day, his parents brought him back to the store to again thank the employees for their kindness.

This Instagram post gives a bit more info about the story.

How coffee and kindness got Kyle Bigler a car

Joanne Griffiths has 10 kids. Ten! I'm amazed she can find time to brush her teeth, never mind think about other people's needs. But that's exactly what she did.

Kyle Bigler was a familiar, friendly face at the New Hampshire Dunkin' Donuts drive-through, and he handed Griffiths her coffee early one morning. On her way to work mid-afternoon, she noticed Bigler walking along the road. Just before 11 that same night, Griffiths saw Bigler a third time, working the graveyard shift at a local gas station. She offered him a ride home, which he declined. She discovered Bigler had been walking to both minimum-wage jobs, a trek of about 16 miles a day.

Yes, this young man walked six hours to these two jobs and had done so for about a year. He felt that his learning disability and speech impediment gave him few work options. "No places close to me would hire me and Dunkin' Donuts in Belmont did, so I took it and said I'd walk to work and work for them every day," he told TODAY.

Griffiths was amazed by Bigler's work ethic. She snapped a photo of him at the drive-through and shared his story on Facebook. It went viral.





Among the comments on Griffiths' post were offers of help for Biglin in terms of money and jobs. Autoserv Tilton, a local car dealership, offered another solution - a car.

“I was touched by Kyle’s work ethic and perseverance even when times were tough,” Ryan Parks, sales manager at AutoServ of Tilton ― which donated the car to Bigler ― told The Huffington Post. “I feel like that’s something we don’t see as much nowadays when I compare my generation to my parents’ or my grandparents’ and it was really refreshing to see that.”

Biglin will have to learn to drive and pass his driver's test, but he is overwhelmed and excited. Not only do these wheels mean he can drive to work, they also give him a way to visit with his 3-year-old son Steven who lives with his mother over 3 hours away. 

"Meeting Kyle has humbled me and made me more grateful for what I have." Griffiths tells PEOPLE. “Everyone struggles in life. All that matters is how you respond to the struggle and persevere.”

Extreme couponing to feed the hungry

So how's this for a goal - before her 30th birthday next year, Lauren Puryear wants to deliver 30,000 meals to hungry people. 
Wow.

And Lauren is well on her way. This young lady with two Masters degrees and a PhD founded a non-profit  called For the Love of Others, LLC. It provides services for people who are homeless, who need help providing for their children, or who have mental health needs. And when it comes to food, Lauren is ingenious at stretching her agency dollar. Food donations from major grocery chains are a huge help, plus, like many of us, Lauren has taken to clipping coupons.
A lot of coupons.

She has become an extreme couponer. She clips and compares and buys from a number of different stores. Many of the items she buys now are free or nearly free, which places her well on her way toward her goal. 

The impact this woman makes is breathtaking.

This teen says, "Sit with us"

For Natalie Hampton, a high school junior from Sherman Oaks California, lunch periods back in seventh grade were dismal. She ate lunch alone the entire school year and felt embarrassed that her classmates could see how lonely and vulnerable she was. Her status as 'the girl with nowhere to sit' left her open to bullying.

Natalie eventually changed schools, made friends, and is now thriving in her new school. But the experience haunted her. She decided that no other student should ever have to endure that kind of torment.

So this 16-year-old developed and released an App called Sit With Us available free in the iTunes store. App users can, privately and without well-meaning adult interference, locate 'ambassadors' within a school's lunch period. Those student ambassadors have agreed to allow anyone to sit with them at lunch. Natalie hopes this gives all students a chance to connect and make new friends.

This young lady saw a problem and did something about it. Well done, Natalie.

More than a haircut

Mark Bustos works as a stylist at an upscale salon in Manhattan. His services are pricey, his clientele elite. He's fortunate, he knows that. And he likes to give back to his community.

So for the last few years, Mark has spent his day off every week giving free haircuts to the homeless. He does this right in the open, on sidewalks or in parks with his client sitting on a bench or an overturned milk crate. He likes the idea of being seen by passersby and hopes his action serves as inspiration to them. Just as he does at his paying job, Mark disposes of hair clippings and disinfects his tools between cuts.

When asked why he spends free time voluntarily giving away his services, Mark's answer is straightforward - we all know how good it feels to get a haircut. The transformation can give confidence to people who are at low points in their lives. Mark now has teamed up with a photographer, Devin Masga, to document before-and-after shots of his homeless clientele. These are uploaded to Mark's Instagram feed  and the hashtag #BeAwesomeToSomebody.

The Cajun Navy

During the recent floods in Louisiana, a loosely organized group again came out to help their neighbors. They call themselves the Cajun Navy. Similar to the 9-11 Flotilla and the local response after Hurricane Katrina, a call for help went out through unofficial channels, this time a local radio station. Anyone with a seaworthy vessel was to meet at a local mall. Organizers expected a couple dozen boats and volunteers. They got almost 400 boats, some high-water trucks, and 10,000 people willing to help. How awesome is that?

The official channels of help like the Red Cross, local police, National Guard, etc. are of course essential in management of rescue operations during disasters like this. But there's something touching and genuine about coming to the aid of another person, not because it's your assignment, not because it's your job, but because it's the right thing to do.

These ladies share the joy!

I just read a short Facebook post about an inspiring young lady from Pennsylvania. Instead of spending time and money on a standard bachelorette party, she and her bridesmaids treated women at a local shelter to a day of pampering. A wonderful way to share her joy on this occasion!

I wondered how many other women, on a day that was supposed to be all about them, were equally unselfish. I found this article from 2015 - a bride-to-be and her bridesmaids prepped dinner at a local Salvation Army. Clothing she received as engagement and shower gifts was donated to Dress for Success. 

A hero even before the Olympics

As this New York Times article reveals, 18-year-old Yusra Mardini is a swimming champion with a unique story. She'll compete in the Rio Olympics, not for her homeland of Syria, not for Germany, the country which has taken her in and enabled her to continue training, but for a new entity: a refugee team. These are athletes who are currently stateless or would otherwise not be allowed to compete under their home country's banner. Until I read this article, I didn't even know such a team existed. Kudos to the IOC for making that happen.

But back to Yusra and her unique story. Last August, she and her sister fled their country's civil war. In Turkey, they boarded a dinghy built for 6 people along with 18 others in the hopes of reaching mainland Europe. Twenty minutes in, the engine died. Then the dinghy started taking on water.

Afraid to go back and unwilling to wait for help that probably wouldn't come, Yusra, her sister, and two men jumped out of the dinghy into the Aegean Sea. They swam. They pulled and pushed and swam with that dinghy in tow for over three and half hours. Partway through, the two men stopped from sheer exhaustion and allowed themselves to be dragged along. But the two Mardini sisters kept swimming. The dinghy made it to the shores of Greece.

Unbelievable story, right? An Olympic medal may or may not be in her future, but this young lady has my vote as true Olympic hero.

Generosity

I don't know the backstory of the folks depicted here.

The difficulties which brought the woman and her children to his store are not revealed. We can use our imaginations to fill in the blanks.

The store owner may wealthy, he may be struggling; he may have been born in this country or in another. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. What he does, the kindness he offers a stranger, matters a great deal. Her situation seemed to tug at his heart, and he followed that heart's lead. He did one right thing, and that made all the difference.