Saving a life sometimes could take something as simple as a call back. Just ask Thomas Buck, an 84-year-old from Pennsylvania whose life was saved by a complete stranger more than 1,000 miles away – who called him back.
Tuesday was an ordinary day at the Humane Society of Durham when an ordinary-looking man in his twenties arrived at the animal shelter. He turned over an envelope saying he wanted to make a donation. But it was no ordinary donation.
As 91-year-old John Jack Potter faced eviction from the house he built and lived in for 56 years, his granddaughter decided to act. She set up a donation campaign on the website, Go Fund Me, and her story about the WWII combat vet losing his home attracted more than 5000 people who gave $138,000.
A group of prisoners at New York City's Rikers Island jail were let out for a day so they could deliver 700 Thanksgiving meals to the needy. The men cooked up the hundreds of turkey dinners in a jail kitchen for delivery to two churches, according to an AP report. That's not the only example this month of Riker's prison helping New Yorkers in need. A New York Times story today tells how, after Hurricane Sandy tore through nearby neighborhoods, the island inmates did 6,600 pounds of laundry for people in emergency shelters.
An 85-year-old South Carolina woman who was robbed of $400 in cash she had saved for eye surgery was given free medical care after a doctor saw her story on the news. Dr. Budev of Carolina Cataract Center wasn't the only one who saw the report and was moved to action. A one-time thief who'd stolen a woman purse in his youth, sent a $500 check to help atone for his mistake.
For their extraordinary efforts to help change the world and better the lives of others, 10 everyday people will receive $50,000 and a chance for much more.
When two teammates on the Washington Spirit women's pro soccer team, learned where they would live this summer, they thought someone was playing a prank. The one-time Olympic medalists were placed in a retirement community. But it grew on them quickly and surpassed their expectations.
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