After living through Hurricane Katrina six years ago, New Orleans firefighters recalled the help provided by New York City Firefighters, who arrived on the seen within days of the Louisiana levees breaking. Now they are repaying the favor, clearing out tons of debris in homes of firefighters whose Breezy Point homes were flooded.
People are seeking to spread good in the world after the loss of 26 people at a school in Connecticut by doing random acts of kindness in the names of those killed. Connected through the Twitter hashtag #26Acts (or #27Acts, which includes the shooter's mom) and at Facebook.com/26Acts, people are sharing their kindness details to inspire others.
This week, a Walmart store in Hastings, Mich., received a $10,000 check from an anonymous donor to pay off 43 customers' layaway accounts in their entirety, no strings attached. Anonymous donors such as this one are showing up across the country at some of the nation's biggest retailers.
Jean Kabre is the concierge and event planner at 101 Constitution — a place full of people focused on power, influence, and Congressional lobbying. But when word got out that Kabre was helping support dozens of family members in his home village in Burkina Faso, the people whom Kabre had come to know as his friends, pitched in at astounding levels.
Young people who are down on their luck in Los Angeles gave thanks yesterday for My Friend's Place, a privately funded center that has become a haven where homeless youth can nurture fragile dreams. It also gives them what food it can afford, and clothes, toiletries and hot showers.
Customers in Central Oregon turned out in droves to support a local business down on its luck. Always serving the community through donations to high school raffles and day care centers, it was time for the locals to show support for the Black Rock Coffee Bar on Pacific Highway in Tigard, which had been robbed twice in two weeks.
Portlanders are remembering a man who for five years played music, did magic tricks and smiled at cars from a sidewalk corner bordering the city's Hawthorne Bridge. Rain or shine, and always dressed in a white tuxedo and Mickey Mouse ears, Kirk Reeves could be seen entertaining passers by. The city came together for a memorial under the bridge Sunday and fans are raising money to place a marker on the spot where he performed daily.
The Occupy Wall Street movement, forever angry about government bail-outs for big banks, finally figured out a way to issue their own bail-outs -- this time, for the little guy. A group called Strike Debt launched a campaign last night, called Rolling Jubilee, that has already raised more than a quarter million dollars to buy up the debt owed by faceless Americans and cancel it, while just paying pennies on the dollar for the privilege. They call it, a bailout by the people, for the people.
Occupy Wall Street has become a lauded and effective relief organization for victims of Sandy. The social media savvy that helped Occupy protesters create a grass-roots global movement last year is proving a strength as members fan out across New York to deliver aid including hot meals, medicine and blankets.
On October 24th, Michael Cali Moore, a National Guardsman, sent Dan, the anonymous founder of the Facebook page Awesome Sh*t My Drill Sergeant Said a message concerning another Guardsman who was planning on killing himself that night.
For 30 years, Gerard Thomas was among the 70,000 American veterans sleeping on the streets every night. As a paranoid schizophrenic he was in and out of prison and mental institutions for decades. These days, the 62-year-old devotes his life to helping homeless veterans.
This photo taken by a tourist in Times Square, shows a 25 year-old police officer stooping on his knee against the cold sidewalk to talk to a homeless man with bare feet. He asked his shoe size, went into the Skechers store and bought all-weather boots. Here are 6 photos posted in November on social media that serve to inspire and will restore your faith in humanity.
Tim Farber was handed a sandwich at a drive-through window and told that lunch was free because the motorist who arrived before him paid his bill. Tim Farber was handed a sandwich at a drive-through window and told that lunch was free because the motorist who arrived before him paid his bill. It was part of an infectious trend that's been bringing smiles to Winnipeg coffee store patrons. Farber, in turn, offered to pay for the order of a total stranger in the car behind him.
A small group of grassroots activists in Midland, Texas has spread hope to homeowners in need, providing critical home repairs free of charge. Since its inspiring start 30 years ago, Rebuilding Together has grown to a nationwide network of 3.4 million volunteers who have delivered services worth $1.3 billion to families, the elderly, veterans and community centers.
The Davis community in California with help from Giant Bicycles has come together to create a heartwarming final chapter for a cross-country bicycle rider in route for her charity, Bike and Build, which raises money for low cost housing projects in the U.S.
Mike and Angie Gagnon, their disabled daughter and two young grandkids were thrilled with the renovations and editions on their home provided by 150 businesses in an Extreme Makeover project organized by Cornerstone Seventh Day Adventist Church. Although it was one of the church's biggest projects yet - working at least 18 hour days for 10 days straight - "it's totally worth it," said Pastor Steven Mirkovich.
The father of the groom was too sick to travel to the planned wedding of his son in California, so the nursing staff at the hospital decided to throw a wedding party in his room and arrange for a Skype web link to view the entire ceremony. From the guest book, to the cake and the sparkling apple cider, the nurses didn't miss any details.
Jim Cotter was so sad after losing his wife last year that he needed to find something to do. He decided to spruce up his community -- by painting everything in sight. Well, the idea has really caught on. The once-thriving coal community of Glouster, Ohio had been peeling - and unappealing - for years. Now it glistens, every fence, building and guardrail.
When the wind pushed the Waldo Canyon blaze over the crest of the mountains toward this community one week ago, young business owners and designers set out to raise money for the victims. There was a real feeling of helplessness, says one of the initiators. We just wanted to do something. The goal was to design and sell enough T-shirts to raise $1,500. But they miscalculated — by 21,300 percent.
Unable to find a job after he was laid off from his retail position, a former Iraqi vet put an Army medal, received during his 2008-09 deployment, on eBay. There were no bids for days until a news reporter told his story.
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