Feel-good stories

[oneh2obabe]

Kate Drummond said, “We’ve been having a hard time.” Lisa MacIntosh said, “The emotional let-down.” They looked happy but exhausted.

They had just opened and closed Toronto’s one-day-only Street Store, held in Parkdale, and they were still in recovery.

The Street Store began in Cape Town, South Africa; the idea is to collect surplus clothing and supplies, and to offer these things to those in need in a setting similar to a retail store, with everything organized by size, and with “personal shoppers” available to help.

When word of the Toronto store first broke, Kate and Lisa were very quickly overwhelmed with donations from all directions.

A waitress from the Air Canada Centre talked to her friends at work; they chipped in money for toothbrushes and toothpaste. A guy out west sent 1,000 toques. A sports marketing company in Toronto arranged for a coffee truck from one of the popular chains.

And the clothing came from all over; most of it was gently used, but not all. Lisa said, “We had some Armani suits. We had new leather jackets. We had vintage dresses and shoes.”

Kate said, “We had kids’ snowsuits. We had three big racks of men’s, women’s and kids’ winter jackets.” Lisa said, “There were boxes of socks; we even had pressure socks.” Pressure socks are important for those who live on the street.

Kate said, “We weren’t going to accept bedding, but someone gave us a quilt set, and someone who came and asked for blankets.”

Any stories that stand out?

Kate said, “An elderly man; his sneakers were soaked through. He got a pair of thermal boots.” She got a little teary: “One of the volunteers got down on hands and knees to make sure they fit.”

Lisa said, “There was no shortage of people with tears in their eyes.” Kate said, “We were handing out flyers and putting up posters on the street. I saw a lady, and her son in a hoodie. I had a feeling. I went over to her and said, ‘Excuse me; I’m one of the organizers of a free store over there. We have things for kids his size, if you know anyone.’ She said, ‘Free? For him?’



“The boy said, ‘Mom, I don’t want to go.’ I said, ‘We have homemade cookies.’ His eyes lit up.” In the end the woman got a winter coat for her son, and some sweaters, and some shampoo and other personal things.

Kate said, “She squeezed my hand and said, ‘Yesterday was the worst day. Today is the best ever.’”

There was a man who came early; a big guy, shy because of his size, and the size of his need. They found him clothes that fit. He said, “I get to throw out all the clothes from my closet that are ripped or stained; this is better than any Christmas.”

There was a man who came late. Lisa said, “The coat rack was almost empty. Then I remembered I had some stuff in the trunk of my car. I told him not to move. I had a big corduroy jacket, I’d washed it and dried it and forgot about it; fit him perfectly.”

And there was a woman, new to Toronto, who was able to find a coat, both warm and stylish, for her first winter here.

In all, more than 50 people volunteered their time to gather clothing, to deliver it to the church, to help set up the store, and to work as a personal shopper; more to the point, some 300 people got clothes or footwear.



Anything left over?

Kate said, “We’ve got a shipment going to the Red Door shelter.” Oh, and someone donated free storage space, and free boxes and packing tape, so they are holding some clothing over for the next Street Store, probably in the spring.

I’ll keep you posted.

If you want to see what it was like on the day of the Street Store, check out the 46th Street Store Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/events/659082314198681/

[oneh2obabe]

Death of triplets inspires Brampton woman to sew gowns for little ‘angels’.

Tiny burial gowns are made by volunteers from donated wedding dresses and other finery as a gift to grieving parents.

When Sherie Vukelic got the news that she was pregnant just a few weeks before Christmas in 2009, she says, it was the best gift she could have received.

But within weeks, the excitement vanished and turned into an emotional roller-coaster ride for the Brampton woman and her boyfriend.

First, following a severe headache and an evening at the hospital, Vukelic, then 23, learned she had lost her baby. Then, blood and urine samples revealed she had been carrying triplets all along, and two were still alive.

The pair filled scraps of paper with prospective names for their children and restarted the countdown to the birth. But in April, that wait was cut short.

Vukelic was in labour. She delivered a boy named Liam, who died in her arms one hour and 16 minutes later. Days later, Nathan was born; he lived two days with severely punctured lungs before the family took him off life support.

The losses broke Vukelic’s heart. She eventually conceived and gave birth to another boy, now 3, but she never forgot the three she had lost and the pain of having to swaddle them in oversized blankets before their burial.

“(The blankets) were too big for babies born prematurely, and not many people want to look for doll clothing, especially for preemies,” she says.

That very personal struggle — and a Facebook post about a Texas woman who was transforming donated wedding dresses into burial gowns for babies who were stillborn or died shortly after birth — inspired her to begin a similar project earlier this year.

But before Vukelic could get stitching, she had to learn how to sew.

“The only thing I knew how to sew was holes in a sock, so I watched plenty of YouTube videos until I got the hang of it,” she says.

After learning, she began fashioning her own dresses with the help of her boyfriend’s mother and a few other volunteers. The group, which calls itself Forever Loved Angel Gowns, is made up of around 20 volunteers, says Carrie Germon.

“Everyone wants to help,” she says. “I have two girls, ages 9 and 5, and they help me cut out the dresses. They can’t use a sewing machine yet, but they love helping out.”

To date, she says, they have stitched together more than 400 burial gowns from lace, silk and beading gleaned from about 100 deconstructed wedding, prom, graduation and bridesmaid dresses shipped from donors all over the country.

“We’ve had a surprise big box with five dresses and no names,” she says. “We’ve had people from Edmonton, Winnipeg and Quebec ship gowns.”

Volunteers tear the dresses apart, cut patterns and sew the gowns before delivering them to hospitals or funeral homes.

With word of the group’s work being spread by hospitals, family networks and funeral homes, Vukelic says, it can be difficult to keep up with the demand.

“I had to ship a rush gown today to a funeral home for a premature baby, and to get it (there) next day cost me $26,” she says. “We will deliver gowns if it’s close, but this was in Cornwall and we don’t have a seamstress in that area yet.”

Shipping can be one of the most expensive aspects of this work, says Vukelic, who encourages anyone looking to help to donate dresses, money for supplies and gift cards.

For details visit, http://foreverlovedangelgowns.com/

[Auto1]

Read the comments below the story as well. :)

http://globalnews.ca/news/1685594/i-not ... oes-viral/

It amazes me how many good people we have in this world.

[Lady tehMa]

Wow - this one game me sniffles

It really is something to say "thank you" after the fact, to the people who made a difference.

http://fbstory.sfglobe.com/2014/11/28/life-was-perfect-when-her-son-was-born-14-weeks-later-everything-changed/?src=share_fb_new_20290

[oneh2obabe]

[coffeeFreak]

Awesome!

Every week, tattoo artist applies stick-on tattoos for woman with Down syndrome
By Nadine Kalinauskas | Good News

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/good-news/every-week-tattoo-artist-applies-stick-on-tattoos-162051235.html

[oneh2obabe]

Alabama officer's kind deed for shoplifter inspires generosity from strangers.

When Tarrant, Alabama, police officer William Stacy responded to a call about a shoplifter at a local Dollar General store, he recognized the shoplifter: he had responded to a previous call at her house and had seen the rough conditions she and her children were living in.

“It was just a small glimpse into her life,” Stacy, 23, told WIAT. “It was enough to make an impression on me.”

This time, 47-year-old Helen Johnson was caught stealing a dozen eggs from the dollar store.

"When I arrived on the scene I confronted her. She said her sorry and was honest about what she did,” Stacy told ABC News.

When the store opted to not press charges, Stacy decided to pay for the eggs.

"You can’t let kids go hungry. I ran inside, bought the eggs for her and walked out and handed her the eggs," Stacy told WBRC.

"She tried to give me all the money she had," Stacy told WIAT. “It was about $1.25. I told her the best way to pay me back was to never do something like that again.”

"I can’t tell you how many times she said thank you," Stacy said of Johnson’s reaction to his generosity. “She even started crying and asked me for a hug.”

"I was like, ‘Oh my God, thank you Jesus for this man,’" Johnson told AL.com. “He is my hero.”

Customer Robert Tripp caught Stacy’s kind deed on camera. The video went viral on Facebook.

"He approached it like I’m going to talk to her to see what is going on, assess the situation, see what is going on first besides attacking her. I thought it was pretty cool," Tripp said.

"I can’t believe that such a small simple gesture got this big," he said. “If it was the same circumstance, I wouldn’t turn away somebody who was trying to help their kids in a time of need.”

When the story made headlines, the police department received countless calls from around the country: people wanted to help Johnson and her children.

And they did.

Piles of food are now accumulating in Johnson’s small apartment.

"The last time I saw my house this full, I was 12 years old and staying with my grandmother," Johnson told AL.com on Wednesday. “I’ve been crying all day.”

Police also established a fund at People’s First Federal Credit Union in Tarrant to benefit the Johnson family. Gifts of clothing and toys are also pouring in.

Johnson lives with her two daughters, a niece and two grandchildren. They survive on very little. Her grandchildren’s mother receives a monthly $120 welfare cheque — which was lost in the mail. Johnson receives a monthly disability cheque, set to arrive this week.

Johnson told AL.com that she decided to shoplift when she was shopping for eggs and discovered she was 50 cents short.

Johnson said that Stacy’s kindness to her changed her life.

"The story she told me Saturday matched up with what I had seen when I was there,"’ Stacy said. “I felt like it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to pass judgment on her.”

For the first time in a long time, Johnson and her family have full kitchen cupboards — and a lot to be grateful for.

[oneh2obabe]

We all love Ilya Bryzgalov for his quirky soundbites, but other than his final season in Philadelphia, he’s kept comedy antics for off the ice.

This is where Julius Hudacek, Puck Daddy’s favorite goaltender in the world, comes in. You probably know the Orebro netminder by now for his post-game leap-frogging and ice fishing celebrations. On Thursday, after another victory, he showed off his latest victory celebration with a little help.

After Orebro’s 6-3 win over Frolunda, Hudacek grabbed several young fans from the crowd and led them in the “Macarena”:



"We have no mascots, so sometimes I take the help of some fans," Hudacek told Sport Expressen. "At first the kids were a little hesitant, but then we just started dancing. I said I would dance and that they would just imitate me. Everyone can [do] this song. It was perfect."

There was good reason to celebrate. The win was Orebro’s third in a row and fifth in six games, moving them to fifth in the Swedish Hockey League table.

[oneh2obabe]

Girl fighting cancer gets bald princess photo shoot to feel beautiful again.



Isabella Harvey of Staten Island, New York, was first diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 3.

Now 5, Isabella is battling cancer for a second time: She relapsed in September.

When her cancer treatments this fall left her bald and feeling not as “beautiful” as the Disney princesses she admired, her mom tried to reassure her.

“This time the whole experience was different because she’s older,” Isabella’s mom, Pina Harvey, told BuzzFeed News. “Now that she’s 5, she’s insecure about losing her hair. It’s hard for her. She always wears a hat and never takes it off in public.”

"As a mom, you tell your child they’re beautiful, but they’re not going to take you seriously because you’re their mom," Pina told TODAY.com.

Family friend Tammi D’Antoni decided to take action. A board member of Gianna Nicole’s Heart of Hope, a foundation that supports paediatric cancer patients and their families, she recruited photographer Alana Hubbard to create a photo shoot that would make Isabella feel like a princess.



Isabella was released from the hospital just one day before the scheduled shoot at a princess-themed fundraising event in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

She put on a beautiful gown, but was still self-conscious about her bald head.

Then a “real” princess arrived on set — a beautiful, bald princess.

Chelsea Knutson from Bella Princess, a company that sends performers in character costumes to children’s parties and events, was wearing a bald cap under her sparkly headband.

“When Cinderella came into the room and Isabella saw she didn’t have any hair, her face was priceless,” Pina told BuzzFeed News. “She felt like she could be a princess too.”

"[Isabella’s] reaction was so emotional and happy everyone in the room teared up," photographer Hubbard told TODAY.com via email. “She took her hat off immediately and said, ‘Wow she looks just like me!’ And in a split moment she transformed from an insecure and shy little girl into a confident and ecstatic princess!”

Some of Isabella’s four siblings were also on hand to participate in the photo shoot.

In post-production, Hubbard added fairy-tale touches to the photos: fantasy backgrounds and plenty of sparkle. She even added different location backgrounds, as Isabella has always wanted to travel but is too sick to do so.

The sweet photos are now going viral.



While Isabella is still undergoing cancer treatments, her mother says the 5-year-old is now hoping her fight will inspire other kids to be brave and feel beautiful, too.

Pina told ABC News that Isabella has been showing the photos to everyone at the hospital.

“I want her to be healthy and happy. Her hair doesn’t make a difference to me,” Pina said. “This definitely helped give her a boost of confidence that she needed, and showed her that anybody can be beautiful, with or without hair.”

[oneh2obabe]

His Son Asked To Spend The $120 He Saved This Year. This Is What He Did.

We’ve all heard the complaints. Today’s children are more disrespectful, undisciplined, and have a greater sense of entitlement than ever before. But do they really?

Imgur user Phineas1713 recently posted about what his son wanted to do for Christmas, and we think it’s the perfect way to dispel this timeless complaint.

“Saturday morning, my son walked into my room and said he wanted to use his money to help the homeless.”



“I asked him what he had in mind, and he said he wanted to make them lunches. I have to be honest, I almost tried to talk him into just holding on to his money and having mom and dad pay for it, but the light in his eyes told me to just roll with it.”

“My son put me on sandwich duty while he stuffed the bags with the stuff he picked out at the store.”


“Proud little guy.”


“Lunch on the counter.”


“Lunch in the car.”


“He did most of the handing-out by himself, but this was the only picture we got of us actually giving the stuff out.”

[Bpeep]

This is nice. http://www.castanet.net/news/Offbeat/12 ... ending-100

[oneh2obabe]

Principal Raises Money To Buy Shoes For Entire School.
When this principal saw her students walking in the snow with holes in their shoes, her heart broke. She knew the family's just couldn't make ends meet. But that's when the community stepped in and gave these kids a surprise they truly deserve.

[maryjane48]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10 ... =2&theater

[oneh2obabe]

Police tracked down a man who called 911 over 4,000 times in one week. Dispatchers were very upset over the false reports. They have to answer and track down every call. But, the man they caught wasn’t what they expected.

[oneh2obabe]

Anthony Lyons is battling cancer and he misses his dogs when he is in the hospital. So his friends and family start this Facebook page where people can send Anthony pictures of dogs to put a smile on his face. Anthony is A MAJOR dog lover and this simple request has become a global sensation.