For the 105h thru 111th consecutive weeks, the Center for Peace & Conflict Studies has compiled a list of acts of kindness and peace. The initiative began as a response to COVID-19 and the racism pandemic but has broadened to include any act of compassion or service to others. Please share these stories. If you have stories of positive acts people/organizations are taking and you would like to share them, please email them to Brandon Miller at peacecenter@bsu.edu. All the stories starting from week 1 are available online. Additionally, you can follow the Peace Center on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) at bsu4peace.
Week 105
Former Chaplain Starts Laughing Bear Bakery to Give Jobs to People with a Criminal History
If you applied to work at Laughing Bear Bakery in St. Louis, Missouri, you might see something unusual listed as a requirement: a criminal background. Owner Karen McAllister opened the bakery after she retired from her career as chaplain at a correctional facility. Many of the people she counseled at the facility expressed concern that they would not be able to find employment after their release. When she retired, she decided to address the issue. “On my way out the door, I said, ‘I’m doing to do something to solve this,’” McAllister explained. She started the bakery in 2015 and recently opened a storefront, having started the enterprise on $2000 that she raised by writing letters to friends. One of the employees, Eric Satterfield, had left prison with the fear that prospective employers would not be able to see past his criminal background. “When you come out of prison, you think ‘everybody is thinking about why I went to prison.’ And that’s not really true,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of people who are willing to give second chances and the bakery helped me see that.” When McAllister reviews applications, she searches for people who want to make a change and start a new life. She also understands that there is a learning curve for employees who often come without experience in baking or in a professional environment. Another employee, LaWanda Jackson, has learned of McAllister’s patience firsthand. “They should have had a show, ‘America’s Worst Baker,’…it would have been me,” Jackson said, recalling times when she forgot to add baking soda or spilled pie filling in the oven floor. But when she didn’t get fired, Jackson realized that McAllister “will do anything to take care of us. When people truly care about you, you blossom.”
Source: https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/bakery-recipe-fresh-start-prison
Pakistani Man Gets a Dose of Southern Hospitality While in Birmingham and Invites the Whole City to His Wedding
Shahzeb Anwer of Pakistan needed surgery for a condition that caused him to develop frequent kidney stones. After doing some research, he learned that it could be done most effectively and cheaply at the University of Alabama Birmingham. Prior to coming to the city, he sought advice on Reddit for navigate his time in Birmingham, and the feedback he got surprised him: “People responded in a way that I wouldn’t even expect from my own people in Pakistan,” Anwer said. People gave recommendations, helped arrange transportation, provided provided encouragement, etc. – one man even took him out to dinner. Although much of what Anwer received were mere words of encouragement and advice, the kindness reflected in those words had a profound impact on Anwer. After having his surgery and returning to Pakistan, Anwer felt that the people of Birmingham had become family and invited everyone in the reddit thread to his wedding. He also opened the invitation to anyone else in the city.
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/man-in-pakistan-invited-the-entire-city-of-birming-ham-alabama-to-his-wedding/
Woman Finds Cash in the Cushion of a Couch She Got for Free on Craiglist and Returns the Money to its Owner
After collecting a couch she had seen advertised as free on Craigslist, Vicky Umodu of Colton, California found a lump in the cushion. She expected it to be a heating pad, thinking maybe the previous owner had a bad back and needed the relief. But when she unzipped the cushion to extract the lump, she didn’t find a heating pad. She found a wad of cash - $36k of cash. “We’ve got to call the guy,” she immediately yelled to her son in a scramble to return the money. They learned that the couch had originally belonged to a deceased relative of the seller. It was the deceased who had stowed the money in the couch for safekeeping. In return for her honesty, the seller gave Umodu $2,200, which Umodu plans to use on a new refrigerator.
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/women-finds-36k-in-free-craigslist-chair-cushion-and-never-considered-keeping-the-money-for-herself/
Week 106
Teen Uses Drone to Pinpoint Location of Russian Convoy
A Ukrainian teenager has been hailed as a “Hero of Ukraine” after using his drone to identify a Russian convoy heading toward his hometown. Information from Andrii Pokrasa, 15, and his drone allowed Ukrainian artillery to prevent the convoy from overrunning Pokrasa’s town. “He was the only one who was experienced with drones in that region,” explained Yurii Kasjanov, a commander in the Ukrainian armed forces. “He’s a real hero.”
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/andrii-pokrasa-uses-drone-to-spy-russian-convoy-in-ukraine/
Neighbors Raise Money to Buy Home for a Woman who was Being Evicted
Linda Taylor of Minneapolis arrived in her neighborhood 19 years ago as a volunteer helping low-income and homeless people in the area. She began renting a home in her neighborhood at the time and has been there since. But when the landlord decided to sell the property she was renting, it meant Linda would be forced to move. However Linda’s work in the community had earned her much love from her neighbors and word got around that she needed help. So residents of the Powderhorn community convinced the landlord to give them time to raise money to buy the house on Linda’s behalf. Various efforts to raise money included art shows, bake sales, monetary donations, and more. And the effort worked: the community raised enough money that Linda was able to buy and close on her home a full month before the deadline the landlord established.
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/woman-about-to-be-evicted-was-saved-by-neighbors-who-bought-the-home-for-her/
Off-Duty Firefighter Rescues Toddler from a Burning Building
While driving home from work, Stefon Douglas saw people evacuating a house in Brooklyn, New York. He immediately sprung into action, grabbing a spare breathing apparatus he had in his vehicle and rushing into the home wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and Crocs. During the heroic rescue, Douglas saved a toddler and her mother. If he hadn’t been carrying the breathing device in his car, Douglas said, he would not have been able to do what he did. “There are definitely some times I sit back and think, why me, why was I picked for this?,” Douglas said. “I really knew nothing about the job until I got here but now I love it. It was the best decision of my life.”
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/an-off-duty-firefighter-rescued-a-toddler-from-a-burning-building/
Week 107
Gas Station Owner Sells Gasoline for 50 Cents Less Than it Costs
Jaswiendre Singh, owner of a gas station in Phoenix, Arizona, has been selling gasoline for 50 cents cheaper per gallon than what he buys it for. “If you have something, you have to share it with other people,” Singh said. “God gave me help. It doesn’t matter. We are not here to make money right now. I’m very happy to help the other people.” Singh’s generosity costs him approximately $500 per day, but he and his wife are working longer hours in the gas station store to make up for the lost funds.
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/sikh-gas-station-owner-sells-gas-50-cents-a-gallon-cheaper/
City of Houston Sets Homeless People Up With Their Own Apartments
Houston is one of the most populous cities in the U.S. and has managed to reduce its rate of homelessness by 63% over the last decade. The city has focused on moving homeless people into one-bedroom apartments as fast as possible. And it seems to be working: the vast majority of individuals housed in this manner have maintained their residences for more than two years. Mayor Sylvester Turner says “the goal that I have set is to get us down, in a sense, to zero homelessness in the city by the end of next year.” To do so, he is coordinating with homeless services and low-income housing providers, as well as homeowners associations, food banks, churches, the Houston Housing Authority, and more.
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/houston-has-housed-25000-homeless-people-with-apartments-of-their-own/
Teen Saves Woman From Sinking Car After She Accidentally Drives into the Atlantic Ocean
When 18-year-old Mia Samolinski stepped onto the accelerator instead of the brake near Long Island’s Patchogue Bay, she hurtled into the Bay; but fortunately, Anthony Zhonger, 17, was nearby. He immediately dove into the bay after her. Zhonger used the weight of his body to tilt the car down, allowing Samolinski to escape through the back of the vehicle. “She just came up to me and said, ‘Oh my God, thank you’ and was crying,” Zhonger said. “It doesn’t matter who it was, they were suffering. I couldn’t watch anybody suffer in front of me.”
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/teen-hero-dives-into-bay-to-save-drowning-woman-from-sinking-car/
Week 108
Stranger Finds Phone in a River and Tracks Down Owner to Reunite Him with Sentimental Photos
While canoeing for his bachelor party, Owain Davies fell into the river when the other person in his canoe stood up. In the chaos, Davies’s phone fell into the river where he thought it was lost forever. However 10 months later, another canoer, Miguel Pachaco, spotted it in the water. Pachaco took the phone home, disassembled it, and dried it meticulously. Hoping to return the phone and the sentimental photos it contained to the original owner, Pachaco shared some of the photos to a Facebook group for the town where he found the phone. They were shared 4000 times and finally came to the attention of Davies’s friends who alerted Davies. Eventually Davies and his phone were reunited thanks to Pachaco’s hard work.
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/stranger-finds-phone-in-a-river-wye-in-gloucestershire-trakes-down-owner/
100 Year-Old Volunteer Commutes 4 Hours Daily to Work in a Charity Shop
Even after his 100th birthday, David Flucker went to work at the St. Columba’s Hospice shop in Edinburgh, Scotland per his usual routine. The widower began working at the charity shop after receiving care from the Hospice following his diagnosis with prostate cancer because he wanted to return the kindness he received from them. “It is a wonder feeling to be doing something,” said Flucker. “It is two buses and a 20 minute walk to get to the shop, at least two hours… I work three days a week, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, which are the busiest days.” He loves his work checking donations to make sure they are safe and functional, but his favorite thing about it is when people “come in just to chat.”
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/david-flucker-works-til-100-at-st-columba-hospice-shop/
Class of High School Seniors Surprise Their Former Kindergarten Teacher on Graduation Day
A retired kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Hamilton, as she was known to her students, got a joyful surprise when her last class came to surprise her on their high school graduation day. Hamilton’s daughter Kim and the class of seniors coordinated a reunion. First, one student appeared at the teacher’s house; then another dozen appeared and Mrs. Hamilton was beside herself. “Oh my gosh, I love you all. Oh my gosh, you’re all just gorgeous,” Mrs. Hamilton can be heard exclaiming to her former students on a TikTok video of the reunion that racked up millions of views. Mrs. Hamilton was not the only one touched by the gesture; many teachers wrote comments to the video expressing their appreciation. “I have tears and chills!!!! This is a teacher’s dream!” one said. Another wrote “Proof they never stop being our kids after they leave us.”
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/kim-hamilton-tiktok-video-students-surprised-retired-kindergarten-teacher/
Week 109
Company Plants Giant Sequoia Saplings to Offset Carbon Footprints
To offset their carbon emissions, corporations and individuals can send money to companies that invest in carbon positive initiatives. Henry Emson chose a different path to offset his family’s emissions: planting a giant sequoia sapling for each of them. According to Emson, giant sequoias can grow large enough to capture as much carbon as a person releases in their lifetime. He even created a company based on the idea, One Tree One Life, that buys land and plants giant sequoias for others interested in taking the same action to offset their carbon footprint. The company sells and plants saplings for $450 each and has a grove of over 700 already growing.
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/one-tree-one-life-sequoia-planting-in-england-for-carbon-offsets/
Strangers Raise $270k for a Burger King Worker Who Left his Job After 27 Years of Perfect Attendance
Kevin Ford recently left his job at Burger King after 27 years during which he never missed a scheduled shift. To show their gratitude, the company gave him a gift basket including a single movie ticket, a pen, some candy, and a reusable coffee cup. Ford posted a video on Instagram of himself gratefully opening the package. His viewers were not quite as impressed with the gift, though, and decided to give him their own going away present. In a week via GoFundMe, strangers amassed a sum of more than a quarter of a million dollars for Kevin, who was flabbergasted by the generosity: “For all those years, you feel unappreciated, but you get up just like everybody else. You do your job, and for somebody to show this appreciation is just overwhelming,” Ford said. “It’s like I’ve been in a dream… It’s just so beautiful and awesome.”
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/burger-king-worker-of-27-years-gets-270k-from-strangers-when-they-see-the-companys-thank-you-gift/
British Plumber Creates Charity that has Provided Discounted Plumbing Services for 52,000 At-Risk Families
James Anderson, 54, started DEPHER (Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repairs), a company that provides a wide range of emergency services for people in need. In addition to offering emergency plumbing and heating services, the company also delivers food, assists with funeral payments, and assists with other bills. As an example of their good deeds, the organization helped a bedridden man who was being scammed by another plumbing company: “This company had tried to scam this guy for thousands of pounds he didn’t have for work he certainly did not need,” Anderson said. “This guy…was in an extremely vulnerable position. We stepped in and dealt with the company and gave the guy a £1,000 free boiler.”
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/depher-and-hero-plumber-offer-plumbing-heating-and-other-assistance-around-england/
Week 110
Firefighters Rescue Kitten Trapped in a Pepsi Vending Machine
As one Walmart employee passed by the Pepsi vending machine at work, she heard a soft meowing. When she and her colleagues found the cat inside but were unable to free it, they called the fire department. The emergency responders arrived quickly and pried a few panels open to reveal a small, grey-striped kitten with big blue eyes. Lindsey Russel, the employee who found the kitten, described the cat as “wiggly” but in good spirits. One of the firefighters, Doug Allison, said “if we can help save a life, animal or human, we’ll do what we can do.” The kitten was in good hands with Russel as well, who had rescued cats in the past and took the kitten for a veterinary checkup. “This is Pepper, Pepsi, Pep… She’s got a few nicknames now,” Russel said.
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/employee-and-firefighters-came-to-the-rescue-of-a-kitten-trapped-in-a-walmart-pepsi-machine/
6-Year Old Loses a Tooth on a Plane Ride. A Pilot Writes a Note of Explanation to the Tooth-Fairy on Her Behalf
Lena Larmon, 6, and mother Laura, were nearly home after a long journey. They were waiting at baggage claim in Greenville, South Carolina after a flight from Norway. While waiting for their bags, though, the 6-year old realized she was missing her loose tooth. The pair realized it must have gone missing on the plane ride. They were unable to return to the airplane, as security was closed, so Lena became distraught fearing that she would not be visited by the tooth fairy. In stroke of luck, though, Captain Josh Duchow, the pilot of their flight, was nearby and offered to write a letter to the tooth fairy after seeing Lena’s distress. So he whipped out a pen and wrote: “Dear Tooth Fairy, Lena had a tooth fall out on her flight to Greenville. Please take this note in place of her tooth.”
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/airline-captain-writes-note-to-tooth-fairy-for-girl-who-lost-tooth-on-plane/
Strangers Save a Man’s Life at a Baseball Game
While attending a game at Nationals Park, the Clements family outing turned from jovial to terrifying. Rhonda realized that her husband, John, was turning a shade of blue. They later learned that he had gone into cardiac arrest. Luckily, two nearby strangers were well equipped to help in an emergency and sprung into action. Lindy Prevatt, an emergency room nurse, and Jamie Jill, a firefighter, were in neighboring sections of the stadium. Both rushed over when the noticed commotion. Jill took John to the ground and began performing CPR, and Prevatt arrived shortly after to relieve him. Onlookers recall watching the pair take turns providing compressions for 20 minutes until in-stadium responders arrived. John, fortunately, made a full recovery. As a military pilot and, more recently, an EMS pilot, he has seen others provide emergency services. Although it seemed like just part of his job, he has a different appreciation for the service now: “When someone saves you, it makes you think about life differently. I’m just so glad they were there.” Since the experience, he has been inspired by Prevatt’s and Jill’s quick action and has begun seeking guidance on how to respond in an emergency so he might be able to pay it forward.
Source: The Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/06/20/nationals-park-fan-cardiac-arrest/?utm_campaign=wp_the_optimist&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_optimist&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3728e35%2F62b3131dcfe8a21601b9dda4%2F5e4d74439bbc0f462514be64%2F40%2F55%2F62b3131dcfe8a21601b9dda4&wp_cu=abbb23846d28a473548776c2a7217f68%7C9EF25A4C06323D4EE0530100007F008C
Week 111
Twin Boys Save Father From Drowning by Providing CPR
One afternoon while Brad Hassig was swimming with his 10-year-old twin sons and their 11-year-old neighbor, Hassig lost consciousness while underwater. One of the twins, Christian, put on goggles to get a closer look and saw that something was terribly wrong. “I could see his face was starting to turn blue,” said Christian. “It was very scary.” He remembers yelling that “Daddy’s not okay.” The three boys pulled Brad’s 185 pounds onto the pool steps. While Christian ran to the street to find help, Bridon, the other twin, began performing CPR based on memory from a couple movies he had seen that featured the technique. “I just knew I need to do this,” Bridon said. Shortly after beginning resuscitation, Hassig regained consciousness and began coughing up water and blood. Christian had been successful, too. He had managed to flag down a driver to dial 911. Paramedics arrived minutes later. Thanks to the quick action of his sons and concerned neighbors, Hassig is expected to make a full recovery.
Source: The Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/07/05/brad-hassig-drown-sons-rescue/?utm_campaign=wp_the_optimist&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_optimist&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F374a811%2F62c5881dcfe8a21601d87c35%2F5e4d74439bbc0f462514be64%2F14%2F55%2F62c5881dcfe8a21601d87c35&wp_cu=abbb23846d28a473548776c2a7217f68%7C9EF25A4C06323D4EE0530100007F008C
High School Firefighters Race from Graduation to Extinguish a House Fire
Moments after their graduation ceremony had concluded, six students from the Port Jefferson High School on New York’s Long Island received a call from the volunteer fire department. As volunteers, they were needed to respond to an emergency call. So the six bolted toward the station, removing their graduation regalia as a they ran. “I unzipped my gown as I was running,” recalled Andrew Patterson. The school, station, and house fire were all in close proximity, according to Patterson. “It was somewhat extraordinary circumstances,” he said, but it worked well for them. “Speed is very important. We like to get there fast.” Thanks to the quick action of these students and the rest of the department, the fire was extinguished within an hour and no one was injured.
Source: The Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/07/03/port-jefferson-firefighter-patterson-kasumi/?utm_campaign=wp_the_optimist&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_optimist&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F374a813%2F62c5881dcfe8a21601d87c35%2F5e4d74439bbc0f462514be64%2F27%2F55%2F62c5881dcfe8a21601d87c35&wp_cu=abbb23846d28a473548776c2a7217f68%7C9EF25A4C06323D4EE0530100007F008C
Teen Saves 3 Girls and Police Officer From Drowning
Corion Evans, a rising senior, saw an unusual – and alarming – spectacle while he was with his friends one night. A car containing three teenage girls drove down a boat ramp and into a river. He dashed toward their location and heard them shouting for help. By the end of the evening, he had saved the three girls and a police officer who had come to help. After pulling one to safety, he helped get the other two to the top of the vehicle. As the rescue continued, the police officer, Garry Mercer, had begun to help another. But the girl Mercer was helping panicked and started to drag him under the water. Evans helped them both to shore. Thanks to his quick thinking and selfless action, he helped all three girls and the officer safely out of the water. “I’m happy everybody was safe, that everybody made it out,” Evans said. “I’m just glad nobody lost their life that night.”
Source: The Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/07/mississippi-teen-water-rescue/?utm_campaign=wp_the_optimist&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_optimist&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3751a2c%2F62cacdcdcfe8a21601e20ed2%2F5e4d74439bbc0f462514be64%2F16%2F51%2F62cacdcdcfe8a21601e20ed2&wp_cu=abbb23846d28a473548776c2a7217f68%7C9EF25A4C06323D4EE0530100007F008C