This announcement features 3 weeks of stories (weeks 64-66).
This is the 66th consecutive week, 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 64
Olympic Winner Auctions Her Silver Medal to Raise Money for a Sick Child
Maria Andrejczyk recently won silver in javelin throwing at the Tokyo Olympics. Although the accomplishment was the product of years of hard work, Andrejczyk decided to give up her medal for a good cause. Through social media, Andrejczyk had become aware of an 8-month-old Polish boy who desperately needed a heart surgery. However the cost to get the required operation was prohibitive. Between the medical fees and the cost to fly to Stanford University in California where the operation would take place, the boy's family was expecting to pay $385,000. Half the funds had been secured through online contributions, but Andrejczyk wanted to help. She decided to auction her silver medal to help pay for the boy's expenses. She hoped the auction would cover the rest of the cost, and that is exactly what happened. The winning bid from Zabka, a Polish convenience store chain, more than covered the remaining expense. But Zabka had some altruistic aims of its own. After receiving the medal, they decided to reward Andrejczyk for her selflessness and returned the hard won medal to her. "We were moved by the beautiful and extremely noble gesture of our Olympian... We also decided that the silver medal from Tokyo will stay with Ms. Maria, who showed what it means to be [a true champion]."
Source: The Times - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/polish-olympian-auctions-off-silver-medal-to-help-raise-130-000-for-a-boy-s-heart-surgery-mg7xt5l07
Kind Redditors Send Birthday Gifts to a Young Boy Who Loves Stingrays
Jonas Holloway, 5, loves manta rays and idolizes Steve Irwin. So he told his mom, Tiffany, that he wanted a plush manta ray for his birthday. Tiffany, who knew she could not afford to purchase Jonas's dream gift, decided to make one instead. When she posted a photo of the finished product on Reddit, it became the most popular post on the site for a time. All that attention led to an outpouring of kindness from other Redditors who began sending gifts for Jonas. Several sent plush manta ray toys. Others bought tickets for Tiffany, Jonas, and his three brothers to attend zoos in their area where Jonas got to touch and feed stingrays. The boy was beside himself with joy, but his favorite part of the experience was all the new sea creature toys. "He has so many stuffed sea animals there is barely any room for him on his bed, but he insists on sleeping with all of them," Tiffany said. Tiffany and her children are survivors of domestic violence. "...Jonas is a child that rarely smiles because of all the trauma he's been through. This outpouring of love and kindness has brought an oh-so-rare smile to his face -- and that is worth more to me than anything else.
Source: Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/mom-sews-manta-ray-for-sons-birthday-when-she-cant-buy-one-and-a-tide-of-kindness-floods-in-from-strangers/
Trash Collectors Search Through 6 Tons of Garbage to Return $25,000 in Cash to its Rightful Owner
In an attempt to help their matriarch tidy up around the house, one well-meaning Ohio family accidentally threw out an envelope they found in the elderly woman's freezer. That envelope contained $25,000 of cold, hard cash. Only after the trash had been collected and sent to the city landfill did the woman warn her family not to throw out the envelope. The family went into a frenzy, calling the trash company to track down the money. After a lot of stress and hopeful phone calls, they managed to track down the driver before he dropped it off at the landfill. That driver kindly rerouted to a recycling facility where he and 10 sanitation workers sifted through the six ton load of refuse. Fortunately, they found the money - fast! "...it took 10 minutes... [The family] was so happy, they were tearing up," said Dan Schoewe, a manager at the recycling center.
Source: Newsweek - https://www.newsweek.com/waste-collection-agency-finds-25000-accidentally-thrown-away-family-ohio-1616504
Week 65
UK Cyclist and Activist Uses Social Media to Inspire Others to Clean up Their Communities
Several years ago, Dom Ferris, owner of the TrashFreeTrails Instagram account, posted an appeal to his followers, beseeching them to help clean up their local biking and hiking trails. His post got 62 likes. Underwhelming, yes, but Ferris's perseverance paid off eventually. One post at a time, Ferris continued to draw attention to the problem of polluted walkways. Trash Free Trails eventually became an official nonprofit organization and has inspired hundreds of cleanup outings by independent groups across the UK. After learning of Ferris's work, the head of a school in Wakefield asked Ferris for permission to use the Trash Free Trails logo for a cleanup the school was hosting. Despite a slow beginning, Ferris's message of volunteerism and environmentalism has begun to inspire others. Following the Wakefield school's interest, Ferris started a six-week program designed to teach kids about pollution. One of his participants, Ferris recalls, was so impacted by the experience that he organized a cleanup activity on his own street. Ferris was touched by the experience: "This is a child who was totally disengaged and who has now, off his own bat, become a leader in his own community."
Source: Positive.News - https://www.positive.news/society/meet-the-mountain-bikers-who-keep-the-uk-countryside-clean/
11-Year-Old Walks 200 Miles to Raise Awareness for Climate Change
Another young environmentalist from the UK has begun his own initiative. Jude, 11, of Yorkshire decided to lobby for the implementation of a carbon tax after learning of the tactic by reading a book about ways to combat climate change. However he wanted to make a bigger impact than he could by lobbying ministers alone. So he decided to walk to London from his hometown to raise awareness for climate change and to gather signatures for the Zero Carbon Campaign petition (a campaign which hopes to implement carbon taxes en route to net zero energy expenditure). Jude hopes to walk 10 miles each day for 21 days until he reaches London. He also hopes that his actions will reach other young people who worry that they don't have the power to influence change.
Source: BBC News - https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-57961176
Runner Loses Race Intentionally After a Competitor Makes a Mistake
During a cross country race in Navarra, Spain, Kenyan athlete Abel Mutai had an insurmountable lead. His nearest competitor, Ivan Fernandez Anaya, was too far behind to catch up in the little distance remaining in the race. Suddenly, though, Mutai slowed down. It turns out that Mutai, who does not speak Spanish, got confused by the signs and thought he had already crossed the finish line. Rather than darting past him to win the race, Anaya slowed down and pointed the actual finish line out to Mutai. "He was the rightful winner," Anaya said. "He created a gap that I couldn't have closed if he hadn't made a mistake." Mutai went on to win the race. Even in a competitive environment and despite the personal cost, Anaya displayed a rare degree of sportsmanship. In photos of the event, Mutai and Anaya can be seen shaking hands following the race.
Source: Inspire More - https://www.inspiremore.com/ivan-fernandez-anaya-abel-mutai/
Week 66
Man Collects Thousands of $1 Donations for Charity
Anthony Talley is changing the world, one dollar at a time. A year ago, Talley came up with a simple but brilliant idea: $1 Thursdays. The idea was to collect $1 donations from people - a small amount within reach to most people - and to donate the sum to someone in need. In a year, Talley’s efforts have raised $8,000. Most of that money went to a man who lost his home in a fire. Now he is raising money to help a single mother buy a new car. “When I do stuff like this it’s an overwhelming joy,” Talley said. “...I plan to change the world, one life at a time, one dollar at a time.”
Source: MSN - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/change-the-world-dollar1-at-a-time-lagrange-man-proving-small-acts-of-kindness-can-go-a-long-way/ar-AANf0ex
Airport Pianist Gets $60,000 in Tips After a Stranger Shares His Performance on Social Media
Tonee “Valentine” Carter, 66, plays piano at the Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta four days per week. One day while performing, Carlos Whittaker, had a long layover and sat near Carter to listen. Whittaker, a motivational speaker and author, noticed that Carter was giving the performance his all. In a former life, he had been a musician himself, and the pair talked between Carter’s songs. As the two shared stories, Whittaker came up with an idea. He would harness the generosity of his 200,000 social media followers. He hoped to raise $2500. In 30 minutes, though, he had raised $10,000. The donations continued to roll in, even after Whittaker left the airport. By evening, the total was up to $44,000. Eventually, it climbed to $61,000. Carter was overwhelmed. “I started bawling,” he said. Now Carter wants to pay it forward. He wants to get his oil changed, but he also hopes to invest the money so that it continues to grow and so he can make quarterly payments to the American Kidney Foundation. As Carter has to be on dialysis for 9 hours every night, the cause is dear to him. Since Whittaker’s life changing generosity to Carter, the pair have become close friends. “He’s literally the kindest human,” Whittaker said.
Source: Good Morning America - https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/airport-piano-player-makes-60000-tips-stranger-posts-79245813
Dallas Couple Donates Books to an Overlooked Group: Inmates
Diane and Robert Findlay were part of a book club during the pandemic. The experience gave them the idea to share books with others in need. It occurred to them that inmates are an often overlooked group. “These are people who at various levels and for various reasons have made mistakes and they have a lot of time on their hands… If we can help them use that time constructively...that’s a good thing,” Diane said. To ensure that inmates were receiving books they were interested in reading, the couple asked staff at the jail to distribute surveys to the inmates. Responses ranged from poetry to self-help to westerns, and the couple is working to obtain all the genres requested. “The inmates have something to look forward to - they have something to do,” Adam Infante, chief deputy of the sheriff’s office, said. “Idle minds cause problems sometimes and they’re busy with that, which makes everybody a little less tense.”
Source: MSN - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/couple-sends-books-to-inmates-to-show-them-they-are-not-forgotten/ar-AAN7bMq
e: https://www.today.com/parents/i-m-father-f1rst-offers-support-fatherless-boys-atlanta-t209935