Happy Headline of the Day Archives

Girl Scout Troop 627 of Johnson City, Tennessee, was extra motivated to sell cookies this year because they vowed to donate a portion of their proceeds to a local animal shelter.

Their campaign was a huge success and, earlier this month, they were able to wheel in piles of food bags, supplies, and toys to the shelter — over $700 worth in all.

One troop member — Elliot Guinn — said the troop’s shared love for animals inspired the act of kindness. She called the decision to donate “easy” because the troop wanted to “help the animals and help them get new homes.” (WJHL-TV)

In Cabot, Arkansas, little league pitcher Jett Morris stepped onto the field and threw out the first pitch.

Little did he know that the person wearing the catcher’s mask was actually his dad, Joe, who had been overseas with the Navy for a whole year.

After the pitch, Joe took off the mask, revealing his identity, much to the delight of Jett and the rest of the family.

Jett, of course, was very excited. Jett’s sisters — Alexa and Saylor — as well as his mom, Melissa, then joined him in running to home plate for a family hug, making it the most memorable ballgame the family had ever been a part of. (KLRT-TV)

At Quincy College in Massachusetts, businessman Robert Hale was invited to give the commencement speech to the graduates.

At the end of his speech, he didn’t just give the graduates words of wisdom, but also gave them each $1,000.

There was a catch, though …

Robert instructed the students to give half of his gift away. They could spend $500 on themselves, but the other $500 was to be donated to a good cause.

The money, of course, was a welcome surprise as getting through college can often result in financial challenges.

Robert was happy to help, but also said he hopes the gift will inspire the students to continue giving throughout their lives. (KMGH-TV)

Over the past couple years, the parents of Sithiya Reshmee and Farah Bahr of Arlington, Virginia, lost their jobs. Both high school seniors, Sithiya and Farah have plans to go to college — but money became an obstacle.

So, the girls stepped up and solved the problem by starting a candy business.

Funny thing is, though, neither girl knew anything about making candy. They learned by trial and error, admitting that their first batch of chocolate covered strawberries was “not good.”

They also learned how to package their products by watching videos on TikTok.

One year into their adventure, things seem to be working out. Their company — F&R Sweets — is rolling and they’re selling plenty of candy, including their best seller, the cocoa bomb.

Along with attending school and keeping up with homework, Sithiya and Farah have earned enough money to help their families — and plan to continue their hard work, both at school and in business. (CBS News)

The Utah Jazz basketball team is getting ready for the playoffs.

With a few days off, the team did something special that touched the lives of 30 high school students, awarding them full-ride, four-year college scholarships.

Hundreds of students applied and there was a special focus on kids who needed a financial boost to make college happen. The scholarships could really have a life-changing impact, as 90% of the awards went to first-generation college students.

And everything was made even more special as players on the team — such as Donovan Mitchel and Joe Ingles — were the ones contacting the students to share the good news. (NBA)

For months, five-year-old Mia Keller of Merrill, Wisconsin, has been saving money from her birthday, holidays and visits from grandpa. She had been saving that money for ice cream — but had a change of heart when she and her mother, Susan, visited the local K-9 unit.

Susan and Mia stopped by the Marathon County Sherriff’s Department to purchase a raffle ticket for their annual fundraiser.

When told all the tickets were sold out, Susan planned on leaving, but was stopped by Mia, who emptied her entire wallet and handed it over to the officers, explaining that she wanted to donate her money to help the dogs.

To thank her for her donation, Sherriff Scott Parks organized a special training day for Mia to join in on, which allowed her to see these special animals in action.

Mia was also awarded a Marathon County badge, a K-9 unit pin, a framed “thank you” letter from the department and a signed picture of all the officers with their dogs. Certainly, a day to remember. (WSAW-TV)

When first grader Ava Schmidt was at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she invented a game called “Ava’s Animal Adventure” that involved Nerf guns.

The game was such a hit that doctors, nurses, and other staff members were constantly visiting her room to play. Things were fun and frantic — and ended up becoming very competitive.

When Ava was released from the hospital, she wanted to show her appreciation for everyone who cared for her and brighten the days of patients who were still there, so she raised money to purchase a bunch of Nerf guns to donate.

Her goal was to give the hospital 10 Nerf guns to play “Ava’s Animal Adventure.” She ended up raising enough money for 45 of them.

Ava explained that she remembers how fun it was to have everyone coming into her room to play and “wanted to make sure other kids can have that experience, too.” (WZZM-TV)

Researchers at Stanford University in California performed a medical miracle when they implanted microchips into the brain of a paralyzed man that allowed him to write words using only his mind.

The man had been paralyzed below the neck after a spinal cord injury in 2007.

But even without the use of his arms and hands, the man was able to imagine using his hand to write on a notepad — and then a computer converted these thoughts into text on a screen.

One of the researchers, Dr. Jaimie Henderson, reported that the man was able to compose sentences nearly as quickly as someone typing on a smartphone.

While more work needs to be done to perfect this technology, everyone involved is very hopeful that this breakthrough will lead to others having the chance to regain this important skill in the future. (USA Today)

Throughout the winter months, diamondback terrapin turtles near Ocean City, New Jersey, were hanging out in storm drains, trying to avoid the cold temperatures.

Now that things have warmed up, it’s time for the turtles — and their babies — to get back into the wild. But the journey from the storm drains to the wild is a dangerous one. There are streets and cars. There are predators.

And, thankfully, there were volunteers in the area to rescue the turtles and deliver them to safety.

These volunteers, working with Stockton University, used a custom-made net and pulled the turtles from the drains. From there, the turtles were delivered to Stockton University, where they received professional care.

After all of their hard work was completed, 826 turtles were rescued. Over the next year, these animals will be cared for and prepared to be released back into the wild, stronger and healthier than ever. (Nerdist)

Cecil Lockhart of Welch, West Virginia, recently passed away at the age of 95, but his legacy lives on, thanks to his decision to become an organ donor.

According to the Center for Organ Recovery and Education, Cecil became the oldest organ donor on record in the United States when a successful surgery resulted in a woman in her 60s get a boost in life — and a new liver.

The woman is reportedly “doing well.” And, friends and family of Cecil aren’t surprised that he continues to help others. They describe him as a “generous person” and are proud to see that his legacy of generosity continues even after his long, happy life. (People)

When Luna Glass of Staunton, Virginia, learned that her little sister’s teacher was battling breast cancer, she wanted to do something to help.

The timing was perfect as Luna had long hair, which meant she had something to give.

Luna — who’s in 7th grade and had only once before gotten her hair trimmed — took the plunge and got a big-time haircut.

Amazingly, the hair stylists were able to cut off over 24 inches of Luna’s hair and set it aside for a special wig, created for the teacher.

Luna admits the haircut was a big change, but one she was glad to make. She hopes her donation helps make things easier for the teacher — and also hopes it inspires others to lend a helping hand in any way they can. (WHSV-TV)

Rob Gronkowski of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is one of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game of football. While he spent last year in Tampa Bay — and won a Super Bowl — he hasn’t forgotten the city of Boston, where he played many seasons with the New England Patriots and had great success.

Last week, Rob — whose nickname is “Gronk” — showed up in Boston with a check for $1.2 million and delivered that check to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker … so that the Charlesbank Playground would be renovated.

Governor Baker called Gronk “a big man with a big heart.”

And thanks to Gronk’s generosity, thousands of children will continue to enjoy the playground and appreciate the special connection this “big man” has with the community. (CBS Sports)

Earlier this year in Toledo, Ohio, Jimmy Preston was driving along during a snowstorm and passed John Brandeberry walking along the road, heading in to work.

Jimmy stopped and gave John a ride to his job at a grocery store.

During that ride, Jimmy learned that John didn’t have a car or a driver’s license.

So, Jimmy did something about it. He worked with a local charity group to help John take driving lessons and pass the test to get his license. Jimmy took things even one step further setting up a GoFundMe campaign to hook John up with a car.

It all worked out perfectly.

Between the money raised with the GoFundMe campaign and a donation from a local car dealer, John got a beautiful 2013 Toyota Rav4, along with six months of car insurance. The Rav4 even has a bike rack and a new bike, so John can get around anywhere and everywhere he wants to go. (The Toledo Blade)

Jared and Lindsey Brooks own a towing company in Lawrence County, Arkansas. Because of this business, cars come into their lives — and out of their lives — more often than the rest of us.

They have done their best to pay it forward with these vehicles by donating some of them each year to high schoolers in need.

For example, at the end of April, they found two students who were having trouble getting back and forth to work, and who were also recognized by school officials as being hard working and honest.

So, Jared and Lindsey hooked the two students up with reliable vehicles.

The vehicles are a big part of the students’ plans to go to college. And as for Jared and Lindsey, it’s not just about giving away cars. It’s also about family legacy. The couple are acting on advice that has been passed down from generation to generation, suggesting, “Don’t forget where you come from and don’t forget who put you there.” (KAIT-TV)

Robin Mach of Pacific, Missouri, has been an early childhood special education teacher for more than 20 years. That means, she has touched the lives of hundreds — if not thousands — of children during her career.

But, the biggest impact she’s ever had on a student might have happened last month, when she donated a kidney to five-year-old Kayleigh Kulage.

For most of her life, Kayleigh has had to deal with 11 hours of dialysis treatment each night.

Finally, last October, Kayleigh became eligible for a kidney transplant. And — wouldn’t you know it — her teacher Robin was a perfect match.

Doctors performed the surgeries and they were successful. Both Robin and Kayleigh are recovering nicely.

More importantly, though, Kayleigh is feeling better with her new kidney, just as the doctors had predicted. And because Kayleigh doesn’t need to sit through those long sessions of dialysis anymore, the family is planning their first vacation, hopefully to the beach. (WZVN-TV)

Back in 2018, when he was only four years old, Nathan Herber of Rochester, Minnesota, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Since then, he’s been dealing with the disease — along with coronavirus, like the rest of us.

His brave battle ended with a victory. After spending months in the hospital, Nathan knocked out the cancer — and was able to finally get back to school.

A couple weeks ago, more than 300 of his fellow students lined up in the school parking lot to surprise Nathan and wave “hello” on his last day of treatment.

Nathan was happy to be done with the hospital — and was especially happy to see his friends again, and for things to be “normal again.” (WABC-TV)

When the pandemic began, Tabitha McGuire got to work sewing masks — mostly for her daughter, who’s a social worker. Her goal in the beginning was to just create masks that were cute, as well as protective and safe.

She then started creating masks for family and friends … but then noticed something. She realized that many homeless people she saw didn’t have masks, or sometimes didn’t have clean masks.

So, she started creating the masks for them as well.

Tabitha eventually put together so many masks that she was able to load them into the car and deliver them to anyone who looked like they needed one.

She even added a special touch, adding snacks, wipes and a bag.

Tabitha will continue to create the masks for others, setting her sights on shelters and daycare centers. And, all this giving has led to her starting her own business, May Baby Masks, which she hopes to continue to grow until the need for masks disappears. (MSN)

17-year-old Zade Stone-Hinds was surfing off the coast of Santa Cruz, California, enjoying some big waves.

He had just finished his morning surfing session and stepped out of the water when he saw a man still in the water, struggling to keep his head above water.

Zade rushed back in, worked his way through the powerful surf, and was able to drag the man to safety. The daring rescue was successful as the man only sustained a few injuries.

Local officials and witnesses are calling Zade a hero whose rescue “really was amazing.”

While the life-or-death moments could have been overwhelming for others, Zade was ready for the challenge, explaining that he wasn’t “going to hesitate on something like that.” (KRON-TV)

There are countless ways to raise money for charity — and in Houston, one of those ways is to climb down a skyscraper.

The Women’s Home is a charity organization that offers services to help prevent and end homelessness in the community.

But instead of raising money with a fancy dinner or a raffle this year, the group is offering people the chance to rappel down a 250-foot building.

Anyone who raises $1,000 or more in donations can go “Over the Edge” and work their way down 26 stories, from the roof of the building to the ground.

It’s a clever and exciting way to raise money — and still maintain social distancing because everyone who takes on the challenge can do so at different times. (Houstonia)

Gary White of Evansville, Indiana, makes the most of the free meals provided by the local Salvation Army, but it hasn’t been easy for him to get there as he must cross a busy street each day in his wheelchair.

Well, things changed for Gary earlier this week when Bob Alldredge learned about Gary’s struggles — and had a great solution for him.

Bob happened to have an electric wheelchair that wasn’t being used, so he gave it to Gary.

Bob also spent some time with Gary, teaching him how to use it — and even delivered a letter of encouragement written by Bob’s grandkids.

The electric wheelchair has been a game-changer. Now, he’s able to get across that busy street in a few seconds, instead of a few minutes, keeping him safer and more comfortable all along the way. (WFIE-TV)

In Johannesburg, South Africa, a black Labrador named Jessie heroically rescued his friend — a Pomeranian named Chucky — from drowning in the family pool.

Security cameras were rolling and captured footage of Chucky slipping and falling in the in-ground pool. Chucky was in big trouble because there was no way for him to pull himself out of the water.

He was able to keep his head above water while Jessie looked for ways to rescue him. The video shows that Jessie wasn’t too thrilled about being close to the water herself.

But, she kept trying and trying until she was able to reach down and pull Chucky up from the pool with her teeth.

The owners, who were not home at the time, were confused why Jessie and Chucky were wet. And when they looked at the security video, it all made sense and they were relieved that Jessie was able to step up and make the rescue.

The owners also admitted it was a lesson learned, and now plan to cover the pool to make sure such a mishap doesn’t happen again. (Borneo Bulletin)

Mark Leistico of Grand Junction, Colorado, has a 14-year-old daughter and a seven-year-old son who participate in local theater projects.

But instead of just showing up to practices and helping out with the productions to support his kids, Mark ran an ultra-marathon to raise money for the theater.

Mark admits that he was thinking about running the 100-mile race for fun, but then saw it as a chance to combine his passion for running with his kids’ passion for theater.

Calling his effort “Theater Dad on the Run,” Mark set a goal of raising $4000. He ended up crushing that goal — and raising a staggering $24,000.

And, all he had to do to raise that money was run 100 miles in just over 33 hours … all without sleeping. (KKCO-TV)

Each year, the students at Littlefield High School in Texas raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. And this year, they were going to donate the money to a student at the school.

But instead of choosing to take a trip for himself, this student — who wishes to remain anonymous — chose to pay the “wish” forward and donate it to the hospital to brighten the days of other teenagers.

Because of the generosity of this student, a $9,000 check was presented to the Covenant Health Foundation — which will purchase crafts and special food to make things a bit easier for teens who are hospitalized.

Kathryn Pylant, a hospital official who has worked with the student, said that the donation is incredible, but not unexpected, because he’s “very selfless, and he always thinks of others” — which is exactly what he did here by passing up the chance to go to Disneyland. (KCBD-TV)

Christy Lucas spent 17 years as an educator in Hanover, Pennsylvania — and felt called to leave her career to start a charity to serve veterans full-time.

Christy saw that some veterans in her community were struggling, which didn’t sit well with her, considering these brave people had served our country.

So, she launched a charity called Roots for Boots.

Among other activities, Roots for Boots organizes a monthly food drive. In the beginning, it served eight veterans in need. But since then, it has grown to serve nearly 90 veterans, with the help of dozens of volunteers.

Christy calls Roots for Boots “more than just a food bank,” pointing out that it “restores hope.”

Veterans appreciate the effort not just because the food, but also because it connects the community of veterans in a positive way, making sure nobody feels forgotten. (CBS News)

From 1982 to 1996, Jessie Hamilton worked as a chef at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house at Louisiana State University. During that time, she didn’t just feed up to 100 young men, five days a week. She also would listen to the fraternity brothers and help them work through their problems.

Well, those men didn’t forget about Jessie and the impact she had on their lives. They pitched in and paid off her mortgage.

On the day of her 74th birthday, friends and family — along with some of the fraternity brothers — gathered to surprise her at her home. They presented her with a $45,000 check to pay off the mortgage and another check for almost $7000 for herself.

The fraternity brother who led the campaign, Andrew Fusaiotti, explained that she was “truly like a mother” to the guys.

Jessie agreed, saying, “They were my kids. They still are.”

And all these years later, the men she took care of were able to step up and take care of her. (Patriot-News)

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb is a fan favorite for all his work on the football field.

And now, he’s doing something special off the field — launching his very own breakfast cereal called Chubb Crunch, which will be used to raise money for charity.

Nick promises that Chubb Crunch will be delicious, as it’s compared to Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

And, proceeds from sales of the cereal are going to the non-profit group First Candle, which is focused on making progress on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and helping families who have been affected by it.

Nick says it’s always been a dream to have his own cereal — and is especially thankful that his efforts will result in helping out a good cause. (Browns Nation)