Weekly Uplifting Stories - April 1st, 2024

Welcome to a new edition of uplifting stories!

Take a deep breath, relax your shoulders, and get ready to dive into the realm of kindness, positivity, and love. 

“Being kind means responding to the needs of others—and people can be kind, no matter how old or young we are.” — Fred Rogers

Sit back and enjoy the following inspirational stories:

• Cancer survivor on a mission to help families in need
• Friendly soccer game promotes acceptance for individuals with Down syndrome
• Library eliminates fees in exchange for photos of feline friends 
• Kind stranger helps a blind man overcome homelessness

Weekly Uplifting Stories - April 1st, 2024

Cancer survivor makes a meaningful difference in the lives of brave children battling cancer.

Jacy Raburn is a 20-year-old cancer survivor from Michie, Tennessee. 

During an appointment at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, she noticed a mother struggling, since the wagons at the hospital were too small for her child. 

She wanted to ensure the children had a safe and comfortable mode of transportation during back-and-forth hospital visits, so she partnered with the company Wonderfold to deliver high-quality stroller wagons to the families of children battling cancer.

Jacy's Wagon is bringing joy and comfort to children and their families who are going through a hard time. 

 “We wanted to find a way for people to be more comfortable in their rock bottom,” said Raburn. 

Thanks to fundraisers and donations, she is getting closer to her goal of providing nearly 150 wagons to families across the U.S.

"Kicking 4 Kindness" is promoting Down syndrome awareness.

To celebrate World Down Syndrome Day, Project Outreach Gulf Coast organized a special event at Saraland High School in Alabama, where students took part in a friendly soccer game. 

“Kicking 4 Kindness” is putting the spotlight on students with Down syndrome.

Students showed up yellow and blue socks to promote Down syndrome awareness, and acceptance. 

“Our goal is to get out here - do some fun stuff. We want to help the typical kids come out and have a good time - but we want our students with special needs to be valued and celebrated and honored - and that’s really what it’s all about,” said Scott Parks, a special education teacher at Saraland, and Executive Director of Project Outreach Gulf Coast.

Library allows people to pay late fees with adorable cat photos.

As part of its fee forgiveness program called March Meowness, the Worcester Public Library in Massachusetts allowed people to pay for late fees with cat photos.

For the month of March, the library eliminated fees for late returns and lost or damaged books in exchange for a photo, or even a drawing, of any cat.

The idea was to get everyone back in the library and not let fees be a barrier.

But this program became so much more!

"They don't just share a picture of a cat. They share the story behind the cat, how they got their cat, and why that cat is named that. Or what are the unique things that make that cat's personality special. And so we never just get a picture of a cat. We get a story. We know stories are how we connect as humans." said Jason Homer, Executive Director of The Worcester Public Library.

All the submissions are showcased on an adorable "cat wall" in the main library. 

Blind homeless man receives a life-changing gesture from a kind stranger.

During one of his morning walks, David Beaulieu, a Fort Lauderdale resident noticed a man living on a bus bench. Upon closer look, he realized the man wasn't just homeless, he was blind as well. 

Kenny Corbin had been living on a bus bench since June of last year. David ended up befriending Kenny and made it his mission to get him the help he needed.

“This is a blessing. I was freezing, he brought me two wonderful blankets, a little bit of money so I can buy food and stuff. It just shows me someone actually cares,” said Corbin.

When an online fundraiser didn't work out as expected, David reached out to Local 10 News.

Local 10 News contacted the Broward County Mayor's office to bring attention to Kenny's story. Now Kenny is at the Salvation Army in a transitional housing program. 

“I’ve applied for a few apartments with Catholic Services. I’m waiting for the portal to be open to apply for Section 8. A case worker is also putting in for Social Security for long term care," he said.

What's Your Uplifting Story?

And that wraps it up for this week! 

Do you have any Uplifting Stories of your own? You can contact us in the comments below, or reach out on our Instagram page. We might just share your story in a future article.

Thanks everyone for reading, and have an uplifting week ahead. Take care and see you next week! 

Photo by Dietmar Ludmann on Unsplash