Tag Archives: Good Works

Woman Brings “The Power of Pies” to Charleston Church Targeted by Gunman

A Minnesota woman has taken what she calls “something sweeter than pie” to the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, site of a shooting during a Bible study that left 9 people dead: Love.

Rose McGee traveled over 1,000 miles from her home in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota to bring hand made “comfort pies” to the Bible Study that resumed at the historic church after the deadly attack in June.

“As far as I am concerned, it’s the sacred dessert of black culture, a comfort sweet potato pie, which means when you have this, it just soothes the soul,” said McGee.

“I actually was just sitting in my living room watching television as everybody else was and became very frustrated, about everything and decided to get up, went into the kitchen and started making pies.”

McGee, who grew up in Tennessee, said the pies are a recipe handed down through her family beginning with her great-grandmother.

McGee has donated pies to other communities that have faced tragedy over the years and found that the pies could bring healing and promote community.

McGee admitted being a little nervous about sending her pies to the Charleston church.

“I’m really holding my breath and hoping the people of Charleston will like this pie,” said McGee. “Because South Carolina is a place where sweet potato pies are done right.”

“All I can say it’s amazing what happens when people come together,” added McGee.

Oregon Community Rallies to Renovate Elderly Couple’s Home after Teens’ Taunts

Last month, two teenagers taunted a 75-year-old man over the condition of his house.

“Look at this crappy house, they just need to burn it down,” one of the teens said among the degrading comments thrown at the home of Leonard Bullock.

Bullock was sitting on the porch of his home at the time and heard every word.

So did Josh Cyganik, a worker for Union Pacific Railroad who starts his workday across the street from Bullock’s home.

“I saw him put his head down and it was clear he was upset,” Cyganik told Today.com. “I thought about saying something to the boys, but sometimes anger is better left unsaid and I took a different course of action that ended up paying off more so than if I yelled at them.”

Cyganik spoke to a local hardware store, Tum-A-Lum Lumber, who agreed to donate the paint necessary to make the renovations to Bullock’s home.  The good samaritan then went on Facebook to ask his friends to help him during a workday on July 18th to make a difference in Bullock’s life.

It ended up much more than just a new coat of paint.

A family brought Bullock a new set of patio furniture so he could sit outside his home in comfort.  Starbucks brought six gallons of water and iced tea for the workers.

And then a lumber company showed up unannounced, unloaded new lumber and built Bullock a brand new porch.

“The house is real nice now,” Bullock told ABC News. “It makes me feel good to look at it, especially after what [the teenagers] said.”

“They’re great people. You never know about someone unless you get to know their struggles,” Cyganik told the Union Pacific blog. “Yeah, it was a random act of kindness, but to me it’s more about respect. I was raised to respect the people who came before you, to help others out who don’t have much. Leonard can now sit on his front porch for the rest of his years while feeling good about his home.”

Officer Buys Diapers, Shoes for Mom of 6 Caught Shoplifting

When Sarah Robinson of Kansas City, Kanasa was caught shoplifting at a Walmart store after running out of diapers for her 2-year-old daughter, she feared going to jail and the loss of her family.

“My heart just dropped. I didn’t know what to say or do. It was horrible. I thought I was going to jail,” said Robinson.

Instead, she ran into an angel wearing a badge.

Officer Mark Engravalle of the Roeland Park Police Department arrived at the Walmart after answering the shoplifting call.  As he spoke to Robinson, the officer noticed that some of her children were not wearing shoes.  It led him to ask about her situation rather than what she was doing inside the store.

“He noticed [what she stole] were necessities like diapers, shoes for the kids, some clothing,” John Demoss, Roeland Park public information officer, told ABC News. “He asked her what the situation was, and she broke down crying.”

Officer Engravalle had to do his job but instead of arresting and taking Robinson to the station, he gave her a citation for misdemeanor threat.  Then he walked back into the Walmart.  He bought diapers, baby wipes and clothes for the children.

“The officer had two children of his own, and he thought of his two kids,” Demoss said. “He thought it was the right thing to do.”

“He couldn’t have been nicer to my girls,” Robinson said. “And then I got a call the next day saying they wanted to help us further and help us get a place to live.”

Two local radio stations then stepped up to raise items for the family.  One station collected over $6,000 in items for the family.

Prince William Takes Civilian Job; Will Donate Entire Salary to Charity

He may be second in line to the British throne, but Prince William is not sitting back enjoying the trappings of being a part of the Royal Family.

The Prince has taken a civilian job as a pilot for an air ambulance and rescue service, the first time a member of the Royal family in direct line to the throne has taken a civilian job.  William had been a pilot for the Royal Air Force in search-and-rescue and said that the progression to the air ambulance is a “natural progression.”

“I feel doing a job like this really helps me to be grounded and that’s the core of what I’m trying to become,” Prince William told CTV. “I’m trying to be a good guy, to do what I can and trying to be a decent individual.”

The Prince also admitted that he’s not going to make a personal gain from the four days on, four days off schedule he will be working for East Anglian Air Ambulance.  His entire salary, estimated by British Press as 30,155 pounds a year (approximately $47,000 American dollars) will be donated to an unnamed charity.

The Prince said that he’s trying to enjoy work life and home life, especially after the birth of Princess Charlotte on May 2.

“At some point, there’s probably going to be a lot more pressure and responsibility from my other side of my life. At the moment, I’m juggling the two of them and a young family and I’m enjoying it and I enjoy the challenge,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to him being part of the team,” EAAA chief executive Patrick Peal told NBC. “It is a very close-knit crew with the pilot operating closely with the doctor and paramedic so we need a strong team in every operation we go on.”

Tim McGraw To Give 36 Mortgage-Free Homes To Veterans

Country star Tim McGraw is putting his money where his heart is.

McGraw announced that he will be giving away a total of 36 homes to veterans and is paying them off so that the soldiers don’t have to worry about a mortgage payment.

“I can honestly say that I got as much — or more — out of the experience than the veterans who received the new homes and assistance,” McGraw said in a statement. “These families made an incredible mark on me, and I’m more grateful than I’ve ever been for the sacrifices they make every day to serve our country.”

McGraw has worked with an organization called Operation Homefront to help veterans who have not been able to obtain mortgages for homes because of the recent economic problems and restrictions placed on credit and borrowing.

“My sister’s a veteran, my uncle’s a veteran, my grandfather was a veteran, one of my best friends is a veteran,” McGraw said in an interview. “I’ve known people my whole life who are in service to America. And I think in my position to be able to do something like that is probably the ultimate thing.”

The organization has given away over 100 homes to veterans through efforts with McGraw and Chase Bank.

Man’s Blood Saves Two Million Babies

An Australian man is being called “the Man with the Golden Arm” for saving two million newborns because of donating his plasma.

James Harrison has a rare blood type that contains life-saving antibodies.  Doctors believe that Harrison somehow developed the antibody during an operation at age 14 where he had a lung removed.

Now, Harrison’s blood is used to create the vaccine Anti-D.  The vaccine is used to treat pregnant women with a blood disease that can lead to complications.  Harrison has donated every week for the last 60 years, over 1,000 times.

“In Australia, up until about 1967, there were literally thousands of babies dying each year. Doctors didn’t know why, and it was awful,” Jemma Falkenmire, of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, told CNN. “Women were having numerous miscarriages, and babies were being born with brain damage.”

The condition is called Rhesus disease and happens when a woman has rhesus-negative blood and her baby has rhesus-positive blood.  The mother can produce antibodies that begin to attack the baby.  The Anti-D vaccine prevents the antibodies that attack the baby from developing.

“It makes you feel good yourself that you’ve saved a life there, and you’ve saved many more— and that’s great,” Harrison, who added he does not see himself as a hero, told CNN.

The Australian Red Cross says that 17 percent of Australian women are risk for the disease and they hope another donor can be found before Harrison reaches 81, the age limit for blood donation in the country.

Girl Builds Homes For The Homeless

A 9-year-old Washington girl believes “everyone should have a place to live.”

For Hailey Ford, it’s more than something she says.  It’s something that she lives out every day.

Hailey is building 8 foot by 4 foot wooden structures designed to give one homeless person a place to sleep.

“It just doesn’t seem right that there are homeless people,” Hailey told the King 5 News. “I think everyone should have a place to live.”

But a home is not where Hailey started…it was with a garden.

Hailey met a homeless man named Edward who found himself on the street after losing his job at a grocery store.  Hailey’s mother provided Edward with a sandwich on the day they met but Hailey wanted to do more.  So she started a garden, Hailey’s Harvest, which donated 128 pounds of produce to feed the homeless in 2014.

Hailey teamed with Together Rising, a non profit who gave Hailey a $3,000 grant toward her project.

“We can’t think of a better example than our Hailey — she’s proof that no person – or act of kindness — is too small to change the world,” Together Rising founder Glennon Doyle Melton said in a statement provided to The Huffington Post.

Hailey says the first completed shelter will go to Edward.

Texas Cop Attends Graduation For Teen Who Lost His Parents

A Texas police officer went the extra mile when he attended the graduation of a senior who recently lost his parents.

Only a few days before Kazzie Portie’s high school graduation, officer Eric Ellison delivered bad news to the 18-year-old: Portie’s parents had been killed in a car accident. Without his parents to attend his upcoming graduation, Portie wasn’t sure if he would walk on stage. However, Ellison stepped in and encouraged the young man.

“I said, ‘You’re going to walk!’ Your mom and dad will have front-row seats looking down from heaven, and I’ll stand in their place. I’ve got your back,” Ellison told BuzzFeed News.

Portie not only received his diploma on Friday, but he also received a hug from Officer Ellison in front of a standing ovation from the audience.

“Seeing Officer Ellison there to congratulate me meant the world to me,” Portie stated to BuzzFeed News. “It was so nice to see that he actually showed a genuine care for me and my family’s situation instead of just being another ‘case.'”

Portie intends on attending college.

Two Men Quote Bible From Memory To Raise Nepal Relief

Two men are quoting the Bible from memory in a 24 hour marathon in an effort to raise funds for relief efforts in Nepal.

Tom Meyer and Jason Nightingale of the ministry Wordsowers International began at noon Wednesday with a goal of all 100 percent of the raised monies going to help those who have been devastated by the Nepal earthquake.

“We have done similar events in the past but none of them have been streamlined online before. We tell the Bible as the sermon from memory weekly as a full-time ministry,” Meyer told the Christian Post.

Visitors to the campus of Shasta Bible College in Redding, California were also welcomed to watch the event taking place.

The group was inspired in part by the call for support from the United Nations.

“The United Nations estimates that more than 3 million people are in need of food assistance — and nearly half of those need it immediately. Emergency funding of $415 million is needed,” reported CNN.

“[Nepal Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat] said the quake had completely or partially destroyed nearly 300,000 houses.”

300 Million Barefoot Children To Benefit From Latest Invention

The latest in footwear isn’t about style, but about longevity.

Inventor, Kenton Lee, has created a new shoe called Shoe That Grows, a shoe that can adjust its size as the wearer grows. The shoe can adjust both it’s length and width, giving it a size range from 5-12. It also lasts for at least five years.

The idea for the Shoe That Grows came to Lee when he noticed a small Kenyan girl with shoes that were too small.

According to the Shoe That Grows website, approximately 300 million children around the world are without shoes. They also state that 2 million people suffer from soil transmitted diseases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the most common infections are caused by different species of parasitic worms that live in the soil and affect the most deprived communities.

Because International, the company behind Shoe That Grows, is currently distributing the adjustable shoes around the world with the help of partner organizations.