Be The Change : Nebraskan Woman Is Weaving Hundreds Of Mats From Plastic Bags For The Homeless

Nebraskan Woman Is Weaving Hundreds Of Mats From Plastic Bags For The Homeless

November 24, 2015 by Amanda Froelich

via

True Activist Exposing the truth one lie at a time

 

No act of kindness is ever too small, especially when some people haven’t witnessed much kindness in their lives at all.

 

Plastic is a burden to the environment, and homelessness is a crisis in need of remedy. Can both be lessened, however, with a bit of creative philanthropy?

If you were to ask volunteers with the Faith Westwood United Methodist Church in Nebraska, the answer would likely be ‘yes’. 

KMVT News reports that every week, dozens of women, and a few men, gather inside the Nebraskan church for an intriguing purpose. The volunteers collect, sort, de-wrinkle and smooth out thousands of plastic grocery bags – a common item most, unfortunately, throw away – to weave into woven mats for the homeless.

By using a method tested again and again by one of the group’s volunteers, Marilynn Jones, thousands of plastic bags are repurposed into mats homeless individuals can sleep on in less than satisfactory conditions.

So often, the homeless shelters in the metro are filled to capacity and people are forced to sleep on the floor. The plastic mats at least provide some comfort to those who need it most.

More than 1,000 plastic bags are required to make one mat. The group has so far made hundreds, but Jones is by far considered the “plastic bag weaving” pro.

Credit: KMTV News

 

She told KMTV News that she learned how to quilt 70 years ago and hasn’t stopped practicing the craft since. The first afghan she ever made, with the help of her grandmother, hangs in her home.
Regarding the plastic mats, “They tell me I’ve done 248. I don’t keep track,” she said. Jones presently makes two per week.

Jones began experimenting with the plastic bags two years ago shortly after losing her husband.

“I do this mainly…I lost my husband 2 years ago, and that’s when I started. I needed something to do with my hands and it worked out real well for me,” she shared.

Like many compassionate individuals, she’ll tell you no act of kindness is ever too small, especially when some people haven’t witnessed much kindness in their lives at all.

“I think the fact that I’m making something worthwhile, where I know where it goes and people that use it need it — I don’t like to just crochet for an afghan or something – that doesn’t help me – I just need to do something for someone else,” she said.

Not only is the practice helping to fill a void in heart, it’s blessing hundreds of others at the same time.

Comment your thoughts below and share this positive news!

New reports indicate that Monarch Butterfly populations are actually beginning to grow again.

Monarch Butterfly Populations Are Rising Again After Years In Decline

November 16, 2015 by John Vibes

 via

True Activist Exposing the truth one lie at a time

 

New reports indicate that Monarch Butterfly populations are actually beginning to grow again.

Credit: Wikipedia

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This year, we have published several stories about the dwindling monarch butterfly populations and some of the efforts that have been made to save the species. New reports last week have indicated that these efforts may actually be paying off, because Monarch populations are actually beginning to grow again. In Mexico, one of the main breeding areas for these butterflies, scientists believe that this year there will be at least three times as many of them this year than there was last year.
During a recent conference at the Piedra Herrada research reserve, U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said that Mexico and the US will be working together to create pesticide-free zones for the butterflies to flourish.

“Mexico, the U.S., and Canada have many species that don’t know our political borders, that cross the borders freely,” she said during a conference at the Piedra Herrada research reserve, adding that the three countries will be working together to rebuild the populations.

She told the audience that they hope to see “225 million monarch butterflies returning right here to Mexico every year. We believe we can get there by working together and it sounds like we may be on our way, we hope.”

“We are very glad to report that calculations done before the landfall of Hurricane Patricia showed the monarch presence could cover up to four hectares, a clear indication that the efforts mentioned by Secretary Jewell are having a positive effect,” Environment Secretary Rafael Pacchiano said.

“We estimate that the butterfly population that arrives at the reserve is as much as three and could reach four times the surface area it occupied last season,” he added.

For years, environmental experts have been warning about the steady decline of monarch butterfly populations. The causes of this decline have been largely speculation until recently, but a new report suggests that Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup Ready could be responsible.

 

The report was recently released by US environment watchdog Center for Food Safety and sheds new light on what has been happening with monarch butterfly populations.
According to the report, Monsanto’s herbicide has wiped out 99 percent of milkweed in corn and soybean fields in the US Midwest since 1999.
This has resulted in a decline of nearly 90 percent in monarch butterfly populations in the past 20 years.

Without the milkweed, the butterfly’s food supply is entirely cut out because caterpillars eat only milkweed plants, and then milkweed is needed again when it is time for the butterfly to lay their eggs.
Although this is a very serious problem, it is something that the average person can help to solve. Anyone with some space in their lawn or garden can plant milkweed to help reverse the trend that Monsanto started.
Below are some PDF guides which give you step by step instructions on how to plant milkweed and create habitats for monarch butterflies:

1. Planting Native Milkweed Species
2. Avoiding Non-Native Species
3. Create Habitat for Monarchs
4. Gardening for Monarchs

 

John Vibes is an author and researcher who organizes a number of large events including the Free Your Mind Conference. He also has a publishing company where he offers a censorship free platform for both fiction and non-fiction writers. You can contact him and stay connected to his work at his Facebook page. You can purchase his books, or get your own book published at his website www.JohnVibes.com. This article (Monarch Butterfly Populations Are Rising Again After Years In Decline) was made available via

True Activist Exposing the truth one lie at a time

Foods We Won’t Have If We Keep Letting Bees Die

NaturalNews

By Amy Goodrich

Posted Friday, October 2, 2015 at 11:55am EDT

About one-third of the world’s crops depend on the honeybees for pollination. The past decades honeybees have been dying at an alarming rate. Fewer bees will eventually lead to less availability of our favorite whole foods and it will also drive up the prices of many of the fruits and veggies we eat on a daily basis.

While some actions have been taken in the past, our bees are still dying and something needs to be done to make sure our most favorite foods don’t go into extinction.

What’s Causing Massive Bee Deaths?

 

About fifty years ago our world looked a whole lot different. Bees had an abundance of flowers to feast on and there were fewer pests and diseases threatening their food chain. These days however, nature has to make place for industrialization and our bees are having a hard time finding good pollen and nectar.

And if clearing their dinner tables from good quality food wasn’t bad enough already, farmers are extensively using herbicides and insecticides, which cause a phenome called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) where bees get disorientated and poisoned and can’t find their way back to the hive. Or when they manage to get back, they die from intoxication.

“We need good, clean food, and so do our pollinators. If bees do not have enough to eat, we won’t have enough to eat. Dying bees scream a message to us that they cannot survive in our current agricultural and urban environments,” states Marla Spivak, an American entomologist, and Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota.

List of Foods We Will Have To Go without If The Bees Go

 

While we don’t need bees to pollinate all our food because they either self-pollinate or rely on the wind (like rice, wheat, and corn), many of our favorite foods will disappear from our kitchen tables.
Foods in the danger zone include:

• Apples
• Mangos
• Kiwi Fruit
• Peaches
• Berries
• Onions
• Pears
• Alfalfa
• Cashews
• Avocados
• Passion Fruit
• Beans
• Cruciferous vegetables
• Cacao/Coffee
• Cotton
• Lemons and limes
• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Coconut
• Beets
• Turnips
• Chili peppers, red peppers, bell peppers, green peppers
• Papaya
• Eggplant
• Vanilla
• Tomatoes
• Grapes
• Many seeds and nuts

A substantial drop in population, or complete extinction, of honeybees will make these food scares or even non-existent. So to keep our body healthy and our kitchen table interesting we have to take action before it is too late.

What You can Do

 

• Plant bee friendly plants in your garden or green community space.
• Limit the use of pesticides or use organic alternatives.
• Buy local, organically grown produce and honey to support the beekeepers and farmers in your area.
• Donate to non-profit organizations, like Pollinator Partnership, to help protect, grow, and strengthen bee populations.

Sources: CNN,  NCBI, and onEarth.

Don’t forget to download my FREE Book “Amy’s Home Kitchen”, packed with my family’s favorite healthy, clean and delicious recipes. Or connect with me on Facebook or Google+

If you are interested in detoxing, clean eating, losing weight, and changing your lifestyle without feeling hungry and counting calories, click here

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About NaturalNews

The NaturalNews Network is a non-profit collection of public education websites covering topics that empower individuals to make positive changes in their health, environmental sensitivity, consumer choices and informed skepticism. The NaturalNews Network is owned and operated by Truth Publishing International, Ltd., a Taiwan corporation. It is not recognized as a 501(c)3 non-profit in the United States, but it operates without a profit incentive, and its key writer, Mike Adams, receives absolutely no payment for his time, articles or books other than reimbursement for items purchased in order to conduct product reviews.

The vast majority of our content is freely given away at no charge. We offer thousands of articles and dozens of downloadable reports and guides (like the Honest Food Guide) that are designed to educate and empower individuals, families and communities so that they may experience improved health, awareness and life fulfillment.

Learn More About Natural News Here

BIO DYNAMIC AGRICULTURE interviews for the film 'The Challenge of Rudolf Steiner'

 

cupolaproductions

 

Published on Feb 14, 2013

Bio dynamic Agriculture. www.biodynamic.org.uk Steffen Schneider and Emily Kozakiewicz are at Hawthorn Valley Farm, NY, USA hawthornevalleyfarm.org; Heidi Hermann is at The Natural Beekeeping Trust, Sussex, England www.naturalbeekeepingtrust.org; Jakes Jayakaran is President of the Biodynamic Association of India www.biodynamics.in.
This material was filmed in the making of Jonathan Stedall's film 'The Challenge of Rudolf Steiner'.
DVD and download of the film available at www.rudolfsteinerfilm.com

Police Officer Quietly Buys Food At Chipotle For Man In Need

 

The humble sergeant thought nobody would know about the kind act.

 

Kimberly Yam Associate Editor, Good News, The Huffington Post

Posted: 09/10/2015 12:21 PM EDT

When he saw a man in need, this humble cop decided to help without expecting any recognition in return. Sgt. Brendan Hagarty of the Chicago Police Department in Illinois was having lunch at a Chipotle restaurant in early September when he saw a man picking through the trash outside, Hagarty told The Huffington Post. The officer tapped on the window to get the man's attention, ushered him inside and bought him food. The interaction was caught on camera by Rachel Mitchell, who posted it to Facebook. It later went viral when a country music radio station, as well as Hagarty's own department shared the posts. The pictures have received more than 10,000 shares and over 26,000 likes on the police department's Facebook page alone.

Chicago Police Department

September 4 at 8:13pm ·

019th District Town Hall – Sergeant Hagarty Leading by Example A quote posted on social media, Facebook… Rachel Mitchell – "So today I saw something that made my day. This Chicago Police officer was sitting at a window seat at Chipotle, outside the window he saw a homeless man digging through the trash. The cop knocked on the window, getting the homeless man’s attention. Through the glass he asked the man if he was hungry. The man nodded yes, and the cop motioned for him to c... See More

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• Most Relevant

  Steve Eagan, Lani Yost Lawson, Sue Self and 27,178 others like this.

Read More Here

   

A film by be japy. Three German Students Surprise a Homeless Guy

A film by be japy.

Video from KarmaTube

The Collective Evolution III: The Shift | Official Release 2014

Collective Evolution

Published on Feb 23, 2014

http://www.collective-evolution.com
https://www.facebook.com/CollectiveEv...
Support the filmmakers: Buy on DVD http://collectiveevolution.bigcartel....

For further resources: http://www.collective-evolution.com/b...

Be sure to check out Anthony Tilotta's music who is featured at the end of the film:
http://anthonytilotta.com/
http://www.youtube.com/anthonytilotta...

Synopsis:
The Collective Evolution III is a powerful documentary that explores a revolutionary shift affecting every aspect of our planet. As the shift hits the fan, people are becoming more aware of the control structures that prevent us from experiencing our full potential. CE3 uses a different level of consciousness and scientific facts to bring clarity about the shift while dispelling myths about our true nature. It offers practical steps that we can implement right now to transition out of survival mode and into our more natural state of peace and co-operation . CE3 includes fascinating interviews with revolutionary speakers and people who are already opting out of the current socioeconomic system. The film examines hidden technologies and exciting alternatives for a bright limitless future. This is the most exciting time in the history of our world.

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The Film That Proves We Are Living In The Most Important Time Of Human

Be The Change : Maysoon Zayid: I got 99 problems... palsy is just one

TED

Published on Jan 3, 2014

"I have cerebral palsy. I shake all the time," Maysoon Zayid announces at the beginning of this exhilarating, hilarious talk. (Really, it's hilarious.) "I'm like Shakira meets Muhammad Ali." With grace and wit, the Arab-American comedian takes us on a whistle-stop tour of her adventures as an actress, stand-up comic, philanthropist and advocate for the disabled.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.
Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at http://www.ted.com/translate
Follow TED news on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tednews
Like TED on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TED

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• TED: Maysoon Zayid: I got 99 problems... palsy is just one - Maysoon Zayid (2013)
• Comedian Talks About Living Her Life To The Fullest Despite Having Cerebral Palsy (Video)

Be The Change : Would you give your jacket to Johannes? SOS Children's Villages Norway [OFFICIAL]

SOSbarnebyerNorge \

Published on Feb 19, 2014

For English, choose English on the captions icon in media player.
What would you do if you saw a freezing child?
We set up a hidden camera and placed Johannes at a bus stop, in Oslo, Norway. This is what happened.

The film is made to raise awareness of the situation for children in Syria, and to raise funds to SOS Children's Villages is their winter-campaign. Children in Syria are freezing and you can help by dontating. For more information: www.sos-barnebyer.no/Mayday/Syria

NORSK: En test utført av SOS-barnebyer bekrefter at det er mye hjertevarme blant folk i Norge. Nå håper vi at engasjementet også når fram til barn i Syria. Bidra du også send SMS SOS til 2160 / http://www.sos-barnebyer.no/Mayday/Syria

SOS-barnebyer i Syria deler ut tusenvis av varme jakker og pledd til barn på flukt, og samtidig mobiliseres givere i Norge for å kunne hjelpe flere barn gjennom givernettverket SOS MAYDAY.

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Would YOU offer to help a child freezing in the street? Hidden cameras capture reactions of people faced with dilemma... and what they did will warm your heart

• An 11-year-old boy was filmed as he struggled against the cold without a coat in Oslo
• But the kindness of those who saw his heartbreaking situation and handed him their clothing is inspiring
• It was a stunt for a charity helping freezing Syrian children who are fleeing the civil war

By Sam Webb
PUBLISHED: 14:38 EST, 20 February 2014 | UPDATED: 05:17 EST, 21 February 2014
A boy shivers in the harsh Oslo winter, pathetically wrapping his arms around himself on a bus stop bench. He isn't wearing a coat and temperatures in the Norwegian capital regularly plunge to -10C during winter.
A heartbreaking scene, but the actions of the ordinary people who witnessed the plight of 11 year old Johannes Lønnestad Flaaten is both joyous and inspiring.
A young blonde woman who sat next to the boy and notices him rubbing his arms. She immediately asks him: 'Don't you have a jacket?'

This 11 year old boy was filmed as he sat shivering without a coat at a bus stop in Oslo, Norway. The actions of people who saw his discomfort will bring a smile to even the most jaded souls

Caring: This young woman asks him why he has no coat in such cold weather. He replies that it was stolen

Warm heart: She takes off her own jacket and wraps it around the freezing boy

No, someone stole it,' he replies. She questions him and discovers he was on a school trip and was told to meet his teacher at the bus stop. She asks him the name of his school and where he's from as she selflessly drapes her own coat around his shoulders.

Later, another older woman at first gives him her scarf, then wraps him in her large padded jacket.
Johanne's predicament was a hidden camera experiment by Norwegian charity SOS Children’s Village as part of their winter campaign to gather donations to send much-needed coats and blankets to help Syrian children get through the winter. Many of the refugees have left their homes without winter clothing.
Throughout the day, more and more people offered Johannes their gloves and even the coats off their backs as they waited for their bus. One man even sat shivering in his t-shirt so Johanne could be wrapped up in his warm coat.

Sacrifice: This man endured the savage temperature in just a T-shirt so the boy could get warm

Read More Here


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Related articles

• Would you give a freezing child your coat?
• Passersby give their coats to freezing child in viral Norway charity campaign
• Watch how strangers react to a freezing child in viral video
• Would YOU offer to help child freezing in street? Hidden cameras capture reactions

When approached by the Make-A-Wish Foundation , Jayci Glover, a terminally-ill teen couldn't think of anything she wanted . Instead she chose to give back to the local High School that had done so much to support her.

Girl with terminal cancer donates Make-A-Wish money to her school

A. Pawlowski TODAY contributor

She may not make it to the basketball and volleyball games of her beloved high school teams, but a teenager with a rare type of terminal cancer is making sure they will play in style.

Courtesy Heather Glover

Jayci Glover, right, and a friend share a happy moment. The terminally-ill teen loves mangoes so a local business created a mango smoothie named for her.

When approached by the Make-A-Wish Foundation recently, Jayci Glover, a 13-year-old who lives in Kanab, Utah, simply asked for a new scoreboard for the local high school, where the students and athletes have embraced the girl and kept her spirits up during a difficult year.
“She just decided that she didn’t really need anything, that she has everything she wants and wanted to give something back to all of her friends and the local community that’s done so much to support her,” her mother, Heather Glover, told TODAY Moms.
Her mother said the family wasn’t surprised at all that Jayci’s would think of somebody else when making her wish.
“We had suspected all along that she was going to choose something for her two little sisters or for her friends… She can never think of anything she wants – for Christmas or birthdays.”
Make-A-Wish is paying $7,500 towards the cost of the new scoreboard, which will cost $20,000, said Karen Kelly, who is Jayci’s great aunt and works at the school. The plans are to put Jayci’s name on the scoreboard so she is always there in spirit and cheering on the teams.
The girl, who was diagnosed with peripheral T-cell lymphoma, is at home on hospice care now after spending much of last year in and out of the hospital, Jayci’s mom said.
“There just aren’t any more things they can try. We’ve tried every proven lymphoma treatment that there is and her cancer continued to grow through every single one of them,” Glover said.

Courtesy Karen Kelly

The Make-A-Wish check was presented during a ceremony at the local high school on Feb. 12.

“We just reached a decision… to just come home and try to let her be in her home with her two little sisters for as long as we can. We don’t know how long that will be. We don’t think it will be too long.”
Read More Here

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Hero teen, 13, with terminal cancer GIVES AWAY her Make-A-Wish to her school to buy new $7,500 scoreboard rather than enjoy a dream trip

• Jayci Glover, 13, is fighting a rare form of terminal lymphoma which has caused her to gain over 160lbs in the past year

• When the brave student received a $7,500 gift from Make-A-Wish she decided to give it to her high school rather than spend it on herself

• The check was presented before a school basketball game earlier this month and the team wore 'Fight Like Jayci' T-shirts

• Jayci left hospital for the last time on February 12 and received a hero's welcome in her hometown of Kanab, Utah

By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 10:54 EST, 20 February 2014 | UPDATED: 17:23 EST, 20 February 2014
A Utah teenager with terminal cancer has made an incredibly selfless gesture after donating her $7,500 Make-A-Wish foundation gift to her high school.
Jayci Glover, 13, has been fighting a rare form of terminal lymphoma for over a year, which has caused the previously healthy young girl to gain over 160lbs.
When Make-A-Wish asked Jayci what she would like to do with the money, rather than ask for a trip to theme park, or a chance to meet a celebrity or sports star, she decided to gave her gift to Kanab High School to pay a new scoreboard for the gym.

Jayci Glover, 13, has been fighting a rare form of terminal lymphoma for over a year, which has caused the previously healthy young girl to gain over 160lbs

Make-A-Wish presented Jayci Glover's $7,500 check to Kanab High School before a basketball game on February 12

The foundation presented a $7,500 check to the school, in Jayci's name, before a basketball game on February 12, reports Yahoo News.
The boy's team also paid tribute to their benefactor with 'Fight Like Jayci' T-shirts and every player also gave her a rose and a hug or kiss before the game.

Read More Here

.....

Related articles

• Jayci Glover, a Teen with Terminal Cancer, Donates Her Make-A-Wish to Her School
• Utah girl with cancer gives her school incredible gift
• Teen with terminal cancer selflessly donates $7,500 Make-A-Wish gift to her school to pay for new scoreboard rather than taking a dream trip
• Girl with terminal cancer donates Make-A-Wish money to her school

Be The Change : It Takes A Heart To Be A Hero / Schoolkids on the Front Lines Raising Life Saving Donations to Help Kids With Heart Disease

  

Lucas Camacho

 

Even a $1 donation will help make a difference.  Help make a difference Today.

Join me in my efforts to support Jump Rope For Heart or Hoops For Heart! Even the smallest of donations make a big difference.

Earned Badges

 

Help me earn badges

I need your support! Hi,
We only have one heart! I want to take care of mine and help you take care of yours too! This year, I have set a personal goal to raise money for the American Heart Association at my school.
Heart Disease can happen to anyone so it's really important to be physically active and eat healthy. Did you know that heart disease is our nation's number one killer? Help me become a lifesaver!
Will you make a donation to help me reach my goal? It's fast and easy to do on my personal webpage. Just use the link below to support me today!
Your contribution will support the American Heart Association's work to:
- Put up-to-the-minute research into doctors' hands so they can better prevent and treat heart disease among patients.
- Fund groundbreaking pediatric heart and stroke research.
- Train more than 9 million health professionals and others each year in emergency cardiovascular care.
Please support me in my efforts - together we can save lives! Thank you very much!
Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support YM-GSA
.....
I'm joining millions of others to help save lives with the American Heart Association!
At my school, I'm learning how I can help make a difference by raising lifesaving donations to help kids with heart disease. I'm also learning about my own heart, and how to keep it healthy. And I'm getting active!
I'm excited about raising money for other kids - kids with hearts that don't exactly work right and to help fund new medicines and treatments to be discovered.
Please help me make a difference! Thank you!

Welcome to the Donation Page of

Lucas Camacho

Be The Change : 'Love Ninja': Mom shares one teacher's amazing strategy to combat bullying, loneliness

Glennon Doyle Melton TODAY contributor

Jan. 31, 2014 at 6:57 PM ET

This post was first published on Glennon Doyle Melton's blog, Momastery, on Jan. 30. In less than a day it was shared more than 1 million times. We wanted to share it with you.

A few weeks ago, I went into Chase’s class for tutoring.
I’d emailed Chase’s teacher one evening and said, “Chase keeps telling me that this stuff you’re sending home is math – but I’m not sure I believe him. Help, please.” She emailed right back and said, “No problem! I can tutor Chase after school anytime.” And I said, “No, not him. Me. He gets it. Help me.” And that’s how I ended up standing at a chalkboard in an empty fifth grade classroom staring at rows of shapes that Chase’s teacher kept referring to as “numbers.”

Little Moon Photography

Author Glennon Doyle Melton with her family; her conversation with her son's teacher sparked this post.

I stood a little shakily at the chalkboard while Chase’s teacher sat behind me, perched on her desk, using a soothing voice to try to help me understand the “new way we teach long division.” Luckily for me, I didn’t have to unlearn much because I never really understood the “old way we taught long division.” It took me a solid hour to complete one problem, but l could tell that Chase’s teacher liked me anyway. She used to work with NASA, so obviously we have a whole lot in common.
Afterwards, we sat for a few minutes and talked about teaching children and what a sacred trust and responsibility it is. We agreed that subjects like math and reading are the least important things that are learned in a classroom. We talked about shaping little hearts to become contributors to a larger community – and we discussed our mutual dream that those communities might be made up of individuals who are Kind and Brave above all.
And then she told me this.
Every Friday afternoon Chase’s teacher asks her students to take out a piece of paper and write down the names of four children with whom they’d like to sit the following week. The children know that these requests may or may not be honored. She also asks the students to nominate one student whom they believe has been an exceptional classroom citizen that week. All ballots are privately submitted to her.
And every single Friday afternoon, after the students go home, Chase’s teacher takes out those slips of paper, places them in front of her and studies them. She looks for patterns.
Who is not getting requested by anyone else?
Who doesn’t even know who to request?
Who never gets noticed enough to be nominated?
Who had a million friends last week and none this week?
You see, Chase’s teacher is not looking for a new seating chart or “exceptional citizens.” Chase’s teacher is looking for lonely children. She’s looking for children who are struggling to connect with other children. She’s identifying the little ones who are falling through the cracks of the class’s social life. She is discovering whose gifts are going unnoticed by their peers. And she’s pinning down — right away — who’s being bullied and who is doing the bullying.


Read More Here

Related articles

• 'Ingenious' System Helps Teacher Spot Kids in Trouble

Be The Change : Labor of love - Volunteer NICU photographer focuses on tiny, most vulnerable babies

A. Pawlowski TODAY contributor

Like most parents of a premature baby, Erin Cox suddenly found herself in a whirl of doctors, machines and incubators when her daughter came into the world.
Evalee was born two months early, not long after Cox’s water broke without any warning 30 weeks into her pregnancy. When the baby was delivered via Cesarean section at a Kansas City hospital last June, she weighed just 4 pounds.

Courtesy Jessica Strom Photography

Erin Cox holds her daughter Evalee at the neonatal intensive care unit of a Kansas City hospital last summer.

“She was very tiny. I mean, you walk around in the beginning holding her and it’s like holding a bag of cotton balls,” Cox, 33, told TODAY Moms.
“When you go back and look at the pictures, it’s like, oh, my gosh. What a journey. How amazing is this that she was that little and that she had to be so strong.”
The pictures, tender portraits taken during Evalee’s three-week stay in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, came courtesy of Jessica Strom, a Kansas City photographer who has made it her mission to provide free photo sessions to local families of preemies.

Courtesy Jessica Strom Photography

Baby Haven, photographed in the NICU by Jessica Strom.

Various organizations have started similar efforts in recent years, including Preemie Prints, a Texas nonprofit that has about 60 volunteer NICU photographers in more than a dozen states, and Capturing Hopes Photography, which has 21 volunteers in Winston Salem, N.C. Most NICUs allow photography as long as no flash is used, said Sherri Crum, assistant director of Preemie Prints.
It's a service that may touch many families: One out of every eight babies is born prematurely in the U.S., according to the CDC. The agency doesn't track how many are admitted to the NICU.
Strom, who makes a living taking maternity, birth, and newborn photos, said it’s her way to give back to families who must leave their babies in the care of the NICU, which veterans like Cox simply refer to as “Nick-U.”

Baby love: Preemies in pictures

See photos of tiny babies that photographer Jessica Strom takes free of charge.

Strom calls the tiny patients warriors.
“It’s an amazing experience to be able to see what these little babies have to go through,” Strom said. “It’s awe-inspiring. The human body is just so amazing.”
“By the time I see them, they’re stable and they’ve already come so far from where they started… it’s just a really exciting time and I think the parents are relieved to be somewhat normal.”
That chance to be "normal" is as precious as the images themselves for the parents, who watch other couples take their babies home right away. Strom knows the pictures she takes allow these weary moms and dads to show off baby photos just like everybody else and give them a break from the day-to-day hospital routine.
Read More Here

Related articles

• Photographer gives parents of premature infants a priceless gift: Free photo sessions in the NICU

Be The Change : 'Lunch angel' pays kids' overdue accounts at elementary school

Danika Fears TODAY contributor

Courtesy of Kenny Thompson

Kenny Thompson paid the negative lunch balance fo over 60 kids at the school where he mentors and tutors.

As a tutor and mentor at Valley Oaks Elementary School in Houston for over 10 years, Kenny Thompson has taken pride in helping out kids. So on Monday, when he found out that over 60 students at his school were eating cold sandwiches for lunch because of overdue funds on their accounts, he decided to pay off the negative balance. All $465 of it.
“It was the best money I ever spent,” Thompson, 52, told TODAY.com. “It was the best gift I ever gave myself. I went into my car and screamed.”
He didn’t realize how widespread the lunch account problem was until he learned that a Utah school had thrown away the lunches of students with negative balances at the end of January. That’s when he decided to look into the issue in his own community.
He found out that some students whose parents hadn’t paid were eating cold cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, instead of hot, hearty fare. And others avoided the lunch line altogether, preferring not to eat rather than face the embarrassment of not being able to afford the same lunch in front of their peers. Many of these students were already on reduced lunch, which costs just 40 cents a day.
“It was horrifying, it broke my heart,” he said. “These are elementary kids. They’re not bankers, and not responsible for the financial issues in the household.”
His wife, a teacher at Valley Oaks, encouraged him to follow through on the idea, but warned him that he wouldn’t be able to buy the new pair of Doc Martens he’d wanted. That was quite all right with Thompson.
“My work boots are still good,” he said with a chuckle.
Houston residents heard about Thompson's generosity when his story aired on a local news station, NBC affiliate KPRC, on Wednesday.
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