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In Pensacola, an extraordinary rescue unfolded when a teenage girl caught in a riptide was saved through quick thinking and an innovative use of technology. Andrew Smith, a local shark fisherman who lives with a seizure disorder, used his specialized drone to deliver a life preserver to the struggling swimmer. This allowed her to rest and regain enough strength to fight the powerful current and stay afloat. The girl’s father hailed Smith as a “guardian angel,” while witnesses praised the rescue as a “true act of humanity.” Smith had just finished work last Thursday when a friend persuaded him to return to the beach. Shortly after arriving, a woman urgently asked if he or anyone nearby could swim. Smith, who cannot swim due to his seizure condition, responded that he could not. Fortunately, Smith had brought his drone along—an essential tool he uses to set shark bait from shore because he cannot kayak or swim. The rescue took place at section 21-C of Pensacola Beach, just outside the restricted airspace of Fort Pickens, allowing Smith to operate his drone freely. When he saw the girl struggling in the water, he grabbed a life preserver and attempted to fly it out to her. His first try missed due to strong winds and premature release. Encouraged by a bystander who handed him another flotation device, Smith tried again while a witness, Robert Nay, recorded the moment on his smartphone. On the second attempt, Smith skillfully adjusted for the wind, lowered the life preserver right into the girl’s grasp, and released it. The tension was overwhelming. Smith described feeling shaken and close to tears as he faced the pressure of the life-or-death situation. “If it wasn’t for that second drop, she wouldn’t have made it,” he told news outlets. Emergency responders, police, and lifeguards all agreed that the girl’s survival was thanks to Smith’s quick and courageous action.

On my way home, I witnessed a vehicle hit a motorcycle from behind and send the driver 25 feet into the air landing him in a ditch. I immediately called 911, pulled over and climbed down to stay with him until they arrived. He wasn’t moving and I assumed the worst.A medical professional happened to be driving by and pulled over to help as we waited. I stayed and held Joe’s hand and asked him questions to keep him awake and with us. He told me about his wife, joked about his motorcycle and asked me to take photos so he had a cool story to tell.Once EMS arrived, I backed away and a woman watching said ” I’m shocked you did all that.” She saw my confused face and replied with “Honey, this is the south. I’m just saying. I’m shocked you did all that for him” and my heart sank. I was speechless. I didn’t care what he looked like. I didn’t care how long I had to sit there. I didn’t care about social distancing. He needed help.We don’t have to look the same to be kind to one another. Not a single person is born hating others because of race, political views or background. People learn to hate. My favorite saying by Nelson Mandela, ‘If they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.’ Love everyone, including yourself. Humanity is my race and love knows no boundaries.” *Incident from 2022 Credit: Hannah Elizabeth Vieira

When firefighters sifted through the ashes of Bruno Serato’s burned Anaheim White House restaurant in 2017, they found a single silver crucifix-a gift from Pope Francis. For Serato, it was a sign to keep his faith and persevere. Inspired, he rebuilt his beloved Italian restaurant and expanded his mission: serving the city’s wealthy at night and feeding thousands of underprivileged children by day through his charity, Caterina’s Club. Serato’s journey from busboy to acclaimed restaurateur has been marked by resilience and generosity no doubt. Named a CNN Hero in 2011, he now provides free dinners to over 5,000 children daily in Orange and LA counties, with every meal at the Anaheim White House helping to fund a meal for a child in need. His work has earned him numerous honors, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. As Caterina’s Club approaches its 20th anniversary, Serato reflects on the encouragement he received from Pope Francis-“Bravo, continua cosi,” or “continue like this” – and remains committed to serving others, seeing his efforts as a tribute to the Pope’s legacy of compassion for the poor

On September 16, 1976, a trolleybus carrying 92 passengers plunged into Yerevan Lake in Armenia after veering off the road. Shavarsh Karapetyan, a 23-year-old champion finswimmer, witnessed the accident while training nearby with his brother and coach. Without hesitation, Karapetyan dove into the frigid, murky water and repeatedly swam to the submerged bus, which was about 10 meters (33 feet) deep and 24 meters (80 feet) from shore. He broke the rear window with his legs, injuring himself in the process, and began pulling trapped passengers out one by one, passing them to his brother and coach who helped bring them to safety. Karapetyan made around 30-40 dives over 20 minutes, each taking about 25 seconds, despite near-zero visibility and severe wounds from broken glass. In total, he managed to rescue more than 30 people from the wreckage, but only 20 survived due to the severity of their injuries and time underwater. Karapetyan suffered serious health consequences, including pneumonia and sepsis from his injuries, which ultimately ended his athletic career. His heroic actions are widely recognized in Armenia and beyond, and he has been honored with awards, including Armenia’s Medal of Courage. Our true wins must be the ones where we made effort to improve on the situation of another. May our kindness be as natural and spontaneous as breathing.

For the communities devastated by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, the process of rebuilding homes and businesses is gradual. However, an extraordinary influx of volunteers has accelerated the restoration of community spirit in towns such as Chimney Rock and Bat Cave. Chimney Rock Village suffered extensive damage from Helene’s flooding, but residents witness daily arrivals of supplies, workers, and construction materials from across the nation, fostering hope for a brighter future. According to a WCNC special report, every store on Chimney Rock’s historic main street undergoing reconstruction is being rebuilt with donated materials. The majority of the labor force consists of Pennsylvania Amish volunteers affiliated with the Great Needs Trust. Amos Stoltzfus, one of the Amish volunteers, shared with WCNC, “We come out here every morning, working mostly in Chimney Rock and in Bat Cave. We have been cleaning the campground, insulating a new building, and organizing donated products, paper supplies, and drywall.” The Amish women, dressed in traditional frocks and bonnets, efficiently install drywall panels alongside men in straw hats, whose renowned carpentry skills are helping restore the town’s rustic charm lost to the floods. Stoltzfus expressed the emotional fulfillment derived from the work: “It just fills my heart with joy, watching people get their life back again. Somebody that was completely devastated through the storm… somebody who didn’t have anything… it is just so encouraging to see them get back on their feet.” WCNC reports that the combined efforts of the Great Needs Trust and local volunteers have brought about 2,000 pairs of helping hands to Chimney Rock. Volunteer Susan Miller remarked, “It was really great being here… and working. It is definitely something I would love to come back for, like how it is in a couple of years… it is fun making a difference.” This remarkable volunteer-driven recovery highlights the resilience and solidarity of these North Carolina communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s unprecedented destruction

A photo of a man with a cane sitting on the ground at a bus stop sparked a wave of compassion and a drive to improve public seating. This moment of discomfort gave rise to a local movement in Berkeley, California. It began when Darrell Owens noticed his neighbor, recovering from surgery for chronic leg pain, forced to sit on the sidewalk while waiting for a bus. Owens, who had long complained about the lack of bus benches in Berkeley without any response from the city or AC Transit, took a photo of the scene and shared it on social media. The post caught the attention of Mingwei Samuel, a local software engineer who had been building benches inspired by the Public Bench Project—a nonprofit that installs and donates benches to foster community-oriented public spaces. Samuel offered to move one of his benches to that bus stop. Soon, Samuel’s bench was installed at the spot, and he shared a photo online showing the problem solved. His post quickly went viral, garnering over 100,000 likes and spreading goodwill throughout the community. This sparked the creation of a movement. Owens and Samuel, who had been strangers just weeks before, teamed up to start the SFBA Bench Collective. They launched a simple website where people can join the cause, report bus stops lacking seating, or request benches. So far, the collective has installed around 77 benches at local bus stops, all compliant with AC Transit and Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Each bench costs approximately $70, and the group focuses on placing them at the busiest stops. Their efforts have led to a playful rivalry with local transit authorities, who sometimes replace the collective’s benches with official city-installed ones. Owens sees this as a success, saying it means the city has taken responsibility for providing seating to its citizens. The movement has gained momentum beyond Berkeley. A climate activist volunteer posted a video of a bench-building event that received 3.2 million views, inspiring similar initiatives nationwide. Social media continues to fuel the cause, with many groups advocating for better amenities to support public transit users. Samuel noted that the energy to do good has grown since the last election, with more people organizing bench-building weekends. What started with a single bench in Berkeley has blossomed into a nationwide effort to make public transit more comfortable and accessible.

Yesterday marked a truly heartwarming day at Benue State University, as a distinguished son of the Benue Valley graced both the academic and healthcare wings of this prestigious institution. His visit was more than just a ceremonial appearance—it was a powerful gesture that touched many lives in different, meaningful ways. At the university’s learning citadel, 16 students erupted in joy upon learning that their tuition fees had been fully covered. Meanwhile, at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, patients and their families found relief and hope as their medical bills were taken care of, easing the burden of healthcare costs. KiddWaya, the celebrated son of renowned business magnate Terry Waya, has long been in the public eye for various reasons. This time, however, he chose to shine through an act of kindness that arrived just when it was most needed – a timely and impactful generosity no doubt. As we often say, when the universe blesses you with abundance, it is both a privilege and a responsibility to help those in need. By lifting others, we walk in their shoes, elevating their spirits to a frequency where they experience the effect of hope and positivity. After all, when we support each other, everything else falls beautifully into place.

Millions of Americans have found inspiration through Tony Robbins, but many have received something even more vital—their next meal. Robbins, deeply committed to addressing food insecurity in the U.S., recently marked a milestone by providing his one-billionth meal through his Feeding America initiative. Building on this success, he launched the ambitious 100 Billion Meals Challenge to combat hunger worldwide. The 100 Billion Meals Challenge aims to unite nonprofits, philanthropists, and businesses to deliver 100 billion meals globally over the next decade. Already, Robbins and his team have secured commitments for 30 billion meals, demonstrating significant progress toward their goal. This initiative extends beyond providing meals; it seeks to foster partnerships that support sustainable agriculture, coordinate large-scale food donations, and address emergency food shortages. For Robbins, hunger is a personal cause. Growing up in a food-insecure household, he vividly recalls receiving a Thanksgiving meal from a stranger at age 11—a moment that inspired his lifelong dedication to ending hunger. His efforts have transformed into large-scale initiatives like the 1 Billion Meals Challenge in partnership with Feeding America, which has provided nearly one billion meals to Americans. To expand the global scope of his mission, Robbins enlisted David Beasley, former head of the World Food Programme (WFP) and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Together, they aim to address acute hunger affecting over 350 million people worldwide—a staggering increase from 80 million in 2017. Their approach includes innovative solutions such as partnering with agricultural industries like Uralchem, which pledged 55,000 metric tons of fertilizer to support Sri Lanka’s farming needs. The challenge has attracted diverse supporters, including Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and organizations like the American National Pasta Association. These collaborations highlight the power of collective action in tackling global hunger. Robbins’ initiative underscores his belief that even small acts of kindness can spark transformative change—just as one meal did for him decades ago.

One of the most extraordinary stories of forgiveness began 25 years ago, centered on a California woman whose daughter’s tragic death inspired change in South Africa—and in her grieving parents’ lives. Amy Biehl, a bright and determined Stanford graduate, traveled to South Africa on a Fulbright scholarship during the tumultuous final days of apartheid. Passionate about justice, she worked tirelessly in the anti-apartheid movement, helping to register black voters and addressing the dire poverty in township communities. Amy believed that economic reform was essential for meaningful societal transformation. On one fateful day, while giving two colleagues a ride home, Amy became the target of four angry youths who had just attended a rally where militants called for violence against white settlers. Despite her companions’ desperate pleas, identifying her as “a comrade,” Amy was stoned and stabbed to death on a road in Guguletu township—a place her parents would later call “The Spot of Hope.” Devastated but inspired by Amy’s diaries, Peter and Linda Biehl left their affluent Orange County home and traveled to Cape Town. There, they visited the townships where Amy had worked and spoke with her friends about the region’s challenges, particularly unemployment. Determined to honor their daughter’s legacy, they used donations pouring in for her cause to launch numerous development projects. These included welding workshops, sewing initiatives, a print shop, a bakery, construction training programs, sports facilities, and adult literacy classes—all aimed at uplifting the community. The most remarkable chapter of their journey, however, was their relationship with Amy’s killers. “People say, ‘I couldn’t connect with those who harmed my loved one,’ but forgiveness is about liberating yourself—letting go so you’re free from hate and bitterness,” Linda explained. “Reconciliation is different; it’s hard work.” Their path toward reconciliation began with guidance from Bishop Desmond Tutu, who was leading South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Biehls understood that amnesty would be granted to those whose crimes were politically motivated and chose to participate in the process as a way of supporting the nation’s healing. Unexpectedly, two of Amy’s killers sought out the Biehl Foundation after their release from prison. They wanted to contribute to the community projects that were bringing jobs and hope to Guguletu. “We didn’t expect to have a relationship with them,” Linda said. “But we admired their courage in wanting to help despite being criticized by some former comrades for ‘selling out.’” Through forgiveness and reconciliation, the Biehls turned unimaginable loss into a powerful legacy of hope and transformation.