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In Reading, England, a crane operator successfully rescued a man trapped on the roof of a burning high-rise building. Glen Edwards, who described the day as anything but ordinary, downplayed the dramatic nature of the rescue. On that windy day, Edwards was operating a metal cage designed for workers on building facades when he noticed a man waving his coat from the roof. Despite the chaotic conditions—strong winds and thick smoke from the cladding of the Station Hill development—Edwards knew he had to act fast to save a soul. In an attempt to assist and with the help of his boss with whom he communicated with on the radio, he received directions to lower the cage as close to the building as possible. The situation was precarious, with the wind threatening to shift the cage and potentially expose the stranded man to lethal smoke inhalation. Edwards skillfully maneuvered the cage, managing to position it near the man, who then climbed in to cheers from the crowd below. “It was a very close call,” Edwards later remarked, reflecting on the swirling winds and the urgency of the moment. He emphasized his focus on getting the cage down safely, despite the challenges posed by the environment. Both men rescued from the building were subsequently treated for smoke inhalation, but fortunately, their injuries were not severe. The fire, which required the efforts of over 50 firefighters, was eventually extinguished.

We frequently hear stories of brave firefighters risking their lives and health to rescue individuals from burning buildings. However, these two individuals are not firefighters; they embody a whole different kind of heroism. They are heroes, no doubt, but by trade they haul trash. Nonetheless, while working in Tipton, England, on Tuesday morning, they saw fires ripping through a small brick townhome, and rescued a man, woman, and their dog. Steve Whitehouse and Kevin Marriott work for Serco garbage collection, and it was Whitehouse who first jumped into action. Whitehouse climbed up to a first-floor balcony three times to rescue the trio from the flames. He first carried the woman down, but when he turned back to help the young man, he found he was shouting to his dog, still inside. Bundling the dog in a blanket, Whitehouse climbed down and told the owner throw the dog to him. After catching him, the garbageman returned up to the balcony to help the man. Meanwhile Whitehouse’ partner Marriott went door to door shouting for people to get clear of the connected townhomes. Both the man and the dog were suffering from smoke inhalation when 19 firefighters arrived from West Midlands Fire and Rescue. The dog was treated on site while the man was rushed to the hospital. I have no doubt that without Steve’s incredible bravery the outcome could have been very different,” said senior firefighter Chris Green. “I have no idea how he managed to do what he did. It was heroic. The fire and smoke were coming out of the property’s rear door like a blow torch.” According to the BBC, the two garbagemen debriefed and recovered over a cup of coffee, and went right back out to finish their collection rounds. Not all heroes don the traditional superhero costume. Some of our most heroic souls wear the humble and common everyday clothing. While their attire may not be flashy, their contributions to society are invaluable.

One mustn’t wait to make it big before extending a hand in kind fellowship to brighten the countenance of another. You can start right where you are, with whatever skills or resources you have. The generosity and resilience of the Maui islanders has been inspiring in the aftermath of the wildfires, and jeweler Omi Chamdi, owner of No Ka ‘Oi Jewelers in Kahului, is a perfect example of this. Chamdi stated he got the idea after being moved by stories of jewelers repairing pieces in the aftermath of the Californian wildfires in 2018. “These are not just ordinary items, these are the most precious possessions that people go back to the ruins and dig through the rubble to find,” he said. “That’s why I feel this is something I want to do and must do, because this is within my expertise.” No Ka ‘Oi has repaired over 150 pieces of jewelry and has another 300 objects sent in by residents who had jewelry boxes and safes burnt up in the fires. Diamonds and other precious stones are mostly immune to the effects of fire, but gold can be severely tarnished or disfigured, with settings falling apart and stones tumbling down into the darkness. In such cases, soldering, polishing, laser cleaning, or rhodium plating might be required to restore the shine, and it might cost a person $150 or more. But Chamdi is doing it all out of pocket. Chamdi said that people have routinely brought in pieces that took them days to find amid the ashes of their homes and possessions. For example, there is this particularly catchy one, the story of one Lahaina resident, Michelle Quirk, who used a shovel to dig through the ashes of her house in order to find 6 rings belonging to her great-grandmother—No Ka ‘Oi restored all of them. “Just finding the rings honestly has helped me emotionally,” Quirk said. “Before, I couldn’t even really talk about it or understand what happened. Then once those rings were found, it gave me hope.” Even the smallest of gestures could have far- reaching positive impact of someone, this realization should spur you into to being kind no matter how minute you think your efforts are, they may mean everything to a soul out there.

In life, you don’t need to have everything figured out in order to help someone else. Kindness doesn’t come from a lack of personal challenges; rather, it stems from individuals who, despite their own difficulties, choose not to let those struggles cloud their compassion and understanding of others’ hardships and situations. A mother in Arizona woke to find she was trapped in the second story of her apartment home as it quickly engulfed in flames. Claudia Jimenez opened the window and called out to anyone who could hear, needing somehow to find a way to escape while the front door was blocked by the fire. The first person to arrive at the scene was not a firefighter, but Joe Hollins, who lived in a nearby homeless encampment with his wife. Hollins told CBS News that all he saw was a lady pulling open the window and screaming for help. Instinctively he swung into action because he knew for sure that time was of utmost importance at this time. He beckoned to Claudia, asking her to lower the children through the window. The mother of two then had to make a difficult choice. It’s not unusual or prejudicial to be wary of people living on the streets, but for her one-year-old daughter Valerie and eight-year-old Natalie, Hollins may have been their only hope of survival. Under the window, Hollins called to Jimenez saying that he would catch the children in his arms. She trusted the man, and not only dropped Valerie and Natalie, but the two dogs as well. It took Jimenez herself a while to summon the courage to jump, but she managed it, and Hollins still had the strength to catch her. As things calmed down, the family thanked Hollins profusely, though the man said that he did what anyone would do in that situation. “Yes, anyone would. Those were children,” he said Jimenez expressed her immense gratitude towards Joe Hollins, stating that she would forever be thankful to him. She reiterated that to her, Hollins was an angel, and because of him, they were alive and safe. Jimenez emphasized that her daughters were also safe thanks to Hollins’ actions. When it has to do with kindness and saving a life – Act now, let the details come later.

Warm greetings of peace, love and goodwill reaching you from the T.A.L.K side of town. July was no doubt a great month capturing heart melting moments and dawning a whole lot of unprecedented realities. Stay put, let’s walk through it. Events The month began on a positive footing by kick starting enrolment for the much-anticipated T.A.L.K.T.E.C.H, our empowerment initiative aimed at equipping people with relevant tech skills. In July, prior to the suspension of certain T.A.L.K recognition elements, including the T.A.L.K Box and T.A.L.K Badge, there was a notable increase in the number of beneficiaries for the T.A.L.K Box program, rising from the usual one nominee to three. AWO JUDE UDANYI [Judex Chopa], the T.A.L.K personality recognized before the program’s suspension, received an appreciation of $67 in addition to the standard 30,000 naira. This gesture was intended to help him address some urgent personal matters. In keeping with TLI‘s commitment to kindness, Rita Avadoo Chembe was also a recipient of our Random Act of Kindness program. Overall, the shift from 10 to 30 weekly engagers demonstrates TLI‘s adaptability and desire to maintain a culture of recognition and commitment to kindness, even in the face of program changes. Japhet Aze, a member of the TLI community, recently demonstrated kindness and the importance of sharing by sponsoring an airtime giveaway for 20 people. This act is commendable and worthy of emulation by others in the community. This is to reiterate the stance that, everyone and anyone is capable of acting kindly. In this same month of July, Torch of Liberty Initiative had the privilege of assisting Makyla John with her medical bill in the tune of fifty thousand naira [N50 000] only. We all must learn to act when humanity calls, for truly, one another is all we have. Call to Action Angih Wuese Patience brought to our attention the attempts by amateur scammers to disguise themselves as TLI representatives and defraud unsuspecting members of the community. In recognition of her vigilance, Angih was kindly appreciated for her efforts. This incident serves as a wake-up call for the TLI community to embrace the T.A.L.KT.E.C.H initiative and learn how to safely navigate cyberspace, despite the presence of scammers. The T.A.L.K T.E.C.H initiative aims to educate and empower community members with the necessary skills and knowledge to identify and avoid online scams. It is important to regularly visit the TLI website to witness the various acts of kindness being demonstrated by humans all over the world. Each of us has the potential to show more kindness than we might realize. All we need is a source of inspiration, and our T.A.L.K Blog is specifically curated to provide that and much more.   We greatly appreciate your commitment and loyalty as a reader. We encourage you to stay the course and continue on the path of kindness. We look forward to reconnecting with you again next month. As August unfolds and treats you with grace, remember to always Try A Little Kindness (T.A.L.K). Small acts of kindness, when multiplied, can create far reaching impact on individuals, communities, and the world at large. Keep an eye out for opportunities to spread positivity, keep

The man in the purple shorts only wanted to step outside for a quiet moment of prayer whilst waiting for his coffee, but ended up attracting the attention of the young man in the grey sweats. The meeting produced an incredible moment that fortified the man’s faith in humanity. The story from Baton Rouge starts when Matt Musbice woke up to the fire alarm outside his condo complex. Throwing on whatever clothes he had lying around, he ran outside only to find it had been a false alarm. Figuring that the rude awakening was irreversible, Busbice decided that regardless of his unkempt appearance, he would go get a coffee and start his day. It was about that time that young Kelvin Ellis had entered an eyeglass shop next door with his father, but stepped out while the latter was getting his eyes examined. Meanwhile, Busbice, who had placed his coffee order, went outside for a morning prayer, and stepped aside to the corner of the outdoor sitting area to have as much privacy as possible. That’s when Ellis spotted him. “And I started to slowly open my eyes, and there’s a kid coming at me, about my height, grey sweats; holds his fist up,” Busbice said, adding that rather than flying into his chin, the fist was holding a dollar bill. “And I go, ‘What?’” “‘If you’re homeless, here’s a dollar,’” 9-year-old Kelvin Ellis Jr. recalls telling Busbice. “…I always wanted to help a homeless person, and I finally had the opportunity.” Not only is Busbice not homeless, but he’s developed several outdoor brands that have been sold in deals together worth upwards of 100 million dollars. Ellis on the other hand possessed only that dollar, which he received from his father for good grades. Busbice told Steve Hartman that he had not felt faith in humanity to that strong of a degree in a very long time. As a reward, Busbice took Ellis for a snack at the coffee house, then surprised him with a 40-second shopping spree in the sporting goods store BuckFeather, which he currently runs. Among smaller items, Ellis grabbed a compound bow and a new bike, but said none of it is what he had planned to spend his money on. There’s a lot of merit to process from this beautiful story—Busbice for his generosity, Ellis for his kindness, and the boy’s father for teaching him such valuable wisdom. And the grandest of lessons is glaringly painted here – no act of kindness, be it ever little, goes unrewarded. Keep T.A.L.K.ing.

In India, people of all faiths occasionally visit the places of worship of the Sikhs to get a delicious taste of ‘Seva,’ the Sikh principle of selfless service when they give out free dinners to anyone who visits. In California, Sikh organizers are capturing that culture and using it to help residents of Santa Ana—a large food desert where residents struggle to have routine access to nutritious food. At one of the longest drive-thrus you’ll ever see, volunteers, some with turbans and some without, load up the trunks of cars with 2-weeks’ worth of produce and groceries—no questions asked. The organizers, called the Seva Collective, have already handed out 4 million such parcels, but they’re continuing to grow all the time—partnering with farms, businesses, and food banks to distribute as much as possible to those who need it. “Our goal is to get fresh food, as well as shelf-stable food to every family’s car or cart who comes through the drive,” Bandana Singh, who co-founded Seva Collective alongside Ravin Kohli and Saanand Singh. “We have cars lined up as early as three or four in the morning, but we don’t start the drive until 9:30 a.m. This shows the volunteer team that the need is there, and we are determined to do whatever we can to help.” Residents say it’s nutritious, it’s uplifting, it takes away the “dread” and sense of anxiety about having enough real food to feed their families. Each month, the Seva Collective distributes 60,000 pounds of food to more than 1,200 families and they’re beginning to expand operations to offer books, toys, and clothing as well. Volunteers come from all backgrounds, but it’s rooted in the teachings of Sikhism: That life is precious, that god has a plan, and that unless you work hard, you won’t come to know what your role in that plan is. Ms. Singh and the squadron of volunteers work hard indeed, and they impart positively on the lives of people. In a world where there is enough to go round, no one deserves to starve. In the spirit of humanity, let’s continue to T.A.L.K to ourselves.

Megan and Jess, former sorority sisters, shared a deeply emotional reunion at Megan’s home in their late 30s, reuniting after more than a decade apart. This meeting was of utmost import as Megan is preparing to donate a kidney to Jess, who was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure in September 2023. Jess Hause was overwhelmed by the support she received after her diagnosis, with many people volunteering to get tested as potential donors. A few weeks later, Megan Face Timed Jess with the life-changing news that she was a match. Jess recalled her initial reaction, saying, “I thought she was calling to say ‘I’m sorry, but I’m not a match.’” The revelation left her speechless and deeply moved by Megan’s generous offer. Jess’s health issues began when doctors discovered her low kidney function while she was hospitalized for shingles. After losing her job and health insurance in April 2023, she was unable to see her doctor regularly. A subsequent visit to the emergency room confirmed her total kidney failure, a diagnosis that filled her with fear as she grappled with the reality of her condition. Since beginning dialysis three days a week for three-and-a-half hours, Jess has shared her journey through social media, creating reels about her daily life. This outreach caught Megan’s attention, leading her to reach out and offer her help. Upon learning she was a match, Megan was overcome with emotion, expressing her excitement and joy. The two friends reunited on June 13, 2024, and Jess described the encounter as wonderful, and amazed at the ease of their connection despite the years apart. Their surgery is scheduled for November 12, 2024, and both women are committed to documenting their journey to raise awareness about organ donation, emphasizing the depth of kindness and compassion in their lives. If we all live life with so much love and compassion like Megan, we would sure be charting a path for a very humane posterity.