|
"Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality." --Jonas Salk
Hello everyone! Our stories this week ignite sparks of hope, compassion and courage. A lightning strike survivor has a miraculous recovery and becomes a philanthropist who dedicates his life to helping others. A migrant worker set his goal of becoming an astronaut and inspires students to go after their dreams. And Fenway Farms, located on top of the Boston Red Sox stadium, introduces urban farming to over 500,000 people a year. Every single day, people all around us are making our world a better place. May we remember all the good that is happening and have a week of expansive space and uncommon grace. Wishing you well!
|
|
Rodrigo Souza | Pexels
|
In an electrifying tale of resilience, Richard Rogers from Tennessee, U.S., turned a near-death experience into a life's mission of giving others a second chance. In 1995, Rogers was hit by lightning while sleeping in a cabin where he was with a friend and his friend's two sons. As one of the boys performed CPR on his lifeless body, a harrowing storm caused rescue helicopters to be delayed two hours until they could transport him to a burn center. With remarkable luck, he survived -- along with a life-changing vow. Upon being asked by his son if he was going to die, Rogers recounted, "My prayer was, 'If you will let me live, I don't wanna live for me. I wanna live for others that I can help." When Rogers and his brother inherited a once-struggling US Stove Company from his father, who died by suicide, they turned the business around from the brink of bankruptcy. Rogers' personal journey of second chances deepened when he even defied doctors' predictions that he would never walk again. He started Just One More Foundation, which has already granted $120,000 to applicants across 17 states, fulfilling his promise to live for others. And the chain will keep on giving, Rogers tells CBS News, "What excites me is giving to someone that is going to enable themselves to give to others and basically pass it along."
Read Full Story.
|
|
Aya Dufour | CBC
|
The Anchor Inn on Manitoulin Island isn't welcoming overnight guests to its dozen $100 a night rooms until at least 2024, because they are all occupied by longer-term tenants who had nowhere else to go. It began last year when William Lanktree, 73, battling a new bout of cancer, asked inn owner Denise Callaghan if she had any rooms for rent. She set a room aside for him for up to a year at an affordable price. Then, realizing the severity of the housing shortage, she opened all the rooms to longer-term tenants for between $700 and $900 per month. The waiting list for affordable one-bedroom units on the island is now 200. Manitoulin Island, located in northern Ontario in Canada, is the largest freshwater island in the world.
Read Full Story.
|
|
George Morina | Pexels
|
In the wake of expanding smoke-free laws, Singapore has witnessed a significant downturn in the rate of heart attacks among its senior population, with men being the principal beneficiaries. Research suggests that the legislation -- which extended the smoking ban to communal areas of residential blocks and other outdoor spaces -- may have prevented nearly 20,000 heart attacks among its citizens aged 65 and above. "The monthly fall in heart attack rate among those aged 65+ was almost 15 times that of younger people," divulged the researchers. This initiative to create a healthier environment and the impressive results it delivered point at an unequivocal message: smoke-free laws unequivocally reduce the adverse consequences of exposure to tobacco smoke.
Read Full Story.
|
|
Fenway Farms
|
Fenway Farms, located atop the stadium that is home to the Boston Red Sox, is helping to transform the city's food system by introducing urban farming to more than 500,000 visitors a year. "We can produce anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 pounds of fresh produce a year, depending on what we're growing," says Chris Grallert, president of Green City Growers which has operated the farm since 2015. The garden uses a modular growing system with soil-filled lined milk crates. Dishes served at the ballpark use fruits, vegetables and herbs grown in the garden, reducing its produce purchases by roughly 20% a year. Anything extra, along with produce from a smaller section at the neighboring Vineyard Vines deck, is donated to a local charity called Lovin' Spoonfuls. Fenway Farms is one of 200 gardens and farms (including at 40 Boston public schools) run by a staff of 30 at Green City Growers since 2008. Fenway Farms also cools the building in the summer and insulates it during cold Boston winters.
Read Full Story.
|
|
José Hernández
|
José Hernández is one of less than 600 people who have seen earth from space, and now he hopes the film "A Million Miles Away" - which depicts how he went from working the fields of the San Joaquin Valley to being a NASA astronaut - will similarly inspire others. "People always say, 'Wow, in spite of being a migrant farmworker, he became an astronaut.' And I say, 'No, it's because I was a migrant farmworker I became an astronaut.' Hernández, who went on to head an aerospace company and operate a vineyard, is a graduate of the University of California system and serves on the UC Board of Regents. The film was recently screened at the university. "Any American should be inspired by this story, as I am," said Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. "He was nurtured by a culture and reached, quite literally, the upper atmosphere. It teaches you to work hard, set high goals and let nothing deter you."
Read Full Story.
|
|
|
