All Things Signs there is still hope...

Donate To GopherHole
CNN:

Custodian Herman Gordon has been spreading kindness at Bristol University for more than 11 years. This summer, students of the UK university decided it was time to return the favor.

Students launched a crowdfunding campaign to send Gordon, originally from Jamaica, on a weeklong trip to Kingston to see his family for the first time in nearly a decade.

"I started it because I know everybody loves Herman for his happy energy," said medical student Hadi Al-Zubaidi, who had the idea for the fundraiser. "I thought sending him to his home country of Jamaica would be a beautiful way of giving back for all that he does."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/27/heal...y-to-send-janitor-on-vacation-trnd/index.html

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
CNN:

Custodian Herman Gordon has been spreading kindness at Bristol University for more than 11 years. This summer, students of the UK university decided it was time to return the favor.

Students launched a crowdfunding campaign to send Gordon, originally from Jamaica, on a weeklong trip to Kingston to see his family for the first time in nearly a decade.

"I started it because I know everybody loves Herman for his happy energy," said medical student Hadi Al-Zubaidi, who had the idea for the fundraiser. "I thought sending him to his home country of Jamaica would be a beautiful way of giving back for all that he does."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/27/heal...y-to-send-janitor-on-vacation-trnd/index.html

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

Pretty cool.
 

This is a powerful video. Apparently whenever there is a patient who passes away and becomes an organ donor, all available employees at this hospital line the hallways in a "walk of respect" for the selfless gift of organ donation.


Go Organ Donation!!
 

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Go Gophers!!
 

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Go Gophers!!
 





These kids!

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Go Gophers!!
 




When he broke his leg at a National Park, strangers had to carry him to safety because of the government shutdown

Josh Snider hoped the government shutdown would mean fewer crowds at Big Bend National Park during his Christmas Eve hike, even if it meant no visitor services or staff patrolling the Texas countryside.

Then, he fell and broke his leg about 1.5 miles into the trek. Suddenly, he needed help -- and people.

Fortunately, although rescue services were limited due to the shutdown, other people were close by, he said. A family of four, another hiker and a park ranger carried Snider out of Santa Elena Canyon to safety.

"It turned out to be one of the most beautiful moments ever," Snider said. "It was great to see everyone come together to help get me out of the canyon."

Snider was climbing up a rock when he lost his footing and fell about 6 to 8 feet into the river below, said Snider's friend, Michael Bright, who was visiting Snider from San Francisco.
Initially, Bright said he was worried Snider might have lost the car keys in the river. Then, when Snider couldn't stand up, "It became apparent that he was seriously hurt and immobile," Bright said.

Both started worrying about how they would get out of the canyon.

"I knew it was going to be a lot harder of a journey out," Snider said. "I felt helpless and powerless and trapped."

Snider had made his way to the riverbank by the time Tom Fan passed by with his wife and teenage children. "It was obvious there was a problem," Fan said.

Fan said he used his wife's phone to call Big Bend's office. They dialed 1 for emergency services and were patched through to an operator.

Bright said he explained the situation and the operator told him that resources are limited because of the government shutdown. She offered to put out a call for a ranger, Bright said, but encouraged them to make their way to the trailhead because no medical assistance could be given on the trail.

Another hiker joined them and the adults took turns carrying Snider while Fan's children carried the water bottles. At some point before the trailhead, a ranger met them and took turns carrying Snider on his back. CNN has reached out to the ranger.

Snider described the ranger as much smaller than he was, but "determined" to help, he said. "All he wanted to do was get me out of there safely. He kept cracking jokes and trying to keep things light," Snider recalled.

A team of emergency medical technicians met them at the trailhead and assessed him on the spot, he said. They sent him to Big Bend Medical Center in Alpine, about two hours away, where he was diagnosed with a fractured fibula and a torn ligament in his ankle.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/02/us/big-bend-injury-shutdown/index.html

Go Helpful Strangers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
When he broke his leg at a National Park, strangers had to carry him to safety because of the government shutdown

Josh Snider hoped the government shutdown would mean fewer crowds at Big Bend National Park during his Christmas Eve hike, even if it meant no visitor services or staff patrolling the Texas countryside.

Then, he fell and broke his leg about 1.5 miles into the trek. Suddenly, he needed help -- and people.

Fortunately, although rescue services were limited due to the shutdown, other people were close by, he said. A family of four, another hiker and a park ranger carried Snider out of Santa Elena Canyon to safety.

"It turned out to be one of the most beautiful moments ever," Snider said. "It was great to see everyone come together to help get me out of the canyon."

Snider was climbing up a rock when he lost his footing and fell about 6 to 8 feet into the river below, said Snider's friend, Michael Bright, who was visiting Snider from San Francisco.
Initially, Bright said he was worried Snider might have lost the car keys in the river. Then, when Snider couldn't stand up, "It became apparent that he was seriously hurt and immobile," Bright said.

Both started worrying about how they would get out of the canyon.

"I knew it was going to be a lot harder of a journey out," Snider said. "I felt helpless and powerless and trapped."

Snider had made his way to the riverbank by the time Tom Fan passed by with his wife and teenage children. "It was obvious there was a problem," Fan said.

Fan said he used his wife's phone to call Big Bend's office. They dialed 1 for emergency services and were patched through to an operator.

Bright said he explained the situation and the operator told him that resources are limited because of the government shutdown. She offered to put out a call for a ranger, Bright said, but encouraged them to make their way to the trailhead because no medical assistance could be given on the trail.

Another hiker joined them and the adults took turns carrying Snider while Fan's children carried the water bottles. At some point before the trailhead, a ranger met them and took turns carrying Snider on his back. CNN has reached out to the ranger.

Snider described the ranger as much smaller than he was, but "determined" to help, he said. "All he wanted to do was get me out of there safely. He kept cracking jokes and trying to keep things light," Snider recalled.

A team of emergency medical technicians met them at the trailhead and assessed him on the spot, he said. They sent him to Big Bend Medical Center in Alpine, about two hours away, where he was diagnosed with a fractured fibula and a torn ligament in his ankle.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/02/us/big-bend-injury-shutdown/index.html

Go Helpful Strangers!!
Click to expand...

I've been reading of businesses nearby to some national parks performing garbage removal and other tasks. One business owner said that it's obviously something they'd rather not have to do, but they feel a duty, and they'll continue as long as it takes.

It reminds me of when Kirk asked Edith Keeler why she ministers to the homeless out of her Midtown 1930's mission (time travel episode): "It's necessary." Great line.
 

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Go Gophers!!
 








Oh perro! Adorable!!! Pics in link. :eek:


Dog Has The Sweetest Reaction After Accidentally Ripping His Favorite Pillow

Draco the pit bull did not have an easy start to life, but one thing has brought the dog comfort through good times and bad: a heart-shaped pillow with arms.

Anywhere the young pit bull goes, the funny-looking pillow is not far behind. “If anyone else picks up his pillow he will dart over and grab it,” Allie O’Cain, Draco’s mom, told The Dodo. “He sucks it every single day to fall asleep.

Recently, however, it looked as if the pup’s prized cushion was destined for the trash bin — something Draco absolutely could not allow.
Draco has treated his pillow with care ever since O’Cain rescued the orphaned puppy from a backyard breeder at just 2 weeks old.

"Draco is a crazy chewer and we have become a ‘rubber toy only’ house because anything with stuffing he will destroy in less than five minutes,” O’Cain said. “But he has been so gentle and loving with this pillow.”

But when Draco’s friend, a black Lab named Willow, wanted to share the pillow, he got a little too overprotective. He rushed over to take back his prized possession and, in the process, the pillow ripped. As stuffing began to bleed out, it seemed as if the worst had come to pass.

Luckily, Draco’s grandmother saw what was happening and leaped into action.

“We think [the pillow] was so worn out it just easily ripped,” O’Cain said. “My mom freaked out and grabbed it and yelled, ‘I’ll fix it, Draco!’”

Draco’s grandmother took the pillow to her sewing machine and began the “surgery.” But Draco couldn’t just stand idly by while his true love was being operated on.

“The whole entire time Draco’s head and paws were peeked over,” O’Cain said. “He was whining and trying to reach it with his mouth.”

“He acted as if his wife was in surgery," O’Cain wrote on Facebook.

As soon as the pillow was mended, Draco rushed to cuddle his favorite toy, clearly relieved that it was whole once again.

O’Cain and her mom will continue to repair the pillow until Draco outgrows his childhood plaything — if that day ever does come. But knowing Draco, that seems doubtful.

“Bullies are the exact opposite of what people think,” O’Cain said. “They stay babies forever!” To learn more about Draco and his heart pillow, you can follow him on Instagram.
Click to expand...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle...is-favorite-pillow/ar-AABmiua?ocid=spartanntp
 

Billionaire Robert F. Smith tells Morehouse College grads he'll pay their student loans

Atlanta — A billionaire technology investor and philanthropist says his family is providing grants to wipe out the student debt of the entire 2019 class at Morehouse College. Robert F. Smith made the announcement Sunday morning in front of nearly 400 graduating seniors, eliciting the biggest cheers of the morning.

"My family is going to create a grant to eliminate your student loans," Smith said, according to a tweet from the school.

A Morehouse College representative told CBS News that the total amount Smith is pledging to donate is $40 million. The total debt the students have is still being calculated.

Morehouse College is an all-male historically black college located in Atlanta. Smith is the founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, a private equity firm that invests in software, data, and technology-driven companies.

During his commencement speech, Smith referenced Martin Luther King Jr. and spoke of a 21st century tech-based economy being a "Fourth Industrial Revolution."

"When Dr. King said that the 'arc of the moral universe bends toward justice," he wasn't saying it bends on its own accord. It bends because we choose to put our shoulders into it together and push," Smith said. "Technology is creating a whole new set of on ramps to the 21st century economy, and together we well help assure that African Americans will acquire the tech skills and be the beneficiaries in sectors that are being automated."

Smith received an honorary doctorate from Morehouse during the ceremony. He had already announced a $1.5 million gift to the school.
Click to expand...

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/billio...id-class-of-2019-commencement-speaker-sunday/
 

4 teens rush into burning home to rescue their 90-year-old neighbor

For 58 years, Oklahoma resident Catherine Ritchie has lived in the same home in the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa. That all changed three weeks ago.

She said she was in the bathroom getting ready for bed when she turned around and saw the head of her bed was on fire, KTUL reports. That's where her heroes came in.

Four boys between the ages of 14 and 17 in a nearby home went outside to leave for a convenience store, and then they noticed the smell.

"It smelled kind of like burning rubber," 16-year-old Dylan Wick told the Tulsa ABC station. "Then we heard the house alarm go off."

Catherine was still inside trying to put the fire. But she quickly gave up, called 911 and hit her emergency call button. Then came another problem.

"The smoke was so bad, I couldn't see to get out of my room," she said. "I felt along the wall, and I went into the closet instead of the door to get out of the room. I finally did get to the door."

While trying to feel her way out of the house, the boys jumped into action and tried to break down doors to get inside.

One of the boys, 14-year-old Nick Byrd managed to get through the back door and ran inside, finding Catherine in the hallway, lost in the smoke.

"This young boy was right there. He picked me up, and I said, 'I can walk,' and he said, 'We're getting out of here,'" Catherine said.

"I just kind of heard her. I went to the right of the house and no one was there," Byrd said. "I went to the left of the house, and I saw her in the hallway, so I just grabbed her and took her to Seth."

Catherine and her heroes made it out safely, and firefighters stopped the flames before they spread.

The boys went back to the home on Wednesday to see the damage and reflect on what happened weeks earlier.

"Ever since that night, my life has just changed...for the better," said 17-year-old Wyatt Hall as he looked at the burned mattress.

Catherine says she is grateful.

"That's what I have to think. They were just special, as young as they were."

http://www.kake.com/story/40604024/...ing-home-to-rescue-their-90-year-old-neighbor

Go Gophers!!
 




<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Go Gophers!!
 






You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom