Positive News ~ Feb. 3

This series is to spotlight the Light and Love inside humanity, and the wonder and miracles that can be found around us. Please click on the headline to read the full article. ~ESA

HEROES:

- Helping fellow man makes dad a hero He was riding around the Cayuga Lake area like usual, and thought he heard something.

- Kathy Champion honored as Lightning Community Hero The crippling disease that she and 7,500 of her fellow combat veterans share has left her blind. In spite of all that, Champion has spent the last five years helping other wounded veterans with their disabilities.

- A firefighter is a hero once — the day he agrees to take the job Vaughn said, "As I matured into the career, you just realize it is just a good feeling of doing something for someone, doing the right thing, and you can really make a difference in people's lives."

HELPING HANDS:

- Big family, small miracle Haitian boy finds support while here for facial surgery.

- Shooting victim receives help from Good Samaritan A Good Samaritan offered a helping hand for a South Florida teen who was shot and paralyzed.

- Service award stuns humble helper SWANSEA resident Joan Harman has dedicated more than half her life to others and believes that if you are a part of a community and can help, you should.

- Faith-based groups put people back to work Milwaukee Working is a fledgling faith-based nonprofit aimed at creating jobs in the heart of one of the most impoverished cities in America.

- Students hope to break food drive record A group at Fond du Lac High School is trying to organize a food drive it hopes might be of record proportions.

- College students on a mission to donate leftover food Once a week, five volunteers would show up at the South Campus dining hall to pick up leftovers and drive them to area shelters.

- Cultivating Communities Campaign, Living Hope Farm in Harleysville plant the seeds to help Souderton Head Start Living Hope Farm and Cultivating Communities Campaign provides food for families with children and brings in larger growers to help low-income families and individuals have access to fresh, locally grown food.

- Red Cross donor reaches 500 donations For Pat Terry, making his 500th donation to the American Red Cross really was nothing to fuss about.

- Twin Girls Donate Hair in Memory of Teacher Two little Pittsburg girls honored their teacher who recently passed away, by giving away something very close to them.

- Hope Harbor's 'sweet' event raises funds for homeless The goal of the fundraiser was to raise funds to support the agency’s mission of providing shelter for the homeless.

- Community rallies with donations for Miracle League All donations will be provided to children and adults with special needs that will being participating in the Miracle League.

- Butler students take icy dip for cause Butler University students plunged into ice cold water as part of the 2013 Polar Plunge Saturday.

- Lake jumpers raise $50K for Alzheimer's disease They braved the ice-cold waters, raising about $50,000 for the fight against Alzheimer’s disease at the third annual Subzero Heroes Ice Jump.

- VA hospital volunteers donate gifts Volunteers at the Oscar G. Johnson Veterans Administration Medical Center at Iron Mountain recently passed out Christmas gifts to the patients.

- A Hero's 5 K Run & Walk Held In Greenville The run raised awareness of the sacrifices made every day by military personnel, and raises money for them and their families.

- WWII veteran receives medals, 67 years overdue More than 60 years after completing his military career, a Pennsylvania World War II veteran has finally received the medals he earned while serving in Europe.

- Jackson students learning to 'pay it forward' In Stephanie Martin's Service Learning class, students actually experience what it means to be a better citizen through hands on community service projects.

MIRACLES/WONDERS:

- Miracle escape for climbers hit by avalanche in Scotland THREE climbers made a miracle escape today after an avalanche swept them 150m down a mountain.

- How training and a miracle saved 79 seniors in Laval As flames quickly tore through the Ville Ste-Rose retirement home in Laval, no one was injured as firefighters and staff raced to rush the 79 seniors out of the building.

- Miracle eye op let me see kids at last Blind dad given 20/20 vision.

- Philly Catholic Schools Get the ‘Miracle of Memphis' Building on the model that revitalized Memphis, schools, a group of Catholic investors is taking over 16 elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

HOPE/PEACE:

- Meningococcal survivor meets Nitro Circus hero Charlotte Cleverley-Bizman relies on wheels for mobility, and last night at the Nitro Circus met a man called Wheels who does amazing aerial stunts in his wheelchair.

- Pakistani youngsters tell stories of hope through one-minute films The 10-year-old is acting in a film he conceived about the eternal struggle of good versus evil. His karate kicks and punches are against the manifestations of evil – social ills such as hatred and anger.

- Boca Raton Jews hope to bring cheer to jailed humanitarian “We hope to give him energy and courage to get through everything until he is able to get released," says Rabbi Goldberg.

- A Story Of Hope And Perseverance That Bears Witness The Triumph Of Good Will Over Evil After a brutal home invasion and sexual assault in 1993, Donna moved from being a victim to warrior to survivor, changing police policy and Connecticut state law.

- At desolate Algeria gas plant, hope for new start Algerian engineers at the In Amenas natural gas plant are working to get at least some of the desert facility back to work in the coming days, two weeks after three dozen foreign workers were killed in an Islamist hostage siege.

- Parents hope brain surgery will cure child's epilepsy Despite his condition, Amy and Neil Kopach have strived to give their oldest son every opportunity any other kid has.

- Netanyahu asked to form next Israeli government Israel's president has asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form the next government, and Netanyahu says he wants to advance peace talks with the Palestinians.

FURRY FRIENDS:

- In emergency, Fido to get 'miracle' Invisible Fence Brand formed Project Breathe with the goal of equipping every fire station in America and Canada with pet oxygen masks for use on animals suffering from smoke inhalation.

- From their tails to God’s ears: Pet blessing draws furry faithful The Rev. Collete Paul did her part Saturday to make sure all dogs – and even a tarantula – make it to heaven.

- Pets Alive, Center of Hope partner to help pets Parker County Pets Alive is combining with Center of Hope in Aledo to help pets throughout the month of February.

- Panda Cub Gets Buff The baby bear apparently has been slimming down and gaining muscle in his legs from climbing around his new exhibit on view to the public.

BUSINESS:

- Tulsa Business Gives Taste Of Summer To Benefit New Hope Oklahoma Any donations that were given at the event went to the charity, New Hope Oklahoma.

- Serving up hope in a sweet way All of the proceeds go to the transitional and emergency shelter, which helps women, children and families, but the event also raises awareness.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY:

- How 3D Printers Could Build Futuristic Moon Colony The technology behind 3D printing has allowed users to craft musical instruments and prosthetic limbs, and now European scientists are taking a serious look at printing their own moon base.

- The Star Explosion That Wasn't: Astronomers Solve 150-Year-Old Mystery After a stellar explosion was reported in 1866, British astronomer John Herschel announced he had seen a bright flare from the same location 24 years earlier.

- Va. museum unwrapping mummy's story with CT scan Using modern technology, a Virginia museum is working to unwrap the story behind one of the earliest surviving Egyptian mummies.

SPORTS:

- Salukis Raise Money For Good Samaritan SIU football players want to make sure no one goes hungry this Superbowl Sunday.

- Game of Hope to Benefit Local Children The charity basketball classic raises money for chronically or terminally ill kids to give them experiences generally enjoyed by healthier children.

- I have a son and want to help all the kids in need Cristiano Ronaldo is revealing his caring, fatherly side.

- SUPER BOWL: 49ers' kicker perseveres As he rested in God's grace during the bountiful years, Akers has learned to do the same during this season of difficulty.

- 'Blind Side' family relishes Big Easy Super Bowl A knowing grin spread across Sean Tuohy's face as he considered the uncanny connections between the hit film that changed his family's life and the fact that Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Michael Oher will play in his first Super Bowl in the Big Easy.

- 'Thank God for hockey and the arena' Poplar Point celebrating 100 years of the game that has meant so much to the community.

- Almighty Referee, God on Side Lines at the Big Game ABC's Abby Boudreau examines whether turning to religion will give extra edge in 2013 Super Bowl.

- Does God take sides? Religion a subplot in today's game Dailey said, "All God wants is for the athletes to play their best. I tell these athletes that everything they have is God-given. And what they do with that ability is their choice."

- Astronauts Will Watch Super Bowl from Space Six astronauts living in space may not have gravity, fresh food or a shower, but there is one Earth necessity they won't miss Sunday: The Super Bowl.

ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT:

- New Notre Dame bells make harmonious history Mary is in fact the largest — and loudest — of nine new, gargantuan Notre Dame bells being blessed Saturday in the cathedral's nave by Archbishop Andre Armand Vingt-Trois.

- More vintage rides join Miracle Strip at Pier Park It all started with a carousel.

LIFESTYLE:

- Three Pennsylvania classmates get perfect SAT scores Three students from Montgomery County, Pa., accomplished something extremely rare -- they all scored a perfect score of 2400 on their SAT.

RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY:

- A lesson in forgiveness Most days, Noble could have shrugged the incident off. But today wasn't most days. Inside, he was wrestling with all kinds of powerful emotions - from pain and heartbreak to anger and maybe even revenge.

- SA Pastor of burned down church puts faith in God Church members and neighbors have been stopping by throughout the day in disbelief that a church that has stood as an icon in their neighborhood since 1908 is gone. But they said it's only a building and the church will live on through its members.

- Believers show widows their true value in Christ At the GFA event, each widow received a headscarf, a true honor to women who have been soundly disregarded for years.

- God's gift to John Young John Young, a Spring Valley farm boy turned inventor and entrepreneur, developed his company, Young’s Custom Ag Service, into an international success through, he says, the grace of God.

- Who Is the Islamic God? Muslims, followers of the religion known as Islam, insist that the God they worship is not at all different from the God that Jews and Christians worship.

- The Light of Hope Today’s feast is, in a special way, dedicated to those men and women in the Church who have professed the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience.

- A meal with God Sometimes, the way to higher consciousness is through the stomach.