In April 2017, for the #AtoZChallenge, I decided to showcase everyday people who made a difference in people's lives with their acts of kindness, compassion and humanity. In some cases, I was lucky enough to interview the heroes themselves while in others I interviewed the recipients of these wonderful acts of kindness.
This challenge is my way of reassuring you, the reader, that there are still good men, women and even children left on Earth. This challenge is also my way of thanking them, these people whom I have never met, for doing the right thing when saying 'it is not my problem' would have been so much easier.
A - Alex Ruiz, the young waiter who sat for half an hour and patiently fed a man with no arms.
Armani Crews, the 6 year old girl who gave up her birthday party to feed 125 homeless people.
Ashwani Kumar Parashar, a 22 year old medical student who is saving all the people of a village that India forgot about.
(Includes my interview with him)
B - Bikers Against Child Abuse help empower victims of child abuse and reintegrate them back into society.
C - Chris Dempsey the man who selflessly gave his liver to a total stranger... and the fairy tale story that followed.
(Includes my interview with Chris's wife)
The magical tale of Chris Wright and nurse TunDe Hector where a man helped a stranger stuck in the rain... and how fate conspired to repay that debt years later.
When war veteran Corey Hinkle realized that the car was going to explode and the mother of two had a shattered ankle, he shielded her with his body to prevent the metallic debris hitting her.
D - Maggie Doyne the teenager who went trekking during her gap year and ended up changing the lives of hundreds of young children in a foreign country.
E - Elizabeth Laird would wait at the airport and hug every soldier heading off or returning for war, reminding them that they were cared for. In 12 years, she hugged half a million soldiers.
The city of El Dorado in Kansas turned night into day for a child suffering from a rare disease that did not allow him to be exposed to sunlight, just to show him they cared about him.
F - German pilot Franz Stigler chose not just to spare the life of his enemy but escorted him to safety during World War 2. The two strangers would finally meet again 47 years later & go on to become best friends for life.
When British music band Florence + the Machine found out that a fan could not attend their concert because her cancer had gotten worse, they traveled to her hospice and held a private concert for her.
G - When a technicality meant a young Kurdish woman and her baby faced certain death in Iraq, US soldier Greg Peppin found an ingenious way to save them. They would meet again 18 years later.
(includes my interview with one of the members of this story)
H - Harman Singh chose humanity over his religious beliefs when he came across a bleeding child who had been hit by a car. His actions saved the young boy's life.
When an away team's high school cheerleading squad was reduced by rescheduling and health issues leaving one scared girl in front of a local crowd, the cheerleading squad of the home team of Hardin Central High School stepped in, joining their lone opponent and doing her cheers with her.
I - Ivan Fernandez Anaya who chose not to take advantage of a genuine error by a fellow athlete and guided him to the finishing line.
J - Jessie Tendayi the hospital cafeteria worker who saved money from every paycheque for 8 years so that she can buy presents for all the hospitalized children during Christmas.
(includes my interview with staff at her hospital)
James Harrison has saved more than 2.4 million babies in his life, thanks to his extremely rare blood.
K - Taking advantage of their resemblance to Disney Princesses, college students Kylee McGrane and Maggie McAndrew dress up as Princesses and visit sick children in hospitals to brighten their day. (includes my interview with the two Princesses)
L - Anja Ringgren Loven sold her home in Denmark to come live in Nigeria and look after children tortured and abandoned by their parents because of superstitious beliefs.
School teacher Louise Glasgow who arranges and gets food for her impoverished students every weekend so that they are not hungry.
M - Till date, more than half a million seemingly impossible wishes of sick children across the world have been successfully fulfilled by the Make-A-Wish Foundation
N - Nurse Renee Hendrix has been working in the dreaded neonatal ICU for over 30 years. When she was invited to be a part of an ad for neonatal nurses day, she had no idea what was in store.
O - Natasha was dying of kidney failure at the age of 8 years. Her doctors did not have much hope of finding an Organ donor until Jodi Schmidt, a teacher at her school selflessly decided to donate her own.
P - Isabelle and Katherine Adams, co-Presidents of Paper For Water (and age 13 and 11), have donated over a million dollars for building water projects across the world, selling origami ornaments.
Pooja Pradeep, via her organization 'Letters of Love' helps bring happiness to thousands of children stuck in a war they did not choose by 'donating the smiles' she receives from the public.
(includes her INTERVIEW)
Q - With simple Quiet deeds of kindness and compassion like these, we too become heroes in real life.
R - Grocer Rajesh Sharma teaches hundreds of slum children who cannot afford school fees under a railway bridge so that they have a better chance to succeed in life.
S - When young waitress Sarah Hoidahl found out the soldiers at her table were out of work due to the shutdown, she paid their bill for them. Karma came back to thank her for her kindness in a big way.
T - Following the Baltimore riots, Tabrizi's held a six day event aimed at feeding the homeless in their city thrice daily for free at their fancy fine dining restaurant.
Thanks to the dogged friendship of parole officer Tiffany Whittier, a neo-Nazi convict finally changed his ways and learned to love people of all races.
U - Former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica was labeled the 'World's Humblest President' by the media because of his ideals and his 'one of the people' approach to life.
V - When a competing athlete collapsed in front of her, Meghan Vogel did not think twice before stopping, lifting the woman up and helping her cross the finish line.
W - Sir Bruno Serato of the White House of Anaheim restaurant has given away over a million free meals to impoverished children. When tragedy struck him, the community came to his aid in ways he never imagined.
The tale of redemption of the former leader of the dreaded Ku Klux Klan Johnny Lee Clary and his friendship with his former nemesis Reverend Wade Watts deserves to be shared.
X - "Love, Xyz..." - Compassion from strangers can brighten anyone's day. Choose to promote it if you see it in real life or online.
From a cab driver who gives free trips to hospitals to prisoners who saved the life of their guard, here are 7 lovely reminders of how good the world really is.
Y - Yahya Hahemi and Ala Amiry decided to feed anyone who did not have any money in their restaurant after seeing so many homeless struggling to find a single square meal.
Z - For 30 years, Principal Mo Zhengao would beg everyone he met for funds for his impoverished students. Because of his act, more than 18,000 students graduated and went on to go to college.
Heroes of Kindness 2017
Article Count for 2017 - 40
Positive Moments in these Articles - 67
Total number of articles featuring real-life Heroes of Kindness till date - 92
Total number of Positive Moments collected and showcased till date ~ 170
(Updated to Feb 2019)
(You can see all these stories here.)
THE LIST:
A - Alex Ruiz, the young waiter who sat for half an hour and patiently fed a man with no arms.
Armani Crews, the 6 year old girl who gave up her birthday party to feed 125 homeless people.
Ashwani Kumar Parashar, a 22 year old medical student who is saving all the people of a village that India forgot about.
(Includes my interview with him)
B - Bikers Against Child Abuse help empower victims of child abuse and reintegrate them back into society.
C - Chris Dempsey the man who selflessly gave his liver to a total stranger... and the fairy tale story that followed.
(Includes my interview with Chris's wife)
When war veteran Corey Hinkle realized that the car was going to explode and the mother of two had a shattered ankle, he shielded her with his body to prevent the metallic debris hitting her.
D - Maggie Doyne the teenager who went trekking during her gap year and ended up changing the lives of hundreds of young children in a foreign country.
E - Elizabeth Laird would wait at the airport and hug every soldier heading off or returning for war, reminding them that they were cared for. In 12 years, she hugged half a million soldiers.
The city of El Dorado in Kansas turned night into day for a child suffering from a rare disease that did not allow him to be exposed to sunlight, just to show him they cared about him.
F - German pilot Franz Stigler chose not just to spare the life of his enemy but escorted him to safety during World War 2. The two strangers would finally meet again 47 years later & go on to become best friends for life.
When British music band Florence + the Machine found out that a fan could not attend their concert because her cancer had gotten worse, they traveled to her hospice and held a private concert for her.
G - When a technicality meant a young Kurdish woman and her baby faced certain death in Iraq, US soldier Greg Peppin found an ingenious way to save them. They would meet again 18 years later.
(includes my interview with one of the members of this story)
I - Ivan Fernandez Anaya who chose not to take advantage of a genuine error by a fellow athlete and guided him to the finishing line.
J - Jessie Tendayi the hospital cafeteria worker who saved money from every paycheque for 8 years so that she can buy presents for all the hospitalized children during Christmas.
(includes my interview with staff at her hospital)
James Harrison has saved more than 2.4 million babies in his life, thanks to his extremely rare blood.
K - Taking advantage of their resemblance to Disney Princesses, college students Kylee McGrane and Maggie McAndrew dress up as Princesses and visit sick children in hospitals to brighten their day. (includes my interview with the two Princesses)
L - Anja Ringgren Loven sold her home in Denmark to come live in Nigeria and look after children tortured and abandoned by their parents because of superstitious beliefs.
School teacher Louise Glasgow who arranges and gets food for her impoverished students every weekend so that they are not hungry.
M - Till date, more than half a million seemingly impossible wishes of sick children across the world have been successfully fulfilled by the Make-A-Wish Foundation
N - Nurse Renee Hendrix has been working in the dreaded neonatal ICU for over 30 years. When she was invited to be a part of an ad for neonatal nurses day, she had no idea what was in store.
O - Natasha was dying of kidney failure at the age of 8 years. Her doctors did not have much hope of finding an Organ donor until Jodi Schmidt, a teacher at her school selflessly decided to donate her own.
P - Isabelle and Katherine Adams, co-Presidents of Paper For Water (and age 13 and 11), have donated over a million dollars for building water projects across the world, selling origami ornaments.
Pooja Pradeep, via her organization 'Letters of Love' helps bring happiness to thousands of children stuck in a war they did not choose by 'donating the smiles' she receives from the public.
(includes her INTERVIEW)
Q - With simple Quiet deeds of kindness and compassion like these, we too become heroes in real life.
R - Grocer Rajesh Sharma teaches hundreds of slum children who cannot afford school fees under a railway bridge so that they have a better chance to succeed in life.
S - When young waitress Sarah Hoidahl found out the soldiers at her table were out of work due to the shutdown, she paid their bill for them. Karma came back to thank her for her kindness in a big way.
T - Following the Baltimore riots, Tabrizi's held a six day event aimed at feeding the homeless in their city thrice daily for free at their fancy fine dining restaurant.
Thanks to the dogged friendship of parole officer Tiffany Whittier, a neo-Nazi convict finally changed his ways and learned to love people of all races.
U - Former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica was labeled the 'World's Humblest President' by the media because of his ideals and his 'one of the people' approach to life.
V - When a competing athlete collapsed in front of her, Meghan Vogel did not think twice before stopping, lifting the woman up and helping her cross the finish line.
When the Students of Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico realized their teacher struggling to make ends meet while taking care of his son suffering from leukemia, they all chipped in buy the child a Christmas present and started a fundraiser for his treatment.
W - Sir Bruno Serato of the White House of Anaheim restaurant has given away over a million free meals to impoverished children. When tragedy struck him, the community came to his aid in ways he never imagined.
The tale of redemption of the former leader of the dreaded Ku Klux Klan Johnny Lee Clary and his friendship with his former nemesis Reverend Wade Watts deserves to be shared.
From a cab driver who gives free trips to hospitals to prisoners who saved the life of their guard, here are 7 lovely reminders of how good the world really is.
Y - Yahya Hahemi and Ala Amiry decided to feed anyone who did not have any money in their restaurant after seeing so many homeless struggling to find a single square meal.
Z - For 30 years, Principal Mo Zhengao would beg everyone he met for funds for his impoverished students. Because of his act, more than 18,000 students graduated and went on to go to college.
Authors's note:
Want more? The 'Heroes of Kindness' goes far beyond just a country, of course.
Heroes of Kindness - 2017 edition (Articles - 40, Heroes - 67)
Earlier editions can be viewed from the links below:
Heroes of Kindness - 2017 edition (Articles - 40, Heroes - 67)
Heroes of Kindness - 2018 edition (Articles - 34, Heroes - 52)
Heroes of Kindness - 2019 edition (Articles - 31, Heroes - 42)
Heroes of Kindness - 2019 edition (Articles - 31, Heroes - 42)
Heroes of Kindness - 2020 edition (Articles - 30, Heroes - 64)
Looking forward to your posts!
ReplyDeleteI remember this entire series and how much I loved it :) Such a gentle and gorgeous refresher this Friday :)
ReplyDeleteRoshan, you may not know it yet but your name is already being added to the list of people who spread joy and cheer with their words. A good human talks about kindness and all that is good in this world.God bless you
ReplyDeleteThis was a great series, Roshan! Heart-warming stories! Thank you for sharing. I remember Chris Dempsey's story!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great read... reaffirms faith in mankind when all seems evil.. thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIndeed great...loved to know so many.
ReplyDelete#MyFriendAlexa #ilaenjoys #Blogchatter