To support, to re-use, to preserve
Vol. 4, Issue 26
“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
THE GOOD NEWS
Christmas for Kasey
In the middle of last week's heatwave in the Washington, D.C., area, Santa Claus appeared. The jolly old elf was joined by first responders, a giant bear and hundreds of families -- all to give one little girl a Christmas she would never forget.
Kasey Zachmann was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer four years ago. She received chemotherapy while in the first grade and after a few months, the cancer appeared to be in remission. Alas, it returned.
Since then, Kasey has undergone 10 surgeries, dozens of rounds of radiation and two clinical trials. Last month, doctors told her parents that the cancer had spread and she may not have much time.
The 9-year-old from Chevy Chase, Md., loves the holidays. She watches Christmas movies and sings carols all year round. So, her mother reached out to some neighbors and asked for help in providing Kasey with one last opportunity to experience some Christmas joy. The message spread swiftly like reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh on December 24.
Even though it was hot last Saturday, the community was filled with the Christmas spirit. More than 270 homes were decorated with lights, trees, signs and holiday displays. Cards and gifts arrived on Kasey’s doorstep. So did 25 fire vehicles — many decked out in holiday lights and bells and playing Christmas songs.
Jolly old St. Nick stopped by, not on a sleigh but atop a fire engine covered in lights. He was accompanied by mascot Dr. Bear from Children's National Hospital, where Kasey receives her treatment.
Then, Kasey and her family piled into their car to drive around and see everyone's holiday displays. It took two hours to see them all.
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A simple change in habits
About 50 billion disposable drink cups are used in the U.S. every year. In an attempt to reduce that number, a consortium of small firms created the Petaluma Reusable Cup Project.
Last July, the city of Petaluma, Calif., agreed to take part in a pilot program promoting sustainability. For three months, local restaurants and cafes would offer customers the option of using durable plastic drink cups that were BPA-free rather than single-use cups. The purple cups featured a simple message: "Sip, Return, Repeat."
Participating businesses also provided access to a network of 60 purple drop-off bins around the city for patrons to deposit the cups once they were finished with them. A professional cleaning firm would collect and clean the cups before returning them to the restaurants.
How did it go? Smashingly.
According to a report published by NextGen, over 220,000 reusable cups -- or 51% -- were returned. In addition to reducing cup waste, customers also reduced their use of disposable hot drink sleeves. Since the cups were more durable and less conductive to heat, patrons didn't need the sleeves to keep their fingers from burning. At least 24,000 cups were recovered by the local recycler, and many patrons kept the cups for reuse at home.
At the end of the program, 80% of participants said they would like the program to continue.
"We haven't seen that level of community engagement, awareness, understanding, satisfaction, pride,” Carolina Lobel, senior director at the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners, told CBS News. “Petaluma was very proud of the project.”
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How to preserve dying and damaged reefs
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THIS WEEK IN (POSITIVE) HISTORY
On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, which prohibited discrimination based on color, national origin, race, religion or sex.
On July 3, 1985, the film "Back to the Future," starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, was released.
On July 4, 1845, writer Henry David Thoreau began a two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond in Massachusetts.
On July 5, 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first Black man to win Wimbledon.
On July 6, 1928, "Lights of New York," the first full-length all-talking motion picture premiered in New York City.
On July 7, 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
On July 8, 1990, the time 12:34:56 occurred, thus creating the time/date of 1234567890.
On July 9, 1947, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Florence A. Blanchfield as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. She was the first woman in U.S. history to hold a permanent military rank.
THIS WEEK’S FUN HOLIDAYS
July 2 is World Sports Journalists Day, World UFO Day, National Disco Day, National Raspberry Cheesecake Day, National Wildland Firefighter Day, I Forgot Day and Sports Journalists Day
July 3 is International Plastic Bag-Free Day, National Chocolate Wafer Day, National Eat Your Beans Day, National Fried Clam Day, National Stay Out of the Sun Day and Air Conditioning Appreciation Day
July 4 is National Barbecue Spareribs Day, National Caesar Salad Day, National Country Music Day, Alice in Wonderland Day, the Fourth of July (Independence Day), Jackfruit Day and Sidewalk Egg Frying Day
July 5 is National Apple Turnover Day, National Bikini Day, National Graham Cracker Day, Comic Sans Day, Mechanical Pencil Day and Pet Remembrance Day
July 6 is World Kissing Day, National Air Traffic Control Day, National Fried Chicken Day, National Hand Roll Day and Virtually Hug a Virtual Assistant Day
July 7 is Global Forgiveness Day, International Peace and Love Day, World Chocolate Day, National Day of Rock 'n Roll, National Dive Bar Day, National Koi Day, National Macaroni Day, National Strawberry Sundae Day and Build a Scarecrow Day
July 8 is National Blueberry Day, National Chocolate With Almonds Day, National Freezer Pop Day, National Ice Cream Sundae Day, National Love Your Skin Day, National Raspberry Day, National Video Games Day, Be a Kid Again Day, Body Painting Day and Coca-Cola Day
July 9 is National Dimples Day, National Sugar Cookie Day and Cow Appreciation Day
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
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HOW TO SPREAD JOY/KINDNESS
* Donate your old pairs of glasses. You may not be able to see out of 'em but someone else might.
* Give an extra large tip to someone who serves/helps you.
* Give a shoutout to a colleague. Make sure the boss hears it.
RECOMMENDED SUBSTACK
MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to Bob Ricca, Unsplash, the Lilabean Foundation, Good Morning America, YouTube, Bethesda Today, The Washington Post, CBS News Bay Area, the Petaluma Reusable Cup Project, the Good News Network, KPIX CBS News Bay Area, Great Big Story, The End Files, History.com, This Day in History, Britannica, Time and Date, On This Day, the Library of Congress, IMDb, This Day in Music, National Today, National Day Calendar, Holidays Calendar, Lenyvavsha, the Sea Turtle Conservancy, In Otter News, Emily Charlotte Powell, While I Was Drawing, Counting Beans, Canva and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions.
And, I wanted to say a quick thank you to Sheila Dembowski, who recommended “A Bit of Good News” in the "Kindness Boomerang Newsletter." She kindly referred to this publication as "a weekly reminder that there is much more good in this world than we realize!” Love that!
Also, congratulations to Litsa D.! Her name was randomly selected in our monthly giveaway for paid subscribers. The July prize: A bookmark featuring flower art from Shop For A Koala Bear.
KEEP IN TOUCH
Read a positive/uplifting news story lately? Have an inspiring quote you want to share? Or do you just want to let me know about some of your favorite simple pleasures?