The holidays have been a bit harder than usual this year—but whether you’re trimming a tree, lighting a menorah, gathering around a turkey, or simply hanging paper snowflakes and snowmen around the room, doing it all sooner than later may help improve your mood beyond just an initial hit of holiday spirit. As we head […]
Adopting any rescue dog is a commitment, but taking in a deaf dog is a very special, and sometimes intensive, labor of love that thousands of people choose to take on each year. One of those people is Christina Lee, who, in addition to adopting her own deaf dogs, runs a Virginia-based nonprofit called Deaf […]
As adults, we likely feel confused and overwhelmed imagining all of the various needs out there as we continue to be flooded with scary, upsetting, and worrisome news each day. Good news: there are kids around the country getting creative and taking action to help others during this COVID crisis, and their stories are just […]
“Everyone has masks on. It’s a ghost town. The hospital across the street is geared up for casualties. They’re telling us not to go outside.” That’s an excerpt straight out of “After 9/11“, and before it was there, it was originally written in my journal at the time. I was 12 years old. Now 19 […]
It’s not often you can say that you found and wrote a story that went viral—like, really viral. Globally. I discovered DJ Neil Armstrong’s story by accident while just making small talk with a neighbor and walking my own rescue dog. She asked if I wanted to connect with her friend Neil, I wrote the […]
This week, knitting made national headlines and even landed on the late night talk show circuit when Ravelry (the site we all use for patterns and posting), took a stance banning political content. How people even managed to work hate-speech into knitting is beyond me, and it’s unfortunate, as I have always experienced this community […]
Adopting a dog is an incredibly rewarding experience—just look at me living my best life after everything I’ve been through! Bringing one home from the shelter or saving them from another awful circumstance temporarily, falling in love with them, then letting them go forever is a whole lot harder, or so I hear (in my […]
Let’s all say hello to Jessica Zylberberg, a hooman who gives temporary homes to rescue dogs so they can leave the shelter and get snuggles, beds, and park visits until they find a furever home. Chorus of my eight million fans: “Hiiii Jessica!” So, tell us a little about your first foster experience. Well, everyone thought […]
I don’t know about you guys, but when I see “lost dog” announcements on the Internets, I get really upset. Here’s the thing though: it means that there are people out there who care enough to help. A little over a week ago, Marigold, a 2-year-old lab mix being rescued by Friends With Four Paws, […]
American Red Cross disaster responders are humanitarians, but their compassion isn’t limited to humans. Volunteer Shanda Scott was assessing the damage to homes in the North Springfield neighborhood of Panama City when she heard what sounded like animals crying. As she investigated, she spotted two cats leaning out the broken window of a home. A neighbor told Scott the residents had evacuated 10 days earlier, before Hurricane Michael hit, and had not returned. Scott reached in and […]
Mason Archambeault, 17, was on a mission trip to Paraguay for 11 months with Rotary International Youth Exchange program and living with a host family when she found Chupita, who was “a tiny white ball of fur and fleas, lost and alone on the side of a dangerous highway in Capiatá.” “We took her to […]
Given the amount of kids out there who truly love—or miss—their grandparents and the ever-growing consciousness of our younger generation to do good, you’d think there would be more young people moved to get involved with an elderly population. It can feel intimidating, though, and it can be hard to know where to start. Jacob […]
With the terms “natural” and “organic” thrown around in both the beauty and feminine care world, it’s hard to discern which products are actually safe. So, these three female entrepreneurs, all of whom originally hail from South Korea, decided to do the research, have vetted natural products free of hazardous agents created from organic cotton […]
When The Red Cross slid into my messages to share inspirational stories of families who were helped by blood donations, my instinct was to curl up in the fetal position with an apple juice and pretend it didn’t happen. I am extremely squeamish, and a simple blood test is a prescription for a spell of […]
So much for “millennials” being selfish. If you’re attached to that idea, keep walkin’. A few years ago, Adina Lichtman was handing out sandwiches on the streets of New York City to help people experiencing homelessness. One man, grateful for the sandwich, approached her and offered some surprising insight. “Thank you for giving out sandwiches,” […]
What exactly does a life coach do? Well, this one volunteers, fundraises, cheerleads, and helps people who feel there’s something more out there find their way to it. Mary Kaba Valis has made it her life’s work to people live happier more fulfilling lives. That joy spreads like wildfire to everyone around them. She’s not […]
When we look at adorable—and sometimes heartbreaking—photos of dogs in need of adopting, what we don’t see are the dozens of people behind the scenes who dedicate most of their free time to helping those dogs find homes, doing everything from taking them to the vet, coordinating with local shelters, and getting them home from […]
Can we dance our way to mentally healthy? It’s not the most widely used method on anyone’s road to recovery, yet Dance Movement Therapy is an incredibly effective method for kids and adults alike dealing with issues from mild anxiety to severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and everything in between. When people reach a plateau […]
Orly Wahba, Founder of the nonprofit Life Vest Inside, has put out the perfect little book to grab just in time for Volunteer Week (kicking off on a variety of days based on city, state, and even country, but we’re looking at April 12th!)—because volunteering, really, is just doing something for someone else when you’ve got […]
Instead of sleeping in on weekends or soaking up as much sleep as she can on school days, 14-year-old Ava Calise wakes up early—around 6 a.m.—to administer morning medication to her foster dogs. Once that’s done, she moves on to her work physically helping them get to their temporary homes, assisting with everything from their […]