The Good News Network is a website dedicated to positive news. It started in 1997 as a way to spread good news as opposed to the heavy focus by the media on negative news. If you're like us, most of the stories popping up in your news feed tend to be ones that can bring you down if you let them. We want to hear fun, affirming ones that brighten our day and help us see the world as one we want to walk out into. So, we visited the site today and found 4 stories we wanted to share.
The Roly Poly Ole Beach Ball in Wisconsin
A large beach ball escaped a yard and soon tumbled around a town in Wisconsin. The sight of it made residents happy, and they started signing it and moving it from location to location. It's suffered a few mishaps, but kind people have patched it up. Other inflatables have started making the rounds too. This story reminds us of the painted bulls or cows you see in some major cities. Must be fun to see this ball roll by. The town's police department even got in on the act by posting about it on their Facebook page. Read about this entertaining story here.
SpongeBob Square Pants and Patrick are Real
200 miles off the New England coast in the Atlantic Ocean, a remote-controlled submersible recorder operated by the Okeanos Explorer found a remarkable thing. SpongeBob Square Pants is a cartoon icon and his best friend is a nutty starfish named Patrick. The show is about their adventures under the sea. In an environment similar to the show's episode “Rock Bottom”, a real-life yellow sponge was discovered. Normally sponges are white or orange to blend in with their surroundings to evade predators. Starfish, also in the real world, eat sponges and that could be what's about to happen here. However, it's cool they took this image as the scene unfolded. Read more about this story here.
Police Team Up with Advance Auto Parts to Spread Community Good
In Denver in July, Advance Auto Parts (AAP) and the police department teamed up to spread a little kindness. AAP donated 100 $25 gift cards to the department to distribute to motorists during stops to help those who might need it. Stops that involved a broken headlight or defective tail light could've become ones where the police handed the driver a gift card to get the problem fixed. The economy's tough and you never know when someone needs a hand with their car. Read more here about this awesome collaboration.
Inspiring Class of 2020 Graduate's Take on What She Learned
The GreaterGood.org is a global charitable organization dedicated to improving the lives of people, pets, and the planet as a whole. They held a global competition as part of their Girls Voices project to ask what inspired the Class of 2020's perspectives during the pandemic.
GreaterGood.org program’s description:
Patricia Cogley, Director of GreaterGood.org’s Girls’ Voices media training program, which is active in 20 countries and hosted the contest, said: “For many college and high-school seniors in the graduating class of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically changed their final year. But, true to our mission, Girls’ Voices gave young women around the world the opportunity to showcase their creativity, resilience, and ideas for a better future, despite this challenging and unprecedented time.”
April Judd of Shawville, Quebec, an art student won the $1,000 scholarship with her funny, truthful, and entertaining video. Some of her quotes we liked are:
“Life is a practice in improv.”
“Life is never how we expect it to be, and that’s okay. And, in fact, that may be what makes life worth living.”
Her winning video is well worth watching. Read the entire story here.
Hopefully, these stories will make you smile and lighten your day and week.
