The parents of a baby boy who spent 6 months in NICU ask his nurse to become his godmother. Neonatal nurse Carly Miller held back tears when the thankful parents asked and said she feels honored that she will get to be a part of Conrad’s life for years to come. Miller bonded with baby Conrad and his parents, Austyn Evans and Branden Williams, during one of the most challenging times in their lives.
Evans had to deliver Baby Conrad at 35 weeks when doctors told her his heart rate was dropping. They were transferred from Florida to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston for Conrad’s care where they did not have any local support. Baby Conrad was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit right after he was born where he met NICU nurse Carly Miller for the first time. For his first five days in the NICU, Miller worked closely with Conrad for “continuity of care.”
Conrad had kidney problems and serious breathing difficulties that required a ventilator. For the first 37 days, Evans and her husband, Branden Williams, could not hold Conrad as he relied on machines to help him become stable and grow. Miller often provided Evans with updates and celebrated with them when they were finally able to hold him for the first time. When doctors planned to move Conrad to another pod so he could start continuous renal replacement therapy, Evans asked if Miller might be able to move to be with Conrad.
At first Miller hesitated because of her lack of experience; this type of dialysis machine was being used for the very first time with the hospital’s NICU patients. Doctors worried that Conrad wouldn’t be able to handle the treatment. While a little wary, Miller agreed to stick with Conrad.
Evans said throughout Conrad’s hospital stay, if the family had questions that Miller didn’t know how to answer, she’d track down the information they needed. Miller’s steady presence at so many crucial moments, such as when Evans first held Conrad, created a bond between the family and the nurse.
When Conrad was leaving the hospital after six months, Evans felt the urge to ask Miller to be his godmother — but she panicked and didn’t ask. “We kept everything as professional as we could in the NICU but just the conversations we had sitting in his hospital room or the victories that we celebrated and we cried over together were really important to me,” Evans said. “Thinking about leaving that place and having to never see Carly again was heart-wrenching.”
Evans invited Miller to come visit and presented her with flowers and a note from Conrad asking her whether she would be his godmother. Before Miller finished reading, she said, “Yes,” much to Evans’ delight. Miller said she feels honored that she will get to be a part of Conrad’s life for years to come.
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Cardi B donated $100,000 to her old middle school in the Bronx. The rapper returned to her alma mater to surprise students and staff at IS 232 in the Bronx on Sept. 13. She announced her donation and answered questions from staff and students. She was joined by New York City schools chancellor David C. Banks and K. Bain, the founder and executive director of Community Capacity Development, a nonprofit social justice organization.
Cardi later shared two videos from the visit on Instagram and wrote “ “I was trying to do this last year but couldn’t because of all the COVID rules at the time. This middle school, IS 232 in the Bronx, has a very special place in my heart!! It turned me from an 11 year old girl into a little teenage adult. Kids in the Bronx have to grow up quickly due to our circumstances and our environment. While some young teens like around 11-13 still live in that Disney world, these kids have to grow up fast and QUICK.”
The rapper continued, “Like a lot of these kids I went through so much while I was going to school here. Experiences that changed me forever and made me who I am today. I hope my donation can help create an amazing after school program that will help kids stay out the streets or a troubled home and most importantly allow them to learn something that they can take with them through LIFE. Thank you Community Capacity Development @ccdworldwide and K. Bain for partnering with me to also visit different schools and programs in Queens and Brooklyn. I love being able to help young kids however I can and I can’t waiiiittttt to tell y’all what I’ve been working on for the past two years. It’s something super close to my heart and I can’t wait to share very soon.”
This isn’t the first time Cardi B has shown her generosity. She paid the funeral expenses for the 17 people who lost their lives in a devastating Bronx apartment fire in January. Her representatives said the rapper made sure that all of the victims’ families were included in her donation and that the final wishes for their loved ones were met.
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A UPS driver in Iowa is being hailed as a hero for saving two dogs from drowning in a family’s swimming pool. Colin Mitchell dropped off a package at the home of Jeff and Rebecca Marra. As he walked back to his truck he noticed two dogs swimming in a pool without their owners anywhere in sight.
Feeling uneasy about the situation, Mitchell said he attempted to get the homeowners attention by knocking on the door, ringing the doorbell and yelling, “can your dogs swim?” which was caught on the ring camera. “I knocked a little louder, rang the doorbell… nothing. And then I just decided it was best to investigate,” Mitchell said.
As he got closer he saw one dog hanging on the side of the pool while the other was trying to get onto the solar cover. He ran to the pool and removed his socks and shoes to try to save them. After helping the smaller dog, Groot, and their bigger 90 lb dog, Remington, get out of the pool and back in the yard, Mitchell continued his route for the day.
The next day he stopped by to check on the dogs. The homeowners, Jeff and Rebecca Marra said the dogs had somehow gotten through the pool gate, typically locked, before jumping into the pool with no way out. They were shocked and thankful for Mitchell’s good deed saying the dogs would have been stuck in the pool another 3 hours had it not been for Mitchell’s actions.
“If it weren’t for him we wouldn’t have dogs, there’s no question about it,” Jeff Marra said. “I would say that he is a hero,” Rebecca added. They shared Mitchell’s heroics on social media and UPS caught wind of it and shared the post on the company’s page.
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American novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated two Beverly Hills homes to charity for a total of $55 million. The California Community Foundation (CCF), a nonprofit philanthropic organization based in Los Angeles announced that Scott, 52, donated “two single-family residences valued at $55 million” to the foundation in July. The gated 2.5 acre compound includes a 12,000 square foot main residence built in the 1990s, a 4,500 square foot guesthouse, a swimming pool, a full size tennis court and 6 car garage.
The first home was purchased by Scott and her ex-husband Jeff Bezos in 2007 for $24.45 million. The second home was purchased by the couple in 2017 for $12.9 million. The CCF hopes to quickly sell the high-maintenance spread, with the proceeds going towards affordable housing projects and an immigrant integration program. “The cost of housing stands out as one of the most critical issues affecting the lives of millions of Los Angeles residents. A priority for Ms. Scott, the primary focus of the $55 million will be to permanently endow grantmaking efforts to benefit Angelenos in need of affordable housing,” CCF said in a statement.
CCF has been an advocacy leader for increased affordable housing production, helping lead the passage of Proposition HHH, an initiative to add 10,000 new units in the City of Los Angeles by 2026. Los Angeles is poised to exceed its target by funding 10,510 units in 178 projects. Scott’s gift will permanently support the expansion of these grantmaking efforts. This is the second time Scott has donated to the organization, giving the nonprofit $20 million last year to create the LA Arts Endowment Fund.
Scott, whose estimated net worth is $37 billion makes her the 29th richest person in the world. Scott still owns 4% of Amazon after selling $8.5 billion in company stocks. After her divorce from Jeff Bezos, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, promising to donate at least half of her wealth over her lifetime, and has since gifted billions of her dollars to large and small organizations dedicated to social equity. She has so far donated more than $12 billion to charitable causes and groups as part of the Giving Pledge. Earlier this year, Scott donated $436 million to Habitat for Humanity. Last year she announced donations of $2.7 billion to nearly 300 organizations.
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A 12-year-old from Oklahoma City became the youngest black college student in Oklahoma history. Elijah Muhammad Jr. started his freshman year at Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) last month, enrolling in three classes as part of his cyber security major. Muhammad, who is home-schooled and currently a senior, graduating with his associate’s degree and his high school diploma at the same time next year.
Muhammad is also a three-time state champion wrestler and began a clothing line called Smart Boy. The soon-to-be teen plans to go to an HBCU after he graduates. His proud father, Elijah Muhammad Sr., said “He was very attentive, and there were things I noticed from when he was two years old that were just different, and I was like it’s time to cultivate this.”
Elijah Sr. said his son is not the only prodigy in his family. His sister, Shania, became the youngest person to enroll at OCCC at 13. She was also the youngest to graduate, at 14, in May. She held the record until her little brother beat her. “His sister just made history as the youngest graduate from Langston University and Oklahoma Community College with two associate’s degrees on the same day,” Muhammad Sr. said.
“We have a bunch of competitiveness but she really helps me out with a lot of my studying,” said Elijah Jr. Now that Muhammad Jr. has broken his sister’s record, he plans to follow in her footsteps to land scholarships to help pay for his education. “I’m very excited about getting scholarships because I’ve seen my sister get multiple scholarships and I was like, man, I can’t wait until I start getting my scholarships.” While he hasn’t decided where he will attend school he says he’s keeping his options open. “I heard Hampton does have a good cybersecurity program, but I’m just exploring my options right now.”
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The cast and crew of the Gravesend TV series reunited with the teenager they saved while filming in Brooklyn last November. Nam Phuong, 14 was walking his dog when a driver lost control of her vehicle and hit him along with a parked car. The teen and his dog were trapped under the vehicle when the cast heard the commotion.
Good Samaritans and members of TV mob show “Gravesend” acted quickly to free the 14-year-old. The crew was shooting a scene in a video store when they heard a loud crash but they didn’t see anything in the street. When Michele Frantzeskos, a producer for “Gravesend,” wandered outside, she heard yelling bystanders and saw the crash. She immediately grabbed the elderly couple out of the car.
That’s when she heard a voice saying “Help me, help me!.” She looked under the cae and saw the child injured and pinned underneath. Frantzeskos grabbed actor William DeMeo as he was walking to his trailer and called on other crew members to help. They quickly rushed over to help and assess the situation.
Members of the film crew and neighborhood banded together to lift the car up, allowing the teen to get out from under the car. The teen’s dog also escaped from under the car as its leash was released. The dramatic video of the rescue, taken by a bystander, shows the teens legs flailing from underneath the car around 10 people begin lifting it off of him.
Paramedics transported the teen to the hospital in critical but stable condition. The teen says he remembers looking behind him just before the car hit and then blacking out and waking up to being dragged by the car. Phuong sustained serious injuries but is recovering. He and his family visited the scene of the crash to meet the cast and crew that saved him. He said he is thankful for their quick thinking.
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#BeKind21 Kindness Challenge is an invitation for you to practice kindness toward yourself and others each day from September 1 to September 21 to build kinder, more connected communities that foster mental wellness. Inspired by the idea that habits are formed by repeating an activity for 21 consecutive days, Born This Way Foundation annually hosts #BeKind21 and invites participants to build a habit of kindness.
Those who sign up pledge to be kind to themselves and their community and share their experiences on social media using the hashtag #BeKind21. Born This Way Foundation, founded in 2011 by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta launched #BeKind21 with the aim to make kindness cool, validate the emotions of young people, and eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health.
#BeKind21 had more than 6.8 million people last year who collectively pledged and encouraged over 143 million acts of kindness in just 21 days. Over 400 partners, including entire school districts, cities, nonprofits, and corporations, participated in the campaign and helped to spread the word. The annual program is now in its fifth year and has generated over 291 million pledged acts of kindness since it’s launch in 2018.
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Brian Schwartz, a former ad agency vice-president from Wayne, New Jersey started mowing lawns for free after being laid off due to the pandemic crisis in the summer of 2020. Schwartz said he started it just as a way of keeping himself busy during a difficult time while doing some good in the world.
I Want To Mow Your Lawn now operates in 42 different states, with 300 volunteers. They mow the lawns of the elderly, disabled, veterans, and anyone in need. They have mowed hundreds of lawns across the country. Anyone in need of help can submit a request on the website and they match them with a local volunteer or landscaping company volunteering their services.
They welcome any and all help, which can range from college students to professional landscapers, community service organizations, educational institutions, charitable corporations, families, busy working professionals, early retirees & their neighbors with a bit of extra time. Anyone with a desire to help however much time they can is welcome.
Vietnam veteran Larry Dbowsky and his wife Sandra met Brian two years ago, and since then, a volunteer has been showing up at their home twice a month to provide free mowing. Volunteers donate their time for various other landscaping tasks as well. Schwartz founded the non-profit I Want To Mow Your Lawn as what started out as a way to cope and help others but it has become a national movement that is still going strong.
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A Pennsylvania retiree is cultivating a garden and her community. Jeri “Momma J” Brockington, of Ambler, PA started Momma J’s Country Gardening as a way to teach her friends and neighbors how to grow vegetables and plants. Her memories of her great-grandmother picking and giving away vegetables from her own garden inspired her.
Brockington said as soon as she bought her home, she visualized using every area of the space to grow food. She went door to door introducing herself and encouraging neighbors to grow their own food. Her neighbors know they are always welcome to come over for some fresh produce or to pick up a new gardening tip. Brockington said it’s the smiles and sense of community that motivates her.
She encourages people to think back to a simpler time and learn how to provide for one another. In the wake of pandemic lockdowns and the September 2021 tornado, it’s become more important to her than ever.”These are times when the only way we’re going to get through it is that we work together,” Brockington said.
She also records educational videos for her YouTube page, encouraging followers on social media to post pictures of their own crops. “You can frequently go for years without knowing any of your neighbors,” said neighbor Frank Dunsmore. “And whenever I came down to this area, she was one of the few people that was always around. I’m not the kind of person who grows plants, but she’s done an amazing job with gardening and stuff like that,” said Dunsmore. “If knowledge is power, she’s giving it away.”
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Since 2009, LA-based non-profit, Food Forward has rerouted 250 million pounds of food from landfills and delivered over a billion servings of fresh produce to food insecure communities.
The non-profit helps reroute perishable produce to communities in need of more fresh fruits and veggies all over the country. A combination of inflationary governmental fiscal policy and the centrally-planned response to COVID-19 has really damaged the ability of rural or food-desert-based communities to buy fresh produce.
Food Forward has mastered the logistical challenge of rerouting produce destined for landfills. Southern California is the largest exporter and importer of produce in the country, making the non-profit centrally located where there is a great need. From its refrigerated food distribution center in south east LA, the group works with 350 direct partners coordinating food donations, which have so far made it out to 12 California counties, six other states, and two Tribal nations. Coming out of the centrally-planned chaos of the pandemic, Food Forward feels they are getting a grip on the demand for fresh produce rather than reacting to it in difficult or emergency circumstances.
CEO Rick Nahmias said “We understood workflows well enough, we understood efficiencies, we understood the network and how food flows through the L.A. area, the contiguous county, and the region. We’re all kind of under this umbrella, feeling like the last 10 years for Food Forward were a dress rehearsal for the pandemic.” Nahmias said among the many problems in this line of work, is the fact that often the food has just days of shelf life left.
Food Forward’s Wholesale Produce Recovery program staff rescue fresh fruits and vegetables from wholesale vendors by the truckload to prevent this unnecessary waste. The Farmers Market Recovery program prevents quality produce from being wasted, and provides a solution to farmers who have unsold produce and want to help fight hunger. A single market can yield over 2,000 pounds of seasonal produce that in many cases is organic. The Backyard Harvest program connects generous homeowners with volunteers ready to harvest surplus fruit on hundreds of private properties, public parks, orchards, and farms throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Nahmias credits his team’s nimbleness and excellent reactivity to the success that saw them win 2018 CA non-profit of the year. Their operation is so tight that every $1 donated allows them to redirect 10 pounds of produce from restaurants, grocery stores, or farms before sending them to communities that rarely get to buy fresh produce. Keeping perishing produce out of landfills also reduces methane gas emissions from its decomposition, reducing America’s methane footprint after about ten years.
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