Here are a few more good news stories making the rounds...
1. A North Carolina teacher raised more than $100,000 to ensure that children in her district would have food for the holidays. Turquoise LeJeune Parker, local attorney T. Greg Doucette and a band of volunteers were able to procure enough food so that more than 5,000 students – or "professors" as Parker calls them – in Durham Public Schools could go home with over 12 pounds of food for the two-week break. Mrs. Parker's Professors Foodraiser is an annual tradition that began seven years ago after a parent asked Parker where her family could find food over the break.
2. Employees of a waste management company in Oregon assembled bikes for kids during the company's annual Christmas party. For the past decade, Sanipac has been giving back to kids in need in their community by fundraising and purchasing bikes. This year they raised $11,000. During their annual Christmas party, more than 80 Sanipac employees and their families put together over 150 bikes.
3. A nurse in Rome, New York, helped keep a family together by adopting her patient's dog. Jennifer, a nurse at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing Home, learned that one of her patients was forced to give his dog to the Rome Humane Society when he was hospitalized. Jennifer immediately went to the animal shelter and adopted John's dog so that she could bring him to visit while he completes his rehab.
4. A former homeless man in England named Mark Abbott has decorated his home with more than 16,000 Christmas lights to raise funds for a local homeless charity. The 44-year-old father-of-three has families flocking to see his home in Norwich, with some even traveling from as far as Sheffield -- a more than three hour drive. Abbott is hoping the winter wonderland will raise funds for St Martin's in Norwich, a charity that offers emergency direct access accommodation, residential care, support and development to rough sleepers, sofa surfers and those at risk of becoming homeless. You can make a donation through Abbott's JustGiving page.
