Lamon Luther

After the housing bubble burst in 2007, thousands of carpenters and other skilled craftspeople in the housing industry were left without work. Some of these people in Georgia formed a small "village" in the woods, where they could live without being bothered. But living in a tent city meant that they didn't have addresses, which meant they couldn't get work, and then had to remain in the tent city, trapping them in what felt like a hopeless cycle. Brian Preston found out about these men and felt that he needed to do something to help them. So he quit his stable job and started a furniture company, employing them as craftsmen to build unique pieces of furniture out of reclaimed materials.

The Lamon Luther Story from Lamon Luther on Vimeo.

Called Lamon Luther, it has given these men the opportunity to find their way back into a satisfying, supportive job as skilled and sought-after crafstmen, and allowed them to move out of the woods into a real home. Their story is wonderful (and the furniture is beautiful, too). (Be sure to give their website a visit, too!)

This world is a wondrous place.

And too often we forget that we're a part of that. Each of us has the capability and opportunity to do something amazing, on a small scale or on a large scale, and at all levels in between.

When the world seems hopeless, remember that it's also full of wonderful people doing amazing things, and just as many wonderful people who will do amazing things (but are waiting for that right moment).


(Video via Devour)

Women Deliver Cakes In Secret For 34 Years

Kindness comes in all shapes and sizes but some of the most moving are those where the person doing the good doesn't look for any thanks. One such case is that of the '9 Nanas' team in Tennesse. This group of nine women, ages ranging from 52 to 74, have spent the past 34 years giving out cakes to families in need. These amazing women drive through less fortunate neighborhoods looking for signs of families in distress, such as those without air conditioning or those without power at night, and they leave care packages on their doorsteps. The women don't stick around for thanks, preferring to deliver their cakes and jams in secret, slipping away before anyone sees them, but the people they affect are certainly grateful. Read their amazing story here:



Click image to read the story.

Advanced Style

Everybody loves to feel lovely, and this blog does a great job of celebrating older ladies with incredible style. These ladies are so creative and individual, and it's so great that a younger, fashion-forward gentleman takes such careful time to showcase each of the wonderful women he features. It's worth setting some time aside to read, even if you're not terribly into fashion.

http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com/

Peach's Neat Feet!

Madison Steiner is a pretty incredible woman. She's an artist who found an incredible way to help children with disabilities and long term illnesses. What she gives is so much more than shoes...it's hope.

Enjoy your day!

The Kindness Offensive!

It seems like the idea of spreading random kindness is growing world wide. People are fed up with bad news and unhappiness so there are a large number who have chosen to do something about it. One such group is The Kindness Offensive in the UK. This incredible team started with only three members who just wanted to make a difference and they've certainly managed that. Enjoy the video below and I dare you not to smile while watching it!

Man Helps Over 1000 Animals

The beings that need us most are often the ones who can't ask for that help. Many animal shelters find themselves a little overrun dealing with all the stays in their care but one team is helping to alleviate the problem and saving quite a few lives along the way. Pilots and Paws is an organization that flies pets from overwhelmed kill shelters to areas where they stand a much better chance of being adopted. On June 21st, 2012, pilot Jeff Bennett saved his 1000th animal. 

Is it me or did it get dusty in here all of a sudden? *sniffle*

Coke Catches People In Acts Of Kindness

These days privacy is a precious thing. It seems like there are cameras everywhere since every person on the street is likely equipped with a cell phone boasting at least 5 megapixels. Usually the videos captured by these devices only come to our attention when they inadvertantly catch criminals but recently Coca-Cola searched through their security cameras and put together all the footage of people they caught doing kind acts instead. So sit back, smile, and remember that the people caught on this tape didn't know they were being recorded so all of these acts are genuine.

Have a great day!!

Brandon Jacobs Proves His Worth

In today's age of sports stars with inflated egos, it's nice to see one who doesn't think TOO highly of himself. Here's a great story of football player Brandon Jacobs who did a little more than just reply to the fan letter he got from a six year old boy.

Joe Armento, a six year old from New Jersey, is a huge Giants fan. He's so taken with his team that he emptied his piggy bank of his life savings and sent $3.36 to star running back Brandon Jacobs in an effort to persuade him to stick it out with the Giants rather than move to the San Francisco 49ers.

Read what happened here.

Bullied School Bus Monitor Gets a Really Nice Vacation (via GOOD)

Image from flickr user Rosa Say

People Are Awesome: Bullied School Bus Monitor Gets a Really Nice Vacation - News - GOOD

This is making the blog rounds, but it's so worth sharing here, too. When the article went up early this morning, the Indiegogo fundraiser was at what the article quotes ($400,000). When I checked just now, it was over $500,000. People are awesome.

The web incubates both cruelty and compassion, and what began as a cringe-inducing piece of senior-abuse porn has become a fundraising juggernaut in the hands of Reddit user Max Sidorov. He started the lets give Karen Klein a Vacation campaign on indiegogo with a goal of $5,000 and within days it has raked in nearly $400,000. That's one heck of a vacation. Sidorov told Mashable that he too had painful experiences of being victimized by bullies. "I know how bad it can feel," he said.

21 Photos That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity

Perhaps you've seen these already, they've certainly made their way around the internet, but I thought them worth sharing here for posterity's sake. Enjoy.

See the whole list!

Welcome to GNN

This is the Good News Network. 

Do you feel relaxed now?

Tired of nothing but bad news? Tired of turning on the tv and seeing anchors who seem a little too happy to be telling you about nothing but mayhem and destruction? 

Yeah, me too. 

So that's why I've created this blog. You see, I volunteer with a company that does wonderful things to help people but in all the large acts of charity that we do, I think the smaller acts of every day people can get lost. For a lot of folks, they see charities and are willing to donate but they start thinking that's all they can do. I want to combat that. Afterall, with all the sad news out there it's more important than ever for everyone to feel like they CAN make a difference. I also want this blog to act as a refuge of sorts for when people get fed up and lose their faith in the good of humanity. I want to give them a place to go where they can see that simple kind acts that others are performing every day out there. 

And so, I welcome you to the Good News Network. Here, I will post only stories that are uplifting. I promise only happy things. So spread the word and then sit back and enjoy. If you've done a good act, please tell me about it! I want to know! I'll repost those stories here for others to enjoy. Maybe your act of kindness will inspire someone else. Maybe something here will inspire you as well. 

Thank you and have a wonderful day!