Boy With Cerebral Palsy Completes Triathlon With Brother's Help

At only six years old, Cayden Long can neither walk nor talk, but he has managed to complete several triathlons due to the love and dedication of his older brother Conner. Nine year old Conner realized early that his sibling would not be able to get out much or do the kinds of sports other children can do and he was determined to help however he could. He saw advertisements for a children's triathlon near his home and after working with the event coordinator, the brothers were entered into the race. That was last June and the boys have shown no signs of stopping.

This past weekend, the brothers completed yet another triathlon, this one in Cambridge, Mass. They didn't win first place but placing had never been the important part for them. Conner pushed and pulled his younger brother through the entire 2.5 mile course and they completed the race together.

For more on this story, please click here.

Woman Buys $10 Painting, Discovers It's Worth $20k

When North Carolina artist Beth Feeback rushed into her local thrift store, she had no idea she would be walking out with a treasure. She had gone in to get a sweater to keep away the chill of a rainy afternoon, but while there she noticed two paintings for $10 each. The abstract artwork wasn't quite her style but she purchased them anyway in hopes of painting over them.

That repaint fortunately never happened because Beth discovered later that one of those paintings was a work called Vertical Diamond by 20th century artist Ilya Bolotowsky. The painting is valued at $20,000. Beth plans to sell the painting at auction and she is greatful for the turn in her luck. She has been unemployeed since 2008 and her unemployment money had long since stopped coming in. Beth had been getting by with dipping into her savings and selling her art, pet portraits, at local craft fairs. The money she will get from the painting will help her get back on her feet.

14 Year Old Boy Wins Award for Providing Shoes to the Homeless

14 year old Nicholas Cranston was recently awarded a Hero Award by the Build-A-Bear organization for his non-profit Gotta Have Sole. Nicholas works hand in hand with local homeless shelters to provide shoes to the children living in less thatn ideal conditions. The shelters provide Nicholas with the sizes the need most and he then purchases the shoes with donations made to his organization. He hand packs them and delivers them to children for whom this may be the first new shoes they've ever received. In the short time since his non-profit was started, Nicholas has raised an astounding $49,000 and purchsed 3,000 pairs of shoes for needy children.

Mystery Man Gives Strangers Wads of Cash

People Are Awesome: Mystery Man Gives Strangers Wads of Cash - Lifestyle - GOOD

This is a little bit of a trick post, because it's a double-plus good thing: a mysterious man with a camera gives out money to random people. A lot of money. But in order to receive the money, they have to agree to have their photo taken, and "pay it forward," by doing something good with the money. He asks that they document their good deed and share stories.

Here's a link to the Wearelucky website. You can read the stories and see photos of the people who've participated so far. So cool!

Bonus post!

Here, have a beautiful photo of a rainbow waterfall, taken by Justin Lee, a photographer and student at the University of British Columbia. The photo is from his hike in Yosemite National Park.

Smile!

Foster Grandparents Aid Children With Learning Issues

The word "grandmother" brings up images of warm homes, fresh baked goods, and a welcome smile for most people so it's little wonder that The Foster Grandparent Program in Northern Nevada is doing so well. The program places volunteer senior citizens in local Title 1 schools where children are more likely to need the extra attention. The foster grandparent then works with the teachers to determine which children are struggling so individual attention can be given.

The program appears to be highly successful with a lot of children showing signs of improvment under the extra care. The seniors help with learning to read, arithmetic, and sometimes, just by being an unjudgemental ear when no one else will listen.

To read more about this incredible program, click here.

CEO Gives Away $3 Million of His Bonus

These days it seems the news is rife with corrupt CEOs for whom money is the only goal but one man is breaking the mold in a big way. CEO Yang Yuanqing of Lenovo was given a $5.2 million bonus for his work with the company. Instead of spending the money on himself, however, he gave $3 million of it right back to the people who work for him. The cash bonuses were handed out to 10,000 junior-level employees including receptionists, line workers, and assistants instead of the managers who make more than them and work less. It is a selfless gesture that means a lot to those who benefitted. It's a nice change we'd like to see more CEOs take to heart.