A Homeless Everyone (now) Loves

Faron Hall was asking for spare change to a teen. That teen didn’t have any and walked away but if he had known what would happen later, he would have offered his entire savings to the homeless man.

In Winnipeg, Canada, life is hard for everyone. For those living in the fringes of the society it is much more than that. Years ago, Faron Hall was a promising teacher aid and a college student when his mother was murdered. Unable to cope with the situation, he slowly drifted into low paying jobs and alcohol.

From his makeshift home on the riverbank, Faron Hall saw the same teen falling from the bridge into the Red river, swift and swollen from flood waters. Suddenly there was no more spare change, hard times or alcohol. A life had to be saved and Faron dove into the river. He saved the teen’s life and became an instant hero in Canada.

Later, at a press conference, he had this to say: “All us homeless people, we’re not all stupid idiots. We’re not all bums who dress dirty,” he said. “Don’t judge the way we dress; judge right here, in the mind and in the heart.”

Remember, don’t judge. You are looking at another human being who is in a difficult situation. I agree that it is not easy not to judge, so from now on I will remember what Faron Hall did one day in Winnipeg.  Via cbc.ca

I Started Young to Help Others and you Can Do it Too

American Tara Suri is young but she already has accomplished a lot. She started at age 13 when on a trip to India she couldn’t bear to see orphans abandoned in the streets. She raised money to help them and since then she has won numerous grants and sponsorships to finance her ideas on how the world should be. She now encourages other teens to take action through her umbrella non-profit ‘Turn Your world Around‘.

Tara’s facebook page.

Chen Jin (Chinese Teen)

Sometimes the stories featured here don’t always have a happy ending. But the action taken by Chen, from Wuxi, Jiangsu province, to help her dying father shows how far selflessness can go. It can also fire back. Of course no one should copy Chen’s actions but given the circumstances of her life, it is possible not to approve but to understand. Via chinadaily.com

Emily Miller (US Teen Fundraiser)

After the shooting that happened last month in Binghamton, NY, many are still fearful. Not Emily. She sprang into action and set up a garage sale in front of her home to raise money for the victims’ families.  Emily says that she is not ‘proud’ but just doing what she thinks is the right thing. Via pressconnects.com

Alec Loorz (US Teen Activist)

When he was 12, Alec watched Al Gore’s documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and decided to take action. He wanted to be one of the trained presenters of the former vice precident’s slide show but was rejected because he was too young. He made his own and started giving presentations on climate change to school groups. Now at 14, Alec is giving presentations around the US and is supercharged to get the word out. And he finally met his hero: Al gore. Via venturacountystar.com

Tiffany Sauls (US High School Student)

Tiffany, from Albertville, AL, when she was 12, picked up the phone to call the police. She was scared and wanted to escape abuse from her drug-addicted mother. She had the courage to denounce her mother. Strangely enough her parents had divorced twice but officials didn’t question her mother’s ability to raise young children. This is what Tiffany is fighting for, changing the law to make it tougher for parents suspected of abusing drugs to win custody or visitation rights.Via sandmountainreporter.com

David Sanchez (US High School Student)

David from Racine, WI,  noticed a lot of homeless students in Racine. After researching, he found out that there were more than 1000 homeless kids just in the Racine Unified School District. He then took action and created his own organization  to match them with part-time jobs. These days he is busy talking to employers and community leaders to introduce his program. His efforts have already paid because in February he won $10,000 in seed money and more might be on the way. Via journaltimes.com

David’s organization, Job-Link

Aaron Walker (US Teen)

Back in February, Aaron, from Garland, TX, was going to enlist in the Army. After celebrating, an unfortunate car accident made him lose both legs. But just before being hit he had time to save one of his friends who escaped the accident with almost no injuries. That friend says now that he saved her life.

The amazing thing though is Aaron’s spirit. As he says: “Being negative doesn’t help anything. If you don’t think you’re going to get better, you’re not going to get better. [...] I know I’m going to be back to the same.”Via dallasnews.com

Help Aaron pay for his costly hospital and rehabilitation bills through his fund.

Aaron his on facebook. Support him!

Matthew Perricone (US Student)

Your reaction in critical situations can save a life. That’s what 12-year-old Matthew Perricone from West Milford, NJ, had to deal with while skiing with a friend. Via strausnews.com

Sarah Rice (US Teacher)

She was supervising the school lunch in her school in Elizabethtown, NY. One of students suddenly choked on a piece of chicken nugget. She swiftly did on him the Heimlich maneuver to get the nugget out and potentially saved his life. Via pressrepublican.com

Update: Amazingly, around the same time another teacher, Brenda Mascaro from Canada, did exactly the same thing for 8-year-old Paul Cuffe. Via The Windsor Star

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