Book Full of Life Lessons Created for Graduating Students in Denver

 

An alumnus from Manual High School has created a book that he hopes will help graduating seniors as they embark on their next chapter in life.

Despite not having a child of his own on the podium, Graham Williams, CEO and founder of Impart, wants to make sure the graduates in Denver Public Schools have something to turn to if they ever need advice.

Williams says the goal of the book is to help seniors feel seen, supported, and celebrated given all the challenges they faced because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Some of the contributors to the book include The Bachelor’s Ben Higgins, five-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming Missy Franklin, and former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Kate Walsh, CBS 4 Anchor was also asked to contribute to the book; she advised the graduates to remember A.C.E, which means attitude changes everything.

Walsh told CBS 4 Denver, “it’s not always easy, but a positive attitude changes your life for the better.”

The 21-page book can be downloaded for free, and includes a simple question asked to each person who is featured: If you could go back and tell your high school graduate self one thing, what would it be?

“When people receive these, one, they feel a lot of love from their community, and two, you know, they take these life lessons from other people, and they put them in the back of their heads for the moment in time where their own experience catches up, and maybe their transition’s a little easier and way more successful,” said Williams.

 

Man Turns Inheritance into Random Acts of Kindness Campaign

 

George, a man from Northern Virginia, and his 3-year-old grandson have been doing random acts of kindness over the past month and have just completed their tour.

A while back, George received an unexpected inheritance that he told Fox News 5 DC that he didn’t need.

Instead of keeping it for himself, he decided to take his grandson, Miles, with him, and share this inheritance with people who were struggling.

For one month, George and Miles handed out $100 a day, with a note that read: “Please accept this random act of kindness. If you don’t need it feel free to share it with others.”

“I had this idea. I figured that some of us in the world are doing better than others. And that those of us who were needed to share some of that good fortune with the ones who aren’t doing so well,” said George.

The two started out on April 1st and continued doing it onwards. He says he doesn’t want this to be about him; he wants it to be about the act of giving to others.

 

Gamer Born Without Hand Becomes First Person in U.S. to Get a Bionic Arm

 

A gamer who’s been bullied because they were born without a hand has now been fitted with a bionic arm inspired by a popular video game.

Growing up, Laiken Olive, a 21-year-old who uses the pronouns they/them, would wear a prosthetic arm to “hide their differences” from others. They were born with a congenital limb difference.

Now, they’re regularly asked to show off their arm on TikTok, doing Metal Gear Solid cosplays. They create videos that explain and tell their stories of living with a disability, usually using hashtags such as #disabled and #amputee. They now have over 29,000 followers on the app.

Olive is the first recipient in the U.S. of the ‘Venom Snake’ arm developed by Open Bionics – a British robotics company. In the video game Metal Gear Solid, the character Venom Snake loses his arm in an explosion and wears an iconic red and black bionic limb complete with detachable missile functionality and gadgets that stun enemies. Unlike the video game, the arm isn’t equipped with any weapons. But it does use myoelectric sensors to read the electric outputs of Laiken’s muscles, which are then converted into bionic hand movements.

Watch below, Olive creating an Instagram Reel wearing their bionic arm.

 

 

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A post shared by Laiken Olive (@thebionicbabes)

 

On the official Metal Gear Solid Facebook page, Olive explained that when they originally tried to get a bionic arm, the insurance claim denied it.

Following that denial, they were offered an arm which they described as “a heavy body harness most commonly known to be worn by military men.”

Although Olive is the first person in the U.S. to receive this $11,000 bionic arm, it’s now available for amputees in clinics across the country.

 

20-Year-Old Artist is Filling Books with Superheroes with Disabilities

 

A 20-year-old from South Jersey is creating comic books in honor of her friend with special needs. Trinity Jagdeo is an author and illustrator, and she’s been using her skills to turn special needs children into superheroes.

The idea was inspired by her best friend, Alexus Dick, who she met in kindergarten 14 years ago. Dick has spinal muscular atrophy, a rare disease that weakens muscles all over the body and limits life expectancy to under 30 years. She now spends most of her time in bed, without enough strength to make it into her wheelchair.

While Dick was undergoing six months of treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Jagdeo came up with the idea of a book in which the main character was a superhero with a disability  She wanted someone for her friend to relate to, someone who could inspire her, and because she couldn’t find one, she ended up creating one.

“Seeing what my best friend was going through, I wanted to do more for others like her,” she told TODAY. “We’d watched all of the movies that she had lined in her room, and I took note of how drained she was. She had nobody to look up to while she was going through that battle.”

Jagdeo first reached out to Disney, asking for more characters with disabilities or special needs. “I wrote them letters, made YouTube videos. I didn’t receive a response, so I decided to create my own non-profit, and I began writing and illustrating my own books that featured local special-needs kids.”

When Alexus saw Trinity’s comic books, she said it was one of the best gifts a child could ever receive. Then, Jagdeo’s mom helped her take the next steps to publish the books – by registering her business.

In 2018, Jagdeo self-published her first book, Alice the Ace, using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing service.

Jagdeo published book number four — Victorious Victor — this year, about a character on the autism spectrum. The character is based on Victor Perez, a member of her church in Vineland, New Jersey, where they both live.

 

 

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Jagdeo says her dream is to create more books and to get them onto the shelves of Barnes and Noble. But in the meantime, she plans to “continue to advocate for and amplify the voices of those who we seldom see in books and on TV.”

Watch the video below.

 

A Canadian Fashion Startup is Developing Clothes with Braille Designs

 

Alexa Jovanovic, a graduate of Ryerson University’s School of Fashion in Toronto, has started her own fashion company creating clothing with messages written in Braille.

When Alexa joined the School of Fashion, she was determined to become an editor-in-chief at a high-end fashion magazine. But life took a different turn, and in 2020, she decided to create clothing for the blind and visually impaired community.

That’s when Jovanovic decided to launch her company, Aille Design (pronounced ‘eye’). Her clothing has messages written in Braille, which are spelled out with Swarovski crystal pearls.

 

 

Some of the messages include “We’re going to get through this, stay strong,” and “Fashion is for everyone.”

In an interview with the Daily Hive, Jovanovic said, “This community is so often excluded in the fashion industry, and I had a lot of discussions about inclusivity while working with Canadians with vision impairment who helped me with Aille Design.”

In her first year at university, Jovanovic remembered one of her professors talking about the need for diversity in fashion. Then, while brainstorming for her final year’s project, she came across a beaded jacket while shopping. “It clicked with me then: Why couldn’t fashion have more than an aesthetic value, and also have a functional purpose?”

 

 

An Island in Portugal is Creating a Village with Free WiFi and Workspace for Digital Nomads

 

The Portuguese island of Madeira is looking to build a town dedicated to digital nomads. It’s meant to help the island capitalize on the rise of nomads — people who travel year-round and work from their computers — that have already been living on the island.

After seeing how fast this demographic is rising, and understanding that the beauty of the island would attract other nomads, Madeira created a pilot project called Digital Nomad Village. The ‘village’ provides fast internet, community events, exclusive hotel property, and — most importantly — free office space.

The program launched in February and will run until the end of June. Located in the tranquil Ponta do Sol, on the south coast, there are spectacular views out to the Atlantic, and it’s near the capital of the island – Funchal. It can host up to 100 nomads at any one time, but those people need to commit to staying in the village for at least a month.

According to the website, “Madeira Islands have the perfect conditions to attract digital nomads with its natural beauty, activities in nature, culture, and fantastic weather conditions throughout the year.”

The project is in partnership with the Government of Madeira, StartUp Madeira, and acclaimed digital nomad Gonçalo Hall.

The forests of the island are an outstanding relict of a previously widespread laurel-type forest. According to UNESCO, this forest covered much of Southern Europe 15-40 million years ago, but today exists in just a handful of places.

Although more people are discovering that unique and natural beauty, the island’s appeal has been evident for centuries: 19th century author H.N. Coleridge called Madeira the “most enviable island on Earth.” And the island has been named Europe’s Leading Island Destination for five years running.

Click here to discover more about the Madeira Islands.

 

Man with Down Syndrome Who Gets a Permanent Position at UPS Inspires Scholarship

 

An Alabama resident with Down Syndrome — who got hired at the Birmingham, Alabama UPS facility as a seasonal package runner — has inspired UPS to make a donation of $25,000 towards Down Syndrome of Alabama.

Jake Pratt first landed a seasonal gig with UPS in December of 2020, and is now being asked to join the team permanently as a part-time employee. A UPS spokesperson told PEOPLE that the $25,000 donation will go towards establishing the Jake Pratt Fund, for scholarships for individuals with Down syndrome who want to pursue further education.

Pratt himself is a graduate of Clemson University’s LIFE program – a program designed to prepare young men and women with intellectual disabilities for competitive employment and independent living. LIFE offers a combination of academic coursework and career exploration.

Pratt’s sister Amy Hyde told PEOPLE that completing college was one of Pratt’s biggest dreams. “Post-secondary education was once not even a consideration for those with intellectual disabilities,” she says. “We are so proud of Jake and the way he serves as a role model to others.”

Back in December, a photo posted by Hyde on Twitter went viral. It was a photo of Pratt standing next to a UPS truck in his work uniform. She captioned the tweet “Thank you @UPS for giving my brother a chance & promoting inclusion in the workforce. Jake has Down Syndrome but that doesn’t stop him!”

According to Hyde, Pratt “wants to continue to raise awareness of the capabilities of people with Down syndrome and to be a positive role model for them and their loved ones.” And as for what’s next: “His next goals are to get his driver’s license (right now he has his permit), get his own house, and eventually get married to his girlfriend Grace.”

Watch the video below of Pratt’s family and friends — and his colleagues at UPS — discussing how proud they are of him.

 

12-Year-Old Boy Defends His Siblings Against Two Vicious Dogs

 

A young boy who risked his life protecting his siblings from two dogs has now raised over $37,000 towards his medical expenses from hundreds of strangers.

Deacon Ashmore, 12, was badly injured after he was viciously mauled by dogs while defending his three younger siblings.

Clete Bontrager, Deacon’s pastor at the Restore Church of Detroit, organized a GoFundMe page to help with the boy’s medical expenses. More than 690 people have contributed to the account, with one anonymous donor kicking in an incredible $10,000.

Peter Ashmore, Deacon’s father, wrote to the Detroit Free Press about the funds raised. “We are so grateful that so many perfect strangers have rallied to support Deacon!”

Deacon had surgery to repair his calf and is now recovering at home after being bitten by a dog that got loose in the neighborhood.

Bontrager told Newsweek that he’s known Deacon for years, ever since the boy came to the US from Ethiopia. “We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love Deacon has received both locally and literally around the world,” he said.

Deacon said that he was outside playing with his two sisters and his youngest brother — plus a few other children — when two dogs got loose and ran after them.

Deacon’s mother Elisabeth Ashmore said he “jumped in front of all the other kids and made sure they could run home really fast before the dog got them.”

She said his leg was severely mauled, to the point that his bone was visible. There was a lot of blood, but he luckily did not have any broken bones. He’s now in recovery, and according to Ashmore, he’s home on crutches.

Many of the GoFundMe donors have praised Deacon’s act of bravery, with one saying, “God bless you and your family. I hope my little bit eases the pain in your leg.” Another said: “God bless your bravery! Your siblings are lucky that you thought so quickly! Get well soon little hero!”

 

Google’s Delivery Service is Helping Girl Scouts with Cookie Sales

 

Due to the pandemic, the Girl Scouts have been experiencing a 50% shortfall in cookie sales. This is because of reduced foot traffic, and the limited ability to sell cookies in person. Now, Google’s delivery service “Wing” has teamed up with a Girl Scout group in Christiansburg, Virginia, to run America’s very first and only residential drone delivery service.

With delivery available via drone, Christiansburg residents can get classic cookies like Thin Mints and Peanut Butter Patties dropped directly at their front door.

In addition, Wing is working with local scouts to show them how drone technology works, hoping to inspire the girls to pursue careers in STEM.

Residents can order the cookies until the end of May, using the Wing app or the website. The company has committed to selling 3,000 boxes of cookies before then, and so far, the best-sellers are the Thin Mints.

Wing global communications lead Lia Reich said in a statement to USA TODAY: “Even with loosening COVID restrictions, the traditional method of selling cookies outside of grocery stores or shops is difficult this year. It was a natural fit to partner with the Girl Scouts to help out in this situation.”

A cookie delivery via drone can be done in minutes, without adding to traffic congestion. And energy-wise, Wing says drones are about 10x as efficient as electric vehicles, and over 50x more efficient than gasoline-powered vehicles.

The company believes this program will continue to grow, and drones could one day be delivering even more cookies.

“I expect that the future is going to have an opportunity for drones to be delivering to everyone across the country,” Reich said. “I think this is just a really great microcosm of what that can look like as we prep for the future.”

Watch below the excitement the Girl Scouts have with their partnership with Wing.

 

People Are Tipping More in Toronto Since the Start of the Pandemic

 

According to new data gathered by Square, a financial services and technology company, Toronto residents are feeling far more generous and are opting to tip more for takeout meals.

Square economist Felipe Chacon told BlogTO that customers started increasing their tips early on in the pandemic. “When lockdown orders started, all tips were for takeout orders and Square saw those tips increase. Tips went from an average of around 16.5% in early March 2020 to 18.9% mid-April,” he said.

He added that over the summer, tips were nearly 20%, but have since fallen to 17 or 18%.

 

 

Chacon says the data comes from several hundred businesses in Toronto, and that the median numbers also increased: from approximately 15% in spring of 2020 to 18% after May of the same year.

“The fact that the median tip went up tells me that just people, in general, are tipping more, it’s not just being driven by high tippers,” he said.