This Canadian Teenager Thought He was in Trouble for Constantly Practicing Basketball. Instead, his Neighbors Gave him a Sweet Surprise

 

Anthony Muobike is a 14-year-old teenager boy who enjoys playing basketball. When the weather starts to get nicer and warmer outside, you can spot this young boy out in the streets of Edmonton, Alberta practicing his dribbling skills, almost seven days a week.

Recently he got a knock on the door from one of the neighbors, assuming they were tired of hearing him practice, but in fact, that wasn’t the case. Instead, the community got together to help him achieve his dreams.

Watch the video below to see what happened next.

 

 

 

This Actress Spent $2000 to Get Tyler Perry’s Attention and Has Now Landed a Lead Role in His New TV Project

 

An actress from Atlanta who was determined to get entertainment mogul Tyler Perry’s attention found a creative way to capture it.

In 2019, Raquel Palmer went viral after spending $2000 on a billboard, with the determination to star in one of Perry’s projects. The billboard read: “Attention Mr. Perry. Raquel Palmer is your next leading lady.”

Below the text was a link to her website as well as her social media platform.

Given the success of the billboard, Palmer got cast as the leading lady in the new BET+ series ‘All the Queen’s Men,’ which is set to release on September 09.

 

 

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Prior to her leading role, Palmer had landed a guest role on Perry’s BET drama series ‘Sistas.’

Now, she’ll be playing the role of the head of security.

“I play Blue, who is her (Madam) head of security. I pick up any loose ends, I’m extremely loyal to Madam and anything that she needs to be done,” the actress told TMZ. “We never spoke of the billboard.”

“It’s just an actor and director relationship. It’s like it never happened.”

Watch the trailer of Perry’s new BET+ series ‘Sistas.’

 

 

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Reddit Users Shower Boy with Stuffed Sea Animals After Learning His Mom Can’t Afford One

 

A single mom took to Reddit to post on the platform a picture of a gift she handcrafted after not being able to afford one for her son. She posted a photo of a stuffed manta ray made using one of her son’s old baby blankets.

“My son wanted a stuff manta ray for his 5th birthday but I didn’t have money to buy one so instead I converted his old baby blanket into one! (Hand sewn),” she wrote.

After two weeks, her post went viral, gaining more than 66,000 likes and thousands of supporting comments.

“This is cute!!! He’ll love it. And it’ll be a beloved stuffy that his parent went out of the way to create for him. I bet he’ll keep it forever,” one user wrote.

Soon enough, the mother who posted on the forum ‘PovertyFinance’ was flooded with requests from strangers requesting to send her five-year-old son stuffed sea animals. She then posted a follow up photo, grateful for all the “overwhelming love and support” she received from the internet.

“I posted here a few days ago about making my son a manta ray because I couldn’t afford one.

Look what y’all did for my baby. You are all amazing,” she said. “I never expected this to get more than a few views, honestly thought I’d get roasted. Thank you for making a mom who has been fighting like hell for her kids and is exhausted and defeated feel loved. You guys are amazing. Truly, even if it sounds cringe, I know it’s just Reddit but y’all have lifted my spirits tonight and I cannot overstate how thankful I am for that.”

Watch the video below of her son playing with the Reddit birthday gifts.

 

 

Polish Olympian Auctions Prized Medal to Pay for Young Boy’s Surgery

 

After securing the silver medal in the javelin throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Polish Olympian Maria Andrejczyk is auctioning off her prized medal to help save a toddler’s life.

The Olympian made the announcement on her Facebook page, writing she’s chosen to raise funds for an 8-month-old baby boy, who needs to travel for heart surgery from Poland to Stanford University in California. Andrejczyk wrote that although she doesn’t know Miloszek Malysa, she knows this is the right choice to make after reading online pleas for help from his parents.

She said the cost to cover the transportation and treatment was 1.5 million Polish zlotys, about $385,000,

“The true value of a medal always remains in the heart,” the Olympian told the Times of London. “A medal is only an object, but it can be of great value to others. This silver can save lives, instead of collecting dust in a closet. That is why I decided to auction it to help sick children.”

On August 17, an announcement was made by Andrejczyk saying she’s closed the auction, as a Polish convenience store chain, Zabka, made the winning bid.

The convenience store confirmed the news on Facebook, stating they gracefully declined to accept her medal.

“We were moved by the beautiful and extremely noble gesture of our Olympian,” the store wrote.

“We also decided that the silver medal from Tokyo will stay with Ms. Maria.”

These Italian Dogs are Trained to be Lifeguards and Save 20 Lives Every Year

 

Growing up we’ve heard of the sled dogs hauling supplies and medicine through the cold, saving people’s lives, but now we’re seeing dogs being trained to save the lives of those who could be drowning.

In Italy, a school known as the Italian School of Water Rescue Dogs (Scuola Italiana Cani Salvataggio, or SICS) has trained about 350 dogs to patrol beaches and work as lifeguards. The program takes about 18 months of basic training, and once the dogs have successfully completed these steps, they move onto an intensive program focusing on lifesaving techniques such as jumping from helicopters and leaping from speeding boats.

Out of 300 units, each one consists of a trainer and one dog, watching over approximately 30 of the busiest beaches across the country.

Earlier in August, there were strong wind and wave conditions, that pulled families and children 330 feet away from shore. Three canine lifeguards and their trainers rushed in to pull everyone back to safety. It took the dogs Eros, Mya, and Mira and their trainers about 15 minutes to save the day.

“To be able to use a dog in a water rescue mission gives the rescuer a leg up. The rescuer who operates on his own is alone. We are never alone. We are always in a team with our dog so it’s a six-legged unit. I can conserve my energy and become a more effective rescuer,” 59-year-old Ferruccio Pilenga, the brains behind the SICS program, told the Great Big Story. “To make [people] understand, I always say, ‘To pull a sled, it takes at least six dogs, to pull six people, you only need one dog.”

So far, Italy is the only country to recognize certified dogs as lifeguards, however, there are training centers being set up in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, and the Azores.

Watch below the Great Big Story video about the lifeguard dogs below.

 

Waste Collection Agency Finds $25,000 Stashed in Discarded Freezer and Returns the Money

 

After an Ohio family accidentally threw away $25,000 in a discarded freezer, a local trash company found the money and returned it.

This happened after a customer had called Republic Services saying she lost something important in the garbage. It ended up being $25,000 in cash.

“They were cleaning out their house for their grandmother and they cleaned out the refrigerator, threw out all the garbage, grabbed all the freezer stuff and put it in a bag, and then the grandma was like, ‘Hey, there’s an envelope with $25,000 in there, don’t lose that,’ and she’s like, “Grandma, I already lost that, it’s in the garbage!” said operations supervisor Gary Capan the News 5 Cleveland.

They then got to work, in search of the missing money.

“One team was trying to track down the driver and find out exactly what his location was and if he made it to the landfill yet,” said Capan.

The driver hadn’t dropped his load at the Oberlin, Ohio landfill yet, so the team arranged to get the truck dropped off at their recycling center. Once the driver arrived and dumped out the waste in his truck, 10 workers began searching, until Dan Schoewe found the cash in a bag.

“Couldn’t believe it took 10 minutes and actually, I said, ‘Man, it looks just like that,’ pulled it off, opened it up and there was the package inside the money,” said Schoewe. “They were so happy they were tearing up.”

The employee’s incredible teamwork left the family so happy and grateful. “Makes us feel good here. Made myself feel good. I was like, ‘yeah that’s awesome.’ What a great story. And we’re just glad to help,” Capan said.

This Train Ticketing Startup Will Plant a Tree Every Time You Buy a Ticket

 

A startup company in the UK is offering green incentives to encourage travelers to go to their destination in a sustainable manner.

The new train ticketing startup, Trainhugger, is pledging to plant a tree for every journey booked through its site.

According to the startup, purchasing a ticket comes at no extra cost to the passenger, as the ends up costing the same as its competitors.

“This is a really easy way for people to change their behavior and become greener, without costing them anymore,” said Trainhugger CEO and founder, Ed Caldecott. “If you’re planning a trip, book your train ticket with us and we’ll plant a tree in your name.”

Trainhugger has teamed up with two Forestry Societies, the Royal Forestry Society and the Royal Scottish Forestry Society to optimize the planting and discuss which species of trees are best planted around the areas.

According to Trainhugger, you can currently book tickets through their official website, however, an app will be coming soon.

 

Naomi Osaka Donates Tournament Winnings to Earthquake Relief in Haiti

 

Following a tragic earthquake in Haiti, tennis Olympian Naomi Osaka announced she will donate the prize winnings from her next tournament to fund relief efforts for the country.

The tennis star who is of is Haitian and Japanese descent, announced via Twitter, the donations. She wrote, “Really hurts to see all the devastation that’s going on in Haiti, and I feel like we really can’t catch a break. I’m about to play a tournament this week and I’ll give all the prize money to relief efforts for Haiti. I know our ancestors blood is strong we’ll keep rising.”

 

 

Osaka has used her platform in the past to bring attention to issues like mental health, racial justice, as well as police violence, and continues to commit to her advocacy.

If Osaka wins the current tournament she’ll be playing at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, she’ll win a total of $255,220 for the women’s singles winner, or $188,945 for the runner up.

 

Julie Bowen of ‘Modern Family’ and Sister Help Injured Woman

 

Actor Julie Bowen of ‘Modern Family’ and her sister was on a hike last week at Utah’s Arches National Park when they saw a woman who fainted and hit her head on a rock after stopping to rest.

‘They could have just ignored me, passed on, but they didn’t,” Minnie John told CNN News. “She could have gone on – she must have had a busy agenda that was disturbed because of me. They treated me, a stranger, with love and respect.”

John and her family were on a trip in Arches, to cross hiking and seeing the Delicate Arch off her “bucket list.” The arch is a four-story sandstone perched on the rim of a deep red rock canyon. John stopped after an hour and a half to take a rest, telling her husband and son to go ahead so she could take a rest, as she couldn’t go any farther.

John shared the events in a three-part Facebook post, along with photos of her experience. She wrote in one of the posts, “All I remember is sitting there with my head in my hands secure on the rock,” she continued. “Next thing I hear someone with a familiar voice kept asking me questions.”

She told CNN that Bowen, her sister, Dr. Annie Luetkemeyer, and a guide were also hiking along with the Delicate Arch, that’s when “the guide saw [her] fall forward.”

The three of them ran to John and found that she broke her nose, as well as the skin around her nose. They cleaned her up, and gave her electrolytes, as John was severely dehydrated from not having any food since breakfast. Bowen, who played “Claire” in ‘Modern Family’ assured John was going to be OK and then used her phone to call her son.

 

 

As they waited for John’s son and husband, she took advantage of the moment and asked if she could take a picture.

“They were so down to earth, so genuine, so sweet: Not at all how you might expect a big actor or a big doctor to be – which they are. They were just so humble, so loving.”

“I knew I’d never meet them again but I appreciated and admired the human part of what they did — selfless, not selfish,” she expressed. “We tend to forget the daily kindnesses we encounter. We’re blind to everything around us and don’t imagine that people will be so good, kind, and caring.”

 

Woman Pays for Athlete’s Taxi to Get to His Race, Helping Him Win Gold

 

When this Olympian took the wrong bus to get to his race, a kind volunteer helped him get to the right path.

Jamaican hurdler Hansle Parchment was worried he would miss the 110 hurdles final when he hopped on the wrong bus taking him to what he believes was one of the aquatic venues. That’s when he met a kind Olympics volunteer, Tiana, who helped him get back in time to compete, which then led him to win gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“I saw this volunteer and I had to beg, ‘cause of course she is not allowed to do much, and she actually gave me some money to take one of the taxis. And that’s how I was able to get to the warm-up in time and had enough time to compete,” Parchment said in a video he posted to Instagram, which ends with him meeting Tiana – after the Games.

Parchment thanked the generous volunteer, showed her the gold medal, paid her back the money she had lent him, and also gave her a Jamaican Olympic shirt.

 

 

Now, Jamaica’s minister for tourism is intending to host Tiana on a trip to the Caribbean Island.

“No matter where in the world she is, we want to reciprocate the kindness shown to one of our own,” Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s minister for tourism, told the Sunday Gleaner.