ABOUT AMERICA – The discovery of Herculean strength in an emergency is not a new phenomenon, but it is welcomed to be found, as a Virginia sheriff’s assistant did when investigating a rollover accident.
The driver was pinned under their vehicle when Gloucester County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Holt arrived. Your little son was upset.
“She can’t breathe. She can’t breathe,” he said and asked Holt to help him. “Mom mom!”
Holt got everyone out of the vehicle and turned his attention to the woman trapped underneath, her head stuck in the sunroof. He raised the vehicle single-handedly, “out of sheer will and determination,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. Made by Mark Hand for Fredericksburg, Virginia, Patch
Lift food trucks
Food Truck Thursdays (top photo) began helping companies in Herndon, Virginia weather the loss of foot traffic to their facilities during the coronavirus pandemic. But it’s so popular that it could become a staple, with a different food truck every Thursday. Middle school science teacher Missy Jakovcic Balus, who helped get Food Truck up and running on Thursdays, said helping small local businesses deal with the pandemic was “my big deal”. By Michael O’Connell for Herndon, Virginia, Patch
Hennessy’s death defying leap
Before we get into the rest of this week’s good news, open this up to see Hennessy make the death-defying cat leap out of a burning fifth-floor apartment in Chicago. When firefighters couldn’t reach him, the cat took matters into its own paws. Hennessy almost bumped into a wall on the way to the street, but landed safely and casually walked away. By Eileen O’Gorman for Chicago Patch
(Courtesy photo of the Chicago Fire Department)
Anthem for a smile
When the coronavirus pandemic kept him away from his local church, Ben Hack was devastated. The 22-year-old Maplewood, New Jersey man who lives with autism missed seeing his priest, Rev. Jim Worth, one of the few people with whom he has developed a deep relationship. The priest missed him too and sings Hack’s favorite songs – some hymns, but also American standards – in regular Facebook Live concerts. “When Father Jim sings Ben’s favorite song, God Bless America, it’s amazing to see the smile spread across Ben’s face,” said his mother. By Caren Lissner for Maplewood, New Jersey, Patch
(Courtesy photo by Mary Beth Walsh)
It is a match!
Joliet, Illinois family teenagers Lizzie Reyes received the call they had been waiting for Wednesday and headed to Chicago. Her surgeon thinks a kidney from an organ donor is a “perfect fit,” the family said on social media. “We only know that this is a young, viable donor, which means that another family is mourning while we are celebrating. So we ask for prayers for this family.” By John Ferak for Joliet Patch
(Courtesy photo of the Reyes family)
Charity Beyond Limits
In India, where Reston, Virginia-based Afzal Memon grew up, the number of new coronavirus cases is staggering – for example, 414,000 new cases were reported in a single day in May. Memon responded to a call for help from the Gujarat Sarajanik Welfare Trust, an NGO that runs hospitals and schools for disadvantaged children in the city in India where he grew up. “They ran out of oxygen around 5 p.m. every day and had to wait four or five hours for the next batch to arrive,” said Memon, who teamed up with four others to start a crowdfunding campaign to ship more than 100 oxygen to launch containers in his hometown. By Michael O’Connell for Reston, Virginia, Patch
(Abdussattar Munshi / GSWT)
Put competition aside
On the field, the Rockville and Ellington high school girls’ lacrosse teams are fierce opponents. Each year, the two Connecticut high school teams put their rivalries aside and turn their attention to people who lack some of their benefits, collecting groceries for a local pantry that helps people struggling to support their families. By Chris Dehnel for Vernon, Connecticut, Patch
(Courtesy photo of Ellington High School Athletics)
The sharks’ best friend forever
Every day, Captain John Moore sees sharks with gunshot wounds, but he wants the world to know the importance of apex predators to the health of the ocean. “The lack of compassion and disrespect for wildlife puzzles me,” Florida Shark Diving’s captain wrote in a recent Instagram post describing removing a hook and leader from the pectoral fin of a female bull shark. By Beth Dalbey for Miami Patch
(Courtesy photo by @ Captainjohnmoore / Instagram)
Horse Pen Pals
Some first and second graders in Dallas are pen pals with horses after two ponies visited their classroom as part of a scouting program to improve their reading skills offered by Equest, a therapeutic equestrian center. At the end of the sessions, they can visit their 30 pen pals. By Kevin Phinney for Dallas Patch.
Money for pools for puppies
Valarie Sanks, of Rocky Point, New York, papered her wall with the $ 1 bills she’d collected from people across town and turned the money into paddling pools to keep dogs at 15 Long Island animal shelters off the heat relieve. Sanks is known for her animal charity and the creative way she attracts donors. “We made a wall of blankets, we made a wall of birthday cards, we made a wall of peanut butter, and we even made a wall of treats for dogs and cats,” she said. “Now I want to paper my dining room with dollar bills because it’s ‘Dog Days of Summer’ soon and I’d love to try and do something amazing for dogs in urban shelters on Long Island.” By Lisa Finn for Shirley-Mastic, New York, Patch
(Courtesy photo by Valerie Sanks)
This cat has a whole story
Cats get into trouble – often, as the old saw says, because of their curiosity. A driver in Bloomfield, New Jersey, was shocked to discover a cat tucked under the hood earlier this month, but not before driving around town for a while. The cat was pushed around while driving and suffered a broken jaw, bumps and bruises. The staff at Bloomfield Animal Shelter have been unable to find the owner of the cat, now called Jaws, and are giving him royal treatment as he awaits adoption. By Eric Kiefer for Bloomfield, New Jersey, Patch
This dog also has a story
Cats aren’t the only animals throwing themselves into a pickle. Last week, Cobb County Animal Services’ Ty McIntyre happened upon a dog trapped in a large, deep hole. A local fire brigade appeared with ladders to rescue the dog, which was uninjured and was returning to its owner. By Kara McIntyre for Marietta, Georgia, Patch
(Courtesy photo of Cobb County Animal Services)
And this bird too
Firefighters often help get cats and dogs out of the situations they find themselves in, but a bird protrudes from a ledge? The Chicago Fire Department truck # 1 was driving back to the station when the bird owner stopped the crew and asked for a ladder. He stated the bird was a pet with its wings cut off. The rescue can be seen on a video showing the brightly colored bird sitting on a fire hook as it was lowered to street level, where 30 people raised their voices in cheers. By Eileen O’Gorman for Chicago Patch