credit – Jade Smith / SWNS When 9-year-old Oscar Wilkins heard he’d been given the role of ‘Elvis the Elf’ in the nativity play at his primary school last week, the alliteration left him confused over what to tell his parents. Coming home, Oscar’s sister said neither he nor the school had been able to … Read more
– credit, Ai Tsujimura SWNS Family dogs boost kids’ mental health by changing microbes that live in their bodies, according to a new study. Researchers found that the pets prompt changes in the human microbiome, the collection of all microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, that inhabit the human body. Hundreds of studies have shown … Read more
Pope Francis in 2015 rides in Popemobile in Washington DC Parade – Credit Tami Heilemann / U.S. Department of the Interior – CC BY-SA 2.0 The global Catholic charity organization Caritas, asked Pope Francis in the final years of his life if he would like to see his old ‘popemobile’ used as a mobile hospital … Read more
Cakes4Kids Even the TV show’s host was crying. During the “Rad Humans” segment on her talk show, Kelly Clarkson introduced the nonprofit Cake4Kids—and before long, the emotional moment sent happy tears streaming down everyone’s face. For 15 years, the network of volunteer bakers have been providing custom birthday cakes for homeless kids, foster children, and … Read more
credit – Little Pardners Rodeo In the Bay Area, California, a day at the rodeo for children with developmental challenges leaves everyone in tears at some point, either from joy or compassion. Hosted by a cowboy whose son was born with Down Syndrome, Little ‘Pardners’ Rodeo treats 40 children aged 4 to 17 to an … Read more
Screenshots from the Nyiyaparli living language project app – credit, supplied by Nyiyaparli Widi An Australian Aboriginal community with only 8 fluent speakers left has launched a mobile phone game to help reconnect their youth with the tongue of their ancestors. The game allows you to help preserve a wetland nature reserve where the community … Read more
credit – Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital via Instagram From a chilly Green Bay comes a heart-melting story via Charlotte, where a heart transplant survivor had the day of his life as a traveling fan for his beloved Carolina Panthers. Bryson Shupe was born with a congenital heart defect, and 8 years ago, required open-heart … Read more
Courtesy of Grahame Family A hockey-loving boy from a hockey-loving family is selling special hockey merch to help other hockey lovers—and he’s loving it. His family took a childhood utterance, as genius as it was random, and spun it into a line of merchandise with the proceeds going to charities that pay for gear, rink … Read more
Maryam Sicard for Unsplash+ Toddlers safely built a tolerance to small amounts of peanut proteins thanks to a simple skin patch, which helped prevent the progression of a potentially deadly allergy. More than 70% of these toddlers could tolerate 3 or 4 peanut kernels after a 3-year course of treatment, say American scientists working to … Read more