There is positive news that surrounds us daily. Sometimes its hard to find but often it can be a small gesture or a kind word. Once in a while, positive news is monumental in size and scope.

Today, we celebrate positive news of enormous proportions - ground-breaking, revolutionary and truly amazing. Our world sighs a collective breath, knowing there is promise in in the air.

The first African American, Barack Obama is elected as President of the United States.

His victory speech says it all:

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

Barack Obama - America's New President Elect

Congratulations, world. Today is a day full of positive news and tremendous possibility!

Anne Jennings of Libertyville High School ’s is a Queen, both inside and out. And her schoolmates feel the same way. She dances down the halls and hugs her friends excitedly. Her school voted her Homecoming Queen and since then, she has been dancing on air.

Oliver...Making a Positive Difference with his Toys

When kids around the world feel connected and accountable for other kids around the world, we have the beginnings of a movement that could make a real difference globally.

Take Oliver, a 12 year-old Dutch boy with a vision: to raise money for poor orphans in Kenya by organizing an auction of Playmobil toys. These toys will be auctioned off at the last day of this PlayWorldWide weekend at the 8th and 9th of November in the Netherlands. The remaining toys will be donated to orphans of the Kenyan Macheo orphanage (http://www.macheo.org).

And this isn’t just charity from a distance. Oliver has personal contact to the kids he’s helping, via a foundation entitled Join!ForKids (http://www.joinforkids.org).

Join!forkids masterminds 11 private children projects in Peru, Pakistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia and Kenya.

“We will guarantee a 100% forwarding of the donations.” says José Brouwer, founder of Join!forkids who works without salary.

These funds will go toward school education programs as well as contribute to the lives of children who live around the orphanage in slums.

“What makes this exhibition unique is the underlying idea of children feeling responsible for each other all over the world.” says Jacqueline van Tol, Oliver’s mother.

If you want to support Oliver and contribute to his unique initiative, please contact Oliver at: playworldwide@hotmail.com or through http://www.playworldwide.mysites.nl

Send your comments our way. We’d love to hear from you!

Frank Tunison’s obsession with medieval times extends far back. As far back as high school, where he dressed a knight in tinfoil armor. At 65, he has a massive collection of porcelain and metal dragons. His favorite part of the year? The Minnesota Renaissance Festival, which he attends religiously.

When he was stricken with bone cancer at 65, he had to reconsider going to his favorite event. His energy and physical strength were too low to endure the travel and the festivities. His daughter, recognizing the dissapointment in her father, made a request to the festival participants: Could the festival come to him instead?

The festival coordinators enthusiastically agreed. 50 people came over of Frank’s house; a cook created a historical dish for he and his family, musicians and dancers performed on his front lawn. Frank (who had been told that his daughter was hosting an Avon meeting) was stunned and thrilled by the show of support from his fellow festival-goers.

When people coordinate their efforts, they can spread positive news quickly and effectively…and make a real difference to a gravely ill man.

We all have our forgetful moments. Most of the times, we admonish ourselves for it, as if mistakes were a sign of our flaw-filled nature. But we’re human and it’s alright to forget.

Of course, occasionally the stakes can be higher than misplacing some sunglasses or our car keys.

Ann Roggen is a violist with NJ Symphony Orchestra who had one of those “whoops” moments when she left her $40,000 viola in a New York City cab. She didn’t take a receipt but the Taxi and Limousine Commission was able to track down her prized musical instrument using a GPS to figure out which cab had taken her from the Fairway back to her Upper West Side apartment.

When the TLC contacted the driver, Deniz Getting, he was sound asleep. But when he got the messages and checked the backseat of his car, there was the viola, safe and sound.

As for Roggen, she promises to “always make sure to take a receipt.”

Send your comments our way!

Sonya Barclay was in serious need of some positive news. Her breast cancer had spread through her bones and feeling worn-out from treatment. But that didn’t stop her from wanting to make some improvements to her old home, in serious disrepair, that housed her four children, her husband and herself. She and her husband decided to compile a tape for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Surely the producers of the TV show would see this family’s need and want to take on the project. Her family worked hard to compile a video that displayed the hardship they had fallen under, with her husband explaining to the camera how he had recently lost his job at the local mill, which had recently shut down.

But the TV show receives a lot of tapes. And unfortunately the Barclays weren’t one of the chosen families.

So what did her community do? They built a house for her. The city of Old Town, Maine gathered and in the old “barn raising” tradition built a new, 3 story home for the Barclays within 22 days with the help of 400 volunteers and 22 businesses.

The Barclays were floored (literally!)

Says Sonya:

“This to me is more than a dream come true. And it didn’t take a TV show to build this house. It was built out of love, compassion and they knew that we needed it and they went ahead and did it.”

For 85 hours George Hood focused on nothing but pedaling his bike.? He was allowed a 5 minute break for each hour of pedaling completed.? However, other than that, he was on a mission to pedal, and pedal, and pedal some more.? What he was racing toward wasn’t really any particular location; after all, he was pedalling on a stationary bike.? What he was after, however, was a title in the Guiness Book of World Records and a successful fundraising drive for the Illinois chapter of COPS, an organization specifically designed to help the families of slain police officers.? He did both.? The title, upon proper certification by Guiness officials, will be his AND the event raised $25,000 for COPS.? Hood had about 200 people on-site to cheer him on for a job well done.? Congratulations for doing something that not only provides you a sense of satisfaction and acknowledgment, but also helps a group of deserving people.? Nice Job!

It is easy, at times, to be wrapped up in our own little worlds.? It is easy, to remain uninterested in those that we don’t personally know or have any real connection to.? It is easy, just to keep going in the same tracks that you have walked in past years.?

It is easy, no doubt about that.? But, is it satisfying?? This year, as 2007 gets underway, I would challenge anyone and everyone to find one thing that is outside their normal scope and pursue making a difference.? There are so many worthy causes we can become a part of.? Whether you have a few hours a week that you can read to an elderly resident in a nursing home or someone confined to their own home; or perhaps, you have a few dollars left at the end of your week that you can donate to a charitable organization — it doesn’t matter.? What does matter is that you do something.?

Our world is a great place to be.? We have the power to make it even greater.? One person at a time, working together to make a difference.? Now that’s a New Year’s Resolution, we can be proud of.

This has been my mantra for the 22 years I have been working to get my college diploma.? It is never too late.? This past week, my family agreed as they watched me graduate.? It was a great feeling to have finally accomplished such a big goal.?

I read this week of a 100 year old man, Marvin L. “Hub” Northen, that also received? his diploma from Baylor University.? The man had left the university during the Great Depression? because he needed to work to help care for his family.? When he left, he was one chemistry credit shy of? graduation and somehow never made it back to finish the degree.? The school decided that the diploma was in order.?

The Associated Press reported that, “According to Glenn Hilburn, the retired chair of Baylor’s religion department, Northen has been participating in a class that can be substituted for the Chemistry 101 class he never took.

‘He’s passed this substitute class with a grade of A-plus without even knowing it,’ Hilburn said. ‘It’s Life 101. He’s mastered that course and mastered it well.’”

Congratulations Mr. Northen on a job well done!? Without even realizing it, you have also proven that it is never too late.

When Austin was age 9, all he wanted to do was make his schools’? basketball team.? He didn’t make it.? So, he decided to learn more about where his penpal lived instead.? What he found was startling.? Austin learned? that as a result of the AIDs epidemic in Africa about 15 million children had been orphaned.? Not knowing exactly what he could do, Austin put together what he called a hoop-a-thon (like a walk-a-thon but it involves shooting free thows? instead) on World AIDs day.? ? That day, Austin? shot 2,057 free throws to represent the 2,057 kids who would be orphaned during the period of time that Austin would be in school.? He took pledges from the community and when it was all said and done, Austin’s first attempt at fund raising raised? $3,000 which he then donated to World Vision to help take care of orphaned children.? ?

That was three years ago.? Each year this program has continued to grow as other children (and adults) have taken their shot at the freethrow lines.? The project has become a national movement and this year Austin hoped to do something? much bigger — in that he wanted to help build a school so that the children would have a chance to improve their lives.? ? As of last week, Austin and his? organization, www.hoopsofhope.org,? raised $100,000.? Working again in conjunction with World Vision, Austin was more than happy to announce that a schedule has been approved to build a new school in Zambia this spring.? ? ?

It only goes to prove that no one is too young to make a difference.? ?