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

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Austria’s most prestigious Spanish Riding School is changing its ways. And its a long time coming. The 426-year-old institution recently presented its first female riders-in-training.

The school, founded in 1572, is a highly-recognized and extremely competitive house of learning, known for its stunning white Lipizzaner stallions - stallions that have never been rode by a female in quite some time. But the director thinks its time to break with a tradition that has kept qualified, trained women to ride these elegant animals.

“What speaks against it?” Elizabeth Guertler told reporters. “Today, ladies and gentlemen both have to earn their keep and prove themselves.”

“For her, it just wasn’t acceptable,” spokeswoman Barbara Sommersacher said. “For Ms. Guertler, traditions are good as long as they’re adapted to current times.”

Who are these fine women making history? 21-year-old Hannah Zeitlhofeand Sojourner Morrell from Austria, a 17-year-old British national who grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York.

“I’m very happy — it’s my dream come true,” Morrell said.

Traditions are beautiful elements of our lives but need to keep up with the times. Positive news starts when strong, skilled women can compete and express their physical prowess.

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We’d love to hear your comments…or personal positive stories of your own! Send them our way!

Ellis Island has spades of stories to tell: families and people wanting or needing to start a new life entered this island first, as an entryway to the next phase of their lives, which would be markedly different from this point onward. Many found their dreams, others found hardship and most, like all of us, found both.

Two years ago, the unmarked grave of Annie Moore was discovered. She was the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island from her home country of Ireland. She arrived there on the day the station opened, Jan. 1, 1892.

Her site was recently memorialized with a Celtic cross.

Moore was only 17 years old when she arrived in the country. The Irish consul considers her a symbol for the hundreds of thousands of Irish who made their way to New York City.

Ellis Island was the gateway to America. More than 12 million immigrants have passed through. As many as 5,000 people a day were processed at Ellis Island at its peak in the early 1900s.

When we pay respect to the pioneers and true mavericks that have entered this country, we pay respect to our history and lineage. We remember where we come from and who laid the groundwork for our dreams to come true.

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If you do a search for positive news, you’ll see it everywhere. And none of us are surprised. We know that amidst a plummeting financial crisis, war, and difficult times, positive news exists, somehow, somewhere.

But the question we must ask ourselves, as we peruse the Internet, is this: how have we contributed to Positive News today? Often we think it must be some grand act of charity or some bold measure of mercy. But what if our positive news is as simple as being kind to a fellow stranger?

We look past it quickly, as if doesn’t matter, but what do you do on a daily basis that contributes to the world’s good? The beauty of it? It doesn’t have to be major. It could be as small as a warm smile or an open door. But what have you done to reverse the trend of dismissiveness or heartlessness today?

Positive news starts with you, not something you read on the Internet. What can be your “good deed of the day?” And again, it doesn’t have to be major or newsworthy….just something. Let’s start from there.

It started 8 years ago. 4 year old Alexandra Scott pursued a “career” as the owner of a lemonade stand. But the stakes were a little higher for her. She was trying to raise money to her her doctors find a cure for kids with cancer because she herself was stricken with it. Her brother Patrick joined in and for the next 4 years, regardless of Alex’s health, the team would hold an annual lemonade stand to raise money for childhood cancer research.

As the story of their lemonade stand grew, so did business. Inspired by their example, thousands of lemonade stands sprung up across the nation, creating a formidable fund raising team.

On August 1st, 2004, Alex Scott died peacefully at the age of only 8 years old. She had raised over $1 million for childhood cancer research in her painfully short lifetime.

But her spirit lives on…and so does her lemonade stand. As of July 2008, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has raised over $20 million for childhood cancer research. That’s some positive news for children with cancer…and positive news for lemonade stands everywhere.

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.

When Paul Newman passed away several weeks ago, the world mourned. Not only did we know him as a dashing, talented actor but as years passed, a hard-working, dedicated and humble philanthropist.

When Newman and others started “Newman’s Own” (a brand of products Newman himself helped create), it started off as a joke. As it grew to become a massive, multi-million dollar enterprise, Newman insisted all of him food products would remain quality food, utilizing fair labor practices and their mission focus would always be on philanthropy, not profit.

But Newman, who died at 83, told people he’d like to be remembered mainly for the “Hole in the Wall” camps he helped start across the world for children with life-threatening illnesses. This is where 100 percent of his profits for this successful food company belonged.

“He loved the camps. He loved being there. He loved being with the kids,” a friend and co-worker said. “He loved their smiles and their laughter. He felt a need and an obligation to try to give back,”

So we say goodbye to Paul Newman - a man of big talents and an even bigger heart. May you rest in peace, knowing the good you have done.

Send your comments and positive news our way…we’d love to hear from you!

Congress approved production and tax credits for the renewable energy businesses as part of its $700 billion bail-out package for the financial industry.

As part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, Congress ensured that renewable energy would be rewarded for its steps toward a cleaner environment.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California relayed that she is “pleased that the bill includes an extension of tax cuts for clean renewable energy that will create and save half a million good-paying paying jobs in America immediately.”

This part of the energy bill did not make the cut last year when it was denied in the Senate. Now, renewable energy jobs are becoming increasingly critical to a sagging economy as well as being fundamental in a society less reliant on fossil fuel.

Greg Wetstone, who is the senior director of governmental and public affairs at the American Wind Energy Association, released in a statement:

“We salute Members of Congress in both parties who fought under difficult conditions to keep the renewable energy production tax credit and small turbine investment tax credit on the agenda until the very end, and then pushed them across the finish line. These tax credits are essential to the continued growth of wind energy, to the economic and energy security of the United States, and to a successful beginning in the fight against global warming.”

The one year tax credit extension applies to other energy sources as well, such as geothermal; closed-loop biomass; hydropower; landfill gas and trash combustion facilities.

It’s good to know that during these difficult times, people who are making an environmental difference are also becoming key players in the economy as well.

Wind turbine and flag at the Maple Ridge Wind Farm in Lewis County, New York

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Can small towns ban a boogie? Apparently, they can try. In Queen Creek, Arizona, restaurateur Dale Bell, owner of San Tan Flat Saloon & Grill, successfully fought a citation that banned outdoor dancing at his venue. As more small businesses desperately struggle against an increasingly bureaucratic atmosphere in today’s mega-corporate environment, this victory proves that the “small guys” can still prevail.

An ancient ruling on the books in this area declared that no dancing would be allowed in an outdoor, commercially owned area and that the owners should “physically restrict” anyone from attempting to sway their hips. It did allow puppet show and mime, strangely enough.

“This case is certainly one of the most absurd and strange abuses of government power that we have come across,” said Jennifer Perkins, a staff attorney from the Institute for Justice, representing Bell. “But it’s a great example of what can happen when a local government really gets free reign over the individuals in their territory.”

Bell claims the county did anything it could to shut down and/or fine the establishment for any infraction, including noise infractions and health code infractions.

“They threw everything but the kitchen sink at us,” Bell said.

Bell lost his first two battles with the county but finally prevailed when a state judge sided with Bell, even though the legal battle took its toll on Bell’s business.

“I was trying to teach my kid how to become a small businessman and enjoy the American dream,” Bell said. “What I really showed him was that the American dream has become the American nightmare. Small business is under attack, and it’s about all that’s left that’s good about the American economy.”

But this small business DID prevail during a trying time for small businesses. And patrons at Bell’s restaurant can now dance about it!

When you see a teenager making such a difference to the world, you begin to realize the potential of youth - and indirectly, the potential of all of us to make a difference now.

Rosetta Ragusa is such a teenager. Since she was 14 years old, she began using her weekends to collect money for SOS Children’s Villages - USA. Whether collecting from friends and neighbors or spending time in front of local grocery stores informing passers-by, this girl is keeping busy!

“I first became interested in SOS-USA when I was given an advanced history assignment and had to research a service project,” Ragusa says. “Once I learned of the impact SOS-USA has around the world, I took my assignment out of the classroom and into the real world.”

Ragusa began specifically exploring the various ways that conflict and disease have taken a toll on Ugandan children. She spread her knowledge by teaching the people around her - friends, family members and the community at large in a grassroots, take charge fashion.

“Rosetta Ragusa is an exceptional example of a well-intentioned young woman who knows that each one of us can make a difference. We are thrilled to have her volunteering for us, and we support and commend Rosetta for everything she is doing,” says Heather Paul, CEO of SOS-USA.

“It makes me feel blessed that young kids in my community recognize me for my passion for SOS-USA, but to myself I am just an ordinary girl in a big world trying to help Ugandan people.” says Ragusa.

More about SOS Children’s Villages - USA

SOS Children’s Villages was founded in 1949 to provide families for orphaned and abandoned children. Today there are over 450 villages in 132 countries around the world. The mission of SOS is to build families for children in need, help them shape their own futures and share in the development of their communities. To learn more, visit SOS Children’s Villages - USA

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