Man returns lost money twice in same week

A Maine man found a wallet stuffed with cash on the floor in a home improvement store. Two days later, he found a loaded money bag in the same store. Gil Steward was shopping Tuesday at The Home Depot in Auburn when he spied the wallet, which was stuffed with nearly $1,000 in $100 bills. He returned it to The Home Depot store’s service counter, and it was returned to a very grateful owner.

On Thursday, same hour and same store, Steward saw a green money bag on the floor. Again, it was returned to its rightful owner.

His wife, Dee, said her husband thinks he’s being tested. As for Steward, he said he plans to play the lottery this weekend.

Kids Speak Out About Environmental Issues and Going Green

The Kids’ Environmental Report Card is part of the Science Explorations program, a collaboration of Scholastic’s classroom magazines, SuperScience® (grades 3–6) and Science World®(grades 6–10), and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). In addition to sharing their views through the poll, kids can pose questions about the environment to be answered by scientists at AMNH each month. Each of the questions will be supplemented by multimedia content from Scholastic and AMNH, including interviews with the Museum’s scientists and curators, photographs, artifacts, and much more. Students and teachers can explore a range of topics such as ecotourism, preserving biodiversity, and reducing pollution.

“Kids have a lot to say about the job we’re doing as stewards of the environment, and the Kids’ Environmental Report Card gives them a chance to express themselves about these important topics,” said David Goddy, Vice President of Education at e-Scholastic. “With AMNH, we can provide students and educators with a hands-on way to investigate ecological issues, learn about careers in science, and expand their knowledge of the world around them.”

This marks the fourth year that Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, and the American Museum of Natural History, one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions, have joined together to promote science literacy among students in grades 3 through 10.

“Interest in the natural world and passion for conserving it is key to the mission of AMNH,” said Rosamond Kinzler, Senior Director of the National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology at AMNH. “Partnering with Scholastic is a powerful way for us to share this mission with kids across the country, in classrooms and on the Web.”

To learn more about the Kids’ Environmental Report Card or Science Explorations, go to www.scholastic.com/scienceexplorations.

For more information about the American Museum of Natural History, please visit www.amnh.org.

Carnegie Heroes awards 19 for bravery

A Wisconsin man who lunged in front of a train to save a 3-year-old from certain death and a New York man who twice entered a burning building to rescue two little girls were among 19 people awarded Carnegie medals Monday for their courage.

Merlin Harn, 40, and his wife were driving by a railroad track on Sept. 1, 2007, in their hometown of Menasha, Wis., when they saw an unattended 3-year-old boy wandering on the tracks.

Before police arrived, the crossing lights, bells and whistles went off. Harn ran to the boy, grabbed him under the arms and carried him to safety seconds before the train passed them, its emergency brake activated.

The Carnegie Heroes Fund gave its fourth group of awards this year to 19 people who risked their own lives to save others. Some of the people died or were injured rescuing others who were drowning, being attacked or were trapped in fires.

The heroes announced bring to 92 the number of awards made in 2008 and to 9,243 the total number of awards since the Pittsburgh-based Fund’s inception in 1904. Commission President Mark Laskow stated that each of the awardees or their next of kin will also receive a financial grant. Throughout the 104 years since the Fund was established by industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, $31.1 million has been given in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits, and continuing assistance.

See the entire list of heroes here.

Another of the heroes, James Carpenter, was at his home in Gloversville, N.Y., when he noticed the house next door had gone up in flames. Running into the burning building, Carpenter made his way through dense smoke and found two girls trapped on the second floor.

He grabbed 5-year-old Chelsea and made his way out of the house with her, but her 3-year-old sister, Jocelyn, remained inside. Carpenter, 28, re-entered the burning home, ran upstairs and called for the little girl. Grabbing Jocelyn, Carpenter realized the stairs were impassable. He went into a bedroom and lowered her out the window into the arms of two men outside.

The two-fold mission of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission: To recognize persons who perform acts of heroism in civilian life in the United States and Canada, and to provide financial assistance for those disabled and the dependants of those killed helping others.

We live in a heroic age, Andrew Carnegie wrote in the opening lines of the Commission’s founding Deed of Trust in 1904. Not seldom are we thrilled by deeds of heroism where men or women are injured or lose their lives in attempting to preserve or rescue their fellows.

Those who are selected for recognition by the Commission are awarded the CARNEGIE MEDAL, and they, or their survivors, become eligible for financial considerations, including one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits, and continuing assistance. To date, more than 9,000 medals have been awarded, the recipients selected from more than 80,000 nominees. About 20 percent of the medals are awarded posthumously.  Awardees are announced five times a year, following meetings of the Commission.

Among the other heroes was Walter Rosenthal, 58, of Toms Place, Calif. He died trying to save James J. Juarez and John S. McAndrews from suffocation after they were buried by snow at a resort in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., on April 6, 2006.

Steel baron Andrew Carnegie launched the hero fund in 1904 after hearing about rescue stories from a mine disaster that had killed 181 people. Since then, $31.1 million has been awarded to 9,243 people. Each recipient, or their heirs, receives $6,000 and a medal.

Ten NGOs Helping People Around The World

Elementary students stock food bank shelves

Spencer Elementary students are giving back to the community in a big way this Thanksgiving weekend. We caught up with them doing their good deed and found out how they used their creativity to help the needy.

For weeks, Spencer Elementary students collected all cans.

With the help of some local architects, they used the cans to create a tugboat and their masterpiece was on display at the Jepson Center for about a month.

But this week the students dismantled the boat and donated all the canned goods to the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Students like Janiah Sam took it one step further helping to stock the shelves.

“They need help and we are helping them with whatever they need,” said Sam.

The director of Second Harvest Food Bank Mary J. Crouch, says without the help like this they would never be able to keep up with the demand.

“The demand is up with all the layoffs and everything going on, in our community there are more people needing food there’s more of a need,”said Crouch.

And when the students came up with the idea to help stock the shelves, she was thrilled.

“They came up with the whole idea and designing something that would help the food bank,” said Crouch. “Doing something for their community that is a hometown hero.”

10,000th wish is on Parade

The Make-A-Wish Foundation and national sponsors International Union, UAW and General Motors Corporation are celebrating a momentous wish milestone this month – granting the 10,000th wish of their decade-long partnership.

To mark this achievement, the 10,000th wish recipient, Brandon, 10, of Rodney, Mich., and his family will ride on UAW-GM’s float in America’s Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27.

“Thanks to their tremendous generosity during the past decade, UAW-GM and GM have made a real difference for the 10,000 children nationwide whose wishes have been granted and countless others who were a part of their wishes,” said David Williams, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America president and chief executive officer. “I want to express our gratitude for their commitment to children such as Brandon in helping make their heartfelt wishes come true.”

Brandon, who was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma and recently finished a difficult regime of chemotherapy, met his all-time favorite player, former Detroit Lions star Barry Sanders, during the Lions’ Nov. 9 home game. He was also the team’s guest at practice Nov. 7, where he received armfuls of autographed memorabilia from the Lions and met several current Lions players and coaches.

“My favorite part of the wish was watching Brandon’s face at his first Lions game – he was yelling and cheering, and you could just tell he was loving it,” said Brandon’s mother, Darlene. “Barry was just so nice. He talked with [Brandon and his dad] about hunting and what kinds of things Brandon likes to do for fun. I just sat back, smiling. I couldn’t believe it was happening.”

As part of the sponsorship, UAW-represented GM workers and GM dealers across the country have participated in fundraising on both national and local levels and committed their personal talents to wish granting – restoring vehicles, building playhouses, planning wish-granting parties and giving families a ride to the airport, among other activities.

“Making a commitment to community and these children, both personally and financially, is something that matters tremendously to UAW-GM people and GM dealers across the country,” said Diana Tremblay, vice president labor relations, GM North America.

“For those who have had the opportunity to share the power of a wish®, it’s a moving experience that will never be forgotten,” said Cal Rapson, UAW vice president and director, GM department. “I have heard it said more than once, you truly get back more than what you give, and it’s been our privilege.”

Some wishes granted through the sponsorship have been quite practical, such as an assistance dog or special equipment to help the child communicate or become more mobile. Other children’s imaginations have taken them to the moon and back, such as Johnny, 11, from Downey, Calif., who visited Kennedy Space Center and had lunch with an astronaut. The first wish granted in 1999 was to refurbish a Chevy truck for a 16-year-old Aliquippa, Pa., boy.

First Electric Vehicle Network announced in US

Bay Area leaders are hoping that a combo of public and private investments can turn the region into The Electric Vehicle Capital of the U.S., by building out a $1-billion electric vehicle infrastructure. The group involves Silicon Valley’s Better Place and a group of wide-eyed politicians: California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the mayors of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland.

The group defined a vision for encouraging investment in green infrastructure as a means for boosting the state’s competitive advantage while reducing its dependence on oil for transportation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The group believes that the move to a sustainable mobility model of electric vehicles fueled by renewable energy, beginning in the Bay area, will serve as an economic and environmental stimulus blueprint for the entire country, particularly the nation’s lagging automotive sector.

“California is already a world leader in fighting global warming and promoting renewable energy,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “This type of public-private partnership is exactly what I envisioned when we created the first ever low carbon fuel standard and when the state enacted the zero emissions vehicle program. This partnership is proof that by working together, we can achieve our goals of creating a healthier planet while boosting our economy at the same time.”

How it Works - watch the video

“Creating an energy-independent economy is our generation’s moon-shot,” said Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Venture Partner and Senior Advisor, VantagePoint Venture Partners. “For too long we’ve believed that economy and environment stood at odds with each other. By coming together in this time of turmoil to build a clean transportation infrastructure, this generation will fuel the economic and environmental prosperity of generations to come.”

“Transportation accounts for about 40% of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, and is globally forecast to consume over half of all oil in the coming decades,” said Dan Kammen, Director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley. “This kind of public-private partnership is exactly what we need to create new jobs building a clean energy infrastructure, and contribute to economic and environmental recovery locally and globally. This initiative will help to put the Bay Area in the forefront of developing the science, engineering, and public policy innovations that simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lead us to the next economic boom – the clean energy century. With the approach of the COP15 climate summit next year, this initiative can have truly global impact.”

The Bay Area will serve as the first region of California to make the switch from carbon-based transportation to sustainable mobility.

In conjunction with the news, Better Place, the world’s leading sustainability mobility operator, announced that it would enter the US market with California as its first state, beginning in the Bay Area. Better Place will work a similar infrastructure investment model as it has in Israel, Denmark and Australia. Network planning and permitting will begin in January 2009 with infrastructure deployment beginning in 2010.

$1M for cirriculum creativity

Jordan Brand, a division of Nike, Inc., announced that through its Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program it is recognizing close to 300 educators nationwide for their outstanding achievements and contributions in the classroom. This year, the Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program will award $1 million in total grants for the 2008-2009 school year to aid teachers working in grades K-12 in underserved communities. These grants provide the resources necessary for instructional creativity and enhance curriculum development.

“Jordan Fundamentals was designed to honor educators across America by providing financial support to their schools,” says Keith Houlemard, Jordan Brand President. “Our committed educators pave the way for the future of this country due to their unwavering commitment to their students and their communities by providing the best education possible to every student that enters their classrooms.”

The Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program acknowledges and provides financial support to teachers who endeavor to overcome challenges and limited resources in order to achieve excellence through instructional creativity, innovative teaching and high learning expectations for students. Since 1999, the Jordan Fundamentals program has presented more than $9 in financial aid to public secondary school teachers where at least 50 percent of the student body population is eligible for the free or reduced lunch program.

“Jordan Fundamentals allows teachers the opportunity to bring fresh ideas and innovative programs into the classrooms,” said Tim Anderson of Chicago’s May Community Academy and 2008-2009 Jordan Fundamentals grant recipient. “It is through these grants that we can inspire children to awaken their appetite for learning by gaining access to books, supplies and resources that have previously been out of reach to these deserving children.”

For the list of grant recipients and more information about the Jordan Fundamentals program, please visit www.jordanfundamentals.com.

CSR Wire

Championship ring to help save children

Former NFL player Je’Rod Cherry is raffling his SuperBowl championship ring in hopes of helping children.

Cherry, who played for New England, Philadelphia and New Orleans in a nine-year NFL career, is raffling his 2001 Patriots Super Bowl ring on Nov. 27 to raise money for children’s charities around the world. “I was moved by some pictures I saw of a child in Africa on his deathbed, and in the background waiting was a vulture, in essence, to consume him,” said Cherry, who lives in Ohio now. “What I saw there moved me to say, ‘What can I do to make a difference?’ What can I give sacrificially from myself to show I do have care and concern about this child’s predicament as well as other organizations that help people across the world?”

Cherry says he cherishes the ring, and played football 21 years to get to the pinnacle of the profession. “But using this ring to help children who are starving … and who have no hope will be a greater feeling than what I felt the day I actually won the ring.”

He’s raffling the ring instead of auctioning it so all fans would have a chance to win it, not just the richest ones. Five tickets cost $10, and can be purchased at netraffle.org. Deadline for purchase is Nov. 27 at 9 a.m.

“After the decision to do the raffle was made,” Cherry told me Saturday, “I said, ‘Wow. I’m actually going to relinquish this ring.’ It’s not going to be easy. Before that season, I’d played football all my life, but I never won a championship. My high school team won one league game in Berkeley [Calif.]. I went to Cal. I started my career with the Saints, and we never won there.”

He got to the Patriots with the middle-class free-agency class of 2001, and as I reminded Cherry, that first Super Bowl team was a bunch of Je’Rod Cherries. It’s fitting he won the ring with a bunch of blue-collar players like him.

Cherry’s disappointed with the raffle kitty so far — it’s approaching $75,000 — but he hopes even if the proceeds aren’t what he hopes for, “I may spur someone who hears about this or reads about a person giving up such a prized possession to do something for others.”

Purchase your raffle tickets at Netraffle.org (here)

Created by Jostens, the 14-karat white gold Super Bowl ring worn by the Super Bowl XXXVI champions, the New England Patriots, features 142 diamonds. Forty-two diamonds encircle the bezel, which is the edge of the ring’s face, and two larger football-shaped diamonds are on each side of the bezel. The face of the ring displays the Patriots logo made from red garnets and blue sapphires trimmed with diamonds. A figure of the Lombardi trophy is behind the logo and is made of platinum, a large marquis diamond, and two tapered baguette diamonds.)

Related Story -

• Cherry hopes hollow ring will save children - ESPN

From: SI.com (Peter King), Youtube, Netraffle.org

One Million Holiday Cards

The American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Inc. are teaming up to send holiday cards to service men and women in the United States and around the world. From Tuesday, November 11 until Wednesday, December 10, the public is invited to send holiday cards with their message of thanks and cheer to a special post office box. The Red Cross and Pitney Bowes will then screen cards for hazardous materials, sort and package the cards, and deliver them to military bases and hospitals, veteran’s hospitals, and other locations during the holidays.

Holiday Mail For Heroes continues the Red Cross tradition of service to the armed forces, which includes handling emergency communications that link service members with their families back home, providing access to financial assistance from the military aid societies, counseling, referral to community resources and assistance to veterans. Pitney Bowes is providing all screening, packaging and shipping at no charge, as well as providing thousands of volunteer hours from employees around the country.

“This opportunity is such a great way for the public to personally support the military and say a special thank you for their service this holiday season,” said Gail McGovern, Red Cross President and CEO. “I’m especially proud that the Red Cross is able to be a part of this effort, and I hope everyone will take the time to join us and send an extra card for the military.”

In 2007 Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. approached the Red Cross to distribute thousands of holiday cards coming to the facility for wounded troops. The Red Cross reached out to Pitney Bowes to turn the project into a larger opportunity that could reach members of the military at other facilities. In all, nearly 600,000 cards were screened for hazardous materials, sorted, and delivered in 2007.

“Pitney Bowes is proud to be working with the American Red Cross again to help Americans extend their well wishes and gratitude to the heroes who serve and protect our country,” said Jon Love, President of Pitney Bowes Government Solutions. “Last year’s program was a huge success and we look forward to working with the public to reach even more wounded service members and their families this holiday season to show appreciation and support.”

Holiday cards should be addressed and sent to:

Holiday Mail For Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Please be sure to affix adequate postage. Cards must be received no later than December 10. Cards received after this date will be returned to senders. To help speed the sorting process and delivery of cards and notes before the holidays, mailers are encouraged to refrain from sending “care packages,” monetary gifts, using glitter or including any other inserts. For a full list of recommended guidelines and best practices, please visit Redcross.org/holidaymail. Cards are also available to print out from the website, along with messages from Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet Members Dr. Phil McGraw and Nancy O’Dell, co-anchor of Access Hollywood. You can also leave a message on the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces Facebook Wall (http://tinyurl.com/5tmfsg)

CSR Wire

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