9 Good News Stories: A Goose And Her Gander; Olympic Flame Burns

9 Good News Stories: A Goose And Her Gander; Olympic Flame Burns

After the pandemic limited his opportunities for volunteer service, Boy Scout Arjun Puri of Hoboken, New Jersey, spearheaded a project that raised two carloads of food, toys and clothes for those in need.
After the pandemic limited his opportunities for volunteer service, Boy Scout Arjun Puri of Hoboken, New Jersey, spearheaded a project that raised two carloads of food, toys and clothes for those in need. (Photo courtesy of Rahul and Sonia Puri)

ACROSS AMERICA — When the pandemic interrupted his volunteer work with homeless and other people struggling to get by, 13-year-old New Jersey Boy Scout Arjun Puri answered his own question:

Who would fill the void?

Arjun’s epiphany came when he surveyed the pile of clothing his mother had purged while spring cleaning. He and other Hoboken Boy Scouts were old hands at food drives, but the pile of clothing “made me think that we could turn this into a bigger community project for charity in order to have a more meaningful impact,” he told Patch.

“I felt it would be a good idea to have a clothing drive because many people were probably hurting due to COVID.”

He took the idea to his scoutmaster, who proclaimed the troop’s spring cleaning service project a success and praised Arjun’s initiative. By Caren Lissner for Hoboken, New Jersey, Patch

Goose About To Get Her Gander

Refusing to leave, the devoted goose Amelia watched from the outside as Arnold, her longtime mate, underwent surgery at the Cape Wildlife Center to repair a fractured foot that wildlife officials think was probably mangled by a snapping turtle or other predator. Amelia frequently doted over Arnold during his convalescence, joining him in the playpen for meals and special time. Now, they’re about to be reunited for good. By Jimmy Bentley for Barnstable-Hyannis, Massachusetts, Patch

Arnold’s longtime mate, Amelia, stood outside the window of the animal hospital and refused to leave until she knew her partner was safe. (Photo courtesy of Cape Wildlife Center)

Olympic Flame Still Burns

As people around the world watched the Olympic Games in Tokyo, residents of West Orange, New Jersey, had reason to look back on the 1964 Games in Tokyo, where favorite daughter Ginny Duenkel won the gold in swimming. Duenkel, who now lives in Missouri, told West Orange historian Joe Fagan that just as competing in the Olympics as a 17-year-old changed her “entire life,” she hopes this year’s athletes have the same life-altering experience. “Unfortunately, COVID issues will make their experience different,” she said. “This takes nothing away from their accomplishments. They are still world class athletes and will always be Olympians.” By Eric Kiefer for West Orange, New Jersey, Patch

West Orange historian Joseph Fagan and Ginny Duenkel are pictured In this 2014 photo taken on the 50th anniversary of her gold medal swimming performance at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. (Photo courtesy of Joseph Fagan)

Billboards Sweeten Lemonade Stand Efforts

If their lemonade sales over the past couple of summers are an indication, Maddy Stannis, 12, and Julia Aguilar, 9, stand to raise thousands of dollars later this month for the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin. The girls, both of whom have Down syndrome, will be featured on billboards across southeast Wisconsin. They raised $1,000 in 2019 and doubled it in 2020. They’re adding a couple of new flavors this year, along with a bake sale with individually packaged treats. A Popsicle vendor may even join them. By Ethan Duran for New Berlin, Wisconsin, Patch

Maddy Stannis, 12, and Julia Aguilar, 9, will be featured on association billboards across southeastern Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of Marita Stannis)

Raccoon’s Pooh Drama

It wasn’t a honey jar, and the animal was a raccoon instead of a bear. But the hapless creature found itself starring in a real-life Winnie the Pooh drama recently when it got its head stuck in a tin can. A homeowner called police in Ramapo, New York, and the responding officer was celebrated this week by People for the Ethical Treatment of the Animals, whose representative said “this terrified raccoon could have endured a slow, miserable death.” You’ll want to watch the video, but be warned: It’s cringe-worthy. By Lanning Taliaferro for Nanuet, New York, Patch

Pedaling For Tuition

A group of friends rode across four states last year to help an incoming freshman from Newark, New Jersey, pay her tuition at historically Black Howard University in Washington, D.C. In this year’s HBCU Scholarship Ride, they hope to raise tuition money for two students. “In acknowledging the unique challenges these students face, the HBCU Scholarship Ride acts as a bridge, filling in the gap between a deserving student’s desire for educational excellence and their ability to pay for that experience,” Hassan Abdus-Sabur, one of the organizers of the ride, told Patch. By Eric Kiefer for Newark, New Jersey, Patch

A “scholarship ride” is raising money to help deserving Newark students pay for their educations at Howard University. (Photo: Cheriss May)

‘Hellacious’ Wisconsin Pride

Sometimes, it’s the small things that bring a burst of pride — though, arguably, there’s nothing small about the horsepower and the legends attached to “Hellacious” and “Demon,” a pair of cars Americans came to know in the “Fast and Furious” franchise. The made-in-Wisconsin cars are among the hot rods, classic cars and even a pair of two internationally famed fully carbon fiber cars on display Saturday. By John Quinnies for Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Patch


End Period Poverty. Period.

Perhaps few can empathize more with being caught unprepared for her period than a teenage girl. Several of them at a New Jersey high school recognized that menstrual supplies are an often overlooked area in humanitarian aid, so they formed the Period Club to help girls and women from Newark to Nepal. The goal is to “spread awareness about period poverty to break the stigma surrounding menstruation,” Madison Trinchillo, a high school junior and the club’s fundraising developer, told Patch. By Caren Lissner for Millburn-Short Hills, Massachusetts, Patch

These Millburn teens are addressing “period insecurity” by helping people who can’t afford menstrual products. (Photo courtesy of Erika De Lesseps)

Period Poverty And The Law

Halfway across the country in Illinois, the governor signed a bill that makes free menstrual supplies available in all bathrooms on college campuses and homeless shelters, and also directs the state’s social services department to implement a plan allowing menstrual product purchases with food assistance benefits. “Given the high price of menstrual products, it’s no wonder many women below the poverty line have had to sacrifice their personal health and hygiene in order to afford food,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said, noting the pandemic has exacerbated those problems. By Eileen O’Gorman for Chicago Patch


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