11 Good News Stories: ‘I Can Do Anything’; Police Go ‘Hog Wild’

ACROSS AMERICA — Tamera Elyse Trimuel was only 9 when her purpose began revealing itself through Tamera’s Treasures, a business she started to inspire other young girls to treasure their virtues, embrace self-love and value themselves.

It wasn’t long before the now-17-year-old from suburban Chicago started spreading the message through writing, and now she’s a published author.

She hopes her book, “Dear Black Girl, You are IT," will inspire other young Black girls to challenge stereotypes that incorrectly define them, to wage war against feeling ordinary and to “transcend the barriers that are positioned to limit them.”

Trimuel credits the Disney Dreams Academy, which she attended in 2018, with changing her life. “It made my purpose more clear,” she told Patch. “They told us 'We can't just sit on [our] purpose anymore. You have a message.' What better way to get that out there than to write a book, inspiring girls and letting them know that they are intelligent and triumphant?" By Yasmeen Sheikah for Chicago Heights Patch

Below, read 10 more uplifting stories from Patch editors across America, starting with a few spotlighting awesome kids finding their passions.

“I Can Do Whatever I Put My Mind To”

Grace White is “pretty proud” that she’s taken her place among the first young women in the country to earn their Eagle Scout rank. It’s a big deal for any Scout, let alone for someone who only became one two years ago. The handful of Scouts — 6 percent — who earn the rank often have years to earn a minimum of 21 merit badges and complete community service requirements. “It was really hard to manage the time to get there,” the Newton, Massachusetts, teen said, “but when I did I was like, 'Oh, dang, I really did that. I can do whatever I put my mind to.' " By Jenna Fisher for Newton Patch

Don’t Panic, Life Can Be A Picnic

In the weeks since her family got together for a Bohemian-style beach picnic to celebrate her mom’s birthday, Ava “Hoku” Dittmar has been thinking a lot about luxury picnics. The soiree “really sparked my interest in event planning,” the Murrieta, California, 15-year-old told Patch. The focus is good for her. The isolation of the pandemic almost broke the intelligent, athletic, happy teen, making her lethargic, quiet and lonely, said stepmom Shelley Talboom. “It broke our hearts, until one day we talked to her about investing in herself and starting to think about her future," Talboom said. "With that thought, she was filled with ideas of how to invest in herself." By Toni McAllister for Murrieta Patch

Sisters Fill Pantry With Positive Vibes

In May, Belleville, New Jersey, sisters Selena and Sabrina Kossup sold lawn signs to raise nearly $4,000 to buy masks, gloves, sanitizers and other personal protective equipment for the local fire and police departments. They also bought lunch for health care workers at a local hospital. Now they’re turning their attention to another local resource that needs help: a food pantry that is seeing high demand amid a pandemic that has increased the number of people who are food insecure or hungry. By Eric Kiefer for Belleville-Nutley Patch

Kids Ride Wave Of Surfer’s Generosity

Kevin Greer loves to surf. When the pandemic set in, he started refurbishing boards for his own children so they would get away from the couch and the lure of video games and discover the joy of riding the waves. Other kids noticed and thought it looked like fun, but the cost of surfboards was out of their families’ reach. That’s how Kids with Boards was born. Greer had some “old” and “busted up” surfboards at home and began rebuilding them with the goal of giving away a board a month to a local family in need. By Tiffany Razzano for Bradenton Patch

How She Found Her True Self

Yoni Mayeri didn’t just battle and survive cancer. The Orinda, California, photographer had been told cancer was a gift,” but didn’t understand it until she began using her own art to document her treatment, discovering her “true self” along the way. “Over time, I began to understand this concept,” she told Patch. “Facing a serious and potentially life-threatening illness gave me a strong appreciation for the many gifts that I have in my life. It gave me awareness for the small things that mattered, the ability to let go of the bad things like resentment, anger and fear.” By Bea Karnes for Lamorinda Patch

Vaccine First, Then Volunteer Service

Anne Stewart and Tony Tambasco got married four years ago at the Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia, senior living complex where they met. So it made sense that they’d roll up their sleeves together for the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. It was a big day for the globe-trotting couple — they’d just returned from a trip to Australia and New Zealand when they went into quarantine last spring — so getting the vaccine in their arms brought a huge measure of relief, but for selfless reasons. Citing a recent sermon at her church, Stewart says getting vaccinated means she’ll be able to help others in need who haven’t gotten their shots. "We owe it to others to get out there and help other people in any way we can," she told Patch. By Emily Leayman for Falls Church Patch

Portnoy To The Rescue Again

Pete Weiss was driving, but the owner of Little Louie’s — a longtime Northbrook, Illinois, restaurant struggling to stay afloat in the pandemic — knew he had to take the FaceTime call. It was Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy, who chipped in $500,000 of his own money to a nearly $30 million effort to help small businesses hurt by the pandemic. Little Louie’s is among them. "There was a lot going on,” Weiss told Patch. “One, you're on the phone with David Portnoy. Two, I was in the car driving. Three, you know it's being recorded. Four, it's really emotional stuff.” By Eric DeGrechie for Northbrook Patch

No Crime In Homelessness

It’s not unusual for police officers in Newark, New Jersey, to find themselves on calls that have nothing to do with crime. About a quarter of the time, officers are called out for a “social intervention” — such as recently, when they learned about a fellow living in a tent under a bypass. They found shelter for the man just in time, before a “Code Blue” alert was issued when temperatures were expected to plummet. By Eric Kiefer for Newark Patch

Question Is, Where Didn’t This Little Pig Go?

Several Joliet, Illinois, police had some fun with what could go down in history as the “great wild pig roundup of 2021. The puns flowed and word play was a sport in a Facebook announcement of their adventure, with the promise of a “tail with a twist” and officers who went “hog wild” to capture the beast. It “turned out just swine,” and the pig went “wee wee wee all the way home.” The Facebook crowd played along as they congratulated police on a most excellent roundup. By John Ferak for Joliet Patch

Even Non-Birders Want To See This Bird

David Barrett, a birder who lives on New York City’s Upper East Side, read the chatter on Twitter before later confirming “a mega-rarity for Central Park” — a snowy owl, a large white owl with piercing yellow eyes. They spend their summers in the Arctic, where they breed, and are known to venture south during the winter into New York, New England and the Upper Midwest. They are described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as "one of the few birds that can get even non-birders to come out for a look." The sighting may be the first in Central Park since 1890. By Nick Garber for Upper East Side Patch

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