13 Good News Stories: Neighbors Save Christmas; ‘The Essence Of Real’

ACROSS AMERICA — As a police officer, Sandy Springs, Georgia, cop Janssen Redcay is aware of the statistics surrounding human trafficking, including that more than a quarter of victims are children.

As the father of a young daughter, “I knew exactly why I was pushing myself,” Redcay told Patch’s Amanda Lumpkin after he finished the last leg of a 1,000-mile cycling journey to raise money for Zoe International, a group that assists children who have been trafficked.

The total at the end of the ride was $6,600. He called the ride, which started in Austin, Texas, “life-changing.”

Redcay’s home state of Georgia has the fifth-highest rate of human trafficking in the country, and its capital city, Atlanta, is considered a hub for human trafficking. “I can’t imagine any child being seen as a commodity item for labor or sex,” he said. “I was more than happy to pay for my trip and donate all money raised to Zoe International.” » By Amanda Lumpkin for Sandy Springs Patch

Neighbors Save Christmas

If you’re in search of a story about neighbors being kind to each other, you’ll find it from Patch’s Lisa Finn, who wrote about a Riverhead, New York, woman facing homelessness before Christmas after losing her home and almost everything she owns in a fire. Friends and neighbors raised enough money on a crowdfunding site to find Katie Polk a new place to live in time for the holidays, but also to take care of something she insisted upon: removing the eyesore the fire had created for her neighbors and making sure the charred ruble was quickly removed. That’s just like her. When the fire broke out, she was out delivering clothes to a homeless woman who had been released from jail after 17 years. » By Lisa Finn for Riverhead Patch

‘The Very Best Of Humanity’

Jennifer Hubbard marked the 10th anniversary of her worst nightmare with the culmination of a dream Wednesday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new $10 million Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary in Newtown, Connecticut. Hubbard’s daughter was one of 26 people, 20 of them first-graders, who were killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The multi-million-dollar project has transformed grief and rage into a living monument to Catherine’s spirit and love of animals. Hubbard told Patch’s Rich Kirby that she has seen “the very best of humanity come together and create a magnificent place of sanctuary.” » By Rich Kirby for Newtown Patch

‘The Essence Of Real’

The secret really is in the sauce. “Get Saucy” is an annual fundraiser to raise money for Rockland People to People, the largest hunger relief organization in Rockland County, New York. While trash talk is an essential ingredient in the spirited competition, it’s all for a good cause. The newly deposed champion, Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco, dished to Patch’s Lanning Taliaferro after Tom Brizzolara’s upset win: “This is our ninth year and — let me make this clear — I’ve won seven of the nine. Tom is my friend, but on this day he is my enemy.” Jabs aside, Falco describes People to People as “the essence of real,” adding, “There’s nothing theoretical about People to People’s work: These are real people dedicated to helping real people with real problems address those problems with real action.” » By Lanning Taliaferro for New City (New York) Patch

‘I’m Not Taking Your Money’

The end of chemotherapy is always cause for celebration. Karen Jensen arranged for a special homecoming for Kristen Jensen, her wife of 15 years, at the end of her chemo treatments for an invasive type of cancer that prompted her double mastectomy in June. Wanting to make the lawn of their East Islip, New York, home festive, Karen contacted a local company, YardCard Mothers, about filling it with cheer — at no charge. “I was not even close to expecting that,” Karen told Patch’s Maureen Mullarkey. “I was like, ‘No way, I don’t mind paying for good service, and you came highly recommended.’ And she said, ‘No, I’m not taking your money.’ ” » By Maureen Mullarkey for East Islip Patch

History Comes To Life

A wrong turn took an Oyster Bay, New York, couple on a four-year home renovation odyssey that would uncover years of buried history that touched them on a personal level. An 1834 mansion wasn’t on Franz and Jamie Arty’s list until the wrong turn, and they had to pour millions of dollars into getting it in shape. Among the souls who had lived in the home was Sophia Moore, a free Black woman who had lived in the home before the Civil War, when records about women and especially those of color were scarce. She was so loved that the family she worked for held two funerals when she died. “Just to know she would go up and down these same stairs is amazing,” Jamie Arty told Patch’s Jacqueline Sweet. “I think about how she’d touch the same banisters we are touching right now, all those years ago.” » By Jacqueline Sweet for Oyster Bay Patch

Equity Is In Judy’s Closet

Judy Paul had a bit of a reputation around Mount Vernon, New York. The longtime Benjamin Turner Middle School special education and math teacher, who recently died suddenly, was “the type of person who would get meals and clothing for students without telling anyone,” the school’s Lisa Autieri told Patch’s Jeff Edwards. “Whatever her kids needed, she got for them.” Her legacy continues with Judy’s Closet, which is fully stocked with coats, jackets, jeans — whatever kids need is theirs for the taking — as part of the school’s efforts to remove some of the barriers families face. » By Jeff Edwards for Mount Vernon Patch

Their First Christmas

This Christmas season is a special one for Brian and Ashley Cotter, of Wading River, New York. Both of their young children will be at home, and not in the hospital. Their first child, Ruby June, now 3, received a heart transplant at Christmastime two years ago, and their son, Everett, who will turn 2 later this month, is doing well six months after his life-saving heart transplant. Past Christmases have been hard with the family separated, but the family is filled with gratitude that they’ll be able to spend their first Christmas together as a family of four. » By Lisa Finn for Riverhead (New York) Patch

What’s Old Is New

Phebe Taylor and Jeff Zappala have a passion for vintage toys that burns so hot they packed their Astoria, New York, apartment from floor-to-ceiling with obscure collectibles. Turning their obsession into a business had fleetingly occurred to them, but they began pursuing the idea in earnest after winning a couple of thousand bucks on the HGTV show, “Cash in the Attic,” in which collectors can part with some of their treasures for cash. They sold vintage toys at a pop-up market last year, and the interest “really showed us there’s a lot of interest in vintage collectibles and toy collecting in New York City,” Zappala told Patch’s Nick Garber. Early next year, they’re taking the idea a step further with the opening of their Museum of Nostalgia. » By Nick Garber for Astoria-Long Island City (New York) Patch

When You Can’t Be There In Person

Ellen and Chuck Donen didn’t have to miss their grandson’s wedding after all. They live at the North Oaks Senior Living center in Towson, Maryland, and their grandson was getting married in New York. Rather than miss it entirely, they booked a small room at the center and invited close friends to watch the livestream with them. The chef who prepared their meal had an idea: Why not replicate the menu being served to the guests, from the hors d’oeuvres to the dessert. “It was perfect,” Chuck Donen told Patch’s Van Fisher. “Everything was there. The flowers, the food, the decorations, everything.” » By Van Fisher for Towson Patch

Finding Perspective

Richard Brodsky, who believes he may be the only person in the world who runs marathons while being HIV positive and battling brain cancer, headed to Kenya Friday with Dr. Richard Sartori, a Glen Cove, New York, pediatrician, where the two are joining an effort to feed and care for hundreds of orphans. “I fell in love with Kenya when I was there,” Sartori told Patch’s Jacqueline Sweet, adding the experience is as rewarding for volunteers as it is for children. “It gives me perspective,” he said. » By Jacqueline Sweet for Glen Cove Patch

Be Sure To Polish The Horns

You never know what might happen until you try, right? A 10-year-old girl named Madeline was rewarded after asking the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control for permission to put a unicorn in her back yard “if I can find one.” She didn’t get a real unicorn, of course, because they’re so stealth, but she got a plush, squeezable version along with the requested license, along with a few conditions: said unicorn should have plenty of sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows and be fed its favorite treat of watermelon at least weekly. Also — and this is important — the unicorn’s horn must be polished with a soft cloth at least once a month. » By Cailin Loesch for Los Angeles Patch

‘Her Heart Remembered’

No one knows where Jazzy has been since she bolted from her Texas home seven years ago, or how she came to be abandoned in an Orange County, Florida, hotel earlier this month. Fortunately, she was microchipped, and within days, Kerry Smith was on a plane bound for Florida for a tearful reunion with his pooch. “It was incredible to watch Jazzy come to life at her owner’s voice,” Orange County Animal Control spokesperson Bryant Almeida wrote on Facebook, adding that the dog “couldn’t take her eyes off” her owner. “She licked his hand again and again and inched her body as close as she could to him,” Almeida wrote. “After all those years, her heart still remembered and was finally whole.” » By Megan VerHelst for Orlando Patch

The Chick-fil-A Bear

A Seminole County, Florida, family had to grin and bear it when their Chick-fil-A order disappeared from their porch. As captured on video, the bear strolled up to the porch, snatched the order with its mouth and sauntered back into the darkness. “All the nuggets and all the fries,” Paul Newman can be heard saying on the video. “Thirty nuggets and a large fry. Poof, just like that.” The bear had discerning tastes, though, leaving behind the salad. » By Megan VerHelst for Orlando Patch