9 Good News Stories: Our Cup Overflows With Winners — So Many Winners

ACROSS AMERICA — After the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Tony Award-winning actor Seth Goldstein’s plans to attend the retirement sendoff for his former high school performing arts teacher and mentor, Linda Chepigan, he used the creativity he inspired in her to make the moment more memorable.

After all, “she set me off on a path and inspired me,” the Medford (New Jersey) High School graduate told Patch. “She created a room where everybody's talents were encouraged and uplifted. I understand that teachers generally tend to be encouraging, but not every teacher finds a way to kind of unlock that [potential] in their students.”

So, when the pandemic got in the way, he posted a glowing tribute and asked Chepigan to be his date for the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre ceremony, where he picked up his second Tony. » By Janel Miller for Moorestown (New Jersey) Patch

Win For Apple ‘Swift’ Kid

After her grandmother in Taiwan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Fremont, California, teen Audrey Wang entered and was accepted by an Apple worldwide coding contest. Though she and her grandmother live on opposite sides of the world, they’ve maintained the close bond they formed in the 15-year-old’s annual summer visits, using regular video calls to stay in touch. Wang developed the app, which helps the brain use multiple senses to form or recall memories, with her grandmother in mind. It impressed the folks at Apple enough that she was named one of the winners of the Swift Student Challenge, so named because it uses Apple’s Swift programming language. » By Bea Karnes for Fremont Patch

A Win For Faith

St. John’s Episcopal Church in Salem, New Jersey, commemorated the 300th anniversary of its founding Sunday. The Society for the Propagation of Gospel in London approved the petition of a small group of Salem residents in 1722. The church, in only its second building, figures prominently in the Revolutionary War, when the congregation was split between those loyal to King George and the American Patriots, but came together in in solidarity when British soldiers rounded up parishioners sympathetic to independence and had them shot. Father Chuck Messer, the current rector, told Patch that St. John's has endured over three centuries because “God's grace and the power of the love of Jesus Christ that has compelled the Episcopalians of Salem to continue proclaiming the Gospel and serving our neighbors.” » By Janel Miller for West Deptford (New Jersey) Patch

A Nut-Free, Winning Idea

Quitting her corporate job in 2016 to open her own bakery continues to be one of the best decisions Teresa Maynard ever made. Her small business not only survived the pandemic, but is a recent winner in the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream competition. The whole idea started with a pregnancy craving for cupcakes, something she has to steer clear of because of a nut allergy. She wondered, how many other people deny themselves sweet treats because of that? Her winning idea was for a nut-free bakery. “I had no clue on what I was doing,” she told Patch of her decision to open the bakery. “I just wanted to love what I do.” » By Haley Cornell for Jamaica Plain (Massachusetts) Patch

A Dream Win

A winning sequence of seven numbers came to Alonzo Coleman in a dream. They were clear — 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 — so the Henrico, Virginia, man chose them when he played the state’s Bank a Million lottery game. Cha-ching! The winning ticket was worth $250,000. “It was hard to believe,” he told lottery officials. “It still hasn’t hit me yet.” » By Megan VerHelst for Across Virginia Patch

Win For The Kids

In a major victory for students and parents, a years-long campaign to build a rooftop play area at a gym-less public school on New York’s Upper East Side will finally bear fruit, with the newly passed city budget filling in the funding gap needed to get the project in motion. For about a decade, residents have been advocating for a play area at the respected school, among eight out of 505 Manhattan schools that have no such area. Fundraising shortfalls stalled the project, but the recently approved city budget included $5.5 million to close the gap — which will get kids off a nearby street that served as a makeshift playground. » By Nick Garber for Upper East Side Patch

Also Winning

Reese Hunsinger, an 8-year-old from Somerset, Massachusetts, is excited but nervous about the upcoming U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in Pinehurst, North Carolina, for young golfers ages 5-12. She says golfing is her “favorite thing to do in the world.” No surprise there — her dad is the former golf pro who is the head golf coach at a local high school. » By Megan VerHelst for Across Massachusetts Patch

Win In ‘Summer Slide’ Battle

The “summer slide” — the tendency among students to lose some of their achievement gains from the previous school year during summer vacation — is real. To combat it, leaders in Newark, New Jersey, are collaborating with JetBlue to give out free reading books to youngsters through five vending machines. Susan Neuman, a professor of childhood literacy education at NYU Steinhardt, said the program “allows children to own books and combat the knowledge loss that so often accompanies summer.” » By Eric Kiefer for Newark Patch

A Win For Thousands Of Beagles

Nearly 4,000 beagles will soon be eligible for adoption after a judge approved a plan to transfer the animals from a Virginia breeding facility to shelters. Their chances for happy homes came after the federal government sued Envigo RMS, which breeds beagles for medical research, was accused of numerous welfare violations. The company must also pay the Humane Society of the United States for costs associated with caring for the beagles, amounting to $100 per dog and $150 per nursing mother and litter under 8 weeks. The company announced plans last month to close the facility in Cumberland. » By Megan VerHelst for Across Virginia Patch

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