Small-Town Sweet’; New Hope For Quadriplegic; 9 Good News Stories

ACROSS AMERICA — From behind their driftwood stand with “lemonade” painted in a sunny yellow to match their personalities, Long Island, 5-year-olds Willa Kapell and Claire Costello, paint a quintessential summertime scene.

“Who wants cookies?” the girls call out with infectious enthusiasm. “Who wants lemonade?”

Everyone who passes by the Greenport, New York, lemonade stand, it seems. The girls, friends almost since birth and deeply connected by family, made $200 their first time out and planned to put up the stand again on Sunday. They plan to spend a little of their money, donate some of it and save the rest.

“How do you say ‘no’ to two cute little girls?” Willa’s mom told Patch’s Lisa Finn. “It’s very small-town sweet.” » A Patch Exclusive by Lisa Finn for North Fork Patch

New Hope For Quadriplegic

Keith Thomas, a quadriplegic since a diving accident in 2020, is starting to bring back sensations and even movement after he became the first person accepted into a clinical trial. The 45-year-old Massapequa man underwent a 15-hour double neural bypass surgery in which five electrodes were implanted in his brain to, basically, send signals to his brain. The revolutionary treatment makes use of an artificial intelligence algorithm that basically reads his mind when he is thinking about, for example, opening or closing his right hand. Since entering the trial, “mobility in my right arm has increased to 110 percent” Thomas told Patch’s Jerry Barmash. The next course of treatment involves spinal cord or arm stimulation to recreate the movement he is trying to make. Researchers say the same technology can be used for people who have suffered strokes and other traumatic brain injuries. » A Patch Exclusive by Jerry Barmash for Massapequa Patch

Filling Bellies, No Questions Asked

Mobile Meals isn’t tied up by a lot of bureaucracy. It doesn’t impose rigid income and other thresholds that cut people who are food insecure out of federal food assistance. “Mobile Meals started in 1968 in an effort to assist those who can't shop or cook for themselves, and perhaps don't qualify for the national Meals on Wheels program, but would like to age in place, staying in their homes,” Mobile Meals of Westfield President Ruth Maloney told Patch’s Alexis Tarrazi. Fifty-five years later, the organization has prepared more than 1 million meals. “We are small, but consistent in our mission to serve those who may be food insecure or just need assistance acquiring healthy meals, including smiling daily contact,” Maloney said. » A Patch Exclusive by Alexis Tarrai for Westfield Patch

Opening Doors

Robin Rinearson figured out a couple of years ago that if the disabled residents of Falls Church, Virginia, were going to find jobs, she and others would have to open the doors. That’s how Jake’s Ice Cream, and now Jake’s Gourmet Popcorn, came to be. The advocacy group Arc of Virginia honored Rinerson with its Catalyst of Change award in recognition of her work to advance civil rights for people with developmental disabilities. “Her employees have meaningful work in a community-based environment where they not only earn a paycheck, but are valued members of the team,” Grey Parsons, Arc of Virginia’s board president said during the awards presentation. “Her shops provide community gathering spaces for people of all abilities to learn about one another and form a community. Through her media appearances, testimony to the Virginia General Assembly, and other outreach efforts, Robin tirelessly advocates for the inclusion of adults with disabilities.” » A Patch Exclusive by Emily Leayman for Falls Church Patch

‘In Sickness And In Health’

Partners for 25 years, Michael Aron and Linda Ippolito almost didn’t get hitched. It wasn’t that they had fallen out of love. As sometimes happens with people Aron’s age — he’s 77 — a trip to a Montclair, New Jersey, hospital got in the way. Hearing of their disappointment, a nurse conspired with his colleagues to surprise the couple with a wedding in the hospital chapel. “This act of kindness is above and beyond what anyone could imagine,” the grateful bride said. “This whole wedding event has taken me away.” » By Eric Kiefer for Montclair Patch

Buy A Bag, Save A Horse

Clothing and accessories often come at the expense of animals, but that’s not the case with the animal-themed tote bags turned out by volunteers with Big Bay Ray, a Pleasanton, California, nonprofit. Giving up a horse often is not the owner’s first choice, but caring for and keeping a horse isn’t cheap. Owners struggling to keep up need alternatives to selling their horses for slaughter, the nonprofit’s founder, Gretchen Kyle, told Patch’s Michael Wittner. Her group partners directly with horse rescue organizations, so they don’t have to make that choice. “When someone calls and says, I can no longer care for my horse, can you take them, that rescue maybe can say yes, knowing they’ve got the money to take care of them,” Kyle said. » A Patch Exclusive by Michael Wittner for Pleasanton Patch

How Did These Kitties Survive?

Two stowaway kittens who made quite the entrance into Illinois after being stuck in a shipping container for what’s believed to be five days are safe now. The two feral kittens had gotten into some snack crackers, but it was so stifling inside the container, trucking company employees aren’t quite sure how they survived without water. It took some doing to coax the kitties into carriers, and then they had difficulty placing them because shelters were full. That’s when One Goal Animal Foundation stepped in and agreed to take the kittens, now named Track and Choo-Choo. Taming and socializing them remains a challenge, One Goal’s Beata Zabrinas said. “They would benefit from going into a foster home,” Zabrinas told Patch’s Lauren Traut. “If someone has experience working with kittens, maybe they’d have a little bit more attention.” » A Patch Exclusive by Lauren Traut for Orland Park Patch

This Is So Not A Guard Dog

If a San Diego family hoped their dog would guard their property and scare away intruders, they were disappointed when they reviewed home security footage and saw, instead, the dog seemed more interested in making friends with a burglar than stopping him from stealing a $1,300 bicycle. It shows the dog, who appears to be a golden retriever, trot up to the thief, wagging its tail. “Hi buddy,” the intruder was heard saying as he gave the pooch belly rubs and pets. “You’re the coolest dog I’ve ever known. I love you, too.” The dog obligingly watched him walk away. » By Anna Schier for San Diego Patch

Parting Shot

A Virginia woman has a Guinness World Records title under her belt — although not literally because it involves the expulsion of large volumes of gas from her belly. Kimberly Winter’s winning belch registered 107.3 decibels, breaking a 14-year record. That’s louder than a blender, an electric handheld drill and, get this, even a lawn mower or motorcycle at full throttle. Be sure to click into the story and hear her let ’er rip. » By Megan VerHelst for Fredericksburg Patch

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