Never underestimate the power of children as one quick-thinking 9-year-old boy recently demonstrated. This is a child you want around during a crisis. The Marin County, California boy is credited with saving the life of his father who had been injured in a snowmobiling accident near Lake Tahoe on Sunday.

J.T. Bierdneau was trapped when his snowmobile pinned him on Sunday. Severely injured in the crash, he was unable to extricate himself. His son, Bode Bierdnaeu, tried to dig him out of the deep snow on his own but was unable to do it alone. Though he tried, his own fingers became numb from the cold. The child realized the only thing he could do was go for help. He was nervous and unsure about trekking alone for miles across the snow, in part because he was unsure of which direction to go.

He had no cell phone reception but didn’t panic. He stayed calm throughout the ordeal, finally locating help with an emergency radio. The tour group he found radioed for help. Once that was taken care of, he was able to lead the rescue party to his father. Bode’s mom said the search and rescue officials called the boy’s efforts heroic.

J.T. was airlifted to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery on his leg, which was broken. He is expected to make a full recovery, thanks to Bodes quick thinking and nerves of steel.

Nancy Gianni is on a mission and her energy is high. At GiGi’s Playhouse, the 10,000 foot “achievement center” she built for people with Downs Syndrome, she works with adults, children and their families.

Inspired by the birth of her now 11-year-old daughter, GiGi, Gianni works to show people how beautiful kids with Downs are and what unlimited potential they have. GiGi is the embodiment of that ministry. She sings, dances and shares her mom office where she personally writes thank you notes to donors.

When GiGi was born, Gianni saw the look of fear on the faces of her doctors and when she heard the words “Down Syndrome,” she says her world just kind of stopped. She found the nurses stopped looking her in the eye and the doctors were lost for words.

It was when GiGi came home that Gianni and her husband saw a difference. Their older kids didn’t see her as her just an illness but as their sister. They accepted her unconditionally so Gianni decided to put her fears away and to she began to educate herself. This is what led to the eventual culmination of her dreams, GiGi’s Playhouse.

Here, kids can come in and feel they belong and are loved. The program has been so successful that it now boasts 16 locations across the U.S. and Mexico and has 6 more planned for 2014.

Services like tutoring, music and life skills classes are available for free to adults with Down Syndrome. All the programs for kids are therapeutic in one way or another. One of the problems with Down Syndrome is the low muscle tone is causes. So even blowing bubbles is really an activity that helps a 4 year old strengthen facial muscles while she has fun.

What Gianni is doing changes lives for the better on a daily basis. And that’s just what she wants to be doing.

The electronic cigarette is being considered one of the best advances in technology to help smokers, despite that there are still some people out there that want to see more regulations, and for good reason. Electronic cigarettes are far and away healthier options than regular old cigarettes but the addiction is still a very real issue for many people. As a result of this many health advocates are beginning to press for tighter regulations, especially in regards to younger people, which is fantastic news.

Currently there is no federal minimum age for electronic cigarettes, although certain states restrict sales, this means that in many cases younger children are getting their hands on the devices. Parents and health experts are fighting to force a nationwide age restriction of 18 to match regular tobacco products and at this point it looks promising, which is absolutely great news. Restricting electronic cigarettes to older users is a good thing, without a doubt, and many electronic cigarette companies have even jumped in to support the cause so it is definitely a step in the right direction. Experts are hopeful that the FDA will begin deliberating these changes in the very near future.

 

 

A youngster is taking on one of the most notorious churches in history, battling their message of hate and homophobia with a message of peace and love with her lemonade stand.

Jayden Sink is raising money for Planting Peace, a nonprofit organization that works to save the rainforests, supports orphanages and helps get much-needed medication to children in impoverished areas around the world. Her lemonade stand appears in front of the rainbow colored building which houses “Equality House,” a coalition of volunteers working on LGBTQ equality programs and anti-bullying programs.

Who is she going up against? The Westboro Baptist Church whose headquarters are directly across the street from Equality House, only 20 feet away. The WBC is notorious for their stance on homosexuality and uses it to stage protests of military funerals and the Holocaust War Museum. They have publicly celebrated massacres such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and 9/11on a platform of hate.

Jayden’s father, Jackson, was unable to explain what the WBC was all about so instead he explained what Equality House’s mission was and she was drawn in. In just a few days, she has been able to raise a little more than $200. Additionally, her endeavor on Crowdrise.com has raised more than $6,000 in donations from those who can’t get to Kansas to buy her lemonade.

Her efforts seem to be getting noticed. Members of the WBC stood on their front lawn Sunday, according to Jackson, and were visibly aggravated by her presence. Someone from the church even tweeted a nasty comment about it.

Jayden and her father remain undaunted. Jackson is moved by the support that has poured in since Equality House opened its doors three months ago.

Lentil, the 5 month old French Bull Dog puppy has found his place in the world and it’s helping kids and those around them accept the craniofacial differences that affect heads and faces like cleft palates or cleft lips.

Lentil started out as one of 4 pups born in New Jersey, all with facial defects. Little Lentil was the only one to survive despite being born with a cleft lip and a cleft palate. He was unable to eat or drink on his own and needed constant attention.

Lindsey Condefer is a volunteer working with the French Bull Dog Rescue Network of Philadelphia. She offered to take on Lentil’s care which consisted of feedings through a tube ever two hours around the clock. Food or liquid could easily go up his nose and Condefer says his life hung by a thread for the first three months. After that feedings moved to every three hours.

Condefer was able to line up surgeons through the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary school. They would perform the necessary surgeries that would eventually allow Lentil to lead a more ordinary life. Because repairing the cleft lip is really a cosmetic procedure, it was decided to leave it as is. The veterinary school asked that Lentil become part of a program where kids with specific conditions meet animals with the same issues. Lentil would be a great asset in dealing with kids with craniofacial issues. The program helps those kids to feel as normal as possible.

Subsequently, Lentil is a staple at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where he has met with hundreds of patients like fourteen year old Danny Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer suffers from Saethre-Chotzen syndrome, a genetic condition which causes the skull bones to fuse too early and stops the skull from developing normally. The shape of the head and face can be adversely affected. Lentil helped him cope with his own differences because Lentil, too, looks different than a normal dog.

Lentil has been able to eat on his own since his surgery in May. Since then he’s become the mascot for craniofacial awareness and travels wherever he is needed. When he’s not on the road, he hangs out at Condefer’s pet shop in Philly where fans stop by to thank him for his work.

Condefer thinks Lentil was put here on Earth for a reason and that he survived his ordeal for a reason. She says he is a special dog and so do the hundreds of children he has helped in his short life so far.

 

In the town of Squantum, just southeast of Boston, four little girls found a way to turn the tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombing into a plan of action for good. These ten-year-olds, all best friends, wanted to raise money to help the family of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy who died in the bombing.

Squantum is a small bedroom community of just 400 families. It was here the girls set up a lemonade and baked goods stand just outside the Kennedy Library. Though none of the girls personally knew Martin, they knew they wanted to help.

Brigid Norris said the group had hoped to make $100 but had so far raised over $3,000.

The girls, like the rest of the world watched the unfolding stories and learned Martin had been standing near the finish line of the race with his family when the bombs ripped through the area. His mother Denise received a brain injury. Martin’s 6-year-old sister lost a leg in the blast.

Ciara O’Connors is the one who came up with the idea. She said she would want people to help her if this had happened to her.

Trisha Loney, the mother of one of the little do-gooders, Mary Loney, kept vigil over the girls while they sold their goods to an appreciative public. She said the girls saw a picture of Martin and realized he was just like them and all their friends and that put it in perspective for them.

As the money piles up in the little toy cash register they are using, the girls are amazed at their success. Brigid was amazed that four or five people gave $100 and didn’t even take a cookie.

The quartet has pledged to five all the money to the Richard family.

Mary Loney talked about being up till past midnight working on signs and baking brownies. Lauren Manning was excited to be able to do something good.

Customer Tina Dellorfano told the kids what a great thing they were doing when she stopped to buy cookies. She said it is the small moments of goodness that will help us forget the bombing.

Children on the internet is becoming more and more of a hot topic as the number of young internet users continues to increase dramatically. Fortunately for parents there are a number of child protection laws on the books already that keep children safe online and just this week the FTC added even more regulations designed to protect children online.

The FTC officially added a number of new protections to the 1998 Children’s Online Protection Act that will protect children on social networking sites as well as add privacy when it comes to apps and data sharing. The idea behind the changes is that more and more children are beginning to use social media so more needs to be done in order to protect them and their personal data.

There were numerous changes implemented and the FTC is hopeful that they will be very successful. Many privacy and security analysts also agree that these will be very beneficial and should help parents feel safer about their children being on the internet. Of course this still won’t make everything perfectly safe for children but it is absolutely a step in the right direction according to nearly everyone so at least for now children are a little safer online.

 

The holidays are a time when people reach deep into their hearts and pockets to give to others. That is just what happened recently when a group of over 300people decided to have a little fun and raise a little cash for charity.

The event was put together using social media, like Facebook. Participants had only to show up wearing a Santa costume and prepared to ride their bicycles through the streets of Rome together. More than 300 people answered the call and turned out for the fundraiser. Money raised from the holiday event was being donated to children’s charities.

The other goal the group had was to break the record for the number of cycling Santas in the Guinness World Book of Records. BY the end of the event, no one was sure if they had indeed set any new records but the pedaling participants had lots of fun. So did the holiday shoppers lining the streets of Rome as they stopped to watch the cycling Santas ride by in a blaze of red.

It just goes to show what a little creativity and motivation can accomplish when people work together. The Cycling Santas made a contribution to society, provided cheer to passersby and had fun all in the name of a good cause.

This week a medical study showed some interesting correlation between having children and living longer for adults. The study looked at thousands of families and couples around the world and found that couples with children generally lived a substantial amount of time longer and often had healthier lives as well. This is quite an interesting development and researchers are hopeful that they’ll be able to determine what is causing the direct connection.

The study also showed that couples with children were noticeably less likely to develop mental disorders than those without children, leading researchers to believe there is a distinct link between the two. Obviously researchers are still trying to determine exactly what causes the change in health but for now they say the results definitely look connected.

So at this point it definitely looks like having children increases the chances of living longer healthier lives, which is obviously great news. Doctors are also quick to point out though that this does not mean couples without children are unable to control their own future. Working out, eating right, and general health precautions seem to make any advantages of having children nonexistent. Doctors are planning to conduct follow up studies to look more into this phenomenon; results are expected in the coming year or two.

These two beautiful boys took it upon themselves to hand people apples in exchange for smiles. The apples were kindly donated to them by a fruit farm. With their bagful of fruit, off they go to the town square, rewarding anyone who smiles with an apple.

The kids make a good team: one carries the bag - the smaller one hands the fruit out.

Who wouldn’t smile really? Children smiling at you is enough to make you smile back – it’s infectious - let alone the apples that go with it. Those people really didn’t need much persuading. Plus it’s a pretty cool idea – simple, special and nourishing in more ways than one.

The smaller one looked sweet when he put one of the apples to his ear as if it was a phone or a shell and he could hear the sea through it.

The children look like they also go into an office of some sort, or a school. Some of the staff are given apples.

The small guy’s mum(?) swings him around like she’s really proud of him.

The video ends with him taking a bow. Cute.

{Niyama Project}