The holidays are fast approaching and the time to be thankful and to give thanks is just around the corner. It will soon be gift giving season and what better gift can be given than participating in the Great Guys Adopt-A-Great-Family Program this holiday season. With the holidays coming on soon, the folks at Great Guys.org are continually helping families battling cancer to eliminate as much of the stress and worries with financial assistance and emotional connections.

The folks at Great Guys came up with this new program that is designed to allow everyday people to make a difference. The program is designed to let individuals and businesses “Give Thanks” and be a part of the greater mission of Great Guys. According to Great Guys, the mission of the organization is to “alleviate the burdens of cancer by providing a light of hope to families through emotional and financial support” The Great Guys Group is no stranger to the emotional and financial burdens that cancer can bring. Founder Paul Isenberg’s wife Nicole was diagnosed with cancer and the family soon became overwhelmed with the burden of the disease
process and treatments. The enormity of the stress and worry on the family impressed the desire to step up and help out. It was Nicole that suggested that the family plan a dinner event to be with friends and loved ones and donate the money to the local cancer organizations.

The neighbors gathered together and provided a donation to the family at a time when things were desperate. The gesture of friends, neighbors and the dinner event brought hope to a cancer ravaged home – and the Great Guys organization bloomed out of that simple act of generosity and the dreams of a family living with Cancer. Great Guys has returned that gesture and will continue with programs designed to alleviate the financial burdens and to provide the emotional comfort to the families.

With the holiday season upon us, the Great Guys Adopt-A-Great-Family Program will allow others to help a family battling Cancer to take a break from holiday and financial stress. This program allows you to give thanks this holiday season in a very real and meaningful way. Through the Adopt-A-Great-Family Program, individuals and businesses can connect directly with local families that have been nominated to the Light of Hope Grant Program. Individuals and businesses will be given a local family that is struggling and currently needs financial assistance as they battle cancer.

For around $500.00, individuals and business will be able to provide food, financial assistance and maintain the necessities of life. The initiative will even provide gifts for the family as well. Companies, families or individuals are all invited to share in the spirit of the holidays and help out a neighbor in need.

Source -Source- Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo

Jean Beliveau a native Canadian is returning home after an 11year trip around the globe. Beliveau began his journey because of a perrsonal crisis and ended the journey as an Ambassador of peace and goodwill.

Beliveau left Montreal when he was 45 years old after his business went bankrupt. In an effort to escape a painful time in his life, he began a run that took him all the way to Atlanta, Georgia. Luce Archambault, his long time companion, encouraged him turn his quest into a journey to promote peace and non violence in support of a UNESCO proclamation.

Suddenly the world weary man who was seeking escape from a mid life crisis had a new purpose in life. For 11 years, Béliveau has been walking around the glove, bringing attention to children who suffer violence. His walk coincided with a UN initiative that began in 2000 and ended last month. During this incredible journey, Beliveau walked through deserts and across mountain ranges.

He traveled Mexico, wore a beard in the Sudan and had insects for meals in Africa. Beliveau ate dog in South Korea and snake in China. He has danced and sang with children in Malaysia and he met four Nobel Peace Prize winners. In Durban, South Africa, he was able to meet with Nelson Mandela who applauded his efforts. Beliveau only fell on dire straits a few times during his trip.

He became gravely ill in Algeria, was mugged by drunks in South Africa and fell on despair in Ethiopia which thrust him into a desire to quit. It was Archambault that convinced him to carry on with his mission for good. Beliveau was often found sleeping under bridges and in homeless shelters, but the good nature of people that heard of his cause invited him into their homes.

He spent about $4000 CAN each year supported by his companion who provided him that much annually. The remainder of the time, he relied on the kindness of strangers to get him through his journey. Today, he is broke, but his soul is richer for his experiences. Beliveau said he aims to write a book, lecture on his experience, and promote “harmony between people, listening to one another and being accepting of others’ differences.”

On a personal level, his story tends well- Archambault flew to join him every year at Christmas and is giddy that he is almost home.

Sunflowers Bring Hope to Radiation Zone in Japan

In March the Fukushima power plant saw one of the largest nuclear disasters of the past few decades. Ever since the meltdown teams have been working to clean up the mess and reduce the radiation and today a group project centered around sunflowers is brining hope to an area that is desperately in need of some.

In the aftermath of the disaster a local monk planted thousands of sunflowers in the fields and open areas surrounding the power plant and the affected town; now those sunflowers are beginning to sprout and blossom all across the city. Amazingly sunflowers are not only beautiful and able to lift the spirit of the local residents but they are also capable of actually removing much of the radiation from the ground.

Sunflowers apparently use cesium as a food source and after a major radioactive event much of the left over radiation is excess cesium. The sunflowers in Fukushima are in fact reducing the radioactivity levels in the city all while brining some joy to the town. Of course Fukushima is not the first place this trick has been used; the city of Chernobyl also had thousands of sunflowers planted immediately after the disaster in order to accomplish the same thing. Currently there are an estimated 200,000 sunflowers in Fukushima and more are expected to be sprouting throughout the year so residents are surely going to start feeling better about their situation soon.