The OYG Mission

Our world is starving for positive news. And yet if we pause for a moment and look around we’ll see there are positive stories unfolding every day all around us.

OYG (Orange Ya Glad?) is a mantra and positive way of thinking – even in the toughest of times. We’ve developed OYG? to identify and lift up the folks in our communities that are going the extra mile to help those in need around them: the school girl making and distributing homemade hand sanitizer, the food bank workers collecting, preparing and delivering meals to the hungry, the garage-based engineers putting their 3D printers to work making PPE for the brave men and women on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. These are regular people putting their talents and resources to use, making a meaningful impact in a world that is hurting.

You wanna get involved?  Great - it’s super easy!  Just hit the NOMINATE A HERO button above and tell us about someone you know who is doing something awesome. 

We all know someone who is always going above and beyond – “Orange Ya Glad?” they are?

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Sep 17

Open
A doctor in India ditched his car and ran 1.8 miles to the hospital where one of his patients was awaiting him for surgery. Traffic in the 8-million-man metropolis of Bengaluru can be so bad, but Dr. Govind Nandakumar didn’t let that stop him! Heavy rains caused the infamously busy stretch of road to become partially waterlogged. When traffic showed no signs of easing, he decided to abandon his car on the side of the road. He knew he already had one patient prepped and waiting, and two others scheduled soon after. “I did not want to waste any more time waiting for the traffic to clear up as my patients aren’t allowed to have their meals until surgery is over,” said Dr. Nandakumar shared. “I did not want to keep them waiting for so long.” “The patient recovered well, and the surgery went smoothly,” he said. “I run everyday and in fact before I had to do this I just finished in the gym. Normally I run 3-5 kilometers a day, but running in the middle of the road in formal shoes is not ideal.” We’re very thankful for Drs around the world! #doctor #kindness #surgery #sacrifices #changinglives #savinglives #hospital #bekind #positivity #india #doctorsofinstagram #doctorlife

Sep 3

Open
The Rome City Football Team was out in force that morning, with teammates Treyvon Adams, 16, Antwion Carey, 16, Cesar Parker, 16, Messiah Daniels, Tyson Brown, 17, and Alto Moore, 16, all heading to school together in Adam’s car, or with their mom in the case of Caesar. They came across a car wreck and quickly noticed that there was a woman stuck in her car. They knew they had to help, so they sprung into action. “We just ran as fast as we (could) to the lady and checked on her to see if she was alright,” Adams shared. “We were seeing she was in pain, she was screaming and asking us to help her.” The car was totaled, and badly bent out of shape. Without thinking, the teens managed to pry the passenger door open, but realized only afterwards that it was the other door that had to be removed for her to be reached. “We used all our muscles,” Adams said. “We’re pretty big people, we’re strong. We play football, so we lift weights a lot, but (the door) was just extremely bent and broke.” It all happened in about a minute. But when it was all over, the teens were able to free the woman from the vehicle and were back on their way to school in no time (after checking on the driver of the other car in the collision, of course!) Adams shared that he and his team were getting a lot of love and recognition for their act, which teachers said they rightfully deserve! In a Twitter post, the school’s football team wrote, “PROUD of our MEN!” in reference to the story. At the end of the day, like all great rescuers, the teens admitted that while the recognition was nice, it was something anyone would do. #kindness #heroic #actsofkindness #savinglives #positivity #positivenews #highschool #football

Aug 21

Open
One British mother has discovered a meaningful way to handle her grief. Jamie Rees was enjoying time at a friend’s home when he collapsed in the early hours of New Year’s Day. West Midlands Ambulance Service said the holiday had been exceptionally busy, with thee other calls coming in directly before Jamie’s. His friends performed CPR in an attempt to save his life, but he did not get enough oxygen before paramedics arrived. The nearest defibrillator kit was locked away in a local school. Sadly, Jamie passed away in the hospital on January 5th. His mother, Naomi, has since enlisted friends and family to raise enough money to place 20 defibrillators around their hometown. “There are defibs out there (but they) are locked in buildings,” she said. “You can’t pre-plan your cardiac arrest. Defibrillators that are locked in buildings are pretty pointless. The ambulance pulled up to Jamie’s side in 19.5 minutes,” Naomi explained. “If you reach a person in cardiac arrest in seven minutes the chances of getting his heart beating again is 70%.” The fundraising led by Naomi (alongside family and friends) has gone so well, that what started as funding for one defibrillator turned into 20 kits thanks to the overwhelming local support. She decided to turn the fundraising operation into an official charity called OurJay Foundation. “We started funding for money to set up a defibrillator outside the school. We started Jamie’s JustGiving campaign on January 26, and by the 27th, we’d raised £3,000. Jamie was really loved by members of his college.” They decided to keep going—and the amount donated has gone up and up, to its current peak of nearly $14,000. They will be installing the 20 defibrillators by January 5, 2023—the one year anniversary of her son’s passing. OurJay receives a special grant from London Hearts for all the defibs they purchase—what normally costs about $1,900 with the vandal-proof casing (£1,650), they get them for $1,450 (£1,237). Jamie has managed to give back to his community even after his death, by saving 5 lives through organ donation. Jamie’s legacy will help many lives! #savinglives #grief #fundraising #charity #changinglives

Aug 10

Open
A dog rescue program has allowed hundreds of dogs to stay with their owners who could no longer physically take care of them. Not only that, the program also finds homes for dogs who have been put up for adoption in the case that an elderly person has to enter a care home or hospice. This sometimes heart-breaking work is done by Peace of Mind Dog Rescue. They’ve helped find new homes and families for 3,000 dogs! Peace of Mind was started when Carie Broecker met a woman with impaired movements that relied on Broecker to walk her Dog, Savannah. But eventually, the woman was forced to part with the pup entirely. “I said I promise I will make sure that Savannah finds a good home,” Broecker said. “She was so relieved that I could make that promise to her.” That was in 2009, and now Broecker runs a senior citizen dog walking service, a foster program to help return the idea of a family change into dogs’ minds, and a rescue shelter for elderly dogs and dogs from the elderly. “It blows us away over and over again how somebody will fall in love with a silly-looking blind chihuahua with a tongue hanging out and all kinds of medical issues,” Broecker said. Broecker shared that elderly dogs, like elderly people, oftentimes get overlooked in society. She’s working hard to change that by providing a safety net for owners to make sure their best friends find a home after they’re gone. #doglover #elderly #dogrescue #volunteer #kindness #petwalker #elderlycare #bekind #petlovers #positivity #positivenews #helpingothers

Aug 2

Open
A Sacramento 7-year-old is being hailed a savior after he rescued a 3-year-old toddler from drowning! Last week, 7-year-old Massiah Browne was at his apartment complex’s pool when he noticed something off. “I was just playing in the pool and then I saw a boy at the bottom of the pool,” Massiah, a second-grade student, said in an interview. “And I went to go get him.” Massiah jumped in and proceeded to swim down into 6 feet of water. That’s when he was able to grab the arm of the toddler whose eyes and mouth were open and managed to pull him to the surface. A relative of Massiah’s, 9-year-old Savannah, helped them both out onto solid ground. Adults quickly caught on and raced to help while others called 911. Savannah’s mom performed CPR on the child until Fire and Rescue arrived. “The child was transported in critical condition with advanced life support efforts provided by Sacramento firefighters,” a spokesperson for Sacramento Fire Department said. Massiah’s father said his son loves water and swims like a fish. Despite the shocking situation, it really showed the type of person Massiah is. “He’s super empathetic so for him to do something like that, I mean, it’s really nothing out of the norm. It's just crazy that he’s 7-years-old and he’s doing something like that.” We hope the toddler makes a full recovery and we know his family is thankful for Massiah’s quick action! #kindness #rescue #drowning #quickthinking #drowningprevention #savinglives #empathy #toddler #swimmer

Jul 28

Open
Another cat rescue story! All cat owners know that our beloved feline companions are known to get themselves stuck in all manner of places! For staff at Fort Smith Animal Haven, their most recent rescue was a kitty in an ATM! The gray tabby could be heard meowing inside the machine. That’s when the Fort Smith Fire Department was called in to save him. The cat, now named “Cash”, has surprised everyone with his story. “This is actually my first experience with a cat getting stuck in an ATM,” added vet tech Ashley Deane. “You know, I never thought that somebody would be able to go up and make a withdrawal and get a cat out instead of some cash, so now we have both.” The tabby was hungry, cranky, in need of a bath, and a name. Cash was a pretty obvious choice for the little would be cat-burglar. The kitten made a full recovery in about a week and is getting up to a healthy weight. Then, he can receive his vaccinations, socialize with other kittens and find a forever home! We know he’s grateful for all the kind individuals that pitched in to save him! #firefighter #rescue #kittenrescue #catrescue #savinglives #animallover #kindness #positivity #positivenews #catlovers

Jul 22

Open
17-year-old Adrian Rodriquez in San Diego found a green handbag in a Ralph's parking lot two weeks ago. Instead of turning it in at the store, he decided to deliver it himself to the woman’s front door. When he arrived at her door, she wasn’t home, but her roommates took the purse for her. Later, she used the home’s surveillance video to track down the high school graduate and show him some love. “I looked into the Ring camera, and I was like, ‘Oh my God. He’s such a young kid’,” recalls Melina Marquez. “We need to find him and just give him a little piece of gratitude.” She posted the striking image on social media, and found the young man who returned the bag, which contained $20 and a wallet full of credit cards. “My mom always told me since I was little to always do the right thing when nobody’s around,” Adrian shared. “I didn’t expect nothing back, honestly.” “If someone found my stuff, I’d want them to bring it back to me,” said the humble youth. A GoFundMe was started as a way for friends and new admirers to show appreciation for Adrian’s honesty. 764 donors showed their love, which totaled over $17,000. We think it’s safe to say that most parents hope that their children grow up to be just like Adrian! #goodsamaritan #kindness #kindacts #teenager #goodperson #helpingothers #bekind #bethedifference #loveeachother #positivity #positivenews #goodnews

Jul 19

Open
Corion Evans was at the right place at the right time when he saw a car full of three teenage girls in a river in Mississippi. The powerful swimmer was able to rescue all three girls and even a police officer who had jumped in to help, but had ended up swallowing water. At 2:30 AM, the three girls were following their GPS when they drove off a boat ramp and floated 25 feet out into the Pascagoula River before the car began to sink. At that point they were able to get out of the car and onto the roof. That’s about the time Evans heard them crying for help. With his shirt and shoes off and his phone behind him, he dove into the water. “I was just like, ‘I can’t let none of these folks die,'” Evans, who said he had been a strong swimmer since age 3, said. “‘They need to get out the water’. So, I just started getting them, I wasn’t even thinking about nothing else.” The police officer was too close to a struggling victim and was pushed under and ended up inhaling water. “I turned around. I see the police officer,” Evans said. “He’s drowning. He’s going underwater, drowning, saying, ‘Help!” So, I went over there. I went and I grabbed the police officer and I’m like swimming him back until I feel I can walk.” “The police department and I commend Mr. Evans’s bravery and selflessness he displayed by risking his own safety to help people in danger,” Moss Point Chief Brandon Ashley said in a statement. “If Mr. Evans had not assisted, it could have possibly turned out tragically instead of all occupants rescued safely.” What a wonderful display of bravery and compassion! #goodsamaritan #kindness #hero #bravery #savinglives #compassion #caraccident #closecall #positivity

Jul 12

Open
Walmart Employee, Lindsey Russell, spent her lunch hour on an animal rescue mission. Lindsey happened to hear stressed, tiny meows from the depths of a soft drink vending machine of all places. She rallied other employees to help, but none of them managed to figure out: 1. Where the kitten came from, 2. How did it get into the machine, and 3. How do they get it out again? They ended up calling a fire and rescue department who were able to pry open some panels and free the adorable, blue-eyed kitten. “We could hear it meowing as soon as we came up. We knew it was in there and kind of stressed out,” Morristown fireman Doug Allison shared. “If we can help save a life, animal or human, we’ll do what we can do.” After the rescue mission was completed, Lindsey, who has some cat rescue experience in her past, decided to take the kitten home and get it in for a veterinary check. She described the kitten as wiggly and in good spirits! Now, they have to decide on a name for the gray striped kitty. “This is Pepper, Pepsi, Pep, whatever you’d like to call her. She’s got a few nicknames now,” Russell said. What a lucky kitten! ❤️ #kindness #animallover #walmart #bekind #rescue #kitten #kittenrescue #gooddeeds #firedepartment #feelgoodstory #catlover #savinglives

Jul 6

Open
An English plumber is being hailed as a modern day hero after he founded a social enterprise which has helped over two million of the UK's most vulnerable people! His name is James Anderson. The 54-year-old runs DEPHER, a community interest company that provides heavily subsidized services for those struggling with the cost of living. DEPHER stands for Disabled & Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repairs. From paying people’s bills they can’t afford, to delivering food, offering emergency plumbing and heating repairs, and even recovering funeral payments! There isn’t much DEPHER can’t do. Over the past six years, Anderson and his team have helped more than 52,000 families. “What we try to do is help people realize there is somebody out there who will help them,” shared Anderson. “Today I was asked to help a 78-year-old lady, her card was refused because she only had £6.97 in her bank, the ENERGY COMPANY TOOK £765.89 out this morning,” Anderson tweeted. Not only did DEPHER step in and cover the elderly woman’s shopping costs but they were also able to get the energy company to issue her a full refund. Anderson was inspired to launch DEPHER when he went to a gentleman’s house one day and the man wanted a secondary quote for a boiler repair. The other company quoted him £5,500, which ended up being an outrageous amount for repairs that he actually didn’t even need! “This company had tried to scam this guy for thousands of pounds he didn’t have, for work that he certainly did not need,” Anderson recounts. “This guy was elderly and bed-bound— he was in an extremely vulnerable position. We stepped in and dealt with the company and gave the guy a £1,000 free boiler.” “I just remember thinking something needs to be done about this,” he admitted. “This happens to so many people, and I thought if I could help just one at a time, I would be doing some good.” “His kindness has saved me, in many ways reminding me of the old days,” said Margaret, a 90-year-old pensioner who received DEPHER’s help. #kindness #plumber #elderly #helpothers #changinglives #bekind #changelives #electrician #compassion #helpingothers #unitedkingdom

Jul 5

Open
We hope everyone had a great day and stayed safe! 🎇🎆🇺🇸❤️ #4thofjuly #independenceday #kindness #patriot

Jun 30

Open
David Flucker is a dedicated volunteer who spends 13 hours a week commuting to and from work, despite being 100 years old! His 100th birthday was this week and of course, he went straight back to volunteering the next day, as usual, at St. Columba’s Hospice shop in Scotland. David does his four hour traveling road trip to the shop regardless of the weather. He started volunteering after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had to spend two weeks being cared for by hospice. He really wanted to pay it forward for the kindness he received. “It is a wonderful feeling to be doing something,” said the senior, who lives in Balgreen, Edinburgh. “It is two buses and a 20 minute walk to get to the shop, at least two hours,” he explained. “I work three days a week, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which are the busiest days.” But what he loves the most is the social aspect of his work—when people “come in just to chat.” David, who was widowed in 2010, also spends time building model railways which he auctions off to raise money for the hospice. David retired at 72 from being a printer. He said his age is no barrier to enjoying his time. For his June birthday, he went on a boat tour and even received a card from the Queen! Back at the thrift shop, people came in to deliver well-wishes—and there was a “marvelous birthday cake” covered in raspberries. “There might be more birthday cakes,” said the cheeky Scotsman. Volunteering knows no age (and neither does kindness!) #100yearsold #kindness #hospice #volunteering #love #helpingothers #compassion #changinglives #purpose #hospicenurse #charity
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