Latest news with #Kindness
BBC News
22-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
NIAS volunteers drive cancer and kidney dialysis patients
Kindness, compassion and a free car ride goes a long way when you're undergoing hospital treatment for health issues, such as terminal cancer or kidney patients rely on the goodwill of strangers, many of whom become volunteer drivers for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) are among the lesser known roles that keep the health service ticking along - and they do it all for free."It is vital to the running of NIAS," said Yvonne McMichael from NIAS."They go above and beyond on the daily." More than 75 people, from across Northern Ireland, give up their time - and cars - as part of NIAS's Voluntary Car them is Willie Hutchinson whose three children have all had kidney their transplants, they underwent dialysis - a procedure which removes waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys stop working."They used the car service quite a lot to get to the renal units," the former lorry driver told BBC News him, volunteering is his way of "pay back"."Somebody did it for them so I'm doing it for somebody else," he said. In 2023, the grandfather of six was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to Hutchinson's nominee was a patient he brought to and from hospital appointments for a number of years."The day that I got the award, I had brought him home – he wasn't well – and I took him into the house and he more or less fell into the chair," he said."I told his wife to ring for the doctor."He died that afternoon so he never found out that I'd got the award after all the work he had done to put me forward for it."It was a bit sad and bittersweet that he didn't know I'd got it but his family were thrilled to bits for me." 'Not just transport' The volunteer drivers are not employed, or paid, by NIAS, and only receive a mileage allowance for transporting patients - in their own cars - to and from hospital voluntary service saves NIAS money as it is significantly cheaper - and uses less resources - than taxis or Nicholl, a former mayor of Mid and East Antrim, has been on dialysis for almost seven years and relies on the service."I can tell you from experience that volunteer drivers are not just transport but they're part of the caring system," he said."These volunteer drivers give of their time freely. It's not just a lift to them, they have compassion, they bring calmness at a time when a patient like me needs that." With ambulances in high demand staff and resources stretched, Yvonne McMichael, who oversees the volunteer car service, says the work the volunteers do is "top tier"."With the capacity levels that we have at the minute, we do not have enough ambulances to provide the service to everyone who needs to get," she said."They cover Northern Ireland, providing service to seven renal units and also transferring patients to the two cancer centres at Belfast City Hospital and Altnagelvin, as well as taking patients to other appointments." Before becoming a volunteer driver, Martin Garrity had worked in an office for 35 years."I wanted a wee change," he said."I was chatting to a friend of mine who was doing voluntary driving at the time and he suggested to me I try it and 15 years on, I'm still here."For him, the best thing about it is the people he has met."When you have your patients maybe three times a week, you build up a friendship with them and their families and they're so appreciative," he said."You get close to them and they confide in you about certain things. Sometimes there's bad news and it's sad, it's tough."So will he still be volunteering in another 15 years?"I hope so," he said."The reward you get is worth it and I'd say the other drivers would say the same."
Fast Company
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
‘Superman' has sparked a viral ‘hopecore' movement among Gen Z fans
'Kindness, maybe that's the real punk rock,' says James Gunn's Superman, which hit theaters this past weekend. It's a message that seems to have resonated deeply with Gen Z. One X user said: 'I haven't felt depressed even once' since watching it. The film brought in $125 million at the U.S. box office and is earning praise across TikTok and Reddit for returning the superhero to his 'hopecore' roots, The Daily Dot reported. Hopecore—a trend that emerged on TikTok— serves as an antidote to an internet overwhelmed by ragebait, manosphere content, and AI slop. At a time when nihilism dominates, incel culture and toxic masculinity are on the rise, anti-immigrant sentiment is shaping policy, and political divides are deepening, 'be kind' feels like a radical, even revolutionary message—one Gen Z seems ready to embrace. 'The superman movie I just watched really said no one is an alien, everyone is a human, billionaires are evil, war is created, journalism is important, superheroes are hope, empathy is a superpower, and being soft hearted is punk rock,' one TikTok user posted. 'The masculine urge to help others in need,' another TikTok post reads. 'This movie is going to do for the boys what Barbie did for the girls and I support it,' one user commented. On Reddit, one post summed it up best: 'We finally made it out of the 'But WHAT IF Superman was a big asshole/ ackshually superheroes would be dicks IRL' zeitgeist that swept the late 2010s of comic book media.' They continued: 'We have genuine hope and wholesome superman again and it's refreshing. In a world where we are increasingly socialised and incentivised to act purely out of self interest, Superman 2025 dares to tackle the rebellious act of being kind.' As one X user added: 'I'll take 'Hopecore' Superman over a dozen 'dark', 'edgy' or 'evil' Superman any day.' This is exactly the response Gunn was hoping for. 'This Superman does seem to come at a particular time when people are feeling a loss of hope in other people's goodness,' Gunn said in an interview with The Times of London. 'I'm telling a story about a guy who is uniquely good, and that feels needed now because there is a meanness that has emerged due to cultural figures being mean online.'
Hamilton Spectator
17-07-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Hundreds attend inclusive UnBirthday in Brantford
Nearly 800 people attended the annual Friends 4 Kindness UnBirthday Party at Mohawk Park in Brantford on Saturday, July 12, 2025. Nicole Callander, founder and president of Friends 4 Kindness, first started the event back in 2018 when her daughter Kaitlin Coghlin was about to turn 18, and what began as a way to cheer up her child, quickly snowballed into something bigger. Coughlin has Williams Syndrome, and at the time, the Grade 12 student was feeling upset that she wasn't getting to experience the same milestones that other kids her age were. 'When you're an individual with disabilities, you stay in school until you're 21, and so, we have a daughter that's a year older than Kaitlin, and the year before, she was seeing her sister experiencing all those big moments you get in Grade 12; things like graduation, prom, and university acceptance letters, but she wasn't getting any of those milestones and she kept asking, 'is it because I have no friends?' I tried to explain to her why but she was still really upset,' recalled Callander. 'Her birthday is in July and so that January, I went on social media and asked my family and friends if they could cards between then and her birthday so that when all these milestones were happening, she would get mail and feel the love.' The mother never expected what would happen next. 'It went viral and we got 6,000 birthday cards from 34 countries, every province, and every state. We actually took a trip to Scotland, and somebody stopped us in the mall because they recognized Kaitlin and even they had sent her a birthday card,' said Callander. 'There were just so many cards that we had to start a group called Kindness 4 Kaitlin because people started messaging me asking if we got their gift, so we started making videos of her opening everything. But with that, came hundreds of messages from families saying things like 'I just sent out 30 birthday invitations, nobody showed up and we're sitting at the restaurant by ourselves,' or 'the whole class went to this party and my kid was the only one who wasn't invited because of their disability.' Relating to the struggles that other parents and children were experiencing, the mother wanted to try to find a way to give back. 'For Kaitlin's 18th birthday that summer, I decided I would rent some pavilions at Mohawk Park and invite that community for an 'un-birthday' so that whoever had never been to a birthday party, could be celebrated together,' she said. 'Two-hundred people came from as far away as Ottawa and even the United States just so that their child could experience a birthday.' Callander said that the goal was to really create an inclusive event where everyone was welcome. 'People always say to me, 'why are kids so mean?' and personally,I don't think they're mean, I think they sometimes avoid people with disabilities because they wonder, 'how do you talk?' or 'how do you eat,'' she said. 'So for this party, I really wanted the community to see that our friends can have fun, and it's not too much work. They might be different, but it's easy. So now it's become a thing where we have a big social, and inclusive event, where the community and our friends can come together.' During the party, parents and their children could pick up an UnBirthday passport and collect stamps for all the stations they visited, and at the end, they got to walk away with a loot bag (500 of which were gone in the first hour-and-a-half) and their selection of prizes. All around the main Mohawk Park pavilion, there were plenty of activities to enjoy. From the petting zoo to the bouncy castles, the ever-popular train ride, princesses and superheroes, lawn games and bracelet making, bucket drumming and rock decorating, quiet sensory areas and a photo booth with props, there was truly no shortage of fun to be had. Callander said that none of it would be possible without all of the volunteers and the kind donations. 'There's only a few of us that puts it all together, and it's 100 per cent volunteer run. The bigger it gets, the more the community has gotten involved and that just means that our friends mean a lot to them,' she said. 'It just goes to show you that people want a place where they truly belong and to see that the community wants to make that happen is really special. I'm just overjoyed to see too, how many people showed up given that it's a really busy weekend with the Special Olympics going on in Brantford. Noting that Kaitlin turned 25 on Friday, July 11, Callander said that her daughter has made her a better person, and that she wouldn't trade her for the world. 'When your child is born and you get the diagnosis, it can be really devastating because it feels like all of the things that you dreamed for your kid have gone out the window; the graduation, the prom, and all of those things that prompted me to start Friends 4 Kindness, but then you see all of this,' she said motioning to the party. 'None of this would have happened if I didn't have a daughter with special needs, right? I would never have recognized any of the silos in our community and the systemic barriers without her. Honestly, I feel like my life is way more fulfilled, and I am way more unconditionally loving than I probably would have been if I didn't have her. I am truly the best version of myself because of her.' Kimberly De Jong's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
UAE Moments
08-07-2025
- General
- UAE Moments
Daily Love Tarot Reading for July 8th, 2025
Daily Love Tarot Reading - 7.8.25 Card of the Day: Justice You sometimes give too much when it comes to love, which means that there can be a lack of fairness in your relationships. Of course, you are doing this from the kindness of your heart. However, it will ultimately cause you pain. Make sure you are always maintaining a balance with those you date in order to promote healthy relationships. For singles: Love should be a two-way street—don't give so much that you forget to receive. For couples: A balanced relationship is a happy one—make sure both you and your partner are equally valued and supported. Pro Tip for the Day: Setting boundaries isn't selfish; it's essential. Make sure your kindness isn't taken for granted in love.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Protesters swarm Wilkes-Barre Public Square for 'No Kings' demonstration
Jun. 14—WILKES-BARRE — On President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, the people of the Wyoming Valley gathered on Public Square to voice their displeasure with his policies and demeanor. The demonstration was one of countless "No Kings" protests which took place across the country on Saturday ahead of the Army's 250th anniversary military parade in Washington D.C. The demonstrators in Wilkes-Barre pulled no punches when discussing Trump and his second administration. Many held signs and other anti-Trump props, as well as American flags. Jessica Darraugh laid out a number of the policies she and hundreds of others around the square were protesting. She cited the Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies, threats to due process, and spending cuts to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as some of the reasons for protest. In addition, she referred to the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct by Trump, who has been found liable for sexual abuse, as setting a poor example for the nation. "Another main reason for me is just kindness," Darraugh, a mother and educator, said of her presence at the demonstration on Saturday. "We have somebody leading our country who is a bully and calls people names, and that's not the kind of person I want my children or my students to look up to and follow." David Daley compared Trump and his administration to the reign of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, and lobbed a number of personal attacks at Trump. "Donald Trump is a moron, an idiot, a fool, a failure," Daley said. He called Trump an anti-union person with multiple bankruptcies to his name, and further claimed, on a more personal note, that Trump owes him $4,000 in wages from a project he worked on in Atlantic City. "He doesn't believe in civil rights, so I don't support him whatsoever," Daley stated. "I rue the day he was born and will honor the day he dies." The "No Kings" theme of the protest was a frequent motif referenced by the demonstrators. Janet Desormo was clear in her reasoning for going to Public Square on Saturday. She had history on her mind as she explained what she saw as governmental overreaches by the Trump administration. "I want everyone to know that we don't have kings here in America. We fought 200-plus years ago, and it's not right," Desormo explained, referring to the American Revolutionary War, which was fought against the monarchical British Empire in the 1770s and 1780s. "[Trump] is vile. There's no emperor here." Desormo brought up a number of specific policy positions she finds to be unacceptable, such as the cuts to Medicaid that would almost certainly come from the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House of Representatives on May 22. "Everybody wants to be equal," said Desormo. "They don't want to have their retirement taken away. They don't want their Medicaid taken away. They don't want anything taken away. They want to be able to live in peace, not chaos and martial law." 'We're not going to put up with the lies' A small contingent of Trump's supporters, led by NEPA Republicans' TJ Fitzgerald, gathered on the corner of Public Square near South Main Street. The message from Fitzgerald and the counter-protesters was clear. "We're not going to put up with the lies," said Fitzgerald. Specifically, he bluntly dismissed the protesters' assertion that Trump is a "king." "Is there a king? Is there a crown? Is there a throne?" Fitzgerald asked. "Is there Congress? Is there a judicial system? Kings don't have that, so obviously it's a lie. Another lie." Fitzgerald said that he was pushed by those in the "No Kings" group, though Wilkes-Barre police officers on the scene could not confirm any physical altercations between the opposing sides. The police closed traffic to Public Square during the height of the protest and patrolled the area closely to prohibit confrontations between the two groups. Nevertheless, the two sides traded verbal barbs through megaphones from across the street. Sticking to the point Mel Nelson and Barbara Bullions were on the "No Kings" side of things, with the latter suggesting that the Trump supporters opposing them should be disregarded. "I think they should just be ignored," Bullions said. "Why respond to them? They're just a dozen guys." Both Nelson and Bullions referred to recent displays of violence directed towards Democratic politicians. Nelson expressed her distaste for the forcible removal of U.S. Senator Alex Padilla from a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday, while Bullions pointed out that two state politicians had been shot in Minnesota on Saturday. The main focus of the demonstration, however, remained on Trump. "We decided to come out with our signs, because it is so important to get the people's demeanor in place," Nelson said. "Because it is just very frustrating, the information coming out of Trump's cabinet and the untruths. They're not telling the truth."
