9 good things that happened around the world you should know about

Every time we try to catch up on the news, negative stories constantly seem to dominate the headlines. There’s a reason why we say some things “restore our faith in humanity” – it’s because we rarely get exposed to the wealth of good things happening around us everyday.

That’s why each Wednesday, we will be bringing you a roundup of some of the biggest news stories about good things that happened around the world to help brighten your day. Here’s 9 positive things that happened last week that you should know about (in no particular order):

April 2 to 8, 2015 

1. Man sends his high school teachers cheques to say thank you 

Kevin Perz graduated from high school in 1977 but he has not forgotten about the teachers who taught him. The Kansas man has made sure to personally thank his teachers throughout the years by sending them cheques. He sent $5,000 to his calculus teacher and a $10,000 cheque to his business teacher. Perz has been trying to track down his cooking teacher, Marilyn Mecham, for years. After finally finding her phone number, he was able to gift her with a $10,000 cheque.

In a letter Perz sent with the cheque he gave Mecham very specific instructions in how to spend the money telling her that it “is intended to be 100% used on you and your personal life… Everybody in their life can always think back to someone in their life who had an impact, if it’s a teacher or a boy scout leader or anyone,” Perz said. Read more 

2. Woman who became subject of online mocking and bullying gets help from good samaritan

Amanda Maxfield is a mother of five and for almost a year she had to run errands with her children in a doorless van. She was not able to afford repairs and endured the extremely cold winters in Michigan driving in the van. To make matters worse, someone had snapped a picture of Maxfield in the van, and put it online where it went viral and she became the brunt of online jokes. However, one man refused to take part in the bullying and decided to repair Maxfield’s van for free. “I just cried,” Maxfield said. “I could not believe that somebody out of the kindness of their heart would help someone like that they don’t even know.” Read more 

3. Burger King covers wedding tab for a ‘Burger-King’ wedding

Joel Burger and Ashley King have known each other since fifth grade and the two school yard sweethearts are now planning their wedding. Whats unique about the couple is that when you combine their last names, they become Joel and Ashley Burger-King. After recently announcing their engagement and taking a photo in front of a Burger King sign, a local paper picked up the story of the couple’s humorous wedding announcement. The story went viral and soon Burger King also took notice. The fast food giant felt the need to celebrate with the Burger-King couple and has agreed to pick up the whole tab at their up coming wedding. Read more 

4. Nigerian student gets into every Ivy League School in the U.S.

For most students, getting into one Ivy League university would be a major accomplishment but for Harold Ekeh, one wasn’t enough. The 17-year-old was born in Nigeria and came to the U.S. when he was eight. He completed grade school and high school New York. He decided to apply to 13 of America’s top universities, including MIT and Johns Hopkins. Ekeh received acceptance from all schools, including all eight Ivy League schools. Now the tough decision for Ekeh is finalizing where to go.

“I am leaning toward Yale,” he told CNNMoney. Ekeh has a passion for science and hopes to major in neurobiology or chemistry. He has done previous research in how the acid DHA can slow down Alzheimer’s disease. Not to mention, Ekeh also has a 100.5% GPA so its safe to say his future is looking bright. Read more 

5. Missing boy found alive after being lost in Australian bush for four days

Luke Shambrook had an emotional reunion with his family this passed week as the 11-year-old was found alive after going missing in Fraser National Park located in Victoria, Australia. Shambrook went missing after wandering away from his family’s camp site. The little boy also has Autism, making rescuers even more  concerned about his health and safety in the wild. Helicopter crews found Shambrook after a tiring search. He is now recovering after suffering from dehydration and hypothermia. Read more 

6. Doctors advise woman to “pull the plug” on her husband but she refuses to give up on him

Matt and Danielle Davis had only been married for seven months when a horrendous motorcycle accident left him in a coma. It was a tragic event for Danielle who was advised by doctors to “pull the plug” on Matt because they did not believe he would survive. However, Danielle refused to give up on her husband. “I knew that God could get us through that,” she told reporters. Her faith in her husband came through as he woke up after three months. Unfortunately, Matt had no recollection of anything that happened over the passed three years but the love of his family kept him going. Matt is now recovering and undergoing physical therapy so he can regain his balance, coordination and overall well being. Read more 

7. Dad invents beeping Easter eggs so his visually impaired daughter can participate in egg hunt 

David Hyche wanted to make this Easter very special for his 19-month-old daughter Rachel, who is blind. In order to allow Rachel to enjoy the same Easter egg hunt as her older brother, Hyche developed Easter eggs that beeped. For his invention he used a switch, a piezo beeper, a 9-volt battery and battery clip, which he placed inside a plastic egg. He made 40 eggs, and now, nine years later, his special Easter eggs are used all across America to make sure all kids can enjoy the holiday. Read more 

8. Missing cat reunited with owner after six years and thousands of kilometres apart

Cleo the cat and her owner Amanda Graham were reunited in Edmonton after six long years. The cat went missing from Graham’s family farm in Ottawa. With no luck finding Cleo, Graham moved to Edmonton. After such a long period of time. Graham did not think Cleo would ever be found. However, that all changed after she received a phone call from an animal shelter in Ontario who had found Cleo after the cat was seen wandering the streets. The shelter was able to identify Graham as the owner after finding a identification tattoo on Cleo and doing some research on veterinary records and Facebook. Graham and Cleo are now happily living together in Edmonton. Read more 

9. Alabama death row inmate free after 30 years of being falsely accused

Ray Hinton has spend 30 years on Alabama’s death row but he was finally freed after prosecutors admitted that the evidence they had against him was not enough to convict him of the crime. Hinton was sentenced to death row for the 1985 murder of two fast-food restaurant managers. Although he is a free man now, Hinton says that he continues to pray for the victims’ families. Read more