The “Worst Person In The World” segment on MSNBC’s “Countdown” is a really entertaining one, but tonight I decided to go looking for the Best People In The World. Of course, I’m limited by what I can find in news reports. Now, I don't mean to actually rate goodness by ranking people, but, you know, I'll stick with the rough format. I had a good time with this, and I think I'd like to do this on a regular basis. OK, let's give this a go:
GOOD – The people of Longview, Washington:
Gary Beauchemin is overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers.
The disabled Longview man, whose wallet was stolen Dec. 5 by a brazen bicyclist, has received an outpouring of donations from readers touched by his plight after his story was told Dec. 9 in The Daily News. [...]
Daily News readers mailed him cash and checks in varying amounts adding up to between $700 and $800, Beauchemin said.
Beauchemin, 56, said there was about $326 in the stolen wallet, which he intended to use to buy food, medicine and Christmas gifts for his seven grandchildren. His monthly disability check for $850 won't arrive until January.
The theft knocked the blues deep into Beauchemin, who already was hurting from a leg infection and other ailments and was grieving for his late wife. [...]
Thanks to the generosity of the community, Beauchemin this week was able, with the help of his daughter, to go shopping for gifts for his grandchildren.
REALLY GOOD – The Amish farmers from Winona, Minnesota:
By the [Winona] Daily News editorial board
[T]here’s nothing really like a good neighbor.
No one knows that better than Kathy and Nick Sovell, whose hobby farm barn was burned to the ground last week.
But almost as soon as flames began to appear, so did the neighbors, Harley Yoder and two other Amish farmers who began rescuing scared animals. Though not all animals were saved from the inferno, many were because of the kindness of these neighbors who risked their safety to help a neighbor in need.
[...]
We send along our sympathies to the Sovells for their loss. And we are proud of Yoder and the other neighbors who helped rescue animals and then stayed on to comfort a family who’d experienced loss.
INCREDIBLY GOOD – The elementary students of Newton, New Jersey:
By STEVE NOVAK
[N.J.] Herald Staff Writer
NEWTON — Betsy Lohrsink proposed a math word problem to her fifth grade students Thursday: "We have $373. If coats cost about $30, some a little more and some a little less, about how many coats do you think we could buy?"
The answer, it turned out, was 15.
Lohrsink and 10 of her students from Frankford Elementary School worked out the problem at the Newton Wal-Mart as they bought children's winter coats to donate to the Sussex County United Way's 14th annual Gift of Warmth campaign, which officially ends Monday.
The money, donated from parents specifically for the Gift of Warmth, was raised after students decided they would rather buy new winter coats for kids their age in need rather than have an in-class holiday "grab bag" where they would have exchanged small gifts with each other.
"We all wanted to be helpful," student Greg Dolan said as his classmates debated over coat colors.
The coats donated by the class will be added to the more than 300 coats already distributed by the United Way since the campaign began four weeks ago. [...]
EYE-POPPINGLY GOOD – Regina, Saskatchewan's Lisa Scott:
Lost-wallet story opens Regina's heart
Pamela Cowan, The Leader-Post
Published: Saturday, December 16, 2006
Ever since her little girl died in May, Lisa Scott has been dreading this Christmas.
Until Friday.
That's when Scott read the Leader-Post's front-page story that described Gloria Fox's dilemma when she lost her wallet while shopping with her eight-year-old granddaughter at the north Wal-Mart on Wednesday.
When the wallet was located, it was empty. Fox told Doreen Pickering, the first person to come to her assistance, that she wouldn't be able to afford Christmas for her grandchildren.
Touched by the incident, Scott plans to take her three children shopping for Christmas presents for the Fox family.
"I feel bad for them, but it's more for me," Scott said. "I had a little girl who passed away in May. She was 21/2 years old so it's been a gloomy Christmas for us. [...]
Since Friday morning, money, gifts and food have been dropped off at Fox's home.
"It brought tears to my eyes," said the 59-year-old grandmother. "When I pray, I pray for everybody, not just my family ... The Creator has mysterious ways of working because my prayers have been answered."
And yes, here they are:
BEST – Whittier, California's radio listeners:
Season glows brighter for hard-hit family
By Tracy Garcia Staff Writer
SOUTH WHITTIER - [...] Still reeling from the Thanksgiving death of 8-year-old Haylee Ratliff from an inoperable brain tumor, parents Dominique and Elton were unsure what kind of Christmas they could provide for their other two children, Jeremy, 11, and Jolean, 12.
But those doubts flew out the window when the Street Team Elves from Movin' 93.9 FM radio station unleashed an avalanche of generosity Friday on the Ratliffs as part of its first-ever "Breakin' and Enterin' Christmas" contest. [...]
Dominique is partially blind and a stay-at-home mom who also cares for her disabled mother, Patty. Elton - a machinist - lost his job because he was the only one who could drive the couple to the hospital for the three weeks Haylee was there. [...]
"The Ratliff family has no idea what we're going to do," morning deejay Rick Dees told listeners on air Friday as the family was lured away to breakfast by friends Mike and Patty Soto of Pico Rivera, who nominated them for the contest. [...]
The Sotos helped the elves get into the Ratliffs' small two-bedroom home, where they stuffed stockings and piled dozens of gifts under the Christmas tree, including an Xbox 360, Baby Phat clothes, jewelry and hundreds of dollars in gift certificates. [...]
The station's listeners also jumped on the bandwagon, donating gifts that included a trip to Catalina, spa treatments, auto repairs, a karaoke/DVD machine, three months' worth of fresh flowers for Haylee's grave and $1,000 to cover the rest of the funeral costs. [...]
"I just want to thank God for answering our prayers," Patty Soto told the Ratliffs. "Haylee, I know you're looking down on us, baby. This one is for you."
Hats off to the listeners in Whittier, California. Tonight's
BEST PEOPLE
IN THE WOOOORRRRRRRRLLLLLLD!