Weekly Uplifting Stories - Week of July 10th, 2023

It's time for the most joyful article of the week! 

Welcome back for another edition of Uplifting Stories, where we kick off your week on a positive note. 

"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." – Margaret J. Wheatley

A lot of the stories we find are about people just like you and me, who see opportunity to help someone else. Many of them start by supporting in their own communities, strengthening the area they live in, and boosting relationships as they go. 

Are you involved in your community? It seems like this happens less and less, as we turn to community on our devices. But sometimes, there are some pretty interesting people right around the block from you. Keep an eye out!

This week, we've found stories about:

• A UK artist who is transforming Gloucester into 'Rainbow Streets' - one area at a time
• California reservoir Lake Oroville reaches full capacity for the first time in 11 years 
• A Pittsburgh dad starts a program to teach youth critical life skills, and to become responsible drivers
• A soccer clinic that provides a judgment-free space for autistic kids of all ages 

UK Artist Painting 'Rainbow Homes' in Gloucester to Reinvigorate the City With Creativity

 Since 2018, Tash Frootko has been adding color to the houses of Gloucester - one block at a time! Her most recent, and largest project sees her refreshing and painting 63 houses in vivid color on Hopewell Street, along with other creatives.

According to some local residents, the area used to be called "Hopeless Street." As you can see from the before pictures it looked forgotten and run down in places. Not any more!

From bright mango, to bold yellow with blue trim, to pink, mint and violet, royal blue and olive, this is Tash's latest project, and she aims to create more 'Rainbow Streets' throughout the city.

"I started these transformations as there was such a negative morale about the appearance of the city. The backdrop been here all the time, it just needed a creative mind and a huge injection of color to decorate it." - Tash Frootko¹

Up until recently, Tash was funding the transformations herself - 134 houses and 1,300 liters of paint! Now, she'll see partial funding from the Gloucestershire County Council Levelling Up Together program to boost her cause. 

For more details and to see her signature colors, visit or follow Tash and her team on her Instagram.

California's Lake Oroville Reaches 'Full Pool' for the First Time Since 2012

Bringing a level of hope after years of drought, California's Lake Oroville, an important Western reservoir, is full again, according to the California Department of Water Resources. 

It's a dramatic change in only 2 years, as photos from July 2021 show the area looking quite empty, at 24% capacity. Now, photos show a beautiful, full, blue lake instead of dusty, dry hills with small pools here and there. (You can see the photos here.)

Part of this is due to the extra snowpack the Sierra Nevada Mountains saw this last year, leading to increased melt in April, when rapidly rising temperatures turn snow to water in a hurry.

California's Lake Shasta and San Luis Reservoirs are also nearing capacity, a relief in the area amid concerns in the last two years about dangerous levels of drought. According to the US Department of Agriculture, as of April 2023, drought conditions have improved across much of the Western US, as compared to 2021 and 2022. 

Local Pittsburgh Group Aims to Prep the Next Generation for the Future

After Aaron Wade lost his son, also named Aaron (Or, 'A'), he was inspired to help local youth learn to become responsible drivers. Remembering some of his best bonding moments with A were when he was teaching him to drive, Aaron created A's Vision in his son's name, in 2019. 

The group aims to support as many youth as possible, focusing on critical life skills such as:

• driver education
• fundamentals of finance
• workforce development

Their hope is to foster responsibility, as well as provide the youth in their community of Pittsburgh a step up in terms of success as they head into adulthood. 

“It’s going to open up opportunities,” said Wade. “It’s like the beginning of becoming a mature responsible adult…just taking that step and getting that done is important because it opens job opportunities and just gives you the freedom to be able to do whatever you want.”²

With support from local financial professionals, mentors and licensed driving examiners, A's Vision helps kids get their driver's licenses, open bank accounts, and the opportunity to be heard, get advice and find support in their community. 

Rochester, New York's Golisano Autism Center Offers a Soccer Clinic & a Safe Space

At the Golisano Autism Center, in Rochester, New York, they offer a soccer clinic to make sure anyone who wants to gets a chance to play. 

The Center aims to provide opportunities for kids of all ages with autism to build on skill sets and build friendships in a judgment-free space.

“The soccer clinic is held here in a safe space and a judgment-free zone for autistic individuals as well as their families. Our gym is created in gear to help reduce noise, and it allows individuals who are autistic to participate in a sport that they might not be familiar with.” - Golisano Autism Center Director Caitlyn Stoffle

For some of the participants, it's enough for them just to be there - learning to believe in themselves and have fun with everyone else, regardless of whether they win or lose. 

According to a 2020 study, children and adolescents with autism can benefit from physical activity, and it may improve their social and communication abilities, as well as their motor skills. 

Have a Great Week Everyone! 

Do you feel refreshed? Inspired? Hopeful? Good! Our goal is to set you up for a great week ahead (There's a reason we send these out on Mondays, you know!)

As always, if you have an uplifting story of your own to share, please comment below the article, or message us on our Instagram account. 

Take care, and see you next week!

Photo by David Vilches on Unsplash

^{1 from Yahoo News article}

^{2 from New Pittsburgh Courier}