Weekly Uplifting Stories - Week of June 12th, 2023

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Last Updated: June 11, 2023

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Hello everyone and welcome back to another edition of Uplifting Stories!

I was just thinking how you never know when someone will be touched by an action of yours. Sometimes just opening a door for the person coming behind you, or smiling at the worker in the drive thru can leave such a lasting impact.

If, when you read these stories, you think that you should be doing more, remember that kindness doesn't have to be loud. In fact, it's often in the quiet moments we can make the most impact.

This week we have some wonderful stories about:

A young man is treated to a day of kindness by a New Orleans bookstore owner
A surfer who lost his beloved father honors him and the loved ones of others to take them on one last wave
An Austin, Texas live music festival raises money to help musicians with their mental health
A girl who was born in prison gets accepted to Harvard

Young Man With Cerebral Palsy Shown a Day of Kindness by New Orleans Bookstore Owner

After a gross 'senior prank' of kids at his high school riding his electric wheelchair and mocking people with special needs went viral, Tay'Shawn Landry and his family were pretty devastated. (I would be too.)

When DJ Johnson, owner of New Orleans bookstore and coffee shop Baldwin & Co. heard about what happened, he reached out to Tay'Shawn and his family to invite them to a day of kindness.

"We saw the story and we just wanted to make sure that the world knew that little random acts of kindness can also go out and change the world." - DJ Johnson

Asking some of the regular customers to get involved, Tay'Shawn was greeted with artwork and words of kindness.

With a beautiful bookstack, a gift bag from Atlanta's 'Caring for Others' and a steak and potato lunch with his family and new friends, Tay'Shawn and his family were treated like royalty. After everything they've been through, they still hope that it's the kindness that shines through, and can turn things around.

You can watch the entire video here. (I recommend.)

The One Last Wave Project: Surfing to Help Others With Grief & Healing

After losing his dad and best friend, Karl, surfer/adventurer Dan Fischer was looking to find a way to heal. He turned to his surfboard, and the transformative powers of the water beneath it to honor his dad.

"...I need to find a way to honor him and to bring him back out on one last adventure. And so I just decided to write his name on a sticker and put it on the nose of the board as sort of a guiding light...it made me feel like I was honoring the type of life that he lived and our bond together at the same time." - One Last Wave Project founder, Dan Fischer

Overwhelmed by his experience, he recorded a video that was a shout out to anyone who loves the ocean, or lost someone who loves being outdoors. He offered to take them out on the ocean with him, as he did for his dad, by writing their names on his board.

It didn't take long for people to start telling the stories of loved ones they had lost.

What started with a few hundred names has now turned into thousands, with 5 memorial boards lovingly crafted for Dan to take on 'One Last Wave.'

You can follow Dan and his journey on his Instagram page - or submit the name of your loved one to be included on the next board.

The Feel Good Music Festival Raises Money to Help Musicians Find Mental Health Support

Austin music enthusiasts were recently treated to The Feel Good Music Festival, with two days of food, local vendors, drinks and of course, live music, all to support mental health.

"It's all about getting everyone out to support mental health." - Betsy Boone, Director of Development and Marketing

Organized by the SIMS Foundation, which provides mental health and substance abuse services for musicians and more, all of the proceeds from the event went back into the community.

So many musicians don't earn enough money to be able to afford to go see a therapist: sometimes they are working for below poverty wages. This program is assisting with this and with normalizing conversations around mental health and getting help from a therapist, as you would to see your own doctor.

"Through education, community partnerships, and accessible managed care, SIMS seeks to destigmatize and reduce mental health and substance use issues, while supporting and enhancing the wellbeing of the music community at large." - The SIMS Foundation Mission

The Austin, Texas organization has been helping musicians, their families and those in the music profession since 1995, assisting them with counseling, substance abuse treatment and finding the mental health support they need.

You can follow this amazing organization on their Instagram page here.

Young Girl Who Was Born in Jail Accepted to Harvard

"I was born in jail," was how Aurora Sky Castner began her Harvard application essay.

Born in Galveston County Jail, Aurora was raised by her father, who picked her up from the prison as a newborn. 18 years later, she was accepted to the Ivy League school, graduating at the top of her class.

With help from her community, this 'bright little girl,' showed promise when she started going to school, loving to read and learn. When Aurora was in elementary school, some of the staff thought she would benefit from having a mentor in her life to guide her, and she was connected with Mona Hamby.

The Project Mentor program connects community members with students to help promote their development in school and life.

“It was a very different environment than I grew up in and that’s not a bad thing,” Castner said. “Everything that Mona taught me was very valuable in the same way that everything that I went through before Mona was very valuable.” - Aurora Sky Castner

You can read the whole story here.