Goodable

This is Junior. At three years old he contracted Polio and was never able to run as fast as the other kids. To compensate for his disability, he would dance along to music videos, mixing gymnastics and martial arts. Today, he's one of the best B-boy dancers in the world. "I have always tried to turn my disability into an advantage," he says. "The best example is dancing. When I was little, I would dance along to Michael Jackson videos. To compensate for moves I couldn't do, I came up with my own mix of gymnastics and martial arts."

<p>Junior Bosila Banya, aka B-Boy Junior, is one of the most iconic breakers in the history of the scene. He's famous for his handstand acrobatics and strength - both physically and mentally.</p><p>When he was three years old, Junior contracted polio. But he was determined not to let anything dictate his limitations."I have always tried to turn my disability into an advantage," he says. "The best example is dancing. When I was little, I would dance along to Michael Jackson videos. To compensate for moves I couldn't do, I came up with my own mix of gymnastics and martial arts – moves I could do on my hands."</p>

World-Class BBoy Breakdances Despite Leg Disability

Sunny Skyz

For several families in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Christmas arrived just in time — thanks to a sheriff’s deputy who refused to let their holiday deliveries go missing.

Sgt. Terrell Coles was on patrol near the town of McKenney last week when he spotted a group of packages sitting unattended by the side of the road. They were near a set of mailboxes, but something didn’t add up.

“The addresses on the packages didn’t match the mailbox numbers nearby,” Coles told WTRV.

After securing the packages in his patrol car, Coles contacted FedEx to report the issue. A manager assured him that someone would come to collect the abandoned items. But days passed, and no one showed up.

So, Coles made a decision.

“At that point I took off my Sheriff’s Office hat and put on my Santa hat,” he said.

The deputy began hand-delivering the packages himself.

One of his first stops was Olivia Davis’s home. She was stunned when Coles arrived at her door with a box she had long given up on.

“I had actually given up on the package,” Davis said.

For Coles, it was a simple act of service — and the right thing to do, especially so close to the holidays.

“I know how I would feel if I ordered something and it didn’t get here on time,” he said. “One thing about police work is, you wear many different hats. And this is just another hat.”

In this case, it was a Santa hat — and for the families who were sure their packages were gone for good, the deputy’s unexpected knock on the door brought more than just a delivery. It brought back a bit of holiday magic.

Deputy Turns Santa After Finding Abandoned Packages on Patrol, Delivers All of Them

With glitter on his hooves, a Santa hat perched between his ears, and a bowtie to complete the look, Pascal isn’t your average therapy animal. But the tiny nine-year-old horse has become a breakout star at care homes across Quebec — charming residents, sparking memories, and offering emotional comfort as part of a growing animal therapy program.

“He has lots of character,” said owner Anne Caroline Coutu. “The capacity to connect with people, heart to heart, as we call it. Seeing him is sort of magical.”

Pascal is one of about 50 animals that rotate through the therapy visits run by Toutous Poilus, the animal animation organization Coutu launched in 2010. The group brings guinea pigs, doves, cats, rabbits, dogs — and Pascal — to long-term care homes, hospitals, and residences. They now run 10 to 12 sessions a week across Quebec’s Eastern Townships and the Montreal area.

At Wales Home, a care facility in Cleveland, Que., about 150 kilometres east of Montreal, Pascal’s recent visit turned heads and warmed hearts.

Polly McClure Gifford said seeing the little horse clip-clop up the hallway took her back to her childhood on a family farm.

“She wanted that pony to come in the house and sit and eat with us,” she said, laughing as she remembered her sister’s attachment to a childhood pony. “It brings back memories.”

Those moments are exactly why the animals are so welcome, says Lysanne Hamel, activities coordinator at Wales Home. “We’re out in the country here and most of them lived on a farm… so it’s kind of like grieving too, when they move in and have to leave animals behind,” she said. “To be able to see them again, pet them — it brings back good memories and time spent at home.”

Hamel was so inspired by the program, she even wrote a picture book about the animal troupe. Lily Courtepointe, named after one of Toutous Poilus’ guinea pigs, was published in the fall, with illustrations by her neighbour.

Pascal, however, remains the scene-stealer.

Jean Coates, a new resident at Wales Home, admitted she wasn’t an animal lover — until that day.

“But I might change after today,” she laughed, as a grey dove calmly sat on her head and a chicken nestled on the table in front of her. “I just can’t get over that,” she said, pointing at a bird perched motionlessly on Pascal’s rear end.

Training Pascal to be that calm and collected took time. Coutu, who won him on a Quebec game show in 2016, began training him soon after to adapt to what she calls “urban stressors” — sights and sounds that could spook animals. She desensitized him by dressing him up and taking him into noisy, high-traffic areas, preparing him for visits to hospitals and care homes.

Pascal is potty trained — an essential qualification for any therapy animal going indoors — and is rewarded with back scratches and treats. But he also gets breaks. “I respect his boundaries,” said Coutu, who ensures Pascal gets time off to rest at home.

The idea for Toutous Poilus came after Coutu witnessed the comfort animals provided to her father during his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Since then, the organization has grown significantly, powered by volunteers like Annie Lavariere, who help with everything from grooming and transport to vet care.

Lavariere says the impact is worth every bit of effort.

“Animals don’t judge,” she said. “Whether you’re rich or poor, whether you're in health or not, the animals just don’t care.”

And at the heart of it all is Pascal — glittery hooves, bowtie, and all — proving that therapy can come on four tiny legs.

Pascal the Mini Horse Brings Joy, Laughter, and a Bit of Magic to Quebec Care Homes

BBC News

At 77, Alexandra Pickford is still taking curtain calls.

The veteran ballet dancer, who began her training at the Bristol School of Dancing when she was just 11, is now preparing to tour a new stage production across southwest England in 2026. And while most of her peers long ago stepped away from the stage, Pickford is still dancing — and now directing — with a passion that refuses to fade.

“It is wonderful to succeed in my profession at this age,” she said. “Older people have something to give — all our life experience — but also something to learn.”

Pickford’s career began at the prestigious Royal Ballet School in London, part of the Royal Academy of Dancing. After graduating, she toured internationally as a soloist, performing ballet across multiple continents. Later, she became a fitness teacher, before officially retiring at 60.

But theatre was never far from her mind.

Not long after stepping back, she found herself missing the stage. During the COVID lockdown, Pickford took a leap and founded her own theatre company. “We did a very successful production which toured to the Edinburgh Fringe and sold out Bristol and theatres in Somerset,” she said.

Now, her company is working on a new play based on the life of Vesta Tilly, a trailblazing male impersonator and vaudeville star from the Victorian era. The show is set to premiere in March 2026, with performances planned across the south west.

Despite her long background in ballet, Pickford says acting is still relatively new terrain.

“I had to learn to speak on stage — I’m a four-year-old actor,” she said with a laugh. “My physical powers are failing, that’s very difficult as a dancer. I suffer after performances. Then I get up and do it again.”

Her determination has not gone unnoticed. Actor Chris Harris-Beechey, who has worked closely with Pickford for years, said her presence on stage is rare — and important.

“There’s fewer parts for older women, older people in general, but definitely older women,” he said. “That’s one of the things I love about the play — it’s showing that you never have to stop.”

“If there’s something you enjoy doing and you’re passionate about, there’s no point in letting yourself age out of that. There’ll always be a way for you to keep doing that.”

Pickford agrees. “It’s wonderful for such an old lady to go back to beginnings,” she said.

And she’s not finished yet.

Ballet Icon, 77, Says She's Thriving Thanks to Her New Theatre Company Tour

For the first time since 1817, the historic Forest of Dean is growing. Forestry England has launched a major reforestation project that will see 120,000 trees planted across an 88-hectare site near Berry Hill in Gloucestershire this winter.

The expansion marks a significant milestone for the centuries-old woodland, which has long been managed through cycles of harvesting and replanting, but never extended beyond its traditional borders — until now.

Tom Brockington, area manager for Forestry England, called the move “very significant,” noting that between 1,000 and 1,500 trees are being planted each day on the newly acquired Hoarthorn's Farm, purchased in late 2024.

“This is the first expansion in over 200 years,” Brockington said. “It’s about more than just planting trees. It’s about supporting wildlife, preparing for climate change, and creating long-term resilience in the landscape.”

The site, covering 217 acres, has undergone extensive geological and soil surveys to identify which tree species are most likely to thrive in each section. That data is also being used to support biodiversity and animal movement.

“Biodiversity requires a buffering of established wildlife hotspots,” Brockington explained. “We want to be able to create those linkages where animals can move between established woodland and other established woodland… so we’ve chosen trees that support that transfer of species.”

The mix of tree species is a deliberate hedge against future threats, including disease and shifting climate conditions. Forestry England is even looking to western France — where the current climate closely resembles what southern England may experience in 40 to 50 years — to guide its choices.

“We need to be thinking about which trees might be drought susceptible or resilient,” Brockington said. “Having a wide variety of species means that if one is hit by disease, others will survive and continue to provide canopy cover and habitat.”

The site’s central area will be left as pasture, grazed by cattle during the winter months to maintain a diverse landscape. This open space will also help balance ecological goals with the cultural heritage of the area, which has long included both woodland and farmland.

The goal is to have all 120,000 trees in the ground by the end of March 2026.

As forests around the UK grapple with the pressures of disease, development, and climate change, the Forest of Dean’s long-overdue expansion is a rare and hopeful chapter — one that looks 200 years back while planning 50 years ahead.

Forestry England Begins Historic Expansion With 120,000 Trees Planted In Forest Of Dean

CNN TRAVEL

In the shadow of Notre Dame, just steps from the water’s edge, a centuries-old tradition continues — one book at a time.

For nearly 500 years, Paris’ bouquinistes — the iconic second-hand booksellers lining the banks of the Seine — have been part of the city’s cultural heartbeat. Now, facing competition from online retailers, rising digital distractions, and even the 2024 Olympic Games, they’re doing what they’ve always done: adapting, connecting, and persisting.

“This is my life. It’s not just a job,” said 76-year-old Sylvia Brui, who sells old books from a stall on Quai de Conti. “We sell things that we love.”

Brui is one of around 230 licensed bouquinistes whose green metal boxes stretch for three kilometers along the river, forming what is arguably the world’s largest open-air bookstore. From vintage paperbacks to rare engravings, stamps, and old postcards, the stalls are a haven for collectors, students, and curious passersby.

The tradition dates back to 1550, when a few vendors first set up on Île de la Cité. It grew quickly after the 1606 construction of the Pont Neuf, which offered a rare expanse of open space in the dense medieval city. By the early 1900s, Paris standardized the look of the stalls — low, hinged boxes painted "wagon green" to preserve views of the Seine. Today, bouquinistes operate rent-free but under strict city oversight: a five-year permit, minimum four days a week of operation (weather permitting), and a catalog focused on second-hand books and printed collectibles.

"You must show your commitment to books," said Jérôme Callais, president of the Association Culturelle des Bouquinistes de Paris. “It’s not surprising that the majority of booksellers are over 50 — about 80% of them.”

But the new generation is starting to make its mark.

Six years ago, 35-year-old Camille Goudeau opened her own stall on Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville, specializing in science fiction and fantasy. She aims to draw in new readers with low prices and a casual vibe.

“I deal in inexpensive second-hand books to encourage people who don’t read, or read very little, to read again,” she said.

Goudeau tells the story of a woman in her thirties who once bought her first book — The Old Man and the Sea — from Goudeau’s stall. “Later, she read Joyce. Now she goes to bookstores,” Brui added.

Ozan Yigitkeskin, 52, joined the bouquiniste ranks more recently, after a career in online bookselling and journalism. His first job? Selling books from a bicycle in Istanbul at age 15. Now, he sells multilingual titles on the Seine. “I know how fragile small bookshops can be,” he said. “That’s a problem I won’t have here.”

Despite the challenges — long hours outdoors, exposure to the elements, modest incomes — most bouquinistes wouldn’t trade the job for anything.

“I don’t like being stuck indoors,” said Goudeau. “And I find it hard to work for someone else. Being a bookseller allows me to be completely independent.”

The human connection is key, she added. “It’s a very direct way of connecting with people. The stalls are a refuge for some — it’s their daily walk, their only daily interaction.”

That sense of community resonates with customers, too. Literature student Laura Contreras, 26, visits the stalls regularly to hunt for philosophical texts. “There’s historic value; each item has its own story,” she said. Fellow visitor Marie-Samuelle Klein, 23, loves the tactile experience: “I like books when they’re old — their smell. There’s something symbolic about it, knowing that many people have read it before me.”

Not even the Paris Olympics could dislodge the bouquinistes. When city organizers proposed temporarily removing the stalls for the 2024 opening ceremony on the Seine, a public backlash forced them to back down.

Callais said the episode proved how deeply Parisians value the stalls. “Here there is eye-to-eye communication between human beings,” he said. “We provide an oasis of humanity and culture.”

Each year, concerns about the future of the bouquinistes resurface. But as Goudeau put it, “People always say, ‘Oh my God, it’s terrible, the booksellers are dying out.’ But in fact, we’re still here. And I hope we’ll be here for a long time to come.”

How a Historic Paris Book Market is Thriving Amid Digital Age Challenges

People

Scott Lee was running out of time.

The Colorado man, who has battled the rare autoimmune disease Goodpasture syndrome for two decades, had already endured more than most: a coma, failed transplants, multiple surgeries, and years of dialysis. But just before the holidays, he received what he calls a “Christmas miracle” — a life-saving kidney transplant.

“I was down to my last couple of hours,” Lee told CBS affiliate KKTV. “They had already brought a chaplain in on the phone.”

Lee’s condition had deteriorated to the point where only a kidney from a living donor could save him. But the odds were steep. With less than a 1% chance of finding a match, and neither of his two sons viable as donors, hope was slipping away fast.

That’s when a longtime friend from church, Julie McVicker, stepped in.

“I had to try,” McVicker said. She wasn’t a match, but she found another way to help. By donating her kidney to someone else through a paired donation program, McVicker earned Lee a living donor voucher — giving him priority access to a compatible kidney.

“She gave up a body part for me, and in turn I got a body part from somebody else,” Lee said. “It was literally a Christmas miracle.”

Lee recently underwent a successful transplant and is now recovering. He’s grateful for the extra time — especially with his granddaughters.

“I’m so happy that I get to watch my granddaughters grow up,” he said. “I was worried I wasn’t going to get to.”

His story is one of unrelenting struggle. Diagnosed in 2005 at age 37, Lee has lived with Goodpasture syndrome, a rare condition where the immune system attacks the kidneys and lungs. According to the Mayo Clinic, the disorder causes the body to produce antibodies that mistakenly target collagen in those organs, leading to inflammation and, if untreated, organ failure.

In 2020, after six years on the transplant list, Lee finally received a kidney — only for it to be removed a month later due to complications. He contracted COVID-19 during recovery, and doctors later found the kidney was covered in fungus.

The next two years were brutal. He fought off the infection while undergoing a string of operations that included partial amputation of his right foot, a total hip replacement, arterial bypass surgery, and the placement of tubes and drains throughout his body. “I lost the front half of my foot, then it went to my hip, lost my hip,” he said.

Through it all, he never gave up — and neither did his family. A construction worker and outdoorsman at heart, Lee credits his wife for being his rock.

“My wife is an absolute angel for all she has done for me and the things she has sacrificed,” he wrote on his National Kidney Registry profile.

Now, with a new kidney and a fresh lease on life, Lee is focused on recovery, gratitude — and staying close to McVicker.

“We are supposed to take care of each other,” he said. “When you have that opportunity, you need to do it. I was lucky I got to. And now she’s part of the family whether she likes it or not. She’s stuck with us.”

Colorado Man Receives 'Christmas Miracle Kidney' After Autoimmune Disease Left Him Near Death

A toddler’s in-flight clean-up mission has captured hearts across the internet — and changed one mom’s entire perspective on flying.

Lydia Bakker, just 2 ½ years old, went viral after helping out a Delta Air Lines crew during a recent flight to visit family for Thanksgiving. What started as a nervous travel day turned into an unforgettable experience, thanks to one kind flight attendant and a curious toddler eager for a job.

“Our Delta flight attendant noticed our toddler needed a job, now all she talks about is ‘I picked [up] all the garbage,’” Lydia’s mom, Becca Bakker, wrote in a TikTok post that quickly racked up views. In the video, Lydia is seen confidently walking down the aisle of a Delta jet, bag in hand, politely asking passengers if they had any trash.

Flight attendant Terry Grant can be heard gently guiding her. “Turn to the other side,” she says. “Say, ‘trash, please.’”

The response online was immediate. Viewers praised Lydia’s “lil smirk” and the confidence she showed. Even Delta’s official TikTok chimed in: “Teamwork makes the dream work, even at 30,000 ft 😉👏.”

Becca, a self-described nervous flyer, said she boarded the flight from Minnesota with a bit of anxiety. She and her husband Jordan had packed plenty of toys and distractions for their toddler. But once they took their seats near the back of the plane, something unexpected happened — Lydia and Grant hit it off.

“They connected immediately,” Becca told PEOPLE. “Throughout the flight, Terry kept checking on us and chatting with Lydia. She even gave her a pair of Delta wings.”

Grant, who’s worked as a flight attendant for nearly four decades, said Lydia reminded her of her own daughter, who now works as a TV anchor.

“I would use the word captivating to describe your daughter,” Grant told Becca. “She hugged me with her heart, and she kept pulling me back to her every time I walked by. She would just captivate me.”

It wasn’t the first time Grant had asked a child to help clean up, but it had been a while. Lydia, she said, was more than happy to jump in.

“She was so brave,” Grant said. “You could see how proud she was.”

Passengers quickly got into the spirit too. Some even tore their trash into smaller pieces just to give Lydia more to collect.

“It was like everything came together in this magical synchronicity that caused this wonderful moment to happen,” Grant said. “It was perfectly orchestrated without it being rehearsed. It was just authentic and pure.”

For Becca, the moment did more than just go viral — it reshaped how she sees flying.

“This experience completely changed my perspective,” she said. “It’s not such a scary thing for me anymore. The flight home was a completely different experience because of Terry and Lydia. I learned it’s a space where community can be built and exciting memories can be shared with a whole cabin of people.”

As for Lydia? She’s still proudly talking about her job in the sky.

Toddler Steals Hearts by Joining Delta Crew on Holiday Flight

The National Climate

Abu Dhabi is making it easier for pet lovers to bring their furry companions along for a night out.

In a move aimed at boosting tourism and inclusivity, the Emirate has amended its public health legislation to allow companion animals — such as cats and dogs — at restaurants and hotels that hold tourism licences. The announcement was made by the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) on Thursday.

Previously, pets were prohibited from dining venues across the capital, with exceptions made only for certified service animals. The revised rules mark a significant shift in policy and will now give establishments the option to welcome pets, provided certain conditions are met.

According to the Abu Dhabi Media Office, participating venues must offer designated areas for animals, preferably in outdoor settings like balconies or patios. If pets are permitted indoors, businesses must ensure those areas meet public health and safety standards, protect the welfare of animals, and maintain the comfort of other guests.

“Hotels and restaurants with tourism licenses in the Emirate can now welcome owners and their companion animals, defined as pets that would usually accompany their owners outside their homes,” the statement read. The regulations stress that it’s up to each venue to decide whether they want to participate.

The move is part of a broader effort to position Abu Dhabi as a “world-leading destination,” said Fahad Ali Alshehhi, acting executive director of the Municipal Services Operations Support Sector at DMT.

Pet-friendly initiatives have been slowly gaining traction in the capital. Back in 2021, the W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island became the city’s first luxury hotel to officially allow pets during guest stays. Under that program, animals weighing up to 18kg could accompany their owners in the hotel lobby and private suites, although they remained off-limits in restaurants, bars, and pool areas.

With the new policy, more venues will be free to adopt similar practices — and may go even further by allowing pets into designated dining spaces.

The change aligns Abu Dhabi with a growing global trend toward pet-friendly travel and hospitality, appealing to both local residents and international tourists who don’t want to leave their animals behind.

Hotels and restaurants choosing to opt in will need to update their internal policies and prepare designated zones that are safe and comfortable for both animals and other patrons.

Ultimately, the updated legislation gives venues the flexibility to define their own boundaries — and gives animal lovers a new reason to explore the city, with pets in tow.

Abu Dhabi Hotels And Restaurants Welcome Cats And Dogs Under New Tourism Rules

Science Daily

A massive cosmic filament made up of hundreds of galaxies is doing something few have ever seen before: it’s rotating.

That’s the finding of an international research team led by the University of Oxford, who identified one of the largest known rotating structures in the universe — a razor-thin strand of galaxies embedded within a larger filament stretching some 50 million light years across. Their work was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The discovery adds a new twist to our understanding of how galaxies spin and evolve, and how their motion may be shaped by the vast, thread-like structures they’re embedded in.

Cosmic filaments are the largest structures in the universe. They act as enormous highways of dark matter and gas, funneling material into galaxies and linking them together across millions of light years. This newly identified filament, located about 140 million light years from Earth, contains a particularly curious feature: a narrow chain of 14 hydrogen-rich galaxies, all arranged in a structure just 117,000 light years wide but 5.5 million light years long.

But it’s not just the shape that caught astronomers’ attention — it’s the motion. Many of these galaxies appear to be spinning in the same direction as the filament itself. Even more striking, the filament seems to be rotating as a whole, with galaxies on one side moving in the opposite direction of those on the other.

“You can liken it to the teacups ride at a theme park,” said Dr. Lyla Jung, a physicist at the University of Oxford and co-lead author of the study. “Each galaxy is like a spinning teacup, but the whole platform — the cosmic filament — is rotating too.”

Researchers estimate the filament’s rotation speed at around 110 kilometers per second. The dense central region spans about 50 kiloparsecs, or 163,000 light years. This kind of large-scale rotation is rare, and its combination with aligned galaxy spin makes the structure especially valuable for understanding how galaxies acquire angular momentum.

The team used data from the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa, which tracked hydrogen gas — a key indicator of star-forming activity and cosmic motion. That data came from the MIGHTEE survey, a deep-sky study led by Oxford astrophysicist Professor Matt Jarvis. It was combined with optical observations from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), providing a detailed map of the filament and its galaxies.

“These kinds of studies can only be achieved by large groups with diverse skillsets,” said Jarvis. “This really demonstrates the power of combining data from different observatories to obtain greater insights into how large structures and galaxies form in the universe.”

The filament appears to be relatively young and "dynamically cold," meaning it hasn’t yet been disturbed by violent gravitational interactions. Most of its galaxies are still rich in hydrogen, which means they’re actively forming stars or preparing to.

That makes the filament not just a curiosity, but a sort of fossil record of how cosmic flows shape galaxy growth.

“This filament is a fossil record of cosmic flows,” said co-lead author Dr. Madalina Tudorache, who is affiliated with both Oxford and the University of Cambridge. “It helps us piece together how galaxies acquire their spin and grow over time.”

The findings also have practical implications. Galaxy spin alignments like the ones observed here can interfere with upcoming cosmology surveys, such as the European Space Agency’s Euclid mission and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time. Understanding the mechanics behind these alignments could help refine those measurements.

Researchers from universities and observatories across the UK and South Africa contributed to the study, including the University of the Western Cape, Rhodes University, and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory.

The discovery provides an unusually clear window into how galaxies interact with the cosmic web that connects them — and how even on the grandest scales, the universe is still spinning.

Astronomers Discover One Of The Universe’s Largest Spinning Structures

CTV News

A simple note taped to a bike rack stopped Brooklyn artist Rusty Zimmerman in his tracks. It read, “Just a daily reminder that you are amazing and the world is a better place with you in it. Xoxo Charlie.”

Zimmerman didn’t know who Charlie was, but the message stuck with him.

“I had to leave it for as many people to find as possible,” he said. “I’ve never met this Charlie, but I think that Charlie’s right. I think that one good deed does ripple out and it can inspire other people to do the same.”

He wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Jessica Ruth Shepard, a health coach, stumbled on a similar note along Fifth Avenue in Park Slope. It was a tough time in her life, and the words landed with unexpected force.

“It was so, so well received,” she said. “Little does anyone really know what anyone’s really, really going through.”

Dozens of notes kept appearing in random places across New York: on subways, buses, street corners, and sidewalks near landmarks like Prospect Park and Rockefeller Center. Each one signed, simply, “Charlie.”

So who was behind it?

Twelve-year-old Charlie Simon, a Brooklyn middle school student with a roll of tape and a stack of affirmation cards.

Charlie’s project started as a school assignment. Her class had been tasked with creating TED-style talks on a social issue of their choice. She chose loneliness — especially how it intersects with social media — and decided to try something small but tangible: handwritten messages of encouragement, left for strangers.

Her inspiration came from a note she once found herself at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. “I almost started crying because I was so happy and I’m so glad I opened it,” she said.

That moment planted the seed for what would become a city-wide effort. With help from her 9-year-old sister Eleanor, Charlie began spreading positive messages in places where strangers might stumble upon them when they needed them most.

“I’m really proud of her for doing this,” Eleanor said. “Because that shows that she’s a good person. She wants people to feel good, too.”

Each card included an email address, inviting recipients to share their reactions. Charlie’s parents, Dan Simon and Erin McElwain, said they were stunned by what came back.

“Some were just funny pictures, just saying we saw it and thanks so much,” Dan said. “And then there were other ones that were like really personal notes. What it showed is people in the city can be struggling and having a really hard time.”

“It reignites how you feel about this city of so many people,” Erin added. “And it shows you that we’re actually a small community.”

Even more surprising was how the project spread. Dozens of people wrote back to say they had chosen not to keep the note, but instead left it behind for someone else to find — continuing the chain of kindness.

“So many people were like, ‘I’m leaving this here for the next person who needs it,’” Charlie said. “And that was really amazing.”

Her teacher later invited her to deliver the talk again, this time to her entire middle school.

“Just the smallest action can create such a big effect,” Charlie said.

What began as a class assignment ended up touching lives across New York. A handwritten note, a few kind words, and a twelve-year-old who believed they could make a difference — together proving that even in a busy city of millions, one small gesture can stop someone in their tracks.

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