Positive Good News Stories

The Foundation for a Better Life is pleased to offer, at no charge, these life affirming true stories.

The Foundation for a Better Life, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, gives your newspaper permission to publish these stories in print and electronic media (excluding audio and video), provided the stories are published in their entirety, without modification and including the copyright notice. These articles are available under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License (international). For any modification, permission must first be obtained from the Foundation by emailing media-relations@passiton.com. Thank you.

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Bee Productive.

17-year-old Gloria Barron Prize winner Anna Devolld is helping small things make a difference: Pollinators.

Anna Devolld likes creepy crawly things in the garden. And buzzing, fluttering little creatures in the air. That’s because Anna is passionate about pollinators. Read Story


The Last American Explorer.

Norman Vaughan trekked Antarctica with Admiral Byrd, completed the Iditarod 13 times and climbed the 10,000-foot, icy mountain named after him at age 89.

Some people are just made for adventure. The early explorers, who subjected themselves to privation, unknown elements and territories unheard of, left volumes of tales that inspired the next generation. But as the world became smaller, the wild ones who lived by their instincts began to thin out. Read Story


To All who are Lost: You will be Found Again.

The amazing story of the missing marathon runner who turned up 54 years later.

We all have started on some task or set a goal for ourselves that we didn’t complete. Sometimes we lose interest or don’t have the willpower to keep going. And sometimes, we just forget about the task and move on, not seeing the purpose of it all — that is, until something stirs us inside, and we go back and feel the joy of finishing. Read Story


From First Response to 11 Years of Friendship.

How EMTs saved a life and then enjoyed living it together.

Ask any first responder, and they’ll tell you the hardest calls you will ever get are those that involve a child. Many EMTs put their hearts on the line when kids are hurting. Read Story


The Art of Doing Good.

How 18-year-old Gloria Barron Prize winner Austin Picinich is saving the salmon of Seattle by painting community murals.

When you have big dreams, you need a big canvas. Austin Picinich’s dreams center on his home state of Washington and its dwindling salmon population. Read Story


The Taming of the West Featuring Diamond Kitty.

It’s time to give cowgirls their due. Kitty Canutt was a bronc rider in the early 1900s who wore a diamond in her tooth that she occasionally removed and pawned when she needed contest entry money.

Imagine growing up in New York City, dreaming of open ranges and taming wild horses. That’s exactly what Kitty Canutt did. Read Story


Matter In Motion.

How a physics professor is igniting the scientific passions of her female students.

Dr. Tatiana Erukhimova is a human dynamo. The physics professor at Texas A&M aims to show her students, especially the young women, that there are no limits. Read Story


How To Be Free.

Eliza Zenger teaches dance, music and arts to adults with disabilities. Their performance is the most beautiful you will ever see.

In an attention-seeking world where perfection is the constant pursuit, one group finds the truest form of pure emotion. At a performance of Utah’s LEADD (Learning and Engaging through Arts Discipline and Development) Adaptive Dance, Eliza leads a small ensemble of adults with disabilities in a performance that features musical instruments, dance, poetry and a choir. Read Story

JOY

Trusting Those Who Guide Us Through Life.

The amazing brotherhood of aviation navigators.

In a small chapel, a handful of men with clear eyes and wise souls gathered to honor one more of their fallen brothers. These are the Air Force Navigators, a brotherhood bound by their passion for thrilling flights, dangerous missions and the reward of a mission accomplished. Read Story


Dream Big.

How a young artist from a remote mountainous tribe came to illustrate one of the most popular books of our time: ‘The Archer,’ by Paulo Coelho

“The Archer,” Paulo Coelho’s book of wisdom and parable of courageous living, has been translated into 88 languages in 170 countries. It has sold over 320 million copies. The spirit of the book is the story of us all, searching not only for joy in the small things, but meaning in our existence. Read Story


Running to Win isn’t Always Running to Come in First.

Jacqueline Nyetipei Kiplimo demonstrates what really matters in life and in sports.

The marathon is one of the most difficult races in track and field, at a little over 42 kilometers (26.2 miles). Most marathoners will tell you their bodies hold up for the first 30 kilometers; the last 10 kilometers are all mental toughness. Read Story


Lift Your Voice, Use Your Mind, Lift Others.

How a spark plug of a teacher ignites possibilities within her students in classroom 161.

Anna Steed doesn’t look much older than her students, but she is a practitioner of behavioral and motivational science, an aficionado of oration, a shoulder to cry on, and the high school debate coach. Read Story


A Legend On and Off the Court.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sold his four championship rings and three MVP trophies for $2.8 million. Then he donated all of the money to support youth education programs

Known for his unstoppable “skyhook,” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a graceful force on the court who held the NBA’s all-time scoring record for 38 years. The game changed a lot in those nearly four decades. Read Story


The Birth of Superman.

How two awkward teenage boys dreamed up the world’s most popular superhero.

Young boys often dream of superpowers to solve their problems. “If I could just click my fingers, my homework would be done,” many have imagined. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster put their ideas down on paper. Read Story


Respecting Your Customers.

As the Great Depression impoverished the country, many families stretched their budgets by making clothes out of flour and seed sacks. What companies did next may surprise you.

Marketers often talk about meeting the customer’s needs or understanding the customer’s journey. Being a good corporate citizen means taking care of your community. But at the beginning of the 1900s, most companies were in a land rush for market share. Everything was about profits; that is, until the recession hit. Read Story