It was Jennifer Williams' mother who got her interested in books. A librarian, she 1 to her three children every day. When Williams, now 54, became an elementary school teacher in Danville, Virginia, she wanted her students to2 with reading just as she had.
But early on, she realized that some kids had limited 3 to books. To Williams, the 4 was simple: Give kids books. In 2017, as part of a civic event called Engage Dan-ville, she 5 900 used children's books over three days, and people were 6 with that. "I was like, ‘Anybody could do that,'" she told vadogwood.com, a local news site. "I wanted to do something that's going to 7 my faith, my work ethic, my everything." So she raised the number considerably by setting a new goal for herself: Give away one million books. It sounds like an 8 number. 9 , she got to work, first by persuading friends to give away books or money to buy books. Before long, as10 of Williams's project spread, strangers started leaving bundles of books on her front porch (门廊). As quickly as the books come in, Williams gives them to local schools—free of 11 —and also 12 books to little free libraries around the city of 41,000 just over the North Carolina border. She also13 a book club for those in the local prison. In the four years she's been doing all this, the Book Lady, as Williams has come to be known, has given away more than 78,000 books—only 922,000 more to reach her 14 !
And she's not slowing down. Giving books away is too 15 for kids with few options. "Reading can take you anywhere," she told CNN. "You can travel in time and space. If you can read, you can learn almost anything."
Adrienne Tully, an amateur photographer, went to the coast of a beach in Belmar, New Jersey. She planned to take photos of the 1 against the sea. Instead, she was able to 2 a frightening but happy journey. It all started last Sunday morning when she noticed a crowd 3 on the beach. Naturally, she joined them in the 4 of learning what was going on.
For a minute, Adrienne was 5 about what everyone was looking at. From how far away they were, it almost seemed like a bird. Looking closer, 6 , it was clearly a deer who was 7 on a raised rock in the middle of the ocean. The deer made a couple of 8 to swim back to the shore but the turbulent (汹涌的) water 9 all its efforts. Then someone who came out of nowhere 10 rode his surfboard to the deer. After a short magic while, the 11 managed to guide the deer out. Upon 12 ashore, the deer just ran north on the beach. Those watching nearby were no doubt 13 at the way this nameless young man 14 to help. But he somehow disappeared too, leaving people to hope he knows that he is greatly 15 for what he did.
John, 69, wanted to retire from running his small-town grocery store. However, he didn't want to 1 his local community without a grocery store to shop at. He was facing a dilemma (困境).
John's parents opened the store in 1940, and John 2 it over in
1985. When the store first opened, it was one of four grocery stores in town. Now, it's the last one 3 . Since there was no one in his family who could continue running it, John 4 selling it and put the store on the 5 three years ago. Although he got some interest, no 6 came in. 7 , he pulled the store off the market, as he worried that whoever bought the building might not continue the grocery store, which would make life harder for people in the community — especially those without 8 to a vehicle.
Then last summer, Elizabeth, who grew up in a nearby town, 9 John with an idea. She offered to raise money to buy the store, with the goal of 10 it into a sustainable social enterprise. Thus, Elizabeth turned to local residents and people 11 . Local residents, as well as people with 12 to the town, donated.
In a matter of months, the community 13 half a million dollars, which was enough for them to 14 the property and renew the store.
John, for his part, is 15 that his family's legacy (遗产) will live on, and the residents will still have a local place to shop for fresh food.
A mom makes mini-me toys as unique as the children who embrace them.
Asa 1 worker using play therapy to help children through their cancer treatment, Amy wished she could 2 her patients with dolls that bore their all-too-familiar hair loss and surgery scars.
3 Amy left welfare work in 2011 to start a family, she still often thought of the kids. She said, "These kids need something that looks like they do." This idea had always 4 in her mind.
Then in 2020, a mom whose daughter lost a leg to amputation (截肢) asked Amy, who was 5 with a sewing machine, if she could make a mini-me dol for the girl.
After Amy 6 a photo of the legless doll on Facebook, 7 poured in for likeness with everything from albinism (白化病) to birthmarks. " 8 make kids feel isolated and judged," she says, "With the doll, a child sees ‘I am not the only one who looks this way and I'm also 9 enough to be a doll.' "
Amy 10 nearly 400 custom dolls at her dining-room table, with donors often covering the 100 cost through Amy's nonprofit A Doll Like Me. The mom of three 11 making each doll herself with help from her mother and a friend.
For Keagan. 2, whose rare skin condition has 12 him in birthmarks, Amy matched the doll's 13 exactly. "That was the most amazing thing," says Keagan's mom. A farther says, "I 14 like a baby when a doll came in the mail for my daughter, who was born without her lower left arm. Seeing my daughter with her doll, it makes me think about her future, not her 15 ."