People Doing Good

Stories of people making a difference in the world

Two photos side-by-side. On the left, a man — Rob Scheer — holds up a large blue duffle bag in an office, smiling. On the right is a pile of colorful backpacks

After living 'life in a trash bag,' man donates 200K backpacks to restore dignity in foster youth

Rob Scheer’s experience in foster care — along with the stories of his own adopted children — inspired him to make a difference for all young people in need.

On the left: Anna the Appalachian Doll (an American Girl doll with brown hair and plaid clothes) standing amidst rubble in a Western North Carolina town. On the right: two young girls (9 and 11) smile as they hold up American Girl dolls to the camera and unbox a package of doll clothing.

Florida sisters donate 100+ custom American Girl dolls to young girls impacted by Hurricane Helene

11-year-old Kenzie and 9-year-old Kayleigh created “Anna the Appalachian” dolls to help young girls in the wake of Helene.

A photo collage of a forest full of trees, a titanium heart, a woman biking outdoors, an octopus resting on the ocean floor, and a solar panel farm

Good News This Week: March 29, 2025 - Dolphins, Hearts, & Sports Bars

Your weekly roundup of the best good news worth celebrating...

The Myanmar flag is overlain on images of an earthquake

Myanmar-Thailand Was Hit By a 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake — Here's How To Help

Here are five ways you can help in the wake of the Myanmar-Thailand tragedy.

A bubble graphic with a blue t-shirt with a large heart beside a smiling stick figure with big, looping hands raised as fists. On the main image, a zoomed out image of a tiny home village in a neighborhood filled with greenery.

5-year-old’s viral t-shirt raises thousands for unhoused neighbors

5-year-old Eli Dewees struck up a conversation with a person who was experiencing homelessness. Then a lightbulb went off.

Two photos side-by-side. On the left, Dacia Petrie sits on a leather booth wearing a pantsuit and glasses. On the right, a screenshot of the Black Nile app

Black woman develops 'Black Amazon' app to help shoppers find Black-owned businesses

Dacia Petrie’s Black Nile curates over 3,000 Black-owned businesses across 40+ categories.

A photo collage of a solar farm, a plant, a penguin, a car driving away from a cloud of smoke, and a solar wind farm

Good News This Week: March 22, 2025 - Penguins, Satellites, & Basketball

Your weekly roundup of the best good news worth celebrating...

Three screenshots of TikTok videos side-by-side. They all feature teacher Kati Jo Christensen dancing, with calls to actions about eliminating student lunch debt

This teacher has raised thousands to pay off student lunch debt by dancing on TikTok

Special education teacher Kati Jo Christensen is using the money she makes on the app to pay off students’ lunch debt.

On the left, a person hands food over to someone with a smile. In the middle: A screenshot of the ShelterBridge app, which shows options for various social services in the user's area with purple buttons. On the right: A young asian teenager with long black hair smiles in a photo taken on a streetcorner.

New award-winning app allows homeless people to review shelter service, meals

Before high schooler Claire Cao invented ShelterBridge, a local homeless shelter had been looking for an app that fit its description “for a number of years.”

Two photos side-by-side. On the left, John Green wears a blue chambray button-down shirt and glasses. On the right are two cups of tea in glass mugs, sitting beside a tea strainer.

John Green celebrates World Tuberculosis Day by releasing new 'tea for TB'

Between his new book "Everything is Tuberculosis" and a line of new teas, Green keeps his sights on ending the world’s deadliest infectious disease.

A community of tiny houses sits in a lush green area with hanging string lights

'Sacred settlements' give homeless neighbors a house on church property

“The resources of our church family are not ours,” Pastor David Brickey said. “Every dollar and square inch of our property are God’s.”

Two photos side by side. On the left, Marcel LeBrun holds up a drill in a selfie, with a nervous look on his face. On the right, an aerial view of a tiny home neighborhood in Canada

Tech millionaire builds village of 99 tiny houses for homeless neighbors in Canada

Marcel LeBrun made millions as a software executive. But then, he devoted his fortune to affordable housing.