Good Stuff This Week

In a chaotic and uncertain world, it helps to remember that good things are happening around us all the time. We think it’s important to pay attention to the good stuff. Here’s a roundup of uplifting stories to cheer your heart.

Singer passing through train station notices man playing piano; give beautiful rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”

Singer Ceili O’Connor was passing through St. Pancras station in London, on her way to Brussels to perform in a production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Cats” when she noticed an elderly man playing piano. What happened next was magical:

We’re on our way to Brussels for the next leg of @CatsMusical tour. I saw this guy playing and called @CeiliOConnor as I knew he needed a singing partner. Captured a bit of the magic here. He was so sweet, saying Ceili “made his day” and that she must be “in a show”. Precious x pic.twitter.com/Lx8oNfkO0b

— Matthew Rowland (@matthewrowlandx) March 18, 2019

The video of her impromptu performance went viral, prompting O’Connor to Tweet:

Slightly overwhelmed with the response of the lovely video @matthewrowlandx posted today.Thank you for all the kind responses but the real star is my lovely new friend on the piano who lifted us all by sitting down and playing his heart out.I could have sang with him all day. ❤️

— Ceili O’Connor (@CeiliOConnor) March 18, 2019

Queer Eye fans raise close to $100,000 to help send woman back to college after her family disowns her

Fans of the Netflix hit show Queer Eye raised almost $100,000 on GoFundMe to assist Jess Guilbeaux, who was featured on a recent episode. Jess shared that her adoptive parents disowned her when she was 16 years old after they learned she was gay. Despite that, Guilbeaux went on to attend the University of Kansas, but the pressures of attending school and supporting herself financially proved to be too much, and she ended up dropping out. One fan was so touched by Guilbeaux’s story that she launched a fundraiser for her. Guilbeaux has thus far used the funds to pay off her student loans and debts, and is excited to return to school. She plans to donate any money not needed for her education to GLAAD, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting acceptance of the LGBTQ community. “I’m really excited to go to school, but I’m also really excited to give back because I’ve never been in a position where I’ve been able to do that,” says Guilbeaux.

9-year-old student creates birthday boxes for classmates who cannot afford celebrations

Bella Smith, age 9, is currently a third grader at Wyan-Pine Grove Elementary School in Kentucky. Wyan-Pine Grove is a Title 1 school, which means 80% of their student body fall below the poverty line. Two years ago, after one student told Bella that his family couldn’t afford a party for him, Bella went into action. She collects donations from members of the community and uses them to fill “birthday boxes” for kids from school which are distributed through her school’s Family Resource Center. Boxes are filled with cake mix, frosting, sprinkles, and balloons so that each child can celebrate their special day. Bella’s own birthday is March 26, and in lieu of presents, she asks for donations for her birthday box project. Bella told Good Morning America, “I thank God for the opportunity for letting me be able to shine my light and show that I love my neighbor.”