The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to let it get us down. Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good.
This week’s something good is a little kid and a bunch of stuffed animals.
Jackson Ptacek, from Noblesville, Indiana, decided he wanted to spread joy to kids who were sad. So, the five-year-old told his mom, “Mommy I’ve been thinking about something for a lot of days, and I finally decided to tell you. I want to get stuffed animals and give them to kids that need them and don’t have them,” says Abbi Ptacek, Jackson’s mom. The reason, she told WKYC, was that Jackson wanted kids who were sad “to be able to get their stuffed animal and feel happy.”
After Christmas, the Ptaceks asked friends and family to donate unused stuffies to the project dubbed, “Jackson’s January of Joy”. Soon, they had hundreds of stuffed toys and Jackson decided the fire station would be his first stop. He organized his good deed, and even helped carry the boxes in, along with some cookies for the firefighters. The stuffed animals Jackson donated were headed for the fire trucks and ambulances to be given to kids who needed comforting on calls.
The rest of the donations were given to a program run by a Noblesville group who provide school lunches for students in need of assistance.
Abbi hopes that Jackson’s project provides joy to the recipients. “I just think that it’s the time that we are in. Everybody is going through a difficult time. If there is any way you can bring a smile to people’s faces or bring a little bit of joy, I think that’s the thing to do,” she said.
Jackson has the right idea – to help others feel joy and happiness in a world filled with need. Stuffed animals are just toys but can bring such joy and that is something good!
Now it’s your turn… tell me something good!
