Shelling out smiles, biking for a cause, and a community of hockey lovers come together to check on each other's mental well-being.

On a Positive Note

On A Positive Note: International Kindness Movement 

Coming up on a positive note where good news does exist. She's using seashells to foster sweetness. You can do something nice and make somebody happy how one New Jersey artist is proving that a small act of kindness can go a long way over in Connecticut. Why this man is biking thousands of miles for an incredibly moving cause plus how police officers are ensuring kids have a scooper summer today. Good news does exist and you've come to the right place to find it. It's time for on a positive note. Hello. Hello and thank you for tuning in. I'm Jordan and you're watching on a positive note where good news does exist. So rest assured here on a positive note, you can be sure to find some of the most heartwarming stories from all around our communities. Our intention with every episode is to help you at home, feel good to provide you stories that will move you and inspire you. And on that note, let's jump right into our first story that is sure to do all of that. We're taking a look at how one New Jersey artist is using seashells to share kindness and we're not talking just up and down the Jersey shore. She paints seashells and sometimes even decorates them with messages of hope and inspiration. Now, some of these special shells have even made their ways to Alaska and the Grand Canyon. Proving a small act of kindness can go a long way right by the ocean in seaside park. Diane Roselli and her husband are here to hide a shell in plain sight. They climb a ramp and right there she leaves it by a post mission accomplished an hour before Diane was in her art studio. Finishing up another creation. It's getting there. People that aren't artists are maybe, you know, thinking, hey, that's something I can do with my shelves, you know, but it's what she'll do next with these shelves. People enjoy making other people happy. I looked and I saw something Keslin Smith was walking the beach in Seaside park one morning and found one of Diane's beauties. There was a message on the back, please post a pic to the Facebook group. Jersey Shore Shells she did for a few years now. This has been the place to track all the found shells and I'll be scrolling and I'll be like, oh, there's one of my shells and it is, it's a great feeling to know that somebody grabbed it. Oh, my goodness. Diane and Keslin recently met and Diane got to see just where her artwork wound up. So here it is. I think it's a good lesson for Children that you can do something nice and make somebody happy. People that they go on their walks, they might have had a bad day at work or you know, they got something personal going on, just they stumble upon it. There will be a nice message on there to uplift their spirits. And you remember that shell that Diane propped against the post. Just a few hours later there, it was on the Facebook page found and just look at those smiles. Now, there's no way to know for sure. But just based off the number of people posting on that Facebook group, there are hundreds of people who are painting their own shells and keeping this kindness movement going and they're truly being found all around the world. Recently, pictures were posted to that Facebook page from all the way in Aruba, Puerto Rico and Italy. Well, let's keep this a nautical goodness coming. But now over in Connecticut in the 36th annual Swim across the sound, some people suited up and braved a 15.5 mile swim, not for fun or exercise, but in an effort to raise money for people battling cancer swimmers. You can see one of them there take their marks in Port Jefferson and make their way to Bridgeport. Now, over the last three decades, this event has raised millions of dollars for families dealing with cancer. The money helps specifically with covering everyday expenses like mortgages and other bills. Well, this year Joey Nazzaro won the race in just over seven hours. He tells us he had a special reason for braving that water. Take a listen. My family and friends who have been affected by cancer. My grandfather has cancer and people like him. And I think it's really important that we can empathize with people who need money to get cancer treatments and stuff. Our communities are just continuing to show up for one another. The kind soul in our last story, swam nearly 16 miles in an effort to raise funds for those in need. Well, here's the story of another kind soul who biked 10,000 miles across country to provide a homecoming for those impacted by natural disasters. Imagine you wake up one day and your home is gone and you don't know the journey in front of you. I know what's in front of me. So when I bike and it gets hard, I realize that there's other people that it's a lot harder. That's what keeps me going for the last 100 plus days. Jim Feeney's home away from home has been his bicycle. The Massachusetts native is riding the perimeter of the United States for the second time this time to benefit SBP an organization dedicated to natural disaster relief. It was a tiny organization recovering homes in the New Orleans area and now they're all over the United States. Feeney has raised $204,000 so far with a goal of 300,000. He says that would help 10 families with this round of funding benefiting flood victims in Vermont. I think we all know when disaster happens, that families just struggle to get back home from extreme heat in Phoenix to the continental divide of New Mexico. Feeney doesn't always go at it alone. I've had people meet me throughout the country who are Peloton supporters and basically hands on my back is what they say and been helping me along mentally as I do this journey, Christine Deri, this is her motto on mantras. I am I can, I will I do. And all the folks that follow her have helped me throughout the ride. If you're alone on the bike for long periods of time, you, you kind of go a little stir crazy. So it's nice to find out their story and why they want to join you shifting now into high gear with the finish line in sight. See those families move back home after disaster is really satisfying. Well, spoiler alert, he did it, Jim crossed the finish line at 10,000 miles. So amazing. So come on over to Connecticut with me for our next story. Now, a story of our neighbors turning serious pain into purpose. Do you remember Hayden Thorson? We brought you the late teen story, a few episodes back while a fundraiser organized in his memory just took place and it was all about one specific action to check on your loved ones and to make sure they're feeling well, mentally, that action coined shoulder check. Take a look. Thorson's message rang loud and true for the thousands in the crowd. Everybody here in this building tonight is a founding member of the shoulder check. And there's a responsibility or rather a call to action that just says, OK, what can I do with this? How can I spread it and share it all wearing a blue patch on their, representing a different kind of shoulder check than on the ice. More of a check in a helping hand something Hayden was known for. That's what made the news last May. So devastating Hayden had taken his own life more than one year later, the impact of his life immeasurable. It seems like it's such a small task to just send out a text, just really make sure your teammates are doing fine, your friends, everyone in your life is doing OK because I don't wish this pain that all of us feel message has made it all the way to NHL all stars from near and fall around here. It's a really tight knit group and a really tight knit community, especially in the hockey world itself. So it's one of those things that to see how many people come out of this and just so support really special. You can see if you're hurt physically sometimes, but mentally. It's very hard to see that and see the signs and know what someone's going through. Hayden's dad tells us. He hopes this shoulder check showcase is just the first of many all in memory of Hayden. Now, you know what that sound means? It's time for today's. Did you know, did you know that throughout the tri state area? You can be gifted a pint of beer but not without giving a little something too. We're tapping into saving lives in our next story as the New York Blood Center kicked off their second annual Pint for a pint campaign. So here's how it works. You donate a pint of blood at any blood center in the greater tri state area. And now once you do that, you'll be presented with a voucher, then you take your voucher to the brewery and get yourself a free pint of beer. The New York Blood Center says there are dozens of participating breweries throughout the five boroughs of the city along with New Jersey and the Hudson Valley too. We spoke with one owner of a Brooklyn based brewery about the importance of this event. My sister needed a blood transfusion when she was born. My uncle needed one with kidneys with kidney transplants and things of that nature. So, um I there wasn't even a question. I was like, OK, how do I, how do I do this? Bear in mind that 67% of the population nationwide is eligible to donate, but only two does it on a regular basis if we had one more, one more percent of people donating who wouldn't have blood emergencies. Well, we're told that just one kind of blood can save about three lives. That's three people. You can help keep alive. So, if you're up to it, feel free to head to our website for more information. And now it's time for one good thing. Here's one good thing that's sure to resonate no matter your age location or otherwise. Ok. This one is just too cute. One. Zoo in the UK recently welcomed some new baby pandas and the joy just keeps on coming, check that out. They just welcomed a new baby zebra two, but this isn't just any zebra. It's a grey zebra, the most threatened species of the animal in the entire world. While zookeeper named him Zabe, which means a raindrop because he was born on a rainy day. Well, another fun fact for you, there are only around 2000 G gravy zebras left in the wild due to habitat loss, disease and other threats. Well, the zookeeper are hoping that Zabe can help grow their population for years to come. So best wishes to Hannah and on growing their family and there you have it, my friend. That's today's one good thing. So, on that note, thank you for embracing all of this positivity with me. Remember the news does exist and you can always be sure to find it right here on a positive note, I'm Jordan and I'll see you next time.