After a violent week of fighting at a Louisiana high school, parents knew something had to change.

So, a group of dads decided to show up not just for their kids – but for the whole student body – to help maintain a positive environment…

A ten-year old and a friend spent the storm cleaning snow off the cars of essential workers so that when their shift ended, they could return straight home to their families. This kind gesture was not only greatly appreciated, but reminded these hospital workers that their work does not go unnoticed. A hospital never gets breaks, and is always available to the public 24/7 every single day of the year. So to acknowledge that hard work, not to mention the risk all these healthcare workers are taking during this pandemic, is a beautiful thing. And all the more so, when it was two kids who were expressing their thanks.

Look what message he found in the bottle!

For high-school seniors throughout the world, their graduation marks the end of a 12 years of school filled with tremendous growth, life-lessons and hard work. No matter where they go from here, be it college, the work force or travel, life is about to drastically change. For most, this will be their first times away from home as they begin this new chapter in their lives as an adult. Graduation is a rite of passage that is looked forward to throughout the years. But for Seniors of 2020, spending the remainder of their year in quarantine was nothing anyone could have expected or prepared for. But schools are doing their best to give these students some semblance of a graduation and to let them know how proud everyone is, not only of what they have accomplished but of how resilient they have been through this challenge. The following pictures and video is from the Graduation Parade that was done by the Long Trail School in Dorset, Vermont, where our daughter, Nessia, just graduated! Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

Michael Platt is an extraordinary 14-year-old. And he is proof that a teenager can impact and change the lives of so many. This video explains all of the various projects he is involved with to help the homeless and provide food and education to those in need. But there are two things that were said that particularly struck me. The first is that his inspiration to have his business be a one-for-one model (for every cupcake bought, he gives one away) was after he was given a pair of Tom’s shoes as a gift. This shows that even the gifts we give our children can and should serve as a way of encouraging them to help others. He received something from a company based on the concept of giving…and so too he learned how to give from them. Secondly, his parents help him with the baking when needed, and the delivery. He deserves the credit for his ideas and hard work, but it is the fact that he has support, help and love behind his work that enables him to be so successful. Again, as parents, how we encourage our children is what allows them to shine. Thanks to the dedication and empathy of Michael Platt, and the wonderful parents who stand behind him, here is a teen that is helping so many others and serves as a true inspiration to both youth and parents everywhere.

Cover Image: Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty

At the root of most misunderstanding and division between people is lack of healthy communication. When we can speak openly and honestly, we are able to share our thoughts and feelings so that others can connect with us. Likewise, by doing so we encourage others to share as well. Rumari Zarez, 11, and his 4th grade classmates, are wise beyond their years and show us the transformation that can take place when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and speak our truth. Rumari asked to speak to his class, and in doing so, he not only educated them about his autism but was able to receive support and friendship in return. The Hebrew word for the mouth is “peh” which is numerically equivalent to the words for “love” (ahava) and “kindness” (chesed). This teaches us that when we speak, it is to share love and kindness and to bring out the love and kindness in others. This little boy and his classmates beautifully demonstrate this.

(Cover image photo credit: Lisa Rachel Moe. Picture of Rumari Zarez with his teacher, Lisa Rachel Moe, who also filmed the video.)

How do you explain to your seven-year-old that there are people, who risked their lives for our freedom, that are now homeless and living on the streets? You don’t. Because you can’t. There is no explanation. There is no rationalization. But that doesn’t mean that nothing can be done. Andrea Blackstone, herself from a veteran family, had an honest discussion with her son, Tyler Stallings, about the unfortunate and sad situation that so many of our country’s veterans find themselves in. Tyler’s response? To help. To give. To provide. To honor. And from this was born the concept of “Hero Bags,” part of the work this kidprenuer does with his project, “Give Back to Veterans.” Tyler came up with the idea to fill bags with necessities for veterans that would include toiletries, clothes, snacks, shoes and more. But he didn’t stop there. He then partnered with local mattress manufacturers to have 250 mattresses donated to vets living at the Maryland Center for Veteran Education and Training. And don’t think this seven-year-old stopped at that. He (and mom) started a Go-Fund-Me (https://www.gofundme.com/TylerVeterans) which has raised just under $23,000 for veterans. So if you are ever wondering just what a seven-year-old can accomplish, Tyler shows us that even a young child can change people’s lives.

There were two strikes already when high school pitcher, Ty Koehn, was about to throw the next pitch. If Ty’s team won, it meant they would advance to the State Championships. “I knew the game was going to keep going or it was going to end right there,” he said. And end it did. As the umpire called “Strike!” Ty’s team ran to celebrate with him. But that is not what he did. You see, it was his childhood best friend, Jack Kocon, he had just struck out. So as Ty’s teammates rushed onto the field, Ty headed right off, straight to Jack, and enveloped him in a hug. This was more than just good sportsmanship, this was about priorities. And recognizing, that when we win, often that means another has lost. This is why the Hebrew word for a “friend” is “chaver” which is is the same Hebrew spelling as the word “chibur” which means “connection.” When our friends are in pain, we are connected to that pain. And we must recognize it. And this is what Ty did. “Our friendship is more important that just the silly outcome of a game. I had to make sure he knew that before we celebrated.”

Header Image: Bring Me The News

Bringing a small child to a Mozart concert can be risky business. What if he gets bored and screams? What if he won’t sit still? But that is not what happened at the end of Mozart’s Masonic Funeral Music. Instead, as the music came to an end, before the applause began, you can hear (0.36 seconds) the simple word “Wow” come from the young child’s mouth. It was one word. But it said everything and more. This child wasn’t wondering about the acoustics in the room or if the performance was the best he had ever heard. He didn’t carry with him into that concert worries or stress from his work day or from his relationships. Rather, he was completely present and in awe of a powerful performance of music, and after taking it all in, without any prompting or questioning, let out exactly how he was feeling in the word “wow.” As you can hear, the audience then roared in laughter and exploded in applause, as his reaction reminded them that they should all feel that way. And more so, be willing to express it. Judaism teaches that music is the quill of the soul because it has the ability to reach the deepest of places within us that supersedes our thoughts and logic. It gets to the essence of who we are and our most intense yearnings. And so, when this anonymous little boy said, “wow” he tapped into that pure innocence and truth that we all have, but that we are not always able to experience. Thanks to him, all those there and all those that hear this recording, now can.

This little boy, Phoenix Swonger, just doesn’t think he has it in him to break this board. He is getting flustered and overwhelmed and even begins to cry. But his teacher won’t give up on him and neither will his friends. While his teacher keeps encouraging him to try again, to kick harder and to believe he can do it, his classmates begin chanting his name to encourage and support him. But Phoenix doesn’t seem convinced. He kicks a few more times and then, to his surprise and everyone’s delight, he breaks that board! The eruption of excitement is something that will hopefully last a lifetime for little Phoenix and remind him to never give up and to always believe in himself. The Talmud teaches the following: “If someone tells you he toiled and didn’t succeed, don’t believe him. If he tells you he succeeded and didn’t toil, don’t believe him. Only the one who tells you he succeeded and he toiled can you believe.” Interestingly enough, the Lubavitcher Rebbe instituted this as something that all children should recite on a daily basis. Perhaps because from a very young age we must believe in ourselves, believe that we are capable of much more than we would think, and make sure we are supporting everyone who is trying.

Video Source: Facebook page of Claudia Swonger, Phoenix’s mother.