How about some happy stories from Ferguson for a change?
A North Carolina teacher has raised over $100,000 to help feed the kids there, many of whom rely on federal and state lunch and breakfast programs to eat.
But in the midst of the violence and unrest came a glimmer of good news: a teacher from North Carolina has raised more than $100,000 for the St. Louis Area Foodbank to feed children in the area. The original goal was $80,000.
The fund had topped $120,000 as of Wednesday morning, with donations from more than 4,000 supporters. It raised more than $30,000 in its first day. The teacher at the helm of the effort, Julianna Mendelsohn, wrote on a blog detailing the progress of the campaign, “We’ve blown past every fundraising goal set for this campaign, and the generosity keeps pouring in.”
On the fundraising page, she described why she began the campaign. “As a public school teacher, my first thought is always about the children involved in any tragic situation like this,” she writes. “When I found out school had been canceled for several days as a result of the civil unrest, I immediately became worried for the students in households with food instability. Many children in the US eat their only meals of the day, breakfast and lunch, at school. With school out, kids are undoubtedly going hungry.”
Note: They're still accepting donations at the link in the article if you feel led to give.
Or the woman who walked a mile in hot, humid weather to bring water to the protesters.
Or the outpouring of donations to those in need in the Canfield area where Brown was shot:
https://twitter.com/DIANAZOGA/statuses/501438094328221697
Or the teachers in Ferguson who opened up the schools to kids so they could have a chance to get some learning in before school officially opens next week, two weeks late, via CNN:
While they tried to restore some appearance of order and normality, teachers in Ferguson tried to do the same. Classes have been canceled in the town since the violence began. Schools are scheduled to open August 25.
Joined by volunteers, several teachers stood outside the Ferguson Public Library and waved signs this week that read "Teachers Here to Teach" and "Students Welcome," the St. Louis Riverfront Times reported.
Children were learning science and math at different tables while others drew. One child, the paper reported, made a poster that read: "Stop the violence. Let kids go back to school."
It's good to know there are really good people out there trying to do really good things for their community. Ferguson is far more than a crime scene. It's a community.
