A wildlife expert performed a tiny transplant surgery. A Texas volleyball team serves an epic surprise for their school’s beloved custodian. New research brings good news to parents hoping to prevent peanut allergies. A retired computer technician in Florida is paying it forward to people in need. And in Chicago, second chances are in full bloom for at-risk youth, thanks to this CNN Hero. 

Sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter here. 

Host/Producer: Krista Bo Polanco 

Producer: Eryn Mathewson 

Showrunner: Faiz Jamil 

Senior Producer: Felicia Patinkin 

Editorial Support: Dan Dzula, Kathleen Toner, Christie O’Reilly

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What started as a dad’s epic Halloween display turned into a nationwide movement that raised spirits – and nearly $1 million – for kids with cancer. Meet the fish with mysterious markings that have anglers and scientists hooked. This cheese expert from Philadelphia made history at the Cheese Olympics. High school students in New York City got to chef for the country’s largest school district. Plus, Italy's oldest barista on how she's brewed up joy for generations.

Sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter here.

Host/Producer: Krista Bo Polanco
Producer: Eryn Mathewson
Showrunner: Faiz Jamil
Senior Producer: Felicia Patinkin
Editorial Support: Maya Blackstone

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chemistry that works like Hermione Granger’s magical handbag won a Nobel Prize this week. How an Indigenous inventor is working to preserve her tribe’s language. A wildlife photographer is making sure hermit crabs in Japan have proper homes. A man was dead for five minutes at a comedy show – what happened next was really special. Plus, a surprising call leads to a heartwarming reunion.

Sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter here. 

Host/Producer: Krista Bo Polanco 

Producer: Eryn Mathewson 

Showrunner: Faiz Jamil 

Senior Producer: Felicia Patinkin 

Editorial Support: Nick Blatt, Samantha Lindell, Clare Duffy, Dan Bloom

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This therapy is helping first responders deal with chronic stress. A group of nurses on strike dropped everything to help mass shooting victims. This Hollywood actor and advocate threw herself the quinceañera she never had – at 60. Inside Washington DC’s first phone-free bar. Plus, this school offers a type of detention that might make you wish you got in more trouble. 

Sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter here. 

Host/Producer: Krista Bo Polanco 

Producer: Eryn Mathewson 

Showrunner: Faiz Jamil 

Senior Producer: Felicia Patinkin 

Editorial Support: Kathleen Toner and Christie O’Reilly 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The last time the Chicago River Swim happened was when Calvin Coolidge was president. These bears in Alaska bulk up for the winter – and for internet glory. A rare surgery brought one man’s world back into focus. New space technology might help fight wildfires. Plus, the 100+ year long streak is over for a family in Texas family.  

Sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter here. 

Host/Producer: Krista Bo Polanco 

Producer: Eryn Mathewson 

Showrunner: Faiz Jamil 

Senior Producer: Felicia Patinkin 

Editorial Support: Alexander Rodway 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A superstar takes the stage one last time tonight, marking the end of a historic residency in Puerto Rico. How a free travel program for high school seniors aims to connect a divided US. A 9-year-old sets up a front-yard stand designed to make people smile. A stranger’s kindness turns a homeless teen into a devoted foster dad. Plus, meet the TIME’s Kid of the Year. 

Sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter here. 

Host/Producer: Krista Bo Polanco 

Producer: Eryn Mathewson 

Showrunner: Faiz Jamil 

Editorial Support: Felicia Patinkin, Isabel Rosales, Paola Ortiz, Abel Alvarado, Madeline Stix, John Blake

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new generation is falling in love with a centuries-old game. These women 65 and older clean local ponds by diving for trash (and have a blast doing it). She lost her dad in the Twin Towers – but the FDNY made sure he was still part of her wedding day. A doctor was told he would die, but he found a treatment for his disease everyone else had missed. Plus, the music program that teaches kids jazz and so much more. 

Sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter here. 

Host/Producer: Krista Bo 

Producers: Eryn Mathewson and Leying Tang 

Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin 

Special Thanks: Nadia Kounang 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We start with a back-to-school tradition that might make you want to kiss your mom. Kids with chronic illnesses took charge on a special day, thanks to 16 different law enforcement agencies. This nonprofit helps thousands of injured and neglected animals find forever homes.  A teen gets the quinceañera of a lifetime, with a little help from the internet.  Plus, the celebrity engagement of the summer sparked some sweet inspiration. Sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter here.  Host/Producer: Eryn Mathewson Producers: Ifeoma Dike and Leying Tang  Showrunners: Faiz Jamil & Felicia Patinkin  Special Thanks: Christie O’Reilly

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This nonprofit which feeds thousands of families in need in Florida all started with one man's extra vegetables. Skateboarder Brooke Johnson broke a world record and kept a promise. Artifacts from an ancient sunken city were pulled from the sea in Egypt. A new US coin features a first and a win for disability advocates. Plus, the mystery behind the Peggy Martin rose that survived Hurricane Katrina. 

Sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter here 

Host/Producer: Krista Bo 

Showrunners: Faiz Jamil & Felicia Patinkin 

Special Thanks: Jessica Jordan, Ryan Bergeron and Christie O’Reilly

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

These athletes from all over the world have something in common: an organ transplant and a new shot at greatness. After nearly eight decades and a daughter’s determined search, two siblings reconnect. A 4-year-old called 911 to chat and the police showed up with some sweet surprises. This couple from Wisconsin set a world record at the annual wife-carrying contest. Plus, this town in Sweden put their church on wheels. 

Sign up for the CNN 5 Good Things newsletter here. 

Host/Producer: Krista Bo 
Producer: Eryn Mathewson 
Showrunner: Faiz Jamil 
Special Thanks: Muhammad Darwish, Max Burnell, Bryce Urbany, Boglarka Kosztolanyi and Jamie Barton 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices