Proof Positive

On today’s show I will share my interview with the Co-Founder and CEO of 412 Food Rescue.

Through the cooperation of numerous restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores along with a team of dedicated volunteers the 412 Food Rescue organization redirects fresh, healthy food from going to landfills to serving those who are food insecure.

The name derives from the area code for Pittsburgh Pennsylvania but as we’ll learn the organization has expanded its reach well beyond Pittsburgh and has even larger goals for the future.

Episode Notes

Theme music from Purple Planet

https://www.purple-planet.com/

412 Food Rescue

https://412foodrescue.org/

School Principal Writes Adorable Letter to the Tooth Fairy After Distraught Boy Loses Tooth During Recess

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/principal-writes-letter-to-tooth-fairy-after-boy-loses-tooth/

US veteran fixes cars for free

https://hardluckauto.org/

I’m delighted to have found Julie Akins another example of synchronicity.  Julie’s solution to providing the homeless not only with a place to live but also mobility is so ingenious that upon hearing about it I knew she would be a wonderful guest for the show.

I think you will indeed find that to be true but what I found after speaking to her was that beyond her inginuity Julie brings a compassion and passion to her work that we can all admire and hope to emulate.

Episode Notes

Theme music from Purple Planet

https://www.purple-planet.com/

Journey Home Foundation – formerly VehiclesforChanges

https://journeyhomefoundation.com/

Our 1st story gave us the title for this episode The Beauty and Serentity of the Water Lantern Festival

Let’s listen to my interview with Katie from the Water Lantern Festival to find out more. 

Episode Notes

Theme music from Purple Planet

https://www.purple-planet.com/

Grassroots Compassion 

https://uplift.tv/2019/maya-soetoro-ng-grassroots-compassion/?utm_source=UPLIFT&utm_campaign=755d15c3a6-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_11_28_05_47&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_19c1fc07c2-755d15c3a6-116703029

How Andrew McCutchen plans to give back to Pittsburgh this fall

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2019/09/27/andrew-mccutchen-news-pittsburgh-voluteer-week/stories/201909290017

On today’s show I’ll share two interviews of communities working with their members to help one another.  To often we think ‘there’s nothing I can do’, our problems are so massive no one person can make a difference.  

I hope today’s show will change your opinion on that and spur you to take action and help someone.  Remember there’s no telling how much impact an act of kindness can have. 

1st up we will listen to my interview with Matthew from the Circle of Hope church.  Their pastor has created a program they call Debt Annihilation to help members of the congregation escape from credit card debt hell.

Next my interview with Stephanie Enos from the Human Services Center.  Which provides a number of important social services to members of the community including free tax preparation.

Episode Notes

Theme music from Purple Planet

https://www.purple-planet.com/

Circle of Hope Church

circleofhope.net

Human Services Center

Website:

hscc-mvpc.org

Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/humanservicescenterturtlecreek/ 

Link to sign up for a volunteer shift:

https://volunteer.uwswpa.org/search-new?shareId=eee9b159118c438abcde55066261a9c6 

Welcome to the Proof Positive podcast A podcast providing proof there are plenty of good things going on in our world despite what we hear and read.  With a second goal of motivating you to go out and create your own good news.

Episode 22 The incredible story of one man's efforts to help others

On today’s show I share an interview with Jon Potter of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

Jon started an initiative that he calls Pittsburgh Good Deeds and the name says it all.  Jon along with an occasional supporter do good deeds throughout the area for people in need.  

That however severely underestimates the lengths Jon will go to help others.  To find out more stay tuned…

Theme music from Purple Planet

https://www.purple-planet.com/

Pittsburgh Good Deeds

https://pghgooddeeds.org/

https://www.facebook.com/pghgooddeeds/

Pittsburgh Post Gazette article

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2019/08/19/reddit-kidney-donation-pittsburgh-jon-potter-good-deeds/stories/201908190063

Pittsburgh Good Deeds on Reddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/pittsburgh/comments/4s4j06/pittsburgh_good_deeds/

He had been homeless for decades. Then old friends saw his photo in a newspaper.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/10/15/he-had-been-homeless-decades-then-old-friends-saw-his-photo-newspaper/

Coy Featherston Go Fund Me Page

https://ie.gofundme.com/f/coy-featherstone

Contact Me

[email protected]

Welcome to the Proof Positive podcast A podcast providing proof there are plenty of good things going on in our world despite what we hear and read.  With a second goal of motivating you to go out and create your own good news.

Episode 23 FACT it is not to late to save planet Earth

 There’s no doubt that the Earth faces multiple challenges some of which can seem daunting.  The press coverage regarding climate change seems to portend a coming apocalypse whereby conditions are so hopeless there is nothing we can do.

This is short cited and worrisome to me.  If people believe there is nothing they can do well guess what they’ll do nothing!  

Also, it fails to recognize the inherent healing powers of the Earth itself.  Recently I came across two examples of this that are under-reported.

First was a visit to Lake Erie for my first go at fly fishing for steelhead which are a lake or ocean run rainbow trout strain.  I remember talk of Lake Erie being dead as a teenager.  Last week I witnessed thousands of fish anxiously awaiting their chance to run up the streams to spawn.

Another example came via a speaker at our monthly sportsmen’s club meeting.  He was there to talk about the hellbender and water dogs strange looking creatures who nonetheless help to identify clean water since they require it to survive. Today there is a healthy population of both species in the rivers and streams near Pittsburgh.  

The speaker noted that in the early 1900’s a scientist declared the Ohio river at Pittsburgh to be dead.  There had been over 30 species of fresh water clams in the river and effectively all had been killed off due to pollution from the industrial revolution.

Flash forward to 2019 and biologists have identified that over ½ of those species have returned to the river.

These are just two examples showing that all is not lost.  We can and I believe will do what it takes to help restore and improve our planet.

Theme music from Purple Planet

https://www.purple-planet.com/

2040 Official Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-rTQ443akE

US wind energy capacity is now more than 100 gigawatts, according to new report

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/31/us-wind-energy-capacity-now-over-100-gigawatts-says-new-report.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.Mail

Bison back on new Badlands land for the first time since 1870.

https://oilcity.news/general/2019/10/14/bison-back-on-new-badlands-land-for-first-time-since-1870-video/?utm_source=The+Goodnewsletter&utm_campaign=3156ff92cc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_10_15_05_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b0e357ccff-3156ff92cc-105218361&goal=0_b0e357ccff-3156ff92cc-105218361&mc_cid=3156ff92cc&mc_eid=a353de97ed

Plastic bag use down 90% in England since 5p levy

Welcome to the Proof Positive podcast A podcast providing proof there are plenty of good things going on in our world despite what we hear and read.  With a second goal of motivating you to go out and create your own good news.

Episode 20 How just saying GOOD can brighten your day

Did the title of today’s show intrigue you?  I hope so because in just a few seconds you will learn how just saying the word GOOD can indeed change your perspective and turn negative experiences into positive ones.

I’ve been anxious to get this first story to you but we had a string of excellent guests so it kept getting pushed back.  Well today is finally the day where I teach you (hopefully) to say GOOD!

Theme music from Purple Planet

https://www.purple-planet.com/

Are You Ready for a ‘Good’ Challenge? 

https://upliftconnect.com/are-you-ready-for-a-good-challenge/

Smiles for Inner and Outer Peace

https://upliftconnect.com/smiles-for-inner-and-outer-peace/

An Indigenous View on Oneness

https://uplift.tv/2019/indigenous-view-oneness/

Welcome to the Proof Positive podcast A podcast providing proof there are plenty of good things going on in our world despite what we hear and read.  With a second goal of motivating you to go out and create your own good news.

Episode 21 Mind to Matter the powerful healing properties of our minds

I mentioned EFT (emotional freedom techniques) and Tapping on an early show.  Today I’m pleased to have the leading expert on those topics on the show.

Theme music from Purple Planet

https://www.purple-planet.com/

Dawson Church

https://mindtomatter.com/

Cancer is a disease that sadly has touched most of us in some way.  Chances are you have a loved one, neighbor or friend who has been stricken by it.

 On today’s show my guest Teresa Segelson will talk to us about the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program.  I’m a volunteer for the program which provides rides for cancer patients to and from their treatments.  

Episode Notes

Theme music from Purple Planet

https://www.purple-planet.com/

American Cancer Society

https://www.cancer.org/

1-800-227-2345

On today’s show we’ll discuss and hear going the extra mile to do good.  As I’ve noted frequently we only need to “look up” to see opportunities to do good.  But once we’ve seen the need will we follow through?  Are we willing to go the extra mile?

First up is my interview with Reverend Jimmy Dispenis

 Jimmy is a friend of mine, with an infectious positivity about him.  When I heard about the work he does ministering to inmates it blew me away.  

Episode Notes

Theme music from Purple Planet

https://www.purple-planet.com/

Kairos Prison Ministry International

http://www.kairosprisonministry.org/