Extraordinary Guest -- Amanda Baity of Semper K9 (SemperK9.org / @SemperK9)

1. Semper K9 rescues dogs, trains them to be service dogs and matches them with wounded veterans who need the assistance.

2. They have a commitment for life with the veterans. After the match has been made, they continue to reach out to ensure the needs of the veteran are continued to be met. So far, they have match about 50 veterans with Service Dogs and are expanding their facilities and opperations to grow that.

3. Learn more www.SemperK9.org or follow them @SemperK9

Things to know about Freedom's Ring USA (www.FreedomsRingUSA.org / @FreedomsRingUSA)

1. Hard Work of Freedom Tour is May 10 - July 4th.  Visit wwww.FreedomsRingUSA.org/HardWorkOfFreedomTour to see where we are going.

2. There is a virtual option if we are not coming to your community this year.  Sign up and serve in your own community to join us on the Hard Work of Freedom Tour.

3. If you know other service members, their spouses, their parents or siblings, or know extraordinary community members who would want to join us in service Invite them.  All are welcome on the Hard Work of Freedom Tour, though some sites have limited capacity.  You must register on Event Brite.

Spirited Stories of #ExtraordinaryActsForOthers Around our Country

1. Mr. Smith Bought $1000 worth of Girl Scout cookies and told the Girl Scouts to give away all 250 boxes. https://fox13now.com/2019/03/12/man-buys-1000-girl-scout-cookies-tells-scouts-to-hand-them-out/

2. Texas General Land Office has the Unaccompanied Veterans Program that burries veterans without families with full military honors and supportive community members come out to ensure veterans aren't buried alone. The just buried their 100th veteran and the program's success is being developed in other states and communities. https://www.foxnews.com/us/burial-program-for-veterans-in-texas-reaches-milestone-as-100th-unaccompanied-veteran-laid-to-rest

Get Involved

1. Share your spirite3d story of service -- email it to [email protected] or post it on social media using #ExtraordinaryActsForOthers

2. Tag us in goodnews stories @FreedomsRingUSA

3. Enter the Ring, Become a FRiend and Join our FRamily (www.FreedomsRingUSA.org).   Membership is free but earned with your service.  

This week's Extraordinary Guest is Ian Haynes of The Mission Continues

1. The Mission Continues is a veteran service organization, with the mission to empowers veterans by challenging them to continued service in through community service in their communities. 

2. The Mission Continues has 4 programs: The primary program we discuss are the service platoons (the local groups in 55 metro areas across the US that organize service projects).  The other programs are the service leader Corps, the Women's Leadership Summit and Mass Deployment opportunities.

3. Ian is employed by the Mission Continues and is the City Impact Manager here in Columbus, OH serving the Columbus and Cleveland service platoons.

Three Things to know about Freedom's Ring USA

1. The Mission Continues is an organization that inspired our founding.  Primarily because I love that it serves veterans by challenging them. That is empowerment and I believe this nation needs to challenge more of us to serve others.

2. I also connected with the idea that the Mission Continues tapped into the veteran's desire for continued service.  I believe the entire family has a desire for service and that is why I felt compelled to start Freedom's Ring.

3. The Mission Continues understands the need for increased sense of purpose and that you can increase an individual's sense of purpose by service.  By getting people to make positive contributions in their community, you can increase their sense of purpose, sense of worth, and sense of community.

Spirited Stories

1. Alabama - days after a devastating tornado killed 23 people, 2 corporations (who declined to be named) pledged to pay for the funerals of all 23 victims. 

2. New Jersey - Teenage boys led by Patrick Lanigan woke up to shovel his neighbors driveway at 4:30 am.  They did this because he knew his neighbor needed dialysis treatments.

Extraordinary Acts For Others Challenge of the Week

1. Share a story of extraordinary acts for others that you do. As you can see, they really do inspire more goodness in our country. Tag @FreedomsRingUSA on social Media or use #ExtraordinaryActsForOthers.

Extraordinary Guest: Kyle Barger w/ MakeADay (@MakeADayHQ)

1. Kyle owns both a for-profit business and leads a nonprofit, so he brings a unique perspective as he leads in both arenas. 

2.  Make A Day, has a simple premise, it is to simply go out and make a strangers day by spreading love and positivity.  This all started when Kyle and his cousin decided to simply buy burritos and have lunch with a couple of homeless men they had passed on the street regularly.  This opportunity to get to know these men led to the nonprofit, Make a Day.

3. Make A Day, is a local Columbus nonprofit that sets up pop up events that offers food, hair cuts and shaves, and social interactions.

Three Things to Know about Freedom's Ring

1. Hard Work of Freedom Tour is coming up! Sign up to volunteer or sponsor our events (www.FreedomsRingUSA.org/HardWorkOfFreedomTour)

2. We talk about our name: The Ring to Freedom is responsibility. For us, we highlight our responsibility in our service to our country men and women. It also plays on our origin as we are founded by a military spouse. Service members defend our freedom and military spouses are the ring to that.

3. We use our initials often (FR) that's why we call our members FRiends and we welcome them to our FRamily. We focus a lot on relationships, so those bonds we form are important.  For us we use the definition for Family from coach PJ Fleck: FAMILY stands for Forget About Me, I Love You.  That's the attitude of service we want in our organization.

SPIRITED stories

1. Logan Brinson, a 5 year old, opens his own library for the kids for his neighbors (link)

2. Alfread Street Baptist Church raised $100,000 to pay for student debts of 34 of Howard University. (Link)

Extraordinary Acts For Others Challenge 

Write Medal of Honor Recipients (Link to Janine's Page). 

List of Living Medal of Honor Recipients

Address:

Medal of Honor Mail CallATTN: (Your Recipient's Name)2400 Boston Street, Ste 102Baltimore, MD 21224

Our Extraordinary Guest is Brian Steorts of Flags of Valor (FOV)

1. Flags of Valor has the mission to hire combat veterans, make products here in America, and to give back -- all three pieces are essential to the DNA of who Flags of Valor is

2. Brian shared about many of FOV partnerships including their support of the 9/11 Promise Run, and several other Veteran Service Organizations.  They have raised nearly 3/4 of a million dollars for charity in their 4 years of existance -- hence why they are guests on the Extraordinary Acts For Others Podcast.

3. Brian shares about his personal life and how he tries to maintain work life balance as a husband, father and business owner. He also shares a story of when we received an award for saving swimmers at a beach in Florida.

Three things to know about Freedom's Ring

1. Hard work of freedom tour is coming up: May 10 (Military Spouse Day) - July 4 (independence day). It is a 20 stop tour of service. We will be doing extraordinary acts for others in NYC, DC, Quantico, Viriginia Beach, Glendale AZ, Sierra Vista AZ, Tucson AZ, Yuma AZ, Columbus OH, Dayton OH, Fort Knox, Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, San Diego, Los Angeles.  (See all at FreedomsRingUSA.org/HardWorkofFreedomTour)

2. The Hard Work of Freedom Tour name comes from a challenge from President George HW Bush "We all have something to give, if you can read go find someone who cant. if you have a hammer find a nail. If you are not hungry, not lonely, not in trouble, seek out someone who is. Join the community of conscience and do the hard work of freedom.

3. These service projects are designed to be meaningful way to unite military families with their local communities by doing extraordinary acts for others together.  They are open to both military families and community members.  Join to volunteer or support us as a sponsor at FreedomsRingUSA.org/HardWorkofFreedomTour) 

Spirited Stories

1. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/boys-recite-pledge-of-allegiance-next-to-flag-outside-roseboro-north-carolina-fire-department/

2. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=756977791368326

As always you can send us spirited stories. Tag @FreedomsRingUSA or use #ExtraordinaryActsForOthers

Our Extraordinary Guest Today is Marla Bautista of the Bautista Project

* Marla shares her experience of being homeless and how that turned into the Bautista Project a company that uses it's profits to help homeless near the base they are stationed at.

* Marla also shares how she is involved in her community volunteering both on base and out in the community and how that volunteer experience is an expression of patriotism and a way to be connected.

* Marla also talks about inviting her kids to serve with as a family when they serve the homeless in their community.

You can follow the Bautista Project

www.TheBautistaProject.com or @TheBautistaProject on Instagram and Facebook

Our Challenge of the week is to send travel size hygiene products to the Bautista Project to include in the belonging boxes they hand out directly to those in need. Visit The Bautista Project for shipping details.

As always we invite you to share good news stories with us, Tag @FreedomsRingUSA or use #ExtraordinaryActsForOthers to bring attention to the goodness you see around you.

This week's spirited stories are:

1. https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2019/02/12/firefighter-paramedics-push-patient-to-hospital-newsource-orig.cnn

2. https://www.khou.com/article/news/jj-watt-personally-delivers-jersey-to-cy-fair-isd-student/285-11e72ce7-a65b-4364-9a07-c083b71e13c8

For more goodness happening in our country, follow @FreedomsRingUSA on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

You can follow the Host, Sara Hunold @SaraHunold on Twitter and Instagram.

3 things to know about Freedom's Ring USA

  1. We believe everyone is extraordinary and has gifts, talents and                skills they can share by doing extraordinary acts for others right              now.

 2. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little                  extra. The most extraordinary extraordinary acts for others are               most often very ordinary in nature -- but they become                             extraordinary when they are in service of others.  All it takes is for us       to do the extra.

 3. The Spirit of Service matters. We define spirit, its an acronym for us.        Stouthearted Patriotism, Idustriousness, Relationships, Idealism, &          Thankfulness.

Extraordinary Guest: Matthew "Griff" Griffin - CEO of Combat Flip Flops

 * CFF manufactures peace by intentionally manufacturing their products       in conflict zones and using part of their profits to educate young               Afghan women.

 * The details of the starting of Combat Flip Flops is outlined in Steps Ascending: Rise of the Unarmed Forces Griff's new book.

  * @CombatFlipFlops on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

  * @CFF.Griff on Instagram

SPIRITED Stories

1. Florida residents step us to help Leo McLarney, a WWII - Pearl Harbor Survivor and veteran of Guadacanal, whose home was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017.

 https://miami.cbslocal.com/2019/01/04/cbs4-viewers-stepping-up-to-help-wwii-vet-in-need/

2. Steve Skinner was told he only has a few months to live, and his life long wish was to attend the Super Bowl. Mr. Medici saw his story after his son was raising money to buy his father a ticket and offered to take the entire family in his suite.

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/metro-atlanta-family-fulfills-dying-father-s-wish-to-attend-super-bowl/914728831

***If you see extraordinary acts for others online, share it with us --- tag @FreedomsRingUSA or use #ExtraordinaryActsForOthers.

Extraordinary Acts For Others Challenge

Share one Good News Story-- research shows people who witness kindness are more likely to think and behave altruistically and with more kindness themselves.  

@FreedomsRingUSA #ExtraordinaryActsForOthers                        Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

@SaraHunold Twitter, Instagram

Freedom's Ring is a nonprofit led by military families with a vision of an even more extraordinary America by people coming together to do extraordinary acts for others in their communities.  This podcast celebrates what's going right in America by celebrating people, organizations and businesses who are mission driven and giving back doing extraordinary acts for others. 

Learn more by listening to the Season 1 Trailer and by visiting www.FreedomsRingUSA.org.