09/17/2026
12 Good Things From the Past Week
There is plenty in the headlines that can make the world feel heavy. So, as we started doing last Thursday, here are 12 things from the past week that are worth feeling good about.
1. Sept. 16 — Oregon search-and-rescue volunteers cleaned up Multnomah Falls. Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue volunteers used the outing as both a cleanup and training exercise, including rope work to retrieve trash from difficult-to-reach areas and water-rescue crews removing debris from pools and creeks. (Source: KXL)
2. Sept. 16 — Three college students developed a low-cost tool that could help identify concussions in about 60 seconds. The Harvard students’ “Rumble Rims” infrared eye-tracking headset won the 2026 U.S. James Dyson Award and is designed to give schools a practical way to screen athletes on the sidelines. (Source: James Dyson Award/PR Newswire)
3. Sept. 16 — A $14.2 million gift will help animals and people for years to come. The largest bequest in the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta’s 60-year history will support six organizations, including humane societies, animal rescue, therapeutic riding and St. John Ambulance. (Source: Lethbridge Herald)
4. Sept. 16 — Years of community fundraising are bringing a new GiGi’s Playhouse to Colorado Springs. The center will provide free educational, therapeutic, career-development and social programs for people with Down syndrome and their families. (Source: GiGi’s Playhouse/PR Newswire)
5. Sept. 16 — Animal rescue teams stepped in after devastating floods. ASPCA responders spent more than a week assisting shelters in Indiana and West Virginia, helping care for and evacuate cats and dogs displaced by severe flooding. (Source: ASPCA)
6. Sept. 15 — A 3-year-old girl helped save her mother during a medical emergency. When her mother suffered a seizure, little Emi Vatavuk contacted her grandparents, helping them relay information to 911. She was later recognized for her quick thinking. (Source: Common Good News)
7. Sept. 15 — Endangered African wild dogs surprised scientists with just how far they will travel to find a new home and mates. Researchers tracked one group more than 4,000 kilometers, evidence that seemingly isolated populations can remain connected across enormous landscapes and highlighting the importance of wildlife corridors. (Source: Reuters)
8. Sept. 14 — An orphaned gorilla rescued from wildlife trafficking is now a mother in the wild. Lulingu was rescued as a baby in 2016, rehabilitated for years, released into Virunga National Park in 2024, and has now given birth. Conservationists see the birth as an encouraging milestone for the critically endangered eastern lowland gorilla. (Source: People)
9. Sept. 14 — A Northwest school-supply campaign had its biggest year ever. Red Canoe Credit Union’s “Fill the Canoe” campaign collected 31,888 pounds of school supplies and, with matching funds and donations, generated more than $130,000 in support for local schools. (Source: GoWest Association)
10. Sept. 13 — A church and a mosque continued a tradition of giving blood together. Heartsong Church and the Memphis Islamic Center have held a joint blood drive around September 11 for years, alternating locations. Since their first drive in 2011, participants have donated more than 600 pints of blood. (Source: Good Good Good)
11. Sept. 12 — Scientists identified a natural “off switch” for inflammation. Researchers at University College London uncovered a biological pathway that helps the immune system shut down inflammation. Early work suggests that enhancing the pathway could eventually lead to new approaches for chronic inflammatory diseases. (Source: University College London/ScienceDaily)
12. Sept. 11 — Communities turned remembrance into service. In Tallahassee, county employees, veterans and community members marked the 25th anniversary of September 11 by volunteering at Second Harvest of the Big Bend, packing food and essential supplies for local veterans. (Source: FOX 49)
None of these stories fixes everything that is wrong in the world.
But they are reminders that people are still helping strangers, young people are solving problems, communities are showing up, scientists are making progress, and people are still choosing to leave things a little better than they found them.
Sometimes it is worth making room for that news, too.
Have a good evening, Southern Oregon.
