Donors save Christmas for Toys for Tots Chicagoland

"A generous donor stepped forward Tuesday, helping save Christmas for a local charity and doing it all in the name of a legendary Chicago Bear."

Click here  to read about this tribute to the late Sid Luckman.

Emanuel on service: 'We all have a role to play'

"Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel weeded a community garden by hand and shovel today to mark a citywide day of service.

'I look at this and I see corruption,' he said as he bent over to pull weeds at the 65th and Woodlawn Community Garden in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side. 'It's about giving something back. We all have a role to play.'"

Click here for more.

Chicago's rich candy history

"Since the late 1800s, Chicago has been a candy-producing machine. It displayed its confectionery prowess at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, where nearly 26 million visitors from around the world, including one Milton Hershey, were introduced to a number of candies and gums from Chicago manufacturers, including Cracker Jack, Juicy Fruit and caramels that Chicago candymaker Charles Gunther sold at his store on Clark Street."

For more of this sweet story, click here.

Comer Prep shines as a beacon of optimism

"The bright new charter high school rises next to the scene of a senseless inner-city killing — a 17-year-old girl, chatting with a friend on her cell phone, shot dead in 2008 after two men argued on a CTA bus.

The $20 million school is a legacy of the late Gary Comer, the innovative founder of the Lands’ End clothing empire, who grew up in the Grand Crossing neighborhood and never forgot it."

Click here for more on Comer's caring legacy.

Business is buoyant for Chicago's water taxis and sightseeing boats

"Water taxi Capt. Erika Sanchez's ship has come in lickety-split.

Sanchez, 23, a seven-year veteran of Shoreline Sightseeing, is thrilled to be trading in the Navy surplus utility boat she has been operating along the Chicago River downtown for a new vessel that offers a better view of the waterway from a high-tech pilothouse."

Click here for more on Chicago's waterborne fleet.

Best of Chicago list: 50 things that make Chicago great, according to people who actually live here

"For years we sat back and watched as other publications arbitrarily ranked Chicago on their 'Best of' and 'Top 10' lists, always based on the most traditional features of our diverse town. Last week, priceline.com, the William Shatner-touted travel site, gave Chicago the top two slots on its list of Memorial Day destinations—for Millennium Park/the Loop/Grant Park, and for North Michigan Avenue/River North. We’ve finally had enough."

To learn more about the things chosen as the Best of Chicago, click here.

A new show on State Street: Restored cast-iron at Louis Sullivan's former Carson Pirie Scott & Co. store dazzles anew

“'Jersey Boys' is no longer playing the Loop theater district, but there’s another show on State Street, and it lets you see one of Chicago’s architectural masterworks as you’ve never seen it before."


Click here for more on this stunning restoration.

The tallest building ever (Brought to you by Chicago)

"As a boy, growing up about two blocks from the beach in Southern California, Adrian Smith built towering sand castles -- only to watch the Pacific Ocean wash them away.

Now, the Chicago architect has designed a far more lasting legacy: the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai, which will have its grand opening Monday in the debt-ridden city-state of Dubai."

Click here for the story of the Burj Dubai.

Three with Chicago ties win Rhodes scholarships

"Two Chicago-area residents and a University of Chicago grad are among the 32 winners of this year's Rhodes scholarships.

The prestigious scholarships provide tuition and a living stipend for two to three years study in any field at the University of Oxford in England."

For more on these winners, click here.

Chicago marathoners tell their stories: They ran for different reasons -- and finished

"The elite who crossed the finish line in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday competed for glory, competition or money. But most of the 34,792 people who started the race in the cold morning hours weren't elite. Many would end their races long after the top finishers."

Click here for the stories behind the Marathon.

Good News for March 12 (posted by Mary Beth)

Coal in the Easter Basket: Giving up Carbon for Lent

"Western Christians, both Protestants and Catholics, are currently observing Lent, the 40-day season preceding Easter. Through self-denial, alms-giving, and prayer, many Christians prepare themselves to properly commemorate our Lord’s passion and resurrection."

Click here to read the rest of Chuck Colson's commentary.


Tax Refund: Help the World’s Children

"$288. That’s how much it costs to sponsor one child for a year through Christian Children’s Fund. Through CCF’s programs that one child can grow up to become a leader in his or her community to bring lasting and positive change.

$2,200. That’s how much average tax refunds are in the United States. Americans’ tax
refunds can make the world a better place for millions of children around the world."

For more on how you can help make a difference in a child's life, click here.


The Radical Conservative: Richard John Neuhaus helped inspire a generation of evangelicals to participate boldly in the public square

"If ideas have consequences, Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009) will be remembered as the most serious Christian thinker and the most consequential public theologian in America since Reinhold Niebuhr."

More on this amazing Christian leader awaits you here.


Sears Tower to Get New Name

"Come this summer, Chicago's iconic landmark known around the world is getting a new moniker: Willis Tower.

Willis Group Holdings, a London-based insurance broker, announced Thursday that it will consolidate its area offices to Sears Tower and as part of the deal, gets to put its own name on the 36-year-old skyscraper."

Click here for more on the name change.


When prom ends, donated dresses live on

"Financially struggling students across the state will be able to attend their proms cheaply and in style, thanks to the efforts of people like Rachel Davidson and Sammie Levin. The Newton South sophomores are collecting new and gently worn prom dresses and shoes to donate to Becca’s Closet, which provides formal attire to high school students with financial need."

This heartwarming story awaits you here.


God's Purposes in a Recession

"I often find comfort and encouragement from my favorite author (outside of those who wrote the Bible of course), John Piper. His most recent blog entitled What Is the Recession For? is exceptional. In this blog, he lists five purposes the God has in a recession for individuals and ultimately for the nation."

Click here for more thoughts on the subject.



Folsom mom goes to battle in Rachael Ray recipe contest

"Marsha Warner, of Folsom, CA is competing in the Rachael Ray March Menu Mania contest at USA Today's Web site. She was selected from 1,200 entries to be one of 16 finalists."

For the rest of the story (including the recipe!), click here.



New Orleans spear fisher thrust into spotlight over shark fight

"Local spear fisherman Craig B. Clasen, 32, was thrust into an international spotlight this week after pictures of his two-hour, deep sea fight with a 12-foot tiger shark last June appeared in an adventure-travel magazine.

Clasen, who lives in New Orleans, said the dramatic pictures were taken as he dove with a snorkel and spear gun near an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, just south of the mouth of the Mississippi River."

Click here to read his exciting story.

Stories Mary Beth found on Jan. 3

Let's start with a good news story where YOU can be a part of the good news!

World Vision Calls for AIDS caregiver supplies

More than 65,000 caregivers worldwide volunteer their time with World Vision to help those who have AIDS. Critical supplies they depend on to prolong lives and relieve suffering are running low. Learn how you can help meet the need in five easy steps.

Jolting Your Faith Awake: 'A Faith and Culture Devotional'

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things.” I trust that many of us are committing to make the spiritual disciplines of prayer and time in the Word a priority for 2009.

Read more about what Chuck Colson has to say on the subject of a spiritual training resource.

Restored Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts to reopen in one week

Hurricane Katrina closed the doors but two of New Orleans' flagship arts groups -- the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the New Orleans Ballet Association -- will celebrate the reopening of the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts a week from tonight, on Jan. 10, by fillings its stage with superstars from the world of dance and music.

Read more about renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman and the other artists who will help in the celebration.

Have you seen Elvis?

We are coming up on the birth anniversary of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'n' Roll. You'll be seeing television specials and magazine articles and likely hearing Elvis music on the radio. But if you want to know how they celebrate at Graceland, click here.

Next year's model?

Think your baby should be on a magazine cover? So does everyone else. Check out the baby modeling scene here.

Will Smith voted top moneymaking star of 2008 in Quigley annual poll of exhibitors

No name on the marquee was more pleasing to theater owners in 2008 than Will Smith, according to a survey of movie exhibitors. Smith, star of "Hancock" and "Seven Pounds," was voted the star who generated the most box office revenue for theaters in an annual survey by Quigley Publishing Co.

Since 1932, the Quigley poll has sought the top ten names in marquee value each year. Read more about its star-studded history right here.

Have a blessed day filled with good news!

Dreams for Kids.........

is Doing an event called Embrace Race to raise money for Dreams for Kids.

(from their website) Dreams for Kids was founded by Tom Tuohy, at the request of his mother, Patricia Tuohy. Mrs. Tuohy was a single parent who dedicated her life to raising her four young children and to overcoming any adversity that would stand in the way of their personal welfare and path to independence.

Having given her children the opportunity to achieve their dreams, with one simple request Mrs. Tuohy would create a legacy of dreams come true for future generations of children searching for hope.

Dreams for Kids was born on December 24, 1989, in a small room inside a homeless shelter in Englewood Illinois, in a place called Clara's House.

These people like to have fun and help kids to feel accepted and in doing so change the way they see themselves. A hug can go a long way. So it is only fitting that two of their friends professional Soccer players, Ross Smith and Dean Ruddy will attempt to break the Guiness World Record for number of hugs in a 24 hour period and raise money for Dreams for Kids on June 1-2, 2007 in Chicago. They are challenging celebrities to help out. Here is their dream list of celebrities they want to hug.

Dean's Hug Goals:
1. Michael Jordan 2. Vince Vaughn 3. The Playboy Bunnies 4. Scarlett Johansson 5. Any or all of the Chicago Cubs

Ross' Hug Goals:
1. Rachel McAdams 2. Owen Wilson 3. Tiger Woods 4. Jack Black 5. Natalie Portman

Both want to hug Oprah!

Good Luck guys!