Student with Down Syndrome asks girl with the same condition to be his date for homecoming

By
Monica Pop
-

No matter if we had the time of our life while at high-school or we didn’t have that many friends to hang out with, when it comes to the prom everyone is looking forward to it.

It’s time of love, fun, lots of dancing, and most of all, friendship. And yes, it’s even more special when you have the perfect date by your side.

A student named David Matthew Cowan who attends the Seminole High School had the perfect person on mind when he heard of the homecoming. His girlfriend of four years, Saris Marie Garcia.

The two started dating when he was 15, and she was just 14 years old and have loved each other unconditionally ever since.

The bond between these two lovebirds is very strong and although they’ve known each other for long, that doesn’t stop Cowan from making their relationship even more exciting by coming up with a bunch of ideas on how to surprise his loved one.

As the homecoming dance at Cowan’s school was approaching, he decided to ask Garcia to be his date although she attend a different school.

Knowing Cowan’s creativity, no one really expected less from him when it came to the actual proposal which is something neither he nor his girlfriend will ever forget.

As Garcia was cheer-leading at her school’s football match, Cowan appeared in front of all those people and her friends carrying a hand-made sign which read: “Will you be my sunshine to homecoming?”

 

 

 
 

 
View this post on Instagram
 

 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 

HOCO 2019! She said yes! #lakebrantley #seminole #sunflowers #davidandsaris

A post shared by David Matthew Cowan (@davidcowan_1234) on

But it wasn’t just a plain sign with words written on it. It was nicely decorated with glitter and yellow dandelions. And as everyone was looking at this brave young man approaching his girlfriend with balloons and flowers, their hearts melted.

I am sure each of those girls there wanted to be on Garcia’s place, because honestly, it’s very rare for students and boyfriends nowadays to be that courageous and propose to their prom date in front of so many people.

The moment she spots him, Garcia is overjoyed with excitement and rushes towards him, dropping her pom-poms along the way. She really is one lucky girl, isn’t she?

Now if you think you’ve seen it all from this gentleman, wait until you see him getting down on one knee and taking his girlfriend’s hand.

And the resounding yes he gets from Garcia is celebrated with raising hands towards the crowd witnessing the special moment.

The video has been seen more than 4 million times and that speaks of the fact that people need this type of positivity in their life to remind them that true values are still there hiding in young people like Cowan.

Garcia’s mom can’t be happier for her daughter. She knows Garcia has by her side someone who loves her and would do anything to see her smile. As for her daughter, she told Yahoo Lifestyle:

“She was radiant! She said many times, ‘I can’t believe it!’”

And this is what she had to say about Cowan.

“He was so excited and dancing in the bleachers, saying, ‘Shhh, its a surprise! I am asking her to Homecoming!’”

The most amazing part of this couple’s relationship is that they first met when they were just three years old and were taking speech therapy at a clinic in Orlando. Both Cowan and Garcia have Down Syndrome but they lead perfectly normal lives and their condition doesn’t stop them to live their days to the fullest.

These two are changing the perception that some people and the society have about people with Down Syndrome.

Recently, the photo of the couple was displayed at Times Square during the Down Syndrome Awareness month.

Looking at them, we are sure they were the best-looking couple at the homecoming dance, don’t you think so?

Cowan and Gracia may still not be fully aware of the impact their relationship has on other people who share their condition.

The video of the proposal is definitely something you don’t want to miss. It will warm your heart and put a smile on your face.

Jewish students forced to leave Melbourne schools after falling victims to anti-Semitic bullying

By
Maryane
-

A heartbreaking photo of a 12-year-old Jew student kneeling and kissing the shoe of a Muslim boy surfaced recently and people were left disgusted both at the bullies and the society that lacks to provide support for students who fall victims to anti-Semitic or any other form of bullying related to their race, fate, or beliefs. 

It was reported that the Jew boy was forced to kiss the other boy’s shoe or he would be severely beaten from the group of Muslim boys who circled him after they stumbled upon him at the local park. 

The Age reported that for now, no bully faced any disciplinary measure. 

No matter how sad that sounds, this isn’t the first reported case of bullying of Jewish students only because they are Jews. 

5-year-old boy was called names such as ‘Jewish cockroach’ and ‘dirty Jew’ and was mocked for being circumcised to the extent that he refused to go to the bathroom and would soil his pants instead. 

The parents of both these bullied children asked from the schools and the community to step in and stand for their kids, but as that didn’t happen, they were forced to draw them from the educational institutions they attended. 

The mother of the 12-year-old victim says that she contacted the parents of the Muslim boy and they were extremely sorry and incredibly disappointed in their son’s action.  

“We sat down, his parents, the two boys and myself, around the table and explained the velocity of [the bullying] and what it meant to us as parents as far as building bridges between Jews and Muslims in society and not creating division like that photo does,” the mother of one of the bullies said. 

After the school refused to take any action saying the incident didn’t took place on the school’s ground, the mother of the bullied 12-year-old Jew student said, “I took such offence with the Education Department, because there was nothing they did to protect my son at all, at any point in time – that’s what’s cut me up,’ she said.

The mother of the five-year-old boy who was bullied and called names shared the heartbreaking story of how it all affected her lovely child and how it crushed his self-esteem. Speaking to Australian Jewish News, she said, “He literally fell down on the floor and said, ‘Mumy, you shouldn’t love me. I’m a worthless, Jewish rodent. I’m vermin.'”

She tried to find a solution that would help put an end to her son’s bullying regarding the incidents taking place in the bathroom, but the school just said that he should use a separate bathroom instead the one that everyone uses. 

She then suggested that the students get educated about antisemitism, but her suggestion was rejected in an instant. 

“It’s not anti-Semitism, it’s just bullying. I don’t want to make other students feel uncomfortable,” the school principal said. 

The school issued a statement writing, “While school staff were not able to substantiate that any negative interactions were anti-Semitic in nature, on the basis of those investigations, school staff identified an incident that involved children laughing at [the boy].”

‘This was not acceptable and would have been an unpleasant experience for [the boy]. I am sorry that this occurred.”

Both the parents of the bullied boys and representatives of the Australia’s Anti-Defamation Commission agree that this bullying should be stopped and no other Jewish person should ever feel bad for being a Jew. 

They urge the Government and the school system to put an effort to deal with the sad phenomenon of these students having to undergo ordeals and be subjected to violence, verbal insults, and social exclusion. 

Six seniors move in together to avoid being placed in nursing homes

By
Maryane
-

When people reach certain age and retire, their life changes completely. All of a sudden, they are left wondering what to do next and how to spend all that free time they have. Sadly, many of them end up living alone. Some, however, are placed in nursing homes, and although they get to be around people their age there, these places can be a bit scary because they remind them of the reality of getting old.

Six senior friends decided to show the world that getting old doesn’t have to be stressful. On the contrary, they embrace their age and are planning to spend the rest of their life living under one roof. 

Who needs nursing homes when you have your gang, right?

Their families were hesitant when they learned what their parents were planning, but that didn’t stop the seniors to go ahead with their plan. 

In order to see whether living together was a nice idea or not, they found a house in Sydney and moved in. They agree that being there for each other at all times is awesome and liked sharing a place. However, the only problem was that Sydney was costly, so they had to find a new home.

That is when they came up with a plan. Namely, the six seniors who refer to themselves as The Shedders purchased a piece of land at a nice and slow-paced community and became important part of it. 

They joined the local choir and now they help raise money for different charity causes. Needless to say, everyone in the town loves them and respects them.  

The friends share not only a place, but the bills and the responsibilities around the house too. And yes, what’s most, they have fun and their freedom. 

“One thing that you discover when you’re doing it in your 50s and 60s is most people are house-trained. Reasonably,”- Daniel Weinstein, a part of the group, shared.

The key to their successful story is the flawless communication. They are not afraid to tell out loud the things that bother them and the things they like. No hard feeling, really. 

“You have to be willing to say the things, you have to be willing to hear the things, and then you have to be willing to navigate through them,”- Heather Bolstler, one of The Shedders, said.

Finishing a career can be great for people who know how to organize their life and free time the best way possible. As the members of the Shedders say, they now have the time to do whatever makes them happy, and they get to do it with people they love and respect; their friends. 

We wish these seniors the best life can offer and we hope they will continue living their days to the fullest. 

Police officers show support for bullied 5-year-old

By
Maryane
-

Although they appear to be tough, bullies are actually people who are so miserable and whose self-esteem is so low that they believe it will make them feel better if they hurt and harass others.  

Unfortunately, bullying is present even among little children and it affects them in a very negative way. It leaves permanent damage and can even lead to the bullied people taking their own life if they feel like they can’t stand being victims any longer. 

Sadly, Samantha Womble’s 5-year-old daughter experienced peer harassment on the school bus recently. Her friends called her names and made her cry. But things turned for the worse when the bus driver refused to protect her and threatened to call the police on the poor little girl. 

This is what Samantha had to say regarding the incident:

“My 5-year-old had her first bullying experience on the school bus. She was called stupid and ugly over and over. Instead of an adult handling the situation, he threatened her with the police.”

The biggest issue in such situations is that the victims of bullying get the feeling that they are left to fight with the problem all by themselves. Since they don’t get the expected help, their courage decreases and they are afraid to speak up and stand for themselves. 

“My daughter was then horrified and traumatized. As we drove home, we passed an officer, and she covered her head while crying scared to death,” wrote Womble.

That was such a devastating sight. Samantha knew she had to do all in her power to make her little daughter feel secure again. 

“I put out a post for prayers and it didn’t go unanswered. That night officer Jonathan Luttrell and officer Blake Burress with the Booneville MS Police Department knocked on the door. They heard what had happened and brought her prizes. They made her feel comfortable and let her know they were her protectors and weren’t out to get her. That night she labeled those cops as her best friends.”

These officers’ kind act meant the world to the little girl. It changed the way she saw these people and instead of being afraid of them, she learned she could trust them, because they were there to protect her and keep her safe. 

The police department even went a step further and sent officers to walk the girl to class the following day. They didn’t speak to the bullies because there was no need for that. Their presence was enough for their message to be spread. 

“The next morning deputy Taylor Walker and Tyler Reese from the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Dept came to the school. Deputy Walker met her at the vehicle with a smile. He took the time to get on her level and speak with her. She walked back with the biggest smile and stuffed puppy. He held her hand and she was more than happy to have him walk her to class.”

Our faith in humanity is restored when we hear stories like this one, where people are ready to go above and beyond for someone’s well-being and happiness. 

Some will argue that the members of the police forces are too harsh sometimes, but when you think about it, it’s their job to maintain public order and enforce the law and they do that the best they can. 

“So often law enforcement is thrown under the bus, given horrible names, and used as a scare tactic in the wrong situations. In reality these are the people willing to put their lives on the line to protect us, and care more than we can imagine. These officers made a point to take time out and helped my sweet girl feel safe, cared for, and protected after hearing they were used as a scare tactic against her.”

Once Samantha’s post was noticed by more and more people, some of the parents whose kinds bullied her daughter and were mean to her called her to apologize. Samantha was more than happy that she made parents put some extra effort in teaching their kids distinguishing right from wrong. 

What’s most, because of the kindness the police officers showed the little lady, her bullies became her friends. 

Thankfully, this case of bullying had a happy ending, but sadly, that’s rarely the case. 

That is why we should teach our children from very young age to never treat anyone with disrespect. 

Although it looks like bullying is present among students only, it actually exists everywhere, including kindergartens and workplaces. 

But if we speak up and fight against it, like Samantha did, maybe we can change things for the better for the victims who are way too afraid to admit they are being bullied. 

Mother And Daughter Make Fun Of An Overweight Woman At A Wedding Shop

By
Maryane
-

One would think that with the advance of technology and everything that is going on around the world, humans should be wiser and finally learn to get their free time around working on themselves instead of sticking their nose into other peoples’ business. 

Sadly, many years should pass until we become more compassionate and stop judging people based on their physical appearance. 

The following story teaches us how we should all stand for those who are bullied because of the way they look. It was shared by a wedding dress shop owner. 

Namely, one day, a woman was trying a wedding gown in her shop and was looking forward to find the perfect one. But her dreams and hopes were crushed after two other customers, a mother and a daughter, commented her looks and spoke some very rude words. 

Looking at the lady who was trying the dress, the daughter said, “I don’t understand how someone like that can marry, I thought whales did not mate.”

The shop owner could simply ignore what these two women said, but she decided to put an end to their unacceptable behavior even though it could mean her losing a big commission. 

The crying bride-to-be felt embarrassed and tried leaving the shop but the owner didn’t let her do that. She told her she should stay and continue looking for the perfect gown for her wedding day. 

She then turned to the rude mother and daughter and said, “I don’t understand how you think you can get a dress from my store.”

The daughter showed her arrogance once again saying, “Really? Then you’re wrong. In fact, we’re here to pick it up because it has already been paid.”

But then, the owner went behind the counter, wrote something, and gave it to the arrogant woman. 

The mother and the daughter couldn’t believe they were getting a full refund but were staying without their dress. 

“You can look for another store to buy you wedding dress, because I just voided your order and I refuse to help you. Now, leave my store before I call the police”

She was now left without her dream gown just a week before her wedding. It’s kind of sad, but at least that will teach her a lesson for life. 

The mother then said, “We had ordered this dress with special details for her wedding. How can you void the order?”

But the owner had the perfect reply. “ I voided the order because I don’t want any bride to feel like they don’t deserve to marry because of their looks. Apparently, both of you feel like you are better than others. And there is no place for idiots in my store. I am calling the police, and given the fact that I still have your credit card data, I will charge the damages caused by your daughter to it.”

The other customers who witnessed the incident said how the shop owner was brave enough to step in for the girl even though she lost money that day. 

Amazing isn’t it? What do you think of this story? Share your thought with us in the comments section below. 

Rude Woman Sitting Next To Him On The Plane Wouldn’t Let Him Pass Through

By
Maryane
-
There are people out there who enjoy flying by plane, but not me to be honest. When I think of all that waiting and the queues at the airports I regret ever buying the ticket. Plus, there is always the chance for someone rude to disturb the passengers with their behavior during the flight. Well, a man shared a story of how he dealt with the impolite woman sitting next to him and we just can’t stop laughing. Oh boy, I wish I was there to witness the whole thing!

Take a look at the story below:

I was headed to San Diego for a conference. The night before, I went out for some drinks with a coworker who would also be there. A few drinks turned into us pretty much closing down the bar. When I woke up at 6:30 later that morning, I actually felt great – I figured I must have drunk my way through the hangover! This was, of course, a very stupid thought, and as the morning dragged on through getting to the airport, getting through security, and waiting at the gate, my head decided I am an idiot and deserve to be punished. It was not wrong. I made my way through the plane to my row, where I was to be seated in the window (a personal preference). As I approached my row, I saw a woman sitting in the middle seat, with her belongings on my seat. I politely said that it was my seat and waited for her to move them. She let out an overly-large sigh, then laboriously moved her things onto her lap. She then sat there. And sat. I asked her if she would mind letting me by, and she said the oddest thing: ‘Go over me.’ Now at first, I assumed that this was my fault. I assumed that in my awful, terrible hangover, I had forgotten how people board cramped seats and that I was wrong for assuming she would and should get up to let me in. But then I remembered, I’m an idiot. So I assumed she had some sort of physical disability which made standing and sitting difficult or painful for her, and rather than embarrass her I did as she requested, I went over her. Shortly before takeoff, she stood up and hollered at her husband, who was in the back of the plane with their two children: ‘I don’t know why you couldn’t get us seats together! Honestly, this is absurd, why didn’t you?!’ Lady, I got an idea why. I didn’t really care about her constantly reshuffling things or her armrest-hogging. It did bum me out when her daughter came up to our row with a cheese and cracker platter and asked her mom if she wanted some and the lady simply said ‘No.’ Eventually, I was able to fall asleep. For those who don’t drink, there is a phenomenon called the beer s**ts. After a night of heavy drinking, you will often have a large amount of gas (and other things which go along with it) the next day. About halfway through out flight, I felt this coming on, and I decided I had no choice but to go. I asked her if I could please get out. The gentleman in the aisle seat immediately got out, but she again said: ‘Go over me.’ Now by this point, I was pretty irritable. I had an awful headache, my stomach was doing somersaults, and I was about to blow an O-ring, and this miserable woman wanted me to go over her? On a moving plane? Fine, I would. I swung my right leg over her, then put my ass over her face, nearly touching. A slight tremble in the flight, and I released a full-on, seemingly never ending fart, a cloud of noxious gas which should have had me arrested for war crimes. I let the whole thing go. Afterwards, I turned, made full eye contact, and said ‘Sorry. Turbulence.’ Everyone around me was fully and truly disgusted, and to them I am still so sorry, but I did what I did for the greater good. When I got back from the bathroom, she got up to let me in.”

Brighten Your Day With This Touching Video Of A Homeless Man Reuniting With His Beloved Dog

By
Maryane
-

To our dogs we are their whole world, and when we feel the same about them incredible and everlasting friendships are born.

Anthony Rogers is a homeless man who lives on the streets of the Memphis area. Throughout his life, he has gone through rough times and lots of obstacles, but he was able to overcome each of them thanks to the love his dog Bobo has given to him. 

Sadly, Bobo went missing one day and it broke Anthony’s heart into a million pieces. It felt like his whole world crashed as Bobo was all he had. 

Anthony did all he could in order to find his beloved Bobo. He placed flyers all over the area and begged friends to join him in the search. However, no one has seen Bobo. Anthony even contacted animal services, but to no avail.

And just when he lost hope, a police officer who stumbled upon the flyers remembered seeing a dog that resembled Bobo very much. To Anthony’s surprise, it was his four-legged best friend. 

“Bobo got neutered, microchipped and vaccinated, and we found out he was heartworm negative,” Memphis Animal Services wrote. “We sent him back to Anthony with a year’s supply of heartworm prevention, a bag of dog food, and a harness, leash, collar, and ID tag. Bobo is healthy and happy.”

The video of the reunion melted millions of hearts. 

“Bobo could not contain his happiness at seeing his dad again,” the shelter posted on Facebook.

Seeing the dog running towards his human with such enthusiasm only proved once again that these magnificent creatures truly are man’s best friend. 

This reunion is something you don’t want to miss. Take a look at it in the video below. 

Family seeks justice after teen took his own life over social media bullying

By
Monica Pop
-

Being a victim of bullying can have deep physical and emotional effect that can last beyond childhood. Sadly, it happens more often that we realize and many young children are affected by it every single day. Many parents aren’t even aware of the struggles their kids go through and only learn of that when it’s too late to act.

A 16-year-old boy named Channing Smith took his own life because he couldn’t put up with the torture he was exposed to.

His family now speaks of the day of the tragedy.

When Channing came home from his job at Burger King in Manchester, Tennessee last Sunday, he said goodnight to his parents and went straight to his bedroom.

His brother believes that it was then that Channing learned that a girl from his class posted on her Instagram and Facebook accounts explicit messages between Channing and another boy.

Channing freaked out and called some of his friends before he posted his last status writing, “I really hate how I can’t trust anyone because those I did were so fake. Bye.”

At 4 a.m that night, Channing’s father entered his son’s room as he could see the lights were still on and saw the body.

Joshua Smith, Channing’s 38-year-old brother, is outraged and sad. He says the circumstances under which his brother took his own life are due to the cyber-bullying he experienced and is now seeking justice.

However, bringing those who bullied Channing to justice isn’t easy as the city of Manchester is very hostile towards the LGBT community. According to Smith, the investigator under Coffee County District Attorney, Craig Northcott, refused ‘to touch’ the case or press criminal charges saying there was no evidence the explicit messages were ever posted online.

Smith, however, has done his own investigation and tracked down the girl who exposed his brother’s sexuality along with his private messages.

The leakage of those messages containing conversations between Channing and that other boy led to his suicide and Smith is asking for the justice to be served. That girl who hurt Channing has to be taught a lesson.

Speaking to Insider, Smith said, “We don’t want them to be brought upon murder charges or anything. They were kids, and I know they didn’t think through to the end result, that Channing would end up dead. But he did. And, you know, because someone outed him for being gay. I guess his wishes were that he could have done that in his own time.”

Smith threatened Northcott, who has expressed gay hate and racist and offensive comments about Muslims before, to start the case, in the contrary he would start the ‘biggest social media s—storm the town has ever seen,’ according to Insider.

Now, Smith is doing all in his power to raise awareness regarding cyber-bullying and hopes no other kid ever would have to go through what his brother did.

He’s organizing memorials and is spreading Channing’s story with the hashtag #JusticeForChanning but doing that is hard in a city like Manchester where most people are showing racist behavior. However, seeing his brother’s friends showing their support is the ray of light in this place of ignorance.

So far, the school Channing attended has done nothing. They even asked from the parents’ of students who wore T-shirt with the hashtag #JusticeForChanning to come pick them up or bring other clothes.

But many mothers’ of Channing’s classmates and friends are coming together and are showing their support as well.

The grieving family has held a memorial service, but they are organizing a second one in which the singer Billy Ray Cyrus will sing Channing’s favorite song, “Amazing Grace.”

Despite seeking justice, the Smith family is trying to force a new law, Channing’s Law, that would deal with cases of cyber-bullying.

The family wants their loving son and brother to be remembered as a king soul who was there for everyone in need of help.

He loved everyone, and he loved his life. If it wasn’t for those messages, Channing would be alive.

Please spread his story and help in preventing for tragedies like this to happen ever again.

1...761762763...921Page 762 of 921