Good News Monday: Week Two
Good News Monday is an online bulletin of Rotaract Club Madrid Capital whose purpose is sharing good news from Madrid and elsewhere in these challenging times. We have teamed up to share positivity all over our MDIO and beyond. Here are the highlights of the week between March 30 and April 5.
Top 3 of the week
- The customer who left a $2,500 tip for employees in Columbus, Ohio, USA
Due to the temporary closure of a restaurant, a middle-aged man who insisted on remaining anonymous, left a tip of 2,500 USDfor a29.75 USD bill to help five local workers and their families.
- Lottery winner donates her prize to the less fortunate (Québec, Canada)
A former Québec beauty queen, 56, won the lottery in 2013. Each week, she receives $1,000 –an amount that she will continue to receive for the rest of his life. However, instead of spending her fortune on luxury, sheruns a charity to help the less fortunate.
- Penguin travels 5,000 miles each year to meet with the man who saved its life (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
In 2011,João rescued an oil-covered penguin whom he called Din Din. After a week of rehabilitation, João tried to free the penguin in the wild. However, Din Din had already formed a family bond with his saviour and did not leave. “He stayed with me for 11 months; and then, right after changing feathers, he disappeared,” recalls João. Only a few months later, Din Din returned to the same beach, saw João fishing, followed him home, and stayed with him for the rest of the year. This cycle has repeatedover the past few years.
Humans of New York
“Today is our anniversary. We always talk about how lucky we are to have found each other. I wasn’t even supposed to go to the bar that night. My friends and I were going to agolf tournament the following morning, so we wanted to get some sleep. But at the last minute we decided to have a quick drink. My friends were doing their thing, so I decided to take a walk around the bar. And I noticed a girl who was shining. I’m pretty sure she was sitting right under one of the lights in the bar. I just had to talk to her. I approached her. I said something like ‘I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself.’ After that, I tried to continue the conversation. I kept trying to find something we had in common, but the best I could think of was that shewas member of the same sorority as my friend’s cousin. We somehow ended up talking for the next fifteen minutes. The bar was so loud that we had to get really close to be able to hear each other, and in one moment, our cheeks touched. My friends are going to rip me apart for this, but I remember thinking how soft her face was. I gave her my number at the end of the conversation, although I didn’t really expect to hear from her. But the following day she told the story to her mother, and her mother said: ‘Call him. You don’t have to marry him.’ “
Hero of the week
Rocio Gimena Munoz is a resident doctor of Nephrology at the Príncipe de Asturias Hospital in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. She is currently fighting coronavirus in the emergency area, where they receive more than 100 patients per day. The situation is overwhelming, but with gloves, a gown, a mask and a smile, she takes care of them.
What makes you happy?
Feeling valued and useful to others.
What’s one of your hobbies?
Dance!
A fun fact about you?
I play the saxophone.
If you had a microphone that could reach every single person in the world, what message would you send them?
It is in times of difficulty that you realise how people truly are. Bring out the best version of yourself.
Know a local hero? Share their story with Rotaract Madrid Capital and they will introduce them in their Good News Insta stories.
Photo credits to the rightful owners.