Month: September 2025

By Spencer Wilson

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    DENVER, Colorado (KCNC) — After yet another Colorado school shooting, Nicole Hockley of Sandy Hook Promise’s message carries both grief and urgency. Her youngest son was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre more than a decade ago. Within weeks, she co-founded non-profit Sandy Hook Promise with one mission: to stop other families from enduring what she lives with every day.

“This is exhausting,” Hockley said in an interview with CBS Colorado following the Evergreen High School shooting. “I think one of the most exhausting things about this is that these acts are preventable. We have the solutions that we know work, and sometimes we just don’t have the will to make them happen.”

Since its founding, Sandy Hook Promise has trained millions of students and educators nationwide to recognize warning signs of violence. Hockley says those efforts have prevented more than 1,000 youth suicides and stopped at least 18 planned school shootings.

For her, the work is proof that prevention is possible; if people choose to act.

“We should be feeling this and saying, ‘This is unacceptable,'” Hockley said. “This is not the way America should be. There is a way to prevent these tragedies, and we need to move past normalizing this or being desensitized. None of us wants this to happen in our community, so why do we accept it when it happens to someone else?”

Hockley said the conversation should not pit mental health against gun safety. The organization says that you cannot stop these attacks without both focuses.

“There is an escalating pathway to violence that often starts with isolation or rejection,” Hockley explained. “But then you couple that with access to a weapon, and that’s when you have the tragedy. This is about the combination.”

Colorado, she noted, is on the right track with its anonymous reporting system, which allows students to safely speak up when they see warning signs. It’s the kind of tool Sandy Hook Promise advocates for: practical, bipartisan and designed to save lives.

For Hockley, the fight is as personal as it gets. She admits the rage and grief of Sandy Hook never leave her, but she channels them into a single mission, keeping children safe.

“Our kids don’t have the politics. They just want to be safe in their schools, homes and communities,” she said. “We adults have a duty to respond to that.”

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By Karen Morfitt

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    DENVER, Colorado (KCNC) — Even during months of hospitalization and recovery at Colorado Children’s Hospital, 13-year-old Allyson Haberacker found a way to leave a lasting impact not just on the hearts of those around her, but also on the hospital cafeteria menu.

Allyson was recovering from a heart transplant earlier this year when she decided something important was missing from the hospital menu: fried pickles.

“They have fries, they have onion rings, they occasionally have jalapeño poppers,” she said. “Why don’t they have fried pickles? Fried pickles are one of the main food groups.”

With the help of her child life specialist, Allyson launched what she called her “pickle petition,” a seven-page list of signatures from anyone who visited her room, including doctors, nurses, and even new friends.

“We ended up getting 276 exactly,” she said.

Her father, Joshua Haberacker, said Allyson may be quiet, but she makes her presence known.

“She may not be able to express her voice in volume, but she expresses it very much in action, unless she’s yelling at her brother. Then she can get very loud,” he joked.

The effort not only distracted her from the stress and isolation of long-term hospitalization but also gave her something to look forward to each day.

“It brought her a lot of joy,” her father said. “Especially when she was stuck day in and day out sometimes, it kind of gave her something to focus on, to move out of that depression and get excited.”

To Allyson’s surprise, hospital staff took the petition seriously.

“I really thought they would just look at it and chuckle,” she said.

They didn’t. Instead, the hospital’s food service team went to work. Soon after, “Allyson’s Fried Pickles” appeared on the grill menu.

“It’s crazy! I didn’t know they would name it after me, and then they did!” Allyson said. “I was crossing my fingers, hoping they spelled it correctly.”

Every four weeks, the item will appear on the menu; a delicious reminder of one young patient’s determination to make her stay, and the stays of others, a little better.

“People like jalapeño poppers,” Allyson said. “But they like fried pickles more.”

As for the future, Allyson isn’t quite in high school yet, but she’s already thinking ahead.

“Right now, I want to be a child life specialist, so I can help people who are like, ‘Why is this happening to me?'” she said. “I kind of understand.”

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By Frankie McLister

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    EAGAN, Minnesota (WCCO) — After Adelyn Miller died in 2023, her organs saved five lives, and four of those she saved gathered together to live out her legacy.

“Oh man, I just miss talking to her,” said Vicki Wichmann Miller, Adelyn Miller’s mother.

Adelyn Miller’s family says she was adventurous, loving and made people laugh. She was 20 years old when she was ejected from a vehicle, fracturing her skull, and died days later due to a brain herniation.

Her mother says she wanted to be a paramedic one day.

“She was very much about helping everybody else,” Vicki Wichmann Miller said.

Which is exactly what she did.

“I owe her my life,” said Dennis Golownia, who received her lungs.

Kevin Enders received her liver.

“You saved my life and I’m eternally grateful,” Enders said.

Jack Feast got Adelyn Miller’s heart.

“I just want her to know she’s changed my life,” Feast said.

Suzie Dauer now has Adelyn Miller’s kidney.

“Hopefully, she could see it in my eyes, how grateful,” Dauer said.

After Adelyn Miller’s passing, her mother reached out to her donors and heard back from four of the five.

“Being able to meet her recipients has been extremely healing to me,” Vicki Wichmann Miller said.

On Saturday, they gathered together as one big “Brady Bunch.”

Recipients and loved ones painted rocks that’ll be placed across the world. If you find one, you’ll notice a QR code linking to Adelyn Miller’s story and her impact as a donor.

“I feel like I’ve gained a whole new family with Vicki and everyone else that’s here in Minnesota,” said Feast.

Feast, who lives in Illinois, can enjoy life with his daughter again. He has also gained new friends — or as he says, “family” members like Enders, who also traveled from the Land of Lincoln for the weekend.

“The fact we’re both still alive because of Adelyn is indescribable,” Enders said.

Golownia, from the Milwaukee metro, agrees.

“I can see the scars on my chest and I still think of her,” he said.

They are all signs that Adelyn Miller’s legacy is alive.

“She really impacted a lot of people,” Vicki Wichmann Miller said.

To become an organ donor, register online through the National Donate Life Registry.

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By Trevor Sochocki

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    FORT WORTH, Texas (KTVT) — If you didn’t already know, military uniforms and various service clothes can be expensive. But a nonprofit, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS), operating thrift shops around the world, is changing that.

The nonprofit has a store at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.

“I’m just looking for a cheap way to not have to go break the bank to go replace my items,” said Technical Sergeant Bobby Mitchell, a reservist in the U.S. Air Force.

That’s what a lot of service members are in the thrift shop for.

“I think this would be, if it fit, it would be about ten bucks compared to about 60 or 70 bucks,” Sgt. Mitchell explained.

All the money made by the 120-year-old nonprofit goes toward providing financial and other assistance for sailors and marines in need.

“Trying to find as many uniform pieces as we can at an affordable price,” said Lieutenant Chris Branigan, a Navy Reserve chaplain.

All the used clothes, uniforms and home goods inside are donated by other military members and their families.

“I’m a pastor on a tight income,” Chaplain Branigan said. “So just trying to save where we can.”

An added bonus, military spouses get a community through the nonprofit as well.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to be part of something that gives back to our military members,” said Caitlin Gibson, chair of volunteers for NMCRS.

Last year, the Fort Worth shop donated over $41,000 to the relief society, and the 30 shops around the world donated $2 million.

“I love the environment of meeting people and getting to chat with them,” Gibson explained. “But also trying to help them find that thing they’re looking for and this just kind of went hand in glove with that.”

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By Wakisha Bailey

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    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — Nothing compares to the excitement of your first Phillies game: the players, the cotton candy, and of course, the Phanatic. For 10-year-old Devin Cassidy, that first night at Citizens Bank Park turned into something even more memorable — a mission.

“I randomly drew this and was like, ‘Dad, look at this,'” Devin recalled. “He said, ‘Awesome!'”

That doodle became her very own Phanatic-inspired T-shirt. Soon, her entire family was sporting her one-of-a-kind design at South Philly’s Philadium restaurant.

Devin’s dad, Ryan Cassidy, knows a thing or two about Philly spirit. He’s the founder of PhillyGoat, an apparel company celebrating the city’s culture and sports teams. But this time, he says, Devin is sharing in the spotlight.

“The fact that she came to me — and we watched so many Phillies games together — it’s special,” Ryan said.

For Devin, the designs are more than just creative expression. They’re rooted in personal experience.

“Because I was once sick and it wasn’t fun, I wanted to help other kids who were sick and hurt,” she said.

Devin donates a portion of her sales to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she was treated for ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) following a choking scare.

Now healthy and thriving, Devin beams when she sees others wearing her shirts. “It’s cool,” she said simply, pointing to the colors and drawings that make her creations pop.

And while she takes in inspiration at Phillies games — cheering under the lights with her dad by her side — her work continues at home. Devin is now collaborating with her younger brother, who has autism, on a brand-new shirt design.

You can find Devin’s designs at PhillyGoat.com.

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By Paul Burton

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    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — The 32nd annual Jimmy Fund Clinic Summer Festival took place on Sunday, giving cancer patients and their families the chance to experience Franklin Park Zoo in Boston as one community.

“When you’re battling cancer, you have different things happening,” said Lisa Scherber, the director of patient and family programs for the Jimmy Fund. “Maybe you’re in a wheelchair, you’ve lost your hair, maybe you’ve lost a limb. We just want our families to be safe and together.”

“It’s a cool experience, it takes my mind off a lot of stuff,” said Greg Nekrourian, who was diagnosed with cancer three months ago. Now his entire life has changed. He took in the giraffes with other cancer patients.

“I’m 21 years old and I was told that I have T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. And at that point, when I got diagnosed, I was relatively healthy,” said Nekrourian. “When I see younger kids, I say those are true warriors. It feels like you’re not alone. This can be a lonely journey.”

Organizers said 3,500 people took part in the amazing experience impacting more than 600 families. One of the purposes is to bring patients together who are going through cancer with those who have already overcome it.

“The nurses come, our physicians come, front desk staff come, we get to see the kids that are just thriving and kids that we saw in an infusion chair on Friday, they’re here today,” said Scherber. “To see kids that are five years out, 10 years out, 20 years out and you are standing at the giraffes with them and you can start talking. That’s what it’s all about.”

The festival is held to mark September as Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.

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By JT Moodee Lockman

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — Baltimore Police and community members helped to return a herd of lost goats to their home on Saturday, officials said.

Officers said they were called to the 3000 block of Frederick Avenue for a reported “animal disturbance.”

Police arrived to find several goats grazing on grass in the area.

More officers and animal control officials responded and began wrangling the goats to a confined area, and attaching them to leashes, police said.

Kids and neighbors in the community assisted officers in returning the goats to their home nearly a block away, police said.

Rescuing four-legged friends

This is not the first time that first responders have been called to help animals in Maryland.

In early August, Baltimore County firefighters were called to rescue a 32-year-old horse named John after he escaped from his owner’s property and fell into a hole.

Crews responded to a home in Reisterstown where John was found stuck in an 8- to 10-foot hole. A local two-company provided a crane, which was used to lift John out of the hole.

Nearly 30 Baltimore and Howard County firefighters responded to the scene to assist in the horse rescue.

In July, more than 40 dogs were rescued after a tip about inhumane conditions inside a Harford County home, the sheriff’s office said.

“No water, feces in the cage and the house, and the house was hot,” Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. “As far as domestic animals, it is the most disgusting case we have dealt with.”

In a similar case in August, nearly 100 dogs and puppies were rescued from a puppy mill in Harford County, according to the Humane World for Animals.

The rescue prompted an investigation by the sheriff’s office.

“It’s an overwhelming, heartbreaking scene—you couldn’t walk a few feet without stepping around dogs or slipping in their waste,” said Stacy Volodin, Maryland state director of Humane World for Animals.

The animals were taken for treatment, the organization said.

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