Author: CNN Newsource

By Jeffrey Lindblom

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    OXFORD, Michigan (WXYZ) — A 4-year-old Oxford boy is making a big impact in his local community through a simple school project that has grown into something much larger.

Easton Peterson chose charity work as his virtue for a school assignment, and he decided to focus on helping dogs without homes. When the young boy learned that many dogs don’t have forever families, it made him sad.

“Doggies! Because they don’t have homes,” Easton said, explaining his choice to help animals in need.

To raise money for homeless dogs, Easton started collecting bottles and cans for cash. What began as a small project has become a daily routine for the Peterson family.

“Every single day our trunk is completely full,” said Alexandra Peterson, Easton’s mom.

The family now spends Monday through Friday pushing carts and loading cans and bottles, which makes Easton feel happy about helping others.

“We’re just so proud,” Peterson said.

Easton’s efforts are benefiting K9 Stray Rescue, where his work is making a significant difference. Betsy Barnaba, intake and kennel manager at the rescue, says the 4-year-old’s impact extends far beyond his individual contributions.

“He’s just a 4-year-old boy. The ripple effect has been unbelievable,” Barnaba said.

Easton has accumulated at least $2,000 in can returns for the rescue. His efforts have also caught the attention of local businesses like Meijer, which have started donating to the cause as well.

“It has just been beautiful. It’s almost like that domino effect,” Alexandra Peterson said.

“We have dubbed it the kindness train, because it just keeps chugging along,” Barnaba added.

When he’s not collecting cans, Easton dreams of becoming a professional golfer. He also has a dog of his own named Hashbrowns.

The young philanthropist has a message for everyone who has supported his cause: “I love you.”

“Without the help of the community… and families like Easton, we can’t do what we do,” Barnaba said.

On Tuesday, Dec. 2, which is Giving Tuesday, Easton and his family plan to visit K9 Stray Rescue to present the grand total of how much they’ve raised for the organization.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WXYZ’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Ruta Ulcinaite

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    FARMINGTON HILLS, Michigan (WXYZ) — A Farmington Hills couple is calling it their own Christmas miracle after a kind stranger drove from downtown Detroit to return a lost wallet right to their doorstep after the Christmas tree lighting.

Dave Hillyard and his girlfriend Shelby Lukas were among the tens of thousands who attended Detroit’s annual Christmas tree lighting last Friday. After grabbing drinks at a pop-up bar in Campus Martius, they enjoyed the downtown festivities.

“Neither one of us had ever been before. So we thought hey, let’s check it out,” Hillyard said.

It wasn’t until the end of the night that Hillyard realized his wallet was missing.

“That’s when the heart sank,” Hillyard said.

The couple suspected the wallet was left at the pop-up bar, which had already closed for the night. They searched for hours and even returned the next morning.

“It’s gotta be down there somewhere. It’s gotta be,” Lukas remembered saying to herself.

That’s when Lukas decided to check their Ring doorbell notifications and discovered something amazing. The security camera had captured footage of a woman at their front door the night before holding Hillyard’s wallet.

“It was his wallet in her hand. I’m like, ‘Oh my God. It’s in her hand. It’s at home!'” Lukas said.

The kind stranger had driven from Detroit all the way to Farmington Hills where the couple lives to return the wallet, leaving it full of cards and cash in the couple’s mailbox.

Now the couple is putting out a call to find this Good Samaritan, so they can thank her properly and give her a gift for her troubles.

“We just want to find out who she is,” Lukas said.

“Yeah, so we can repay her,” Hillyard added.

Losing the wallet right before the holidays would have set the couple back significantly. They say it’s what the season of giving is all about, and they’re grateful someone lent them a helping hand when they didn’t need to.

“We owe her a lot,” Hillyard said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WXYZ’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Jose Fabian, Brandon Downs

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    SACRAMENTO COUNTY, California (KMAX, KOVR) — The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said a 15-year-old girl who was possibly kidnapped early Sunday morning was located and is safe.

She was identified as Citlali Itzpapalot Lerma and was last seen in the Rio Lindo area.

The sheriff’s office said she was seen leaving against her will with 17-year-old Jesse Carranza in a dark-colored SUV, which could possibly be an older-model Ford Explorer. The sheriff’s office said they are unable to issue an Amber Alert for Lerma without an accurate vehicle description and information such as the year, make, model, color or license plate.

Deputies said late Sunday that she was found and is safe. She was placed into the custody of child protective services.

Carranza remains outstanding as of Sunday night. He is 5 feet, 8 inches and weighs about 143 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray hoodie and blue jeans and was in the Rio Linda area.

Although he is a minor, the sheriff’s office said his photo is being shared due to the “exigency and violent nature” of the incident.

The sheriff’s office confirmed Carranza has a felony warrant out for his arrest for an unrelated incident.

The sheriff’s office said they were aware of an Instagram post in which Lerma said, “I did not leave against my will. I’m perfectly fine, so this is for anybody wondering.” However, investigators can not confirm if the video was made under duress, and they have also not been able to verify her location or whether she is safe.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Olivia Acree

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    Kansas (KSHB) — “It’s never too late to try something new.”

That might be a phrase you tell yourself when thinking about starting a new hobby, or when you fail to.

A man living in an Overland Park assisted living community lives by that phrase.

“My bucket list is getting lower and lower, and I’ve had a pretty exciting life, really,” said Jerry Stephenson, painter.

Stephenson turns 100 years old on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Although it was only 15 years ago that he found his life’s hobby: art.

“At age 85, my wife had thought, well, it’s time we went to a retirement facility,” he said.

She wanted a place where they could live the rest of their lives slowly. But that wasn’t a word in Jerry’s vocabulary.

“Art in the purest form that is hard to resist,” he said.

A fellow resident convinced Jerry to pick up a paintbrush, and with a few brushstrokes, he crossed art off his bucket list.

“I’d wear out just painting. But because you get so involved and concentrated,” Stephenson said.

Another old saying goes, “A picture is worth 1,000 words.” And Jerry has one that’s priceless.

“My favorite, though, right here. That’s my wife,” he said of one of his works.

For Stephenson, a life well lived is a life without regrets. He said he thinks young, and that means there’s no limit to what he can do.

I asked him if he ever wished he had started painting earlier in life. His answer was no.

“I don’t. That’s my life’s history now,” he said.

As he’s watched history unfold around him for a century, he’s learned to never say never and never say no. Unless it’s about sharing the secret to life.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret,” Stephenson said.

He also learned that even at 100 years old, it’s never too late to surprise yourself.

“I had no idea I had such talent and ability. It goes to show we have unknown capability,” Stephenson said.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Tori Mason

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    COLORADO (KCNC) — As temperatures prepare to drop this weekend, two neighbors in Aurora are racing to get blankets, clothing and care kits into the hands of people who have nowhere to go.

Nieves Ministries, a community outreach group, operates out of a small office stacked with pallets of blankets, donated clothes and hygiene kits.

For founder, Alex Nieves, the mission is personal.

The organization was inspired by his friend, James Feller, who was helping him build the ministry before dying from an overdose.

“These are actually his clothes right here,” Nieves said. “We just got them from a friend who washed them for us. James helped us set all this in motion.”

Nieves has experienced homelessness himself – the cold, the uncertainty, and the reality of trying to survive while managing trauma and loss.

During winter months, local shelters in the Denver metro area open beds through cold weather activation. But space is tight.

“They have a limited amount of beds,” Nieves explained. “Sometimes they’re doing more overflow than they can handle.”

In Denver, Cold Weather Shelter activation occurs when overall shelter system capacity is exceeded and one of the following criteria is met:

A Cold Weather Advisory, Extreme Cold Watch, or Warning is issued by the National Weather Service Forecasted overnight low temperatures of 25 degrees Fahrenheit or below Forecasted snowfall of two or more inches in Denver Nieves Ministries tries to fill those gaps by dropping off pallets of blankets where they’re needed.

“Last week, we gave them about five pallets,” he said. “The Rescue Mission gets about two or three every other week.”

Smaller grassroots groups are trying to pick up the slack. Most of the ministry’s work is paid for out of pocket.

Some sponsors chip in. Denver Auto Gallery donates $200 every time a car is sold, but the bulk of the outreach is sustained by the founders themselves.

Donations come from a number of sources who drop off everything from winter coats to unopened hygiene products.

Trey Banks with the ministry says demand has surged. He says even with warmer-than-usual fall weather, outreach workers are seeing people living in tents and using tarps for shelter.

“When we see stuff like that, we encourage them to come down to the office,” he said. “We offer clothes, blankets, socks, and amenity kits with toothbrushes and self-care items.”

Those amenity kits, often stuffed with socks, lotions, ear plugs, toothbrushes and basic toiletries, fill plastic bins in the group’s workspace and the bed of their truck.

They say the work wouldn’t be possible without giving hearts.

“Support is everything in a time of need,” Banks said. “Especially when people are facing uncertainty. Community is everything.”

Nieves said his own experience, and the losses he carries, motivate him to step in where systems fall short. They hope to expand their space to serve even more families.

In Denver, families in need of shelter must go in person with their children to the Inn at the Highlands, 2601 Zuni St, to access services.

According to the city, vouchers will no longer be issued over the phone. Intake hours for family shelter vouchers begin at 7 a.m. on the day the shelter is activated.

Voucher capacity has been expanded, and staffing at the Connection Center has increased to better serve families experiencing literal homelessness. If motel voucher capacity is reached, a dedicated family congregate shelter will be opened as backup when needed.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.