MacKenzie Scott boosts another Pittsburgh-area nonprofit with $10 million gift

Good News Notes: “Pressley Ridge, a nonprofit agency based in McCandless, announced Wednesday that it received a $10 million unrestricted gift from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The gift is the single largest donation the organization has received in its 190-year history. “We are grateful for and humbled by Ms….

Students fill hundreds of backpacks for children in foster care

Good News Notes: ‘“You want to make kids feel loved who maybe don’t have it as well as we do, and you don’t want them to go into a home where they don’t know anybody already not feeling well about themselves. You want to make them feel like somebody does care,” Horter said. The club…

Nine-year-old ‘real life Matilda’ is adopted by her second grade teacher

Good News Notes: “A nine-year-old girl has been adopted from foster care by her second grade teacher in a story that’s being compared that of Matilda and Miss Honey. Two years ago, Loralie Henry entered Zoe Henry’s second grade class in La Verne, California. She had been in foster care for years at the time, and single mom…

Six children find forever home as part of National Adoption Day event

Good News Notes: “There are 122,000 children in foster care across the United States. In Ohio, there are about 16,000 in foster care with more than 3,000 waiting to be adopted. Wednesday was a special day for Lisa and Randy Jarrell. “We’re adopting Oliver,” said Lisa Jarrell, of her adoption. Oliver brings the Jarrell family…

Rescue Labrador Retriever Adopts Orphaned Kittens

Good News Notes: “A rescue dog is paid it forward by looking after a litter of orphaned kittens. According to a release from the U.K. animal rescue charity Battersea, Bertie, a one-year-old Labrador retriever, is helped the Battersea shelter that found him a forever home raise a group of kittens. Bertie started looking after the seven kittens…

Young boy’s dream comes true when he’s adopted by local family

Good News Notes: “Andrew and Joc didn’t become best friends the first day they met or even the second. On the third day, though, they began to realize something. ‘We had a lot of stuff in common,’ smiled 12-year-old Andrew. ‘Games, Minecraft,’ Joc quickly added.  That’s not all. There’s also Pop Tarts. They love Pop…