In mid-March, as the coronavirus was ravaging communities and economies around the world, The Associated Press launched its “One Good Thing” series to highlight individuals whose actions offer glimmers of light in dark times.
Nine months later we’ve hit every continent except Antarctica to publish more than 180 stories of kindness, good deeds and serendipity.
Here is a look back at 10 of our favorite stories of people finding ways to make a difference, no matter how small:
The tutu girls
In this photo provided by Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, security guard David Dean dances with McKinley Moore, Avalynn Luciano, Lauren Glynn and Chloe Grimes at the hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Aug. 9, 2018. The girls, who were diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and became fast friends while undergoing treatment, reunite every year.
Four young cancer survivors who met, became fast friends and supported each other while in treatment at a hospital in Florida four years ago didn’t let the pandemic keep them from their annual reunion. Known as the “tutu girls” for their matching outfits, the 6- and 7-year-olds held their meetup on Zoom. One of the moms got the idea for the dance costumes to raise awareness about childhood cancer, and a tradition was born.
A birthday parade
In this April 10, 2020, photo provided by Ashley Johnson, a birthday sign and a cluster of balloons hang on a car window ready for an impromptu, surprise birthday parade for 6-year-old Jessiah Lee, in Arlington, Va.
A fire truck blared its sirens, police flashed lights on cruisers and dozens of families in a car parade honked horns, raised signs and yelled: “Happy birthday, Jessiah!” None of them knew 6-year-old Jessiah Lee, but they all showed up for the surprise drive-by birthday party in Arlington, Virginia, organized on social media and inspired by similar celebrations that have brought joy to many children and adults during the quarantine.
Classroom on wheels
Gerardo Ixcoy teaches 12-year-old student Paola Ximena Conoz about fractions from his mobile classroom, parked just outside the door to her home in Santa Cruz del Quiche, Guatemala.
When Guatemala’s schools in closed mid-March, teacher Gerardo Ixcoy invested his savings in a secondhand tricycle that he and his brother converted into a mobile classroom. Each day the 27-year-old set out pedaling among the cornfields of Santa Cruz del Quiché to bring socially distanced lessons to his sixth-graders' homes and yards.
Making sweet music
Members of the National Orchestra of France filmed themselves playing Ravel's “Bolero” alone at home during lockdown. Then, like building a musical jigsaw puzzle, a sound engineer stitched together their individual clips into a seamless and rousing whole. Posted online, the performance helped the musicians keep in touch with each other and with the audiences they sorely missed.
Newlyweds giving back
Darshana Kumara Wijenarayana and his bride Pawani Rasanga walk with packets of food to distribute in the small town of Malimbada, about 99 miles south of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.
Darshana Kumara Wijenarayana and Pawani Rasanga spent months planning a grand wedding only to see it derailed by the pandemic. Family and friends urged the Sri Lankan couple to postpone the party, but instead they chose to celebrate their love by marrying simply and then spending the day feeding the poor.
Cheers for heroes
Health workers react as people applaud from their houses in support of the medical staff working in the COVID-19 outbreak in Barcelona, Spain, on March 16, 2020.
In hard-hit European cities, residents took a moment each night to express gratitude to doctors, nurses and other health care workers. From Athens and Amsterdam to Rome and Madrid, people stood at windows or on balconies singing, cheering and applauding those on the front lines.
Teenage supply pilot
TJ Kim, 16, loads medical supplies into a plane in Leesburg, Va., before flying to a hospital.
TJ Kim doesn’t even have his driver’s license yet, but he’s already flying across Virginia delivering medical supplies to small, rural hospitals in need. The 16-year-old turned his weekly flight lessons into relief missions carrying precious pandemic cargo like gloves, masks, gowns and other equipment.
Trumpeting on high
Backdropped by Maracana stadium, firefighter Elielson Silva plays his trumpet from the top of a ladder for residents at home during a lockdown to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Rio de Janeiro firefighter Elielson Silva devised a novel approach to curing the coronavirus blues. Riding a fire truck’s retractable ladder as high as 200 feet, he played Brazilian tunes from that lofty perch as residents in isolation watch from their windows and applaud, flush with a restored sense of community.
Take my land
South Korean shoe repairman Kim Byung-rok shows his land in Paju, South Korea.
The acreage that Kim Byung-rok bought on a quiet mountain in South Korea a few years ago was meant for farming and fresh air. But after the pandemic hit, he offered a big chunk of it to the local government, figuring it could be put to good use helping others.
Tutoring the world
Mathematics teacher Basirat Olamide Ajayi, 36, teaches probability theory with the aid of playing cards online via her mobile phone from her house in Lagos, Nigeria.
A teacher at a public school in Lagos, Nigeria, helped students across the country and abroad learn math remotely during coronavirus lockdowns. Basirat Olamide Ajayi's free online classes became a lifeline for many children who were kept away from classrooms for months.
Stories of the year: Inspiring, uplifting, and sometimes, heartbreaking
Read top stories of 2020 from Lee Newspapers around the country.
It took every ounce of faith that a Northwest Indiana pastor possessed to make it through heartbreaking personal loss and his own life-threate…
Tulsa Police Officer Aurash Zarkeshan talks about his recovery after being shot in the line of duty and becoming "Tulsa's Hope."
While Griffin was on maternity leave, a worldwide crisis began. Ascension asked her to take on a new role in March that previously hadn’t exis…
Retiree Don Hulcher spent three months in hospital fighting for his life; he and wife were diagnosed just days after they moved into their dre…
“I thought about how scary it would be to have COVID-19, especially as a single parent and sole provider. My worst-case scenario was ending up…
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Nebraska in March, a group of people have consistently masked up and put their health in jeopardy for the sake…
In a rural oasis on the outskirts of Lynchburg, one donkey, two miniature Jersey cows, two geese, a sheep and a handful of goats are chomping …
Knowing the odds of waking up after requiring a ventilator were not good, Mallory Goepel was petrified she’d never see her family again.
McKenzie Kohler of Amherst has had a history of pneumonia, once being hospitalized with it, but she typically goes to the doctor for an antibi…
2020 has been no picnic for leaders of local health departments.
Chris Madrigal didn't know what else 2020 would throw at him; then he found himself fighting fires.
Vanessa Silva, 19, was hspitalized over the summer with COVID-19. She never had to go on a ventilator but had a rough stay.
Escalating COVID-19 cases and deaths have brought this region to a “crisis point,” a Ballad Health official said Wednesday.
MAYVILLE — “This momma needs a type O kidney.” That one simple sentence on a social media post two years ago changed the trajectory of two wom…
Brionna Burlett of Glens Falls officially recovered from coronavirus in April. But she is still suffering.
Robert Puhalla Sr., a permanent deacon at St. Mary’s Cathedral who died Sept 29 of COVID-19, was a busy and popular man.
Calling Tionna Hairston a survivor may be one of the great understatements of 2020.
On a sidewalk outside St. Mary’s Hospital on Thursday, a small group of doctors, nurses and therapists gathered in the late afternoon.
QUINBY, S.C. — If you’ve heard the recent rumor about Quinby, it’s absolutely true.
Army Reserve captain takes his experience to help out beleaguered hospital.
In the spring when schools closed due to COVID-19, local families say they thought things would get back to normal soon, certainly by the fall.
“It is real, and they can put my face on it,” the former state lawmaker says. “A lot of people around town know me, and they can put my face on it.”
Just like most Mondays, Carmen Jording dropped her husband, Kurt, off early in the morning March 23, so he could join other members of his con…
From his hospital bed, Mark Thomas was able to FaceTime with his daughter and read her a letter he had written before contracting COVID-19.
Terri Schantz, one of the first three people in the Fredericksburg area to be diagnosed with COVID-19, will deal with its long-term effects th…
When Jessica Frierson talks, she wheezes and coughs. She can’t hold a conversation for long — after a few minutes she’s out of breath.
When COVID-19 started unfolding in Seattle, Brenna Anderson decided to lock down Copper Ridge Health and Rehab in Butte.
When COVID-19 reared its ugly head and shut down or slowed down Missouri businesses, Bonne Terre resident Danielle Soncasie had already braved…
A team of Friendship Village nurses sacrificed time with their families to move into the retirement center for weeks, working long hours to co…
A red carpet was rolled out at the entrance of Grace Heights Health and Rehabilitation for a special celebration Tuesday.
During one game of the 2018 Danville Braves season, an umpire was injured in an early inning, so H.F. Haymore Jr. was brought in from the crow…
A group of former cadets want the military college's Stonewall Jackson statue to be torn down and for administration to clamp down on racism i…
The Fremont Public Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution voicing its disapproval for Sen. Ben Sasse’s comments during t…
The minutes were never more precious or more fleeting for Michelle Vernezze, 43, and her family, as they were able to briefly reunite outside …
In the intensive care unit, nurses and doctors are valued for their ability to take quick and decisive action with every patient who needs the…
Dozens of medical personnel applauded and cheered as Klinton Patterson was wheeled out of the MercyOne North Iowa Critical Care Unit in Mason …
On Friday, the health center accepted roughly 1,200 face shields, 1,000 KN95 masks, 200 N95 masks and 25 surgical gowns from Last Mile. Mary K…
Kyra Parker attended Friday and Saturday’s demonstrations "to peacefully protest something that’s not going right in our world right now.” And…
COVID-19 has gotten into several long-term care facilities in the Magic Valley. The emotional toll for staff and residents has been enormous, …
Nick Henline, third-generation owner of North Platte’s iconic Fort Cody Trading Post, isn’t sure what a summer tourist season amid COVID-19 wi…
CARBONDALE — A little goodwill can go a long way. Or, in the case of Carbondale Closed Mic Night, a very long way.
ELKO – New York City has been the United States’ epicenter for the coronavirus pandemic. As of Tuesday, 157,713 cases had been recorded along …
On Monday, Nate Fleming expects to go back to work at the international high school where he teaches English in Shenzhen, China – after more t…
Donning personal protection equipment has long been a part of the job for Angela Hobbs.
Jack Richard Pimm was the kind of man who loved family and community gatherings — the bigger, the better.
FORT DEFIANCE — At the end of each semester, Spanish teacher Megan Shifflett makes a video of her students at Fort Defiance High School.
Honny Pils, Wheelock restaurateur and part-time nurse, is among the many health care professionals nationwide who have traveled to New York Ci…
Longtime Columbus Sales Pavilion Inc. owner Travis Bock feels caught between a rock and a hard place as of late.
It hit home for Jack Lindley when his uncle was hospitalized and on a ventilator because of being infected with the disease the coronavirus ca…
Life at a hospital can be scary these days with the continuing rise in the number of COVID-19 cases locally and throughout Alabama.
Bloomington hairdresser Shannon Masters created a mural of Jesus Christ out of charcoal in her driveway Thursday afternoon in an attempt to sp…
YORK — York High School’s Class of 2020 has made history.
Yvonne lives at a senior retirement community.
