What do Chrissy Teigen, Taylor Swift and Jason Derulo have in common—aside from being beloved celebs?
They are all included in our weekly roundup of Feel Good Friday stories, which are meant to uplift and encourage you heading into the weekend.
While Teigen became the star pupil by stepping up to help teachers heading back to school, we can't calm down over Swift's generous gesture for a young woman hoping to go to college and Derulo gifted an essential worker with a special gift. So if it wasn't obvious before, it's definitely official now: It's cool to be kind.
Plus, a community rallied around their beloved ice cream man after a serious injury and a just-married couple decided to forgo their wedding reception to spend their time giving back to those in need.
Head into the weekend with a smile on your face with these inspiring stories...
I scream, you scream, we all scream for this heartwarming story.
After ice cream man Jose Ortega suffered a heart attack, the Tustin, Calif. community he so often provided for decided to give back. Resident Michael Hatcher organized a fundraiser to help Ortega, 44, with his medical bills. The neighborhood raised $10,474 from 185 donors in just four days, with Hatcher telling the Orange County Register, "He was back at work within a few days. He told us he didn't want to disappoint the kids."
And after being presented with the generous gift and receiving a letter of commendation from the city, Ortega did what he loves most, asking the attendees, "Are you ready for ice cream?"
Chrissy Teigen took to Twitter and offered to help teachers get the tools they need as children head back to school.
"If you are a teacher in need of supplies for the upcoming school year, please drop your Amazon Wishlist here," the pregnant cookbook author wrote. "I will do as many as I can!"
The following day, the Chrissy's Court star shared an update, writing she had "cleared 50 entire lists" and that "countless extra items were purchased from lovely people just passing through."
"Will do more this week and would love to focus on struggling districts and special needs," Teigen added. "Please keep posting this thread!"
High school students Lauryn Hong, Ella Matlock, Sofia Migliazza and Erin Rogers have donated over $18,000 to organizations like Black Lives Matter and Campaign Zero by selling coloring books designed to educate children on range of important topics, including COVID-19, racism and social justice.
The Long Beach teens have sold over 9,000 books through Be The Change Coloring Co., with 40 percent of the proceeds from each sale going to a charity of the buyer's choosing.
We hope they explain the topics well with kid-friendly vocabulary and characters," the group explained on their website. "The books are coloring books, ways to keep kids entertained, while providing guidance on how to stay healthy, and happy...the main goals of this project are to educate young kids on the extreme issues of today and give back to our community.
This isn't folklore: Vitoria Mario received a huge surprise when Taylor Swift donated more than $30,000 to help pay for her college tuition.
The 18-year-old set up a GoFundMe page earlier this month, explaining, "I am a young Black 18 year old with a dream. I have received a conditional offer to study Mathematics (MMath) at the prestigious University of Warwick…However, I am still in a position of uncertainty as I may not be able to attend university due to my circumstances."
After learning about her story, Swift made Mario's wildest dream come true, donating £23,373 (more than $30,000) to the U.K.-based teen's tuition fees.
"Vitoria, I came across your story online and am so inspired by your drive and dedication to turning your dreams into reality," the "Cardigan" star shared. "I want to gift you the rest of your goal amount. Good luck with everything you do! Love, Taylor."
After realizing they would have to postpone their nuptials due to the coronavirus pandemic, Melanie and Tyler Tapajna decided to cancel their wedding altogether and gave away the meals that had pre-ordered to people in need.
The couple asked Laura's Home, a Cleveland non-profit that feeds homeless women and children, if they could donate the food and also be there to serve it to the residents. And on their wedding day, that's exactly what they did, accessorizing their tuxedo and wedding gown with hairnets and gloves.
"I asked Tyler what his favorite part of our wedding (was) and he told me it was the amount of smiles that it brought," Tapajna told Today. "Not only was it the women and children, but the volunteers and workers were happy to see everyone enjoy themselves."
As part of Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s ongoing series "Health Care Hero," where they honor a person in the medical field, guest host Jason Derulo was able to surprise Florence Njoroge with a very special gift.
The Massachusetts nurse was nominated for the segment by her 15-year-old son Jason Njoroge, who wrote a sweet letter to the show praising his mom for her work not only in the medical field, but also the work she does at home to raise three children and take care of her husband who has ALS.
And when the mother and son duo appeared on the show, along with her two daughters, Derulo revealed the deserving family was being gifted with a new Chrysler Pacifica, complete with wheelchair accessibility for her spouse.
"I am so honored," an overwhelmed Florence said. "Thank you so, so much."