Top 10 good deeds of 2015

French+President+Francois+Hollande%2C+center%2C+poses+with+British+man+Chris+Norman%2C+from+left%2C+and+Americans+Anthony+Sadler%2C+Spencer+Stone+and+Alek+Skarlatos.

courtesy of MCT Campus

French President Francois Hollande, center, poses with British man Chris Norman, from left, and Americans Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone and Alek Skarlatos.

by Sianna King, Reporter

The media always focuses on negative and frightening subjects, such as the Paris bombing and Donald Trump. After a year of many crises,  it’s time for a reflection on the generous things people have done. Here are the top 10 good deeds people- and dogs- have done for others in 2015.

Number 10: Hungary shows cartoons to migrant children.

Many refugees have fled from Syria, trying to find a better life in Europe. The European governments haven’t all accepted the refugees, so some local citizens took action. Many people have helped the migrants from different countries feel more welcome. For example, in July, as people poured off of trains and onto the station in Munich, Germany, Germans welcomed them with supplies, such as food and water. Along with that, in Hungary, off to the side of a train station, citizens set up a projector and screen so the migrant children could watch “Tom and Jerry.”

Number 9: Man is saved from drowning.

According to EIN Newsdesk, Heather and Daniel Felton, parents of 13-month-old Katherine, were on a Disney cruise. Katherine was making a lot of noise, refusing to sleep, when the Felton’s decided to take a her for a walk. They were on the deck of the ship, taking pictures of their baby, when they heard a noise. Since they were the only ones on the deck, they looked into the water where they saw a man calling for help. The Felton’s alerted some of the workers, and after half an hour they pulled the man out of the water. According to the man, he had been in the water for up to five hours. Though the baby, Katherine, might not have known it, she had saved a life.

Number 8: Man helps a homeless veteran get back on his feet.

An article from the Huffington Post explains how a normal person helped a homeless veteran get food, and eventually a job. Max Zahir was at a gas station in Redlands, California, when a homeless man walked up to him, asking for spare change. The man, Robert, claimed that he was a veteran, who hadn’t eaten since the day before. Zahir drove them both to a fast food restaurant. Zahir offered to take the veteran to the fast food restaurant, as well as pay for him, until he got back on his feet. With Zahir’s help, Robert was able to get a job at the same restaurant that Zahir worked at, another step to getting himself back into his feet.

Number 7: Boy saves his grandmother and chihuahua from fire.

On November 7, in Phelan, California, five-year-old Nathaniel Stocks went on a field trip with his kindergarten class to a fire station, two days before his own house caught on fire. When the heater in Stocks’s bedroom caught on fire, Nathaniel knew exactly what to do. Because of his knowledge, he was able to evacuate both his grandmother and his pet chihuahua. After this incident, the San Bernardino County Fire Department recognized Stocks for how well he had handled the situation.

Number 6: Dog saves owner from drowning.

Leala, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, saved his owner, Alexander Kenney, a young boy, from drowning. Leala saw Kenney floating on the family’s pond, unconscious. Leala jumped into the water, and tried to pull him out, though she was unable to do so. Next, she started frantically barking, which grabbed the attention of Alexander’s dad, David Kenney. Kenney called for an ambulance immediately after seeing his son’s condition. Before the paramedics got there, Kenney dragged his son out of the water and used CPR. Soon after, the paramedics arrived. Alexander gained consciousness again after two days, thanks to his dog, Leala.

Number 5: Woman tries to jump off a highway overpass.

On September 19, police were notified that a woman standing by a highway overpass looked like she might try to jump off. The police shut down the highway and prepared to confront the woman. Daniel Mullins, Duane Hunte, and a third man, all citizens who were nearby at the time, approached the woman with police officer Sutcliffe. The third man stood next to the woman who was about to jump. She didn’t see the man next to her, so when she jumped, the third man was able to grab hold of her, saving her life.

Number 4: Woman attacked by bear, her dog protected her.

According to People Magazine, Kate Cholewa and her dog, Carmen, a black lab, often walk near their home in Emigrant, Montana. On one of their walks, a grizzly bear jumped onto Cholewa, throwing her to the ground. The bear ripped a huge gash into her head. Chowela heard Carmen start barking, and the bear stood up. Chowela scrambled to stand up and get away from her attacker, calling 911. While on the phone with the operator, Chowela heard a noise, and saw that Carmen was back at her side. Soon after, an ambulance came, taking Cholewa to the hospital, and Carmen to the Stanford Humane Shelter.

Number 3: Soldier saves friend’s life, but loses his own.

During a suicide bombing in Afghanistan, Sergeant Michael Ollis died while shielding a member of his division, Lt. Karol Cierpica. Ollis sacrificed his life to save Cierpica’s life. Cierpica claims that the Special Forces troops eliminated nine people, but a man jumped from behind some large containers and set off the bombs attached to his clothes. Ollis lept forward to protect Cierpica, which resulted in Ollis’s death. After this unfortunate event, Cierpica met Ollis’s family, soon becoming very close with the victim’s sisters.

Number 2: Man helps women escape from the Islamic State.

Abu Shujaa, an Iraqi man, has helped many women and children escape the Islamic State. ISIS has captured many people, mostly women and children. Because of this, Shujaa has helped contact and facilitate the escape of many of the women kept hostage. Shujaa lived in Sinjar, but it was invaded by the Islamic State on August 3, 2014. After that, Shujaa traveled with his family through Syria and Turkey, to end up in Iraq. Once he found a stable home for his family to stay in, he got a group of volunteers to help him rescue seven women being held captive in Raqqa, a city in Syria. Once succeeding with this, he decided to help more women. Since then, Shujaa claims to have helped up to 390 people.

Number 1

Three American travelers were on a train headed to Paris, when Ayoub El Khazzani entered  the train with several weapons. The three Americans, Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, and Alek Skarlatos intercepted the gunman, El Khazzani, when he attempted to shoot. The three Americans and another passenger were wounded in the process of trying to contain El Khazzani. For protecting the passengers and dealing with the gunman, the three Americans were awarded the Legion of Honor, the highest honor in France, and met the French president, Francois Hollande.