The week's good news: December 7, 2017

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1. Students surprise teacher who lost his beloved dog with new puppy
2. Fireman born in an ambulance celebrates his birthday delivering a baby in the back of an ambulance
3. New pals meet in person after playing 324 Words With Friends matches
4. Man with autism makes sure kids with sensory issues get to meet Santa
5. Homeless man rescues children from burning building

published 7 December 2017

1. Students surprise teacher who lost his beloved dog with new puppy

Troy Rogers was "completely taken by surprise" when his students gave him an adorable gift just in time for the holidays: An 8-week-old golden retriever puppy. Rogers, who teaches history at Clements High School in Athens, Alabama, had shared with his students that his blind 11-year-old dog, Chip, had disappeared from his house. Knowing how much he loved Chip, the senior class raised $700 to buy Rogers and his wife a puppy. "Coach Rogers doesn't have children so his dog was like his child," student Haleigh Moss told ABC News. "He treats us like we're his own children and he does so much for us. We just wanted to do something great for him in return." He was stunned by the surprise, and asked the students to name the puppy — they chose Clementine, in honor of the school mascot.

Daniel Helsel has had a lot of memorable birthdays in the backs of ambulances. He himself was born in one 42 years ago, delivered by a medic working his first shift. Helsel has worked for the Prince George's County Fire Department for 17 years, but this year was the first time he ever worked on his birthday, and he believes it was "fate" that brought him to the apartment of a woman in labor who called for assistance getting to the hospital. Her healthy baby girl decided to make her debut early, and Helsel delivered her in the ambulance. Mark Brady, spokesman for the fire department, told The Washington Post at least 24 babies are born in county ambulances every year, but Helsel's déjà vu birthday delivery was "a remarkable and amazing coincidence."

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He's a 22-year-old black rapper living in Harlem; she's an 81-year-old white retiree in Florida. Through their shared love of an online word game, the two have struck up an unlikely but powerful friendship. Rosalind Guttman first endeared herself to Spencer Sleyon when she played the word "phat" on the Words With Friends app. "We started chatting through the app," says Sleyon, "and she became a good friend, someone I could confide in." Three hundred games later, the pair are closer than ever. Guttman gives Sleyon life advice, and the two recently went for lunch in the octogenarian's hometown. "She is lovely," says Sleyon.

Kerry Magro is the Santa Claus he wishes he could have met as a child. Magro, 29, has autism. "I dealt with a lot of sensory challenges, so giant malls were never really an option for me," he told HuffPost. Now an author, activist, and motivational speaker, Magro runs a nonprofit called KFM Making a Difference. For the past three Decembers, Magro has donned a Santa suit and met with kids who need to have a "sensory friendly" visit with St. Nick. The lights and music are turned down, and there are occupational, speech, and physical therapists on hand to help any kids who might need extra support. Since starting the program three years ago, Magro estimates he's worked with 500 kids with everything from autism to hyperactivity disorder.

A homeless man is being hailed as a hero after saving two small children from a Las Vegas fire. Anival Angulo was walking down a quiet backstreet when he saw smoke rising from an apartment building and heard children screaming for help. Angulo, 36, rushed toward the fire, jumped over a locked gate, and used his strength to pry a dead bolt–locked security door open. A 3-year-old girl rushed out and wrapped her arms around Angulo. After ensuring her safety, Angulo doubled back to pull her baby brother away from the burning apartment. "I just knew I had to get them out," Angulo said.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.