The week's good news: December 20, 2018

1. With school delayed due to a storm, driver buys breakfast for every kid on his bus

Bus driver Wayne Price had already picked up several students last week in Montevallo, Alabama, when he got a message notifying him that school was going to open late, due to an ice storm. Many of the kids in the school district get free or reduced breakfast and lunch at school, and Price was concerned they were going to miss a meal. So he drove to a nearby McDonald's and bought every kid on the bus a sausage biscuit. In total, he bought about 50 breakfasts. The children were "really appreciative," Price said, and gave him high-fives. "I am really thankful for having him as a bus driver, and he feels like a dad to me," fifth-grader Elizabeth Lopez told ABC 33.

Today

2. Businessman donates frequent flyer miles so strangers can go home for the holidays

Peter Shankman racks up hundreds of thousands of frequent flyer miles over the year traveling for business, and he's come up with a fulfilling way to use them. Over the last four years, Shankman has donated his miles to strangers who can't afford plane tickets home for the holidays. Shankman asks interested parties to share their stories online, and people vote for their favorites. Whoever gets the most votes wins, and so far this year, he's taken care of six travelers. "I truly believe that, if you've had any modicum of success, you have a responsibility to 'send the elevator back down,' as it were," he told USA Today. "Giving away trips home for the holidays to people who might not be able to afford them is the best way I know how to do that."

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USA Today

3. Divers get into the holiday spirit by decorating a shipwreck

Who said shipwrecks can't be festive? Decked in Santa hats, a group of divers recently decided to spread some holiday cheer 137 feet underwater, making their way to the MS Zenobia shipwreck off the coast of Cyprus. The Swedish cargo ship capsized in 1980 on its maiden voyage. No one was hurt in the incident, but more than 100 tractor trailers on board went down with the vessel. The divers chose a white tree for the shipwreck, and decorated it with nontoxic ornaments that will not disintegrate in the ocean. It's likely that many people will appreciate the Christmas celebration under the sea, as the Zenobia attracts thousands of divers every year.

Inside Edition

4. Utah factory donates all of its toys to children in need

When visiting the toy factory run by Tiny Tim's Foundation for Kids, you can leave your wallet at home. The West Jordan, Utah, factory makes small wooden cars, but doesn't charge a penny for them. In 2002, retired barber Alton Thacker and his wife, Cheryl Thacker, decided to open the factory after making several trips to small villages in Mexico to donate eyeglasses and medical equipment. Together, they saw "the important role toys played in helping little minds to grow," Thacker told The Washington Post. The toy cars are distributed free of charges to charities, churches, shelters, and children's hospitals across the globe. More than 30 people regularly volunteer to carve and sand the wooden cars, with inmates at the Central Utah Correctional Facility painting them. Lumber yards and cabinetmakers donate the wood. In 2018, the factory's one millionth wooden toy was made.

The Washington Post

5. At 84, this retiree from Texas is graduating from college

Janet Fein celebrated her retirement at age 77 by going back to college. In 2012, after leaving her job as a secretary at an orthopedic hospital, Fein immediately enrolled in classes at the University of Texas at Dallas. "I didn't have anything to do in retirement and I didn't think that playing bingo was up to my speed," she told The Associated Press. Fein, now 84, loved writing papers, and didn't let anything get in her way — she kept up with her work even as she moved into an assisted living facility and had to start using a walker and oxygen tank. This week, Fein will receive her bachelor's degree in sociology. Fein believes in the importance of learning — after raising her five kids, she took classes for 20 years and received her associate's degree in 1995 — and has even inspired one of her caregivers to go back to school at age 53.

The Associated Press