The week's good news: January 3, 2019

1. Parents surprise shelter volunteer daughter by adopting her favorite dog

Hallee Fuqua asked her parents several times if she could adopt a dog, and the answer was always the same: not until you graduate from college. The Oklahoma State University student is still only a sophomore, so she decided to volunteer at the Humane Society of Stillwater. Hallee quickly forged a bond with Rambo, a 2-year-old Plott hound mix, sending photos of the pup to her parents, Jessica and Lance. Jessica said there was something about the dog that was irresistible, so they decided to make him a part of the family. Lance worked with the Humane Society's director to pull off a surprise adoption, and about a week before Christmas, he greeted his shocked daughter at their front door with Rambo. "He's ruling the house right now," Lance told the Stillwater News Press. "He's definitely entered his domain."

Stillwater News Press

2. After no sightings last year, endangered right whale calf spotted off Florida coast

For the first time in nearly two years, a critically endangered right whale calf was spotted off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, last Friday, swimming next to its mother. During the winter, right whales usually make their way to the coasts of Florida and Georgia from Maine and Canada for calving season, but last year, no calves were spotted along the Atlantic seaboard. "The real key is that this mother-calf pair is a strong indication that this year is going to be a more active calving season for us and I look forward to seeing bunches of new moms and calves," Frank Gromling, a member of the Marineland Right Whale Project, told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. There are only about 450 North Atlantic right whales in the wild, and whale watchers are also excited by the recent sighting of several possibly pregnant female right whales off the Georgia coast.

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Daytona Beach News-Journal

3. Minnesota doctor makes a blanket for every baby he delivers

Every baby that Dr. Erik Bostrom delivers at Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin, Minnesota, goes home with a parting gift: a blanket made by the doctor himself. Bostrom is a family medicine doctor, not an obstetrician, but because he works in a rural area, delivering babies is part of the job. When the 33-year-old arrived at the hospital two years ago, he told a colleague he wanted to do something to connect with patients, and they told him he should make each baby a blanket. He learned how to use a sewing machine, and about a year later, taught himself to embroider, adding each baby's name, date of birth, height, and weight to their blanket. "I never thought sewing could be so much fun," Bostrom told the Star Tribune.

Star Tribune

4. Frugal social worker leaves $11 million to children's charities

A penny-pinching Washington State social worker left $11 million to children's charities in his estate. Alan Naiman inherited several million from his parents, but saved millions more by living frugally and working side jobs. "Saving money was sort of a game to him," Naiman's friend, Shashi Karan, told The Associated Press. "He would brag about how he had a whole day out and didn't have to spend a single cent." Beneficiaries include Washington's Pediatric Interim Care Center and the Treehouse foster care organization, which will use the funds to expand its college and career counseling. "The frugality that he lived through, that he committed to in his life, was for this," Treehouse's Jessica Ross told AP. "It's really a gift to all of us to see that pure demonstration of philanthropy and love."

The Associated Press

5. Chicago choir helps people with memory loss connect

The Good Memories Choir in Chicago is unlike any other singing group — you don't even need to be able to carry a tune to join. The choir formed as a way for people with Alzheimer's and dementia, and their caregivers, to have a place to gather, an outlet for them to sing and have fun. Their first rehearsal was in September, and since then, about 40 members have joined. Volunteers also participate, stepping in to help when a singer loses their place or needs assistance. Last month, the Good Memories Choir held its inaugural concert, belting out songs like "What a Wonderful World" and "Que Sera Sera." "Whether or not people remember things, and whether or not they are cognitively present, we know they can feel joy," Good Memories Choir co-founder and conductor Jonathan Miller told The Washington Post.

The Washington Post