The week's good news: June 20, 2019

1. 633 divers in Florida set record for world's largest underwater trash cleanup

Trash doesn't stand a chance near Florida's Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier. For 15 years, scuba divers have been meeting at the beach for an annual cleanup event, picking up trash from the ocean floor. Organizers decided it was time to break the Guinness World Record for the largest underwater cleanup, and 633 divers came out on Saturday to participate. For their time to count, they had to stay submerged for at least 15 minutes. Divers of all ages took part in the cleanup, with some coming from other states. They picked up signs, bottles, fishing weights, and other pieces of trash, and cheered when Guinness' Michael Empric let them know they shattered the previous record, set in Egypt in 2015. "Obviously, trash was collected, but the beauty of it is with 633 divers, we were able to do a very thorough cleaning," diver R.J. Harper told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

South Florida Sun Sentinel

2. Canadian couple uses grocery store shopping spree to stock the shelves of a food bank

With 50 seconds on the clock, Ryan Warren scrambled to grab as many non-perishable items as possible, knowing they would soon fill the shelves of the Calgary Food Bank. Warren and his partner, Chantal Leroux, were "really excited" when they learned they won a shopping spree at Bragg Creek Foods, Leroux told CBC News. They were told they would have 50 seconds to grab what they wanted, up to $500. At first, Leroux pictured all of the items they could stock up on, but then it hit her: This was "a great opportunity to be able to give back." On Saturday, Leroux and Warren arrived at the grocery store with a plan to grab items that wouldn't spoil, so they could go to the food bank. Warren grabbed everything from canned vegetables to coffee to diapers, and presented the items, as well as $1,500 in donations he collected, to the food bank.

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CBC News

3. Once migrant workers, twin brothers graduate from medical school one day apart

One trip to the library was all it took to get Omar and Octavio Viramontes hooked on learning. The twin brothers immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico when they were 10 years old. Once the family settled in California, they worked together, picking grapes and selling produce door to door. Omar told CBS News the first year was "tough," but once their mother introduced them to the library, they instantly became enamored. "Every single time I entered that library, I was entering a different world by reading a different book," Octavio said. The brothers excelled in high school, and received college scholarships — Omar went to UC San Diego, Octavio to Harvard. They decided, separately, to attend medical school, and both recently graduated, just one day apart. "Every day I wake up and I think, 'What can I do today to make myself better, my family better, and my community?'" Omar said.

CBS News

4. To comfort other kids in the hospital, girl designs teddy bear that hides IV bags

Being in the hospital can be scary when you're a kid, and Ella Casano wants to alleviate some of the fear young patients face. Casano, 12, of Connecticut has Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura, a bleeding disorder. About every eight weeks, she receives an IV infusion. The first time she saw an IV setup, with its needle and tubing, she felt a "little bit intimidated," she told CNN. Casano decided the IV could look friendlier, so she cut up a stuffed animal and glued it over the bag of fluid. The nurses and her mom, Meg, thought this was a great idea, and Medi Teddy was born. Through a nonprofit, Casano plans on distributing Medi Teddy bears for free to children in hospitals. "Her nurses have tried the prototypes and given suggestions, and we think we are ready to produce a really awesome product that can help hundreds of kids," Meg said.

CNN

5. Teenage genealogy expert helps people find long-lost relatives

What some people spend years trying to find, Eric Schubert can track down in a matter of days — and sometimes hours. Schubert, 18, excels at genealogy, a hobby he picked up at 10 years old. The New Jersey resident started by investigating his own family's history, and has since branched out and is helping other people find their long-lost relatives. Schubert told CBS New York it's easier than ever to connect people, thanks to increased access to public records and DNA home kits. "It's a big puzzle," he said. "You just have to look at all the pieces and put it together in the correct places." Schubert thinks he's helped more than 1,000 people across the U.S. with their genealogy, including his friend Sammy Lynam, who now knows her biological father and half-sister. Schubert just graduated high school, and said he plans on continuing his genealogical adventures next year at college.

CBS New York