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“A balm for the soul”
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Meet the kind bus driver who watched over a boy with Down syndrome for a decade.

In the already unpredictable world of public schools, the school bus often serves as the ultimate harbinger of chaos.

Between the savage cliques and the general lack of adult supervision, it's basically "Lord of the Flies" on wheels.

And for the majority schools with ever-shrinking budgets and ever-shrinking staffs, it's the drivers of these buses who are assigned the unique responsibility of both containing that chaos and obeying the rules of the road.

Remember that family road trip you went on last fall? Or that time you had to shuttle half your kid's soccer team to practice? Try doing that with 30 kids every. single. day.


GIF from "Billy Madison."

But for Ty Coppola, a 19-year-old student from Fairport, New York, it was his bus driver who left a huge impression on him.

Ty has Down syndrome, and for the most part, communicates through nonverbal expressions. Like most of us, Ty relies on certain "constants" to help him get through the average day, a facet of his personality that his family tries to maintain as best as they can.

For the past 10 years, one of the biggest constants in Ty's life has been his bus driver, Scott Reynolds.


Photo from the Coppola family, used with permission.

A bus driver at the Fairport Central School District for the past 35 years, Scott quickly formed a bond of friendship with Ty, one of the 12 students on his daily route.

"We just hit it off," said Scot to WHAM in Rochester, New York. "He's a good kid."

The fist bumps and a how-do-you-dos that Scott shared with Ty often were a highlight of Ty's day, filling him with a positive mindset to bring into school.

"If I could ONLY show you a picture of how Ty’s face 'lights up' when we open the garage and he sees Scott open the doors of the bus every morning," described Ty's parents. "How he has a little extra 'spring' in his step when Scott says 'good morning, Ty' or 'what got into you today?'"

So when Ty's family found out that Scott would be retiring, they wanted to give him a truly unforgettable thank you.

On the eve of his retirement, the Coppola family presented Scott with a heartfelt letter thanking him for the profound influence he has had on their son's life.

"How can we explain that Scott has been so much more than 'just a bus driver' to Ty?" read the letter.

"He cheers him up, gets his day started positively every day, and ends it with a smile. He is like another dad, or at least a big brother to Ty. "

Ty's family went on to describe Scott as "irreplaceable" and someone who will hold "a special place in our hearts forever."

Ty and his family, used with permission.

If the recent PSA from CoorDown taught us anything, it's that Down syndrome is still a largely misunderstood affliction.

It is also one that acquires a unique and attentive support system, which Scott was willing to provide through simple kindness from the very first day that he picked Ty up.

"Ty has known Scott for many years," the letter read. "I think Scott can 'read him' as well as we can at times."

"It is not always the people with a big title or position of influence that make a difference in the lives of kids with disabilities. It is often those that provide direct care for them and spend time with them every day that make the biggest difference. Scott has been one of those people that care. Really care. I am so impressed by people like Scott. "

According to School Transportation News, Scott is still finding semi-employment as an AAA driving instructor, but he is eyeing retirement to help watch over his aging parents.

Ty, meanwhile, has a new driver now and continues to study at the School of the Holy Childhood.

The takeaway here is a simple one: BE NICER TO YOUR BUS DRIVERS(but also, pay it forward).

One of the amazing things about this whole human experiment is that we all possess the capabilities to almost effortlessly cause a positive change in our environment. It's the most immediately gratifying concept there is, next to Dippin' Dots, and one of the defining characteristics of what makes our species great.

But mainly, be nicer to your bus drivers.

Tell your children that their territorial spitball wars can wait until recess. Or at least lunch.

Your driver will thank you for it.

GIF from "Billy Madison."

Education

Youth interest in STEM peaks around age 11. UScellular wants to change that.

Kids are losing interest in STEM subjects between ages 11 and 15. Here's what that means for future innovation.

Photo courtesy of UScellular

Kids on a field trip learn from Sania Naseem, Senior RF Planning Engineer at UScellular.

Imagine being a 12-year-old girl in a small town who’s interested in computers. You’ve learned a bit of programming online, but you don’t know anyone who works in the tech field and your school district doesn’t have the kinds of classes you need to explore further.

How likely would you be to keep and pursue that interest?

Since the internet changed everyone’s lives in the 1990s, there’s been a push for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Universal reliance on technology has made STEM careers not just desirable but vital, and the speed at which those fields are moving means we need young people to stay interested in them.

Research indicates that we’ve largely succeeded in reaching kids when they’re young—children demonstrate a deep fascination with STEM subjects up to age 11. But something shifts during adolescence. Past age 11, interest in STEM starts to wane, often dissipating by age 15.

The question is why.

To get to the bottom of this STEM age/interest gap mystery, wireless carrier UScellular partnered with developmental psychologist and researcher Richard Rende, Ph.D. Through a state-of-the-art analysis of the research, Dr. Rende helped uncover the barriers that prevent youth—particularly girls and those living in rural communities—from maintaining and nurturing their interest in STEM.

kids walking with an adult guide near a school busStudents taking a STEM field tripPhoto courtesy of UScellular

Dr. Rende found that keeping kids from losing STEM interest as they become teens requires programs that are equitable, relatable, relevant and supportive.

Here’s what those four drivers look like in practice:

Equitable

- Bringing STEM programs to rural areas that don’t have access to advanced courses or school-based curriculum
- Countering the notion that STEM isn’t for everyone and offering buffers for when kids are confronted with stereotypes or biases

Relatable

- Exposing girls to women in STEM professions who share similar backgrounds in smaller and rural communities
- Having STEM professionals share their experiences growing up so youth don’t see them as “superheroes” doing something unattainable

Relevant

- Programs and field trips that demonstrate how STEM is applied, especially in ways that connect to the local environment or technology kids already use
- Incorporating kids’ voices to help guide the elements of a program

Supportive

- Provide supportive mentorship, especially when projects become more complicated and require emotion regulation and resilience
- Teach cognitive skills that will help kids believe they have the capacity to succeed in STEM subjects

kids on a STEM field trip Kids learning about cell towers from Cheryl Dennard, Senior Manager of Core Services Engineering at UScellularPhoto courtesy of UScellular

To test out his findings before sharing them with the world, Dr. Rende worked with UScellular’s non-profit partner, YWCA, which has an after-school and summer program called TechGYRLS, designed to inspire girls in grades 3 to 8 to consider future careers in STEM fields. Together they created a refreshed STEM program guide incorporating Dr. Rende’s research and worked with focus groups at various YWCA locations to get feedback.

“What we see to date is that programming and mentoring to ‘train’ kids to be STEM people is not always enough to sustain and encourage interest during the transition to adolescence, especially for underserved youth,” says Dr. Rende. “We need to help them see the opportunities in STEM that spark their curiosity and gain belief that they can confidently explore all the possibilities available to them in STEM, including those that go beyond the traditional STEM careers like mathematician or scientist. It could be a vet, a nurse, wireless network engineer, arborist, audio engineer, turf scientist, or mechanical engineer and may not be a career that requires years and years of higher education.”

After-school enrichment programs like YWCA’s TechGYRLS can be found in communities all over the country, and parents, guardians and teachers can help the kids in their communities by identifying similar programs and encouraging them to participate. If teachers or youth-focused non-profits want to create their own STEM program, Dr. Rende’s whitepaper can help inform their approach and design to keep kids interested.

UScellular and YWCA are working on a digital version of the program guide to increase access for even more youth and help educators improve their STEM programming. Longer term, the perceptions and attitudes of the TechGYRLS participants will be measured to evaluate if the current decline in STEM interest is being reduced or averted. Advancing innovation requires people who pursue careers in STEM fields, so the more interest we can spark and sustain in young people, the brighter our future will look.

Learn more about how UScellular is supporting STEM education here.
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Pop Culture

Airbnb host finds unexpected benefits from not charging guests a cleaning fee

Host Rachel Boice went for a more "honest" approach with her listings—and saw major perks because of it.

@rachelrboice/TikTok

Many frustrated Airbnb customers have complained that the separate cleaning fee is a nuisance.

Airbnb defines its notorious cleaning fee as a “one-time charge” set by the host that helps them arrange anything from carpet shampoo to replenishing supplies to hiring an outside cleaning service—all in the name of ensuring guests have a “clean and tidy space.”

But as many frustrated Airbnb customers will tell you, this feature is viewed as more of a nuisance than a convenience. According to NerdWallet, the general price for a cleaning fee is around $75, but can vary greatly between listings, with some units having cleaning fees that are higher than the nightly rate (all while sometimes still being asked to do certain chores before checking out). And often none of these fees show up in the total price until right before the booking confirmation, leaving many travelers feeling confused and taken advantage of.

However, some hosts are opting to build cleaning fees into the overall price of their listings, mimicking the strategy of traditional hotels.

Rachel Boice runs two Airbnb properties in Georgia with her husband Parker—one being this fancy glass plane tiny house (seen below) that promises a perfect glamping experience.

@rachelrboice Welcome to The Tiny Glass House 🤎 #airbnbfinds #exploregeorgia #travelbucketlist #tinyhouse #glampingnotcamping #atlantageorgia #fyp ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim

Like most Airbnb hosts, the Boice’s listing showed a nightly rate and separate cleaning fee. According to her interview with Insider, the original prices broke down to $89 nightly, and $40 for the cleaning fee.

But after noticing the negative response the separate fee got from potential customers, Rachel told Insider that she began charging a nightly rate that included the cleaning fee, totaling to $129 a night.

It’s a marketing strategy that more and more hosts are attempting in order to generate more bookings (people do love feeling like they’re getting a great deal) but Boice argued that the trend will also become more mainstream since the current Airbnb model “doesn’t feel honest.”

"We stay in Airbnbs a lot. I pretty much always pay a cleaning fee," Boice told Insider. "You're like: 'Why am I paying all of this money? This should just be built in for the cost.'"

Since combining costs, Rachel began noticing another unexpected perk beyond customer satisfaction: guests actually left her property cleaner than before they were charged a cleaning fee. Her hypothesis was that they assumed she would be handling the cleaning herself.

"I guess they're thinking, 'I'm not paying someone to clean this, so I'll leave it clean,'" she said.

This discovery echoes a similar anecdote given by another Airbnb host, who told NerdWallet guests who knew they were paying a cleaning fee would “sometimes leave the place looking like it’s been lived in and uncleaned for months.” So, it appears to be that being more transparent and lumping all fees into one overall price makes for a happier (and more considerate) customer.

These days, it’s hard to not be embittered by deceptive junk fees, which can seem to appear anywhere without warning—surprise overdraft charges, surcharges on credit cards, the never convenience “convenience charge” when purchasing event tickets. Junk fees are so rampant that certain measures are being taken to try to eliminate them outright in favor of more honest business approaches.

Speaking of a more honest approach—as of December 2022, AirBnb began updating its app and website so that guests can see a full price breakdown that shows a nightly rate, a cleaning fee, Airbnb service fee, discounts, and taxes before confirming their booking.

Guests can also activate a toggle function before searching for a destination, so that full prices will appear in search results—avoiding unwanted financial surprises.


This article originally appeared on 11.08.23

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Family

School is back in session. Here are 5 simple lunch ideas to keep you sane while you keep your family healthy.

With O Organics, it's easy.

Photo credit: Canva

Yes, school lunches CAN be easy, healthy and inexpensive.

Parents, let’s face it: prepping school lunches can feel like trying to solve a complex math equation. It's got to be nutritious, appealing, fast, and let's not forget…within budget. But what if we told you there’s a secret weapon that can make this whole ordeal a breeze? Enter: O Organics from Albertsons.

O Organics offers a wide range of affordable, USDA organic goodies that are perfect for school lunches. From crunchy apple slices to delicious, creamy greek yogurt, they've got you covered. Plus, their prices won’t break the bank, proving that healthy eating doesn’t have to be a luxury.

Now, let’s get down to the good stuff: the food! Here are some simple, kid (and wallet) friendly lunch ideas—made entirely with O Organics ingredients—to help you ditch the processed junk and give your kids the fuel they need to conquer the classroom:

1. Pasta Salad

  • Main: A cold pasta salad made with O Organics whole-grain rotini pasta, O Organics chopped vegetables (like cucumbers, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes), and Italian dressing. Add protein with chickpeas or a three bean blend.
  • Side: O Organics apple slices.
  • Snack: A serving of O Organics Greek yogurt, with some granola for a fun topping.

2. Egg Salad Sandwich

  • Main: A sandwich using whole wheat bread filled with a mixture of O Organics hard boiled eggs, mayo (or Greek yogurt for extra protein), mustard, dill, onion powder, salt and pepper.
  • Side:O Organics tortilla chips and salsa.
  • Snack: A pack of O Organics fruit strips.

3. Peanut Butter Apple Wrap (great for toddlers)

  • Main:O Organics peanut butter spread on a couple of flour soft taco tortillas, topped with thinly sliced apples. Drizzle some O Organics honey, roll it up and voila!
  • Side:O Organics baby-cut carrots with a side of hummus.
  • Snack:O Organics cottage cheese.

4. Quickie Quesadilla

  • Main: A tortilla filled with O Organics Mexican Style Shredded Cheese, black beans, and a sprinkle of chili powder.
  • Side: A couple of hard boiled O Organics eggs.
  • Snack: Ants on a log.

5. A Hot Dog…that stays hot

  • Main: You know the drill. Hot dog (we recommended the O Organics Beef Franks). Mustard. Cheese. Bun.
  • Side: A colorful side salad with spring mix, cherry tomatoes, and vinaigrette dressing.
  • Snack:O Organics banana chips.

But how the heck do you keep the hot dog hot? We’ve got just the tip, courtesy of Allrecipes.com:

Step 1

  • Preheat an insulated beverage container by filling it with boiling water. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes. Right before leaving, dump out water and replace with more boiling water. The preheating keeps it hot for a longer time. Place the hot dog into the water and close the lid.

Step 2

  • When your child is ready for lunch, they can take the hot dog out of the container and place it on the bun.

Remember: This list is just a starting point. You can totally customize it to your kid’s needs and preferences. You can even involve your kiddos in the lunch-packing process to make it more fun for everyone. Let them help choose the menu, make a shopping list, pack their lunches…even grow their own veggies! If you’re feeling ambitious, that is.

No matter how you choose to give your kids the best possible start to their day, making small changes and taking advantage of resources like O Organics can help make it happen in a sustainable and enjoyable way.

So, what are you waiting for? Shop O Organics now exclusively at Albertsons, Safeway or any sister store. Your kids' bodies (and taste buds) will thank you.

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Joy

The 2024 Cat of the Year winner spends its days comforting women who have been trafficked

Marley isn't just another cat. He's a true hero.

Cat Protection/Youtube

Cate are heroes too. And Marley is one of them.

We often hear stories about courageous dogs saving lives, but cats can be heroes too. They are so much more than than the aloof troublemakers their reputation makes them out to be (though, let’s not get it twisted…they are certainly also those things. They contain multitudes)

Let’s take Marley, for instance.

Marley, a seven-year-old, black and white feline known for his "incredible gift of empathy" beat out thousands of other entries vying to be named Cats Protection's National Cat of the Year 2024.

Marley’s award-winning contribution? Providing comfort to trafficked women.

Caritas Bakhita House in London, a safe house for women who have been enslaved, exploited and trafficked, is Marley’s home and workplace for four years.

Prior to that, he lived at a rescue shelter after being bullied by another cat in his family home. This former experience makes him so keen to the struggle of those he helps, surmises Karen Anstiss, the head of the house.

“He recognizes our guests’ trauma because he has suffered too,” she said.

Anstiss added that on any given day Marley can be seen “placing a paw” on guests’ legs to “let them know they’re not alone.” It’s a gesture often being “the first kindness they’ve experienced in years.” It’s as if he “knows” they are in need of a friend.

There was even one client, Anstiss noted, who was so “traumatized” she wouldn't talk to any of the staff—until Marely came along.

When not comforting guests, Marley can be seen acting as a muse for art therapy sessions, joining in on meals, hearing songs dedicated to him, or traipsing through his favorite patch of daisies, which, apparently, nobody else is allowed to touch. Certainly his VIP treatment is well earned.

And now, with his new Cat of The Year award, Marley is getting more well deserved recognition. His win began in the “incredible cats” category, which celebrates cats whose bond with their humans inspires extraordinary acts of love, in a public vote. He then won the overall prize by a panel of celebrity judges.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

His winnings include a trophy and (probably more important to Marley) a $260-ish voucher for a pet store.

For this honor, and for all the women he has helped on their road to recovery, Anstiss said she is “so proud” of Marley, calling him “a wonderful example of the power of love.”

Do cats feel empathy?

Ask any cat lover, and they will give you a resounding “yes,” and then refer to various purrs, slow blinks and tail flickers as anecdotal evidence of emotional intelligence.

But there’s also some science to back this claim as well.

In one recent studyfrom Italy, researchers presented a fan covered in ribbons to both cats and their owners. They observed that the cats seemed to follow their owner’s lead when interacting with this new and foreign object—shying away from it if their owners did so, or not reacting if their owner was neutral to it. In other words the casts picked up on their owner behaviors and changed their own accordingly.

In a different study, held by Nottingham Trent University, 3,000 cat owners surveyed were noted as having similar specific personality traits as their cats, again indicating that cats might be mirroring the personalities of their owners.

So take it from research, from cat owners, or from The Cat of the Year himself—felines are so much more empathetic than many give them credit for. Luckily, that’s changing.

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Community

17 sights, sounds and feels that only children of the '70s will ever understand

Remember getting wrapped up in a super-long phone cord?

via Seattle Municipal Archives/Flickr

Kids at Seattle Center during Bumbershoot, 1973

A lot has changed since the 1970s. If you took a 20-year-old from 2024 and put them in a time machine back to 1974, they’d have a hard time figuring out how to use a telephone, get a good picture on the television set with rabbit ears, or buy tickets for the Pink Floyd or Jackson 5 concert.

They’d also probably be appalled by the number of people who smoke, the massive amount of litter on the streets, and the general lack of concern for the safety of children. In certain cities, they’d also be blown away by the amount of smog in the air.

A Reddit user directing a production that takes place in the '70s wanted to learn what life was like in the “Me Decade,” so they asked the AkkReddit forum for “some behaviors from that time that have disappeared,” and he received over 2,400 responses.

Some were bittersweet remembrances of a carefree and unsupervised childhood. At the same time, others recalled a time when children were often the targets of abuse and subject to many traumatic experiences that they were discouraged from speaking about.

We looked at the thread and chose the 17 best responses to behaviors from the ‘70s that “have disappeared.”



1. Playing with the phone cord

"Fidgeting with the long coiled cord while talking on the phone—like twirling your finger into the coil."

"We had a long cord that you could swing like a jump rope."

"Answering every phone call with some variation of '<last name> residence, <first name> speaking.'"

2. Smelling cigarette smoke

"Smoking everywhere all the time."

"I remember the teachers lounge in my grammar school oozing smoke."

"4 hour drives to see Nannie, all windows closed, both mom and dad smoking. Think of it, three 3 small kids getting poisioned from the 2nd hand smoke, pleading to stop or open the window and Dad saying 'get used to it, the world smokes' andMom saying the cracked open wi dow was 'too noisy'. Breathing through our coat sleeves with the arms opening under their car seats, where the fresh air came out. Four hours of constant nausea and illness that lingerd for 30 min after."

3. Soda cans for candy

"Returning soda bottles to the store and getting enough money back to buy a candy bar."

"Yes, having work and save up for the candy bar or pack of gum. Or being lucky enough to find a penny for the gum ball machine outside the grocery store. "

4. Clothes lasted forever

"The lengths everyone went to make things last, all our clothes were patched or sewn up and handed down. New clothes shopping was maybe once a year. Or whenever the Sears catalog came out."



5. Payphones

"Checking the change slot in the phone booths in case people forgot their coins. I also remember when phone calls were a dime!"

6. Calling the Time Lady

"367-1234. At the time the time will be 11:22 and 20 seconds — beep”

7. Playing outside all day

"When being sent outside to play meant you were given a radius to stay in like 'our neighboorhood,' and a time to be home was 'when the street lights come on.'"

8. TV was appointment viewing

"Reading TV Guide for program times."

"There was no way to record a show until VCRs came came out, so you watched a show when it was scheduled to be broadcast, and missed it if you didn’t turn it on at the time it started. So, families had to negotiate if there was more than one show on that people wanted to watch. Prime time was a big deal because that was when the three networks played their top shows."



9. Rabbit ears

"Wrapping tin foil squares on 'rabbit ear' antennas."

"When the picture got fuzzy, slapping the side of the TV set to correct the picture."

10. The phone book had many uses

"That big phone book was the booster seat for the youngest kid at the table."

11. CB radios

"References the cb radio culture during normal conversations. Everyone understood."

"Ten four"

"Breaker, breaker"

"You got that right, good buddy."

12. Long distance was pricey

"Making local calls vs long distance calls. Had to keep calls short to relatives because they were long distance. Making collect calls."

"Right, and you might add the cost of long distance calls was X amount per minute. Also, moving into a new place required a call to the telephone company to have a phone installed in various rooms and you had to preorder the types and colors."

"If you wanted to make an overseas call, you had to call the international operator at least a couple of hours before the call to schedule it."



13. Fake collect calls

"Making fake collect calls to your parents to come pick you up. 'You have received a collect call from … ‘we’re done and out front!’… do you wish to accept the call? Nope. Already got the message."

14. Before scrolling, we read

"Reading. Reading the newspaper. Reading the cereal boxes at breakfast. Reading on the toilet. Doing crosswords and word games. Before phones, you had to engage more with what was around."

"If there was no Reader’s Digest in the bathroom, you had to read the shampoo ingredients. Sodium laurel sulfate, etc."

15. The bank line

"When Friday rolled around, and you needed money for the weekend, you went to the bank, stood in line and made a withdrawal."
"We took our checks to the bank on Friday to be cashed, some for the checking account and some for spending cause everything was paid for with cash."

16. Unsafe seating in trucks

"No seatbelts, but drivers could get in trouble if car was overfilled, so a mom would yell 'duck' if she saw a cop. This would be a Volkswagen Bug with 7-8 kids piled up going to the beach or park. Totally normal to pile kids in the bed of a pickup truck - sometimes with folding chairs. Also common to grab the back of a car while you were skateboarding (there was a word for this I don't remember)."

17. Staring at the sky

"Laying down in the grass and looking at the sky. Leisure time died when portable entertainment became a thing, particularly nobile phones. The level of disconnection that's required to just stare at clouds or stars (and be happy doing it) is sorely missing nowadays. At least I miss it."

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Fatherhood

British parents are hilariously defacing famous statues to fight for better parental leave

They're strapping baby dolls to statues of prominent men — it's hilarious and moving.

The Dad Shift

Residents in the UK might notice something different about the statues they pass by on their commutes:

They're all now carrying babies!


The Dad Shift

An advocacy group called The Dad Shift is behind the clever and adorable stunt. The funny visuals help prove a powerful point.

All over London and Edinburgh, the group has strapped toy dolls to the statues using colorful baby slings.

Figures whose statues received a fatherly makeover include Gene Kelly, Thierry Henry, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Robert Fergusson, Ken Buchanan and Wojtek the Soldier Bear.

(Sadly, for not-getting-arrested purposes, the slings and babies were only added for a quick photo opp and then taken down. But the photos have been a huge hit on social media.)

In a now-viral Instagram post, The Dad Shift explains the viral stunt:

"We want to draw attention to the important role that fatherhood plays in men’s lives - and why the UK government needs to give dads and co-parents better paternity leave."

The Dad Shift

In an open letter to the UK's Prime Minister on their website, The Dad Shift pleads the case even further.

"We wanted to write and ask for your help, making sure dads across the country can show up for their families just as you show up for yours," the letter reads, shortly after calling the UK's paternity leave the worst in Europe.

They note that new dads get only two weeks off at less-than-minimum-wage pay.

"Proper parental leave for fathers and co-parents is good for mothers, good for babies, good for fathers and good for society too including improving health outcomes for all.

"Countries with 6 or more weeks paternity leave also have a gender pay gap that’s 4% smaller and a workforce participation gap that is 3.7% smaller too, meaning change can help grow the economy while helping British families."


The Dad Shift

If you're reading this and thinking the UK's paternity leave doesn't sound so bad, you might live in one of the worst countries in the world to be a new parent: The United States

There's no blanket paid family leave at all in America, which makes things extremely rough on new moms and dads.

It's often left up to individual companies, where the results can be a mixed bag.

The Family and Medical Leave Act does allow eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of time off, but it's unpaid. That's not feasible for most families — and about 40% of people aren't even eligible for this benefit to begin with.

In the end, most men in America take less than two weeks off after having a baby because their families can't afford any more.

Those are critical days for bonding — and a critical time when mom needs lots of help — that so many dads have to miss.


The Dad Shift

The visual of the UK's most prominent historical men with babies strapped to their chest is also a great signal of the changing times.

The campaign is drawing lots of attention to policies that need to change, but it's also highlighting something a little more positive.

Being a good dad is so back.


The Dad Shift

More and more famous and prominent men are really leaning into their dad-ness. So it's really not that weird at all to see a statue of a famous soccer player with a baby strapped to its chest.

The shift is partly due to social media, which gives us a glimpse inside the homes and quiet parenting moments of our favorite celebs.

It's also true that dads are just more involved now than ever before. Even famous, busy dads are carving out more time for family and hands-on caretaking.

Though a large gap in household responsibilities between men and women is still a problem. Better leave options for new fathers would likely make a big difference on all fronts.

parenting
Community

George the 'celebrity' duck renews community support for Vegas sanctuary after wild rescue

George = Big Duck Energy.

Courtesy of Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary and Jacalyn Wetzel

'Celebrity' duck's wild rescue saves Vegas sanctuary

Note from Upworthy: This story is part of our Impact Series, where we are sharing stories in which readers like you can help raise awareness and make a real world impact. We believe part of sharing the best of humanity means lifting up the things we all care about most. If you'd like to help, click here to learn more.


It's not every day a duck makes the news and changes the trajectory of a struggling animal sanctuary but that's because every duck isn't George. George the duck was a legend among legendary ducks that ever decided to grace the Las Vegas strip. How often do you get to see a duck living its best duck life while you meander the city?

The locals and tourists alike got to know George, often feeding him breads and other scraps of food as he swam in the fountain at The Mirage (future Hard Rock Las Vegas). But recently The Mirage announced it was closing so one had left the building...except George. Apparently ducks can't read or understand much human language so he did not get the memo to vacate the premises.

That's where Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary comes in. Executive Director Jennifer Langford got a phone call while she was vacationing at Disney from a board member asking her to come see a man about a duck. Turns out The Mirage was scheduled to be demolished but George was making things difficult so the president of the casino, Joe Lupo reached out to Gilcrease.

Things did not go as planned as the duck was quite comfortable where he was and it turned out there were questions around the legality of the sanctuary rescuing George. According to Langford people made a bit of noise saying that George was a wild duck. Wild ducks are not allowed to be captured by Gilcrease or any other animal rescue due to strict rules by the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NVDW) so the cheeky duck got a stay of eviction while Langford made calls to get George properly identified.

George the duckCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel

When speaking with Upworthy, Langford explains that her phone was "blowing up" while on family vacation. Apparently the rescue of George was top priority and had captured the attention of animal lovers, officials and news stations. After making it home from what was likely a less than relaxing vacation after all the duck calls, Langford and her 20-year-old daughter, Kylee, the Exotic Avian Lead at the sanctuary trekked to The Mirage to have a word with George.

While the identification of George held up the rescue, the community grew impatient leaving Lupo under fire in the news and across social media platforms. Langford paints a different reality, "he could've made an assistant or employee do it but he personally called around himself to find someone to come and get this duck. He told me, 'I had an easier time getting rid of five dolphins and two tigers than this duck.' He was doing everything he could but there are so many rules around wild ducks."

Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary

George suddenly went from the random duck that everyone knew existed to Taylor Swift duck level famous complete with his own "Swifties" or would they be "Georgies?" Either way people were upset and wanted the duck rescued not understanding the red tape Langford and Lupo were having to sift through. Eventually NVDW was able to determine that George was a hybrid duck, meaning he's either part wild and part domesticated or a mix of two different breeds of ducks.

In George's case he's a Mallard mix, which allowed Gilcrease the green light to rescue him from The Mirage. The rescue was a sight to see according to Langford. It involved a frequent George visitor that had a bond with the sassy duck, Langford and her daughter wading through an abandoned fountain, climbing up casino fixtures and outsmarting a duck that's likely evaded capture by inebriated guests for years.

George the duckCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel

Due to the expected reaction of a duck that didn't want to be caught, it was decided that filming the comical rescue wasn't a good idea. In the end, George was captured and brought to the sanctuary to glare at all the "Georgies" coming to see him. If he could talk he would likely have a lot to say about the lack of tasty snacks in his diet. But Langford explains to Upworthy, all the treats guests were giving George are likely the reason he can't fly.

Bread, french fries and other things people like to feed ducks aren't good for their nutritional needs and can cause neurological issues that affect their ability to fly. Langford shares that the veterinarian isn't sure if George will ever regain his ability to fly with the proper diet but Gilcrease isn't losing hope.

Gilcrease Executive Director Jennifer Langford feeing Andrew the ostrichCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel

The news around George hasn't died down since his rescue over the summer. There was such interest from the community to get to know the duck that Gilcrease held a gender reveal party where it was revealed that George was indeed a boy. All the attention from George has increased visitors and donations, including a large donation from The Mirage to help care for George.

The sanctuary went from struggling from lack of visitors and a not so great reputation to an influx of visitors thanks to a famous duck. Gilcrease's reputation has also significantly improved after Langford took over last year. She's worked diligently to get animal enclosures up to code, get the animals on proper diet with adequate medical care and has really pushed for positive changes throughout the entire nonprofit.

Courtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel

While George is bringing in donations, Langford tells Upworthy that they're coming in specifically to care for the rescued duck and she can't use those earmarked donations to help with the other animals. "The exotic birds really do need better enclosures," the executive director says some of the birds get depressed during the winter because the enclosures they currently have don't protect them from the elements so they have to be covered with a heater placed inside.

Courtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel

Langford would love to see enclosures that allowed the birds to still be able to see and interact with people during the winter as well as larger enclosures to allow the birds that can fly to fly freely. But most of all, she's hopeful to update the enclosures and find the resources to train the staff to meet the Association of Zoos and Aquarium's (AZA) standards to become accredited. Right now Gilcrease currently holds a USDA license but has big dreams for their nonprofit and community by becoming AZA accredited.

Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary is holding a fundraising festival October 26, with a live band, DJ, food and craft vendors along with a costume contest and games for kids. If you're not local to Vegas but would like to donate to help the birds get new enclosures, you can do that here.

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