+
Heroes

An 11-year-old girl is taking sewing lessons to make 1,200 masks for homeless people

An 11-year-old girl is taking sewing lessons to make 1,200 masks for homeless people

In the midst of a global pandemic, plenty of the rich and powerful are coming out of the woodwork to use their resources to help those in need. Perhaps the most inspiring story, though, is that of Holli Morgan, an 11-year-old from DeKalb County, Atlanta. When Holli was worried about homeless people staying safe from the virus, she decided to make masks for them. She's already made hundreds of masks, and she plans to make hundreds more.

At first, Holli made masks for healthcare workers. That is, until she saw a report on Channel 2 News about mandatory mask laws, and she asked her mother how these rules would apply to homeless people. She became inspired to help, and, eventually, Holli's efforts became so large that she and her mother were interviewed on Channel 2 News itself. "She's a little girl who wanted to be part of something big," said Holli's mother in the interview. "None of us really knew how big it would go."



The pastor of Holli's church, Dr. Kerwin Lee, has called Holli a "blessing to others," and has taken it upon himself to distribute Holli's masks to those who need them — and he should be pretty helpful, as he has congregations in three local counties. "Throughout our 25-year history, we've seen God use many young people to make a difference," he said. "Holli is making a difference during a season of pandemic."

In a WSB-TV article on July 10, 2020, Holli is quoted as saying, "I have 574 masks in total. My goal is 1,200 masks." Then, in an ABC7-NY article on July 12, 2020, Holli is listed as having sewn 580 masks. This puts Holli solidly at six new masks in two days, or a rate of plus three masks per day. At this pace, Holli will reach her goal of 1,200 masks by Saturday, March 5, 2022, assuming she takes Sundays off. Keep going, Holli!

Holli's mother said "ever since [Holli] was born, she's always had this big heart." Likewise, Dr. Lee emphasized, "It's her own initiative. It wasn't something that someone planted in her. She saw there was a need, and knew she was gifted to do this." It's amazing to hear adults singing Holli's praises and give her credit for her hard work — however, Holli remains brave and humble, simply saying of the matter, "It makes me feel like I did something to help the Earth."

It's hard work to be there for yourself and your loved ones during a pandemic, and to do so for strangers is an even harder, nobler endeavor. Plenty of children are spending their newfound free time playing video games or watching TikToks — and there's nothing wrong with that, but sewing classes are cheap, and people are dying.

@penslucero/TikTok

Pency Lucero taking in the Northern Lights

Seeing the northern lights is a common bucket list adventure for many people. After all, it ticks a lot of boxes—being a dazzling light show, rich historical experience and scientific phenomenon all rolled into one. Plus there’s the uncertainty of it all, never quite knowing if you’ll witness a vivid streak of otherworldly colors dance across the sky…or simply see an oddly colored cloud. It’s nature’s slot machine, if you will.

Traveler and content creator Pency Lucero was willing to take that gamble. After thorough research, she stumbled upon an Airbnb in Rörbäck, Sweden with an actual picture of the northern lights shining above the cabin in the listing. With that kind of photo evidence, she felt good about her odds.

However, as soon as she landed, snow began falling so hard that the entire sky was “barely visible,” she told Upworthy. Martin, the Airbnb host, was nonetheless determined to do everything he could to ensure his guests got to see the spectacle, even offering to wake Lucero up in the middle of the night if he saw anything.

Then one night, the knock came.

Keep ReadingShow less
All photos courtesy of The Coca-Cola Company

Behind the Scenes Making Recycled Records with Mark Ronson

True

You’re walking down the sidewalk, earbuds in, listening to your favorite hip-hop beats. As your head bobs to the sounds, the sun warms your back. It’s a perfect day.

When the chorus hits, the empty Sprite bottle in your hand becomes a drumstick, passing traffic becomes a sea of concertgoers, and the concrete beneath your feet is suddenly a stage. Spinning on your heels, you close out the song with your face to the sky and hands in the air.

Keep ReadingShow less
via YouTube

These days, we could all use something to smile about, and few things do a better job at it than watching actor Christopher Walken dance.

A few years back, some genius at HuffPo Entertainment put together a clip featuring Walken dancing in 50 of his films, and it was taken down. But it re-emerged in 2014 and the world has been a better place for it.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Daughter shares incredible 3D optical illusions painted by her father, who has aphasia

David Hollowell suffered from a traumatic brain injury in 2021, losing his ability to speak. Remarkably, he is still able to express himself through art.

@david.hollowell/TikTok

David Hollowell pictured with his 3D art

For a little over three decades, David Hollowell’s professional life had been dedicated to art. In addition to working as an art professor, his highly acclaimed 3D illusion paintings were shown in prestigious exhibits. In 2018, the 71-year-old began taking his talents to a larger scale, turning his family barn into an immersive mural.

Then, in May of 2021, Hollowell fell off the roof of his home, resulting in a traumatic brain injury leading to aphasia, a disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate through speech or written language.

Though Hollowell couldn’t access words the way he used to, his ability to paint detailed, mesmerizing images remained remarkably intact. And his daughter-slash-self-appointed-TikTok manager, Adrienne, is determined to share his work and his journey with as many people as possible.

Keep ReadingShow less

An Australian woman thinks it's rude that Americans don't say, "You're welcome."

There’s been a growing trend amongst American Gen Zers and millennials to stop saying, “You're welcome,” after being thanked. Older generations may think the change is part of a more significant trend of younger people having more lax manners, but in actuality, younger people believe that giving a simple “OK” or “Mm-hmm” after being thanked is more polite than saying, “You're welcome.”

Recently, Australian TikTok user Tilly Hokianga vented her frustrations with Americans in a viral post entitled, “Things That Send Me as an Australian Living in the US.” A lot of the points she made were pretty typical for someone visiting the United States, such as there's too much sugar in the bread and too many options for cereal.

However, she also noted that Americans have difficulty saying, “You’re welcome.”

Keep ReadingShow less

Meteorologist Matt Laubham prays for the people in the path of a deadly tornado.

Broadcasters who have to report on tragedies as they are happening have a tough job. On the one hand, they have to maintain their professionalism and inform the public of what's happening in a factual way. On the other hand, they're still human and sometimes humanity trumps the traditional perception of what's "professional."

Such was the case for WTVA meteorologist Matt Laubhan, who found himself live on the air staring at a radar scan of a deadly tornado as it moved towards the small town of Amory, Mississippi. He, more than anyone, understood the severity of the situation, and he did his best to convey that to his viewers.

"This is a strong, life-threatening tornado that's going to move either extremely close to Amory or in through the northern part of the city of Amory."

He added, "Y'all trust me too much," explaining that people sometimes take his predictions of where the tornado will go as hard fact, but the reality is that tornados can change directions at any time. "So Amory, we need to be in our tornado safe place," he said.

Keep ReadingShow less