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He Died Too Young. So All His Friends Got Together To Make Sure Future Generations Of Kids Don't.

Back in May 2013, my life changed forever. A fan wrote to let me know that a teenage musician named Zach Sobiech, who I had written about earlier in the year, had just passed away from a rare cancer. Zach had written a song called "Clouds" about coming to terms with his imminent death. Cancer is personal to me, you see, as I've lost many people, including my father, to it. My mom has hers under control. My son will inevitably have to do something to make sure he doesn't get it. It hit too close to home.The day Zach passed, I went online to see if I could find any more videos about him to honor his memory, and I discovered an amazing short documentary about his brief but beautiful life. I spent a whole day crying, having flashbacks to my father's passing, and made sure it could reach as many people as possible. It was the biggest hit we ever had. 20 million people have seen it. People emailed me from all over the globe to talk about how his story affected their lives. Parents tweeted me about their lost children. Upworthy readers helped raise $450,000 for the Children's Cancer Fund. "Clouds" became the first song by an independent artist to reach the top of the iTunes music charts. And I got to know a wonderful team of people who actually knew and loved him. I'm sad I never got the opportunity to meet him. But 5,000 people who did know him got together to create a giant choir in the middle of the Mall of America. Then they sang his song, which debuted a year ago. The couple in the middle are his wonderful and supportive and brave parents. And I, once again, have become a weepy mess.

Here's the thing about rare cancers like osteosarcoma, which Zach died from. Because it's so rare, research studies often are chronically underfunded and receive much less in donations. The Children's Cancer Research Fund, which you should totally Like on Facebook, needs every opportunity it can get to really crack this disease. Is there any way you could do me a favor and donate to their research fund in Zach's name? It's totally up to you, but I'd owe you a billion.

And maybe you could share this? Then I'd owe you a trillion.

BONUS: You can also buy this song on iTunes! The song is available world wide and Rock the Cause Records is donating 100% of the net to Zach's Osteocarcoma Fund.

UPDATE: You guys are amazing. We've raised over $5,000 already. If you want to contribute still, click here.

Education

Florida principal forced to resign after showing Michelangelo's 'David' to students

“It saddens me that my time here had to end this way."

Photo by Igor Ferreira on Unsplash

Florida principal fired after showing statue of "David."

If you ask most teachers why they went into education, they'll share that it had nothing to do with the money and everything to do with their passion for teaching. Even with rapid changes in curriculum and policies, teachers who remain in the classroom are lovers of education and are doing their best to help kids learn.

Hope Carrasquilla, the former principal of Florida's Tallahassee Classical School, was one of those teachers who simply enjoyed teaching. As the principal, Carrasquilla was required to teach two classes. During her sixth grade lesson about Renaissance art, which is also a requirement of the school, Carrasquilla showed a picture of Michelangelo's "David" statue.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, three parents complained about their children being shown the picture. Two of those parents were mostly upset that there wasn't sufficient notice given before the photo of the sculpture was shown. The third parent reportedly complained that the statue of the Biblical figure was pornographic.

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art education
Family

Badass bikers show up for abused children, offering advocacy and protection

They become an abused child's "biker family," and they let the child—and everyone else—know that NO ONE messes with their family.

Bikers Against Child Abuse/YouTube

When you are a child who has been abused by people who are supposed to protect you, how do you feel safe?

That question is the heart of Bikers Against Child Abuse International (B.A.C.A.), an organization dedicated to creating "a safer environment for abused children." With specific training and extensive security checks, the frequently big and burly members of B.A.C.A. serve as protectors of chid abuse survivors, giving vulnerable children people to call on when they feel scared, and even showing up in court when a child asks them to.

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bikers
Family

Dad found out his son bullied a kid at school and came up with a brilliant teaching moment

"I told him that we have the opportunity to make things right."

@thehalfdeaddad/TikTok

Dad on TikTok shared how he addressed his son's bullying.

What do you do when you find out your kid bullied someone? For many parents, the first step is forcing an apology. While this response is of course warranted, is it really effective? Some might argue that there are more constructive ways of handling the situation that teach a kid not only what they did wrong, but how to make things right again.

Single dadPatrick Forseth recently shared how he made a truly teachable moment out of his son, Lincoln, getting into trouble for bullying. Rather than forcing an apology, Forseth made sure his son was actively part of a solution.


The thought process behind his decision, which he explained in a now-viral TikTok video, is both simple and somewhat racial compared to how many parents have been encouraged to handle similar situations.
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fatherhood
Joy

Facing a tiebreaker, Olympians asked if they could share a gold medal. Pure joy ensued.

@peacockTV/Twitter

When Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi both landed their high jumps at 2.37 meters, they were in the battle for Olympic gold. But when both jumpers missed the next mark—the Olympic record of 2.39 meters—three times each, they were officially tied for first place.

In such a tie, the athletes would usually do a "jump-off" to determine who wins gold and who wins silver. But as the official began to explain the options to Barshim and Tamberi, Barshim asked, "Can we have two golds?"

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olympics
Pop Culture

Christopher Walken dancing in over 50 movies all perfectly spliced into a single music video

Most people don’t know he studied dance as a child.

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.

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dance
Pop Culture

Guy with a metal detector astonished to find a ring that belonged to the Sheriff of Nottingham

It was authenticated by experts from the British Museum.

via Unsplash

English metal detector hobbyist finds a real treasure near Nottingham.

A retired merchant navy engineer in England has found a treasure that would have made his country’s most popular folk hero proud. Graham Harrison, a 64-year-old metal detector enthusiast, discovered a gold signet ring that once belonged to the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The discovery was made on a farm in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire, 26.9 miles from Sherwood Forest. The forest is known worldwide for being the mythological home of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. A central road that traversed the forest was notorious in Medieval times for being an easy place for bandits to rob travelers going to and from London.

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pop culture
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