This year seemed to be a turning point for social, domestic, and discriminatory issues, with more and more people coming together to fight injustice, or just to honor each other with awesome acts of kindness.
While there were a lot of mediocre moments in 2014, plenty of folks were either caught placing their kind acts on social media, or caught in the act by pure chance. These 29 moments prove that people can be inherently good, no matter how bad things may seem.
Check out these doctors, activists, mothers, fathers, and celebs who put their hearts on their sleeves for the greater good.
1. A father designed eye patches for his daughter with a mild cataract, including designs like Kermit and Cyclops. [Reddit]
2. A little girl lit up the NYC subway with her infectious dancing.
3. The team over at 3D Systems made it possible for Derby the dog, born with deformed front legs, to run for the first time.
4. Young Jeezy treated inner city kids to a screening of Annie and handed out Christmas gifts.
5. Drake visited a terminally ill fan in Houston (and let her touch his eyebrows).
6. Adreian Payne and Lacy Holsworth struck up a touching friendship. [Bleacher Report]
7. Nicki Minaj gave her pink wig to a 5-year-old cancer patient. [Karen Civil]
8. These brave commuters helped push a train off a trapped man in Australia. [ABC Perth]
9. Devonte Hart shared a special moment with a police officer during a Ferguson protest.
What I learnt from 12yr old Devonte Hart…When hate suffocates the air, let love be your only option! #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/RDNcl0Hzpr
— Catheryn Massamu (@africatrina) November 30, 2014
10. The best bro sent words of encouragement to his 13-year-old friend who came out. [BuzzFeed]
11. These students copped the school janitor Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets.
12. Ferguson protesters came out on Christmas to help rebuild Michael Brown’s memorial.
Memorial rebuilding. Canfield. #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/cSB82IAb86 — deray mckesson (@deray) December 26, 2014
13. Bengals player Devon Still stood strong with his 4-year-old cancer-stricken daughter Leah. She was able to see him play for the first time last month.
The Bengals present a check for over $1.3M to Cincinnati Children’s hospital in honor of Leah Still #StillStrong http://t.co/3yd0Rg2ELx
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) November 7, 2014
14. An Arkansas couple gave their Cracker Barrel waitress a new car as a tip.
15. This maid and single mother of three received a new home in the best prank ever.
16. This kind son paid off the mortgage to his parents’ home for Christmas.
17. A kind customer tipped $1,000 to waiter Michael Shafts, who then shared it with his co-workers.
18. This pilot ordered pizza for his entire flight after they were stranded in Wyoming over a flight delay.
19. A woman gave a fast-food worker a $10,000 mink coat, just because. [Huff Post]
20. This single mother of three graduated with three degrees.
21. Officer Gaetano Acerra bought a teen a whole bedroom set after the teen told him his family couldn’t afford to get him a bed. [CNN]
22. These two guys helped save a trapped cat.
23. Dr. Mads Gilbert traveled from Norway to treat Palestinians wounded in the Gaza conflict for 50 days. It was only right that he also received Norway’s “Person of the Year” title for 2014. [Transcend]
24. These employees from Lowe’s rebuilt a veteran’s wheelchair for free after it fell apart. [NY Post]
25. Londrelle Hall and Ray Mills ran from Atlanta, Ga. to Ferguson, Mo. to honor Michael Brown.
26. Chicago teen Keven Stonewall worked on a vaccine to prevent colon cancer.
27. A mother saved her two kids by acting as a speed bump to prevent her car from rolling into traffic.
28. James Costello, a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing, married nurse Krista D’Agostino, who brought him back to heath. [Today]
29. And Batkid touched America with his reenactment of Batman in San Francisco.
PHOTO CREDIT: Handout, Twitter, Getty
