We have received an overwhelming response to our “Power of Good” week from viewers, with people and organisations nominated across the country. Here are just some of the stories we have heard...

Bloody Legend!
Kate from Erskineville, NSW, nominated Dr Peter Schiff for his work as a blood donor over the past 57 years. Dr Schiff holds the record for the most blood donations in Victoria and the Red Cross says one donation can save 3 lives, Dr Schiff’s donations have equated to the saving of more than 1,600 lives.

Let’s not forget the pets
Jo from Nairne, SA, would like to nominate her Mum who volunteers with Marine Rescue in NSW. After the floods and cyclone in Queensland, Marine Rescue decided they would put together a donation run for animal food to send to Brisbane RSPCA. The venture has been highly successful and the donations are still coming!

Doin’ it for the kids
Judy from Kyneton, Vic, brings our attention to TLC for KIDS, a charity that provides support for kids in hospitals and their families. TLC for kids programs provide support to children attending hospitals as in-patients and out-patients and in a variety of settings in hospitals and clinics. Their aim is to continuously expand, develop and make available valuable free services for sick children and their families, both in and out of hospitals, and health care organisations working with children and young people around Australia. More information about TLC for Kids can be found here.

Help us stay connected
Lisa from Geebung, Qld, has nominated Craig Michaels for Power of Good week, who has set up a flood relief centre called Connected that spans across a couple of donated warehouses in Brisbane's north. They collect both new and second-hand donated goods and deliver them to those who lost everything. Craig and his team of volunteers at Connected have helped hundreds of families with truck loads of donations and while they receive no funding Connected plans to keep connecting communities, families and companies for many months to come. More information about Connected can be found here.

Animals have needs too
Amy from Hendicott, Qld, nominates Gunyah Animal Healing Sanctuary, a fully registered and endorsed non-profit animal welfare charity located in the Yarra Valley in Victoria. Although open to all animals in need, Gunyah’s focus is on those that need longer term care due to trauma, neglect or illness and special needs animals. More information about Gunyah Animal Healing Sanctuary can be found here.

Awareness for Autism
Rachel from Doncaster, Vic, has told us about two amazing girls, Ashley Giordano and Anika Doktor who are currently walking from Melbourne to Adelaide to raise awareness and money for Autism. The girls are currently a third of the way into their trip and everyone is proud of them. More information about their fundraising can be found here.

Some good moves for LifeMoves
Lyndal from Ocean Grove, Vic, wishes to name Kerry Butcher for Power of Good week. Kerry has just voluntarily facilitated over 8 weeks a LifeMoves program in Geelong for people with Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI’s). LifeMoves is a program which promotes independent living for people for people with a disability. Kerry herself has an ABI and this is the first LifeMoves program conducted outside of Melbourne and is very successful. Congrats to Kerry!

Random acts of kindness
The Power of Good doesn’t have to last only a week, as Shane from Coomera, Qld, tells us. He wishes to tell us about his wife Nicole, who runs a Facebook page called ‘Spreading Random Acts of Kindness’ , where Nicole performs small acts in her everyday life to make people smile. When Shane and Nicole’s friends were affected by the Queensland floods, they not only lost their house and farms, but also hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment. The insurance company decided not to pay, and Nicole tried to think of a way to relieve their friends immediate expenses. She reached out to her Facebook community, asking for a few items she could auction to raise money. The response was so overwhelming that instead of the $500 Nicole expected to raise, $5000 was collected from the various items at auction, and Nicole was able to something for her friends who were so badly affected. More info about ‘Spreading Random Acts of Kindness’ can be found here.

Santa Claus is coming to town
The Power of Good isn’t restricted by age either! Joanne from Inala, Qld, wants to tell us about a 10 year old girl called Brianna, who like most Australians, wanted to do something for the victims of Queensland's floods. Brianna came up with the Facebook page, ‘Santa Comes Back To Goodna For Goodna Children Flood Victims’. The Facebook page has attracted donations and funding for an event this weekend, at which Santa will hand out gifts to the children of Goodna. All drinks, food and entertainment is free, and with the help of her parent, young Brianna will bring a special day to many that need it. For more info on the event, click here.

Thanks Mum
Sarah would like to nominate her Mum for Power of Good week. As Sarah puts it, her Mum hasn’t donated hours or money to cure cancer, or donated her organs to anyone. Her contribution to the world could be deemed quite small in some peoples eyes, but to Sarah it’s huge. When Sarah tried to take her own life at the age of 13, her Mum was there for her. She quit full time work to look after Sarah, and nurse her back to health. Sarah says her Mum is known for her selflessness and kindness, and every day she does something small to brighten someone else’s day. We agree with Sarah and think that her Mum is definitely a candidate for Power of Good week.

Cleaning up the Coast
Simone in Townsville, Qld, tells us about her Dad, Ken, and the Cassowary Coast Regional Council workers. Since the Queensland floods these workers have not ceased in their efforts to clean up debris, cleaning drains, clearing trees and assisting individuals. They work 10-12 hour days, 7 days a week, through all sorts of weather. These people are away from their families and friends as they continue to help the towns throughout the Cassowary Coast, and indeed, many of these workers have suffered damage to their own properties in the floods. But they continue to work until the job is done. Due to heavy rainfall, Simone and her family have been unable to travel north to see her Dad, and she hasn’t seen Ken since December 2010. But Ken and the Cassowary Coast Regional Council workers deserve huge accolades for their efforts, their time and their sacrifices.

Getting you back on track
Sally in Armidale, NSW, has written in about Bernie Shakeshaft who runs programs for disadvantaged youths who have greater disadvantage than the mainstream. The BackTrack belief is that through alternative engagement and education techniques, many of these young people can achieve full employment, training or education outcomes and thus improve the overall quality of community life. More information about Bernie and BackTrack can be found here.

Amelia’s Project
A large number of people have written in telling us of Amelia’s Project, a support for group for the family of Amelia, a 7 year old girl who has been diagnosed with Ataxia Telangiectasia. A-T is a rare degenerative disease that eats away at the brain and immune system. Those diagnosed rarely make it to their twenties. The group was designed to initially show support for Amelia and her parents, but now it has grown to over 400 members, who have rallied together to support the family in their time of need. Friends have cooked meals for the family, organised treats, surprises and outings, as well as offered words of comfort and distraction during this difficult time for Amanda and Scott as they come to terms with the gravity of a 'life sentence' on their child. A committee has been formed and a charity set up to try and make sure Amelia's life is filled with more of the smiles, love and giggles that she shares so freely with everyone she meets. More information on Amelia’s Project can be found here.

Glenelg generosity
Donna from Glenelg, SA, doesn’t want to mention a person or an organisation, she wants to thanks an entire community! Donna has brought to our attention the various businesses in her town which contributed to a major care package she was organising for the residents of Cardwell, Qld, after Cyclone Yasi passed through their town. In Donna’s own words... “the response from everyone was overwhelming. We collected clothing, shoes and toys. My mum's church, Northgate Life Centre gave a large food donation, our local Priceline Pharmacy gave boxes of toiletries and baby items, Bunning's Hardware at Marion donated 2 large boxes of assorted nails and screws to help the tradesmen rebuilding the town. The company where I work, Shark Shield let me use their cardboard boxes and premises to pack and store everything and our Chairman raised enough money to purchase a generator... I ended up collecting two and a half pallets of goods in only two weeks to send to the people of Cardwell. Custom Cartons wrapped and put everything on to pallets and Toll Priority Freight Company shipped it all to Cardwell free of charge for me. I hope that this small gesture will help the people of Cardwell know that they are not alone and that their fellow Aussies, even as far away as Adelaide have not forgotten them and they are in our thoughts, hearts and prayers. The reason for writing to you is so I can acknowledge and thank all the generous people and companies who helped to make this possible. THANK YOU to everyone for your Amazing help and support!!” Thank you!

And thank you to everyone who has written in and taken the time to show that the Power of Good is still strong. Keep them coming and share the goodness!