Stacy Barr and his son Dakota’s story of love and family is changing the face of teen adoption through foster care. The duo (who are now 57 and 22) were brought into each other’s lives at exactly the right time in 2018.

Barr had a desire to be a father. A seed had been planted about fostering and adopting 10 years prior after plans fell through to take in his friend’s kids during his time of need. One day in 2018, with that want still in his heart, Barr Googled how to become a foster parent.

“What I knew about the foster system was to do what I could to make their life better for whatever period they were in my home. Dakota was the first child placed with me [on April 6, 2018],” Barr tells Upworthy. “He had just turned 14, had been in one home before, and came to my house without us knowing each other at all.”

In the winter of 2021, Mike Coffman dressed as a homeless veteran and spent seven days and nights living on the streets of Aurora, Colorado. Coffman is a U.S. Army veteran, a Marine, a former state treasurer, a former secretary of state, a former representative to Congress, and the current mayor of Aurora. His week as “Homeless Mike” was a way for him to learn about homelessness among the people he serves.

That week, he slept in shelters and encampments, covered with a tarp as temperatures dipped into the teens. “It wasn’t fun. It was really hard … but incredibly impactful,” he told CBS4 News. “I never want to do it again.”

It’s not easy being a river in the desert under the best of circumstances. The ecosystem exists in a very delicate balance, allowing water sources to thrive in the harsh conditions. These water sources in otherwise extremely dry areas are vital to the survival of unique wildlife, agriculture, and even tourism as they provide fresh drinking water for the people who live nearby.

But man-made problems like climate change, over-farming, and pollution have made a tough job even tougher in some areas. Rivers in Utah and Colorado part of the Colorado River Basin have been barely surviving the extremely harsh drought season. When the riverbeds get too dry, fish and other aquatic creatures die off and the wildfire risk increases dramatically.

About six years ago, one team of researchers had a fascinating idea to restore the health of some of Utah’s most vulnerable rivers: Bring in the beavers.

If you’ve lived your whole life with a dog, a home has to feel pretty empty without one. Your heart has to feel like there’s something missing as well. When Jack McCrossan, originally from Scotland, moved to Bristol, England with his three friends, they were bummed out to learn that their landlord didn’t allow dogs.

So when they saw a beautiful black Sheprador (a German Sheppard Lab mix) in their neighbor’s window, they knew that had to become buddies with her. They wrote the dog’s owner, Sarah Tolman, a letter asking to arrange a play date with the dog. “If you ever need someone to walk him/her, we will gladly do so,” they wrote.

“If you ever get bored (we know you never will, but we can dream), we are more than happy to look after him/her. If you want to come over and bring him/her to brighten our day, you are more than welcome. If you want to walk past our balcony windows so we can see him/her, please do,” the letter continued.