Cute, fuzzy baby animals are an adorable sign of spring. The ugly truth? At some point, many of these animals are likely headed to the slaughterhouse. That is, unless a place like Kinder Way Farm Sanctuary in West Pawlet will take them. The 125-acre nonprofit farm-animal sanctuary helps animals who are elderly and have special needs — one of just six such facilities in Vermont. (Paid Post)
When Kelly Deforge's youngest son was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at age 6, the principal of his public school told her, "We're taught to teach. We're not taught mental health." By the fifth grade, her son had a breakdown and could no longer attend public school. Deforge turned to Howard Center for assistance. (Paid Post)
When Christine Werneke went on her first home visit to see a hospice patient in 2011, she expected it to be difficult — "I had a scary mental picture," she said. After all, hospice patients are dealing with terminal illness. "I thought the person receiving hospice care would look very frail and fragile," she recalled. But Werneke, now President and Chief Operating Officer of the UVM Health Network – Home Health & Hospice, said her visit wasn't anything like what she'd expected. (Paid Post)
The waterfront property that's home to Burlington's growing Cambrian Rise neighborhood is a lovely spot, with stunning views of sunsets over Lake Champlain. If you visited it today, you might never know about the site's tragic past: From 1854 until 1974, it was home to St. Joseph's Orphanage, which housed 13,000 children during that time. Countless former residents have come forward since to describe physical and sexual abuse they endured at the hands of the nuns and other staff who ran the facility.
In the U.S., the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day are filled with gatherings of friends and family, and shopping — for gifts, for food and drink. Many Ukrainians are doing these things, too. Only sometimes the stores or apartment buildings they're headed to are destroyed by Russian missiles. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, more than 6,500 Ukrainian civilians have died, according to a November 14 report from the United Nations high commissioner for human rights; another 15 million people have left the country. But there are still many citizens living in Ukraine and fighting to keep it free.(Paid Post)