Every day I get bad news about kids and various kids' clubs and organizations. It's sad and even distressing. So this Christmas, I've decided to focus on the good things kids are doing to help out around their communities. For the next few days, I'll be searching for happy stories to post so come back for some holiday joy.

OK, let's get started with the good news:

• Key Club at Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, CO organized an adopt-a-family project. They distributed wish lists from needy families, collected donations, then wrapped and organized the presents that they had waiting when the families came in for their packages.
  
  

• In Escanaba, MI the Builders Club at Holy Name School and the Key Club at Escanaba High School helped with a food drive and packed Christmas baskets for needy families. The students collected non-perishable food items and money to help pay for perishables, like turkey, milk and eggs. They packed the baskets and will help distribute them.
  
  
• Girl Scout Troop 1188 in Scotts Valley CA collected food for Valley Churches United Missions. They hand wrote letters to ask for donations and ended up with nearly 400 pounds of food.
  
  

And one more that deserves special mention:

Rhiannon Probert-Baker of Bellevue, WA has volunteered for several years in the Hopelink Gift Room -- a place where needy families can come and choose gifts for their children. Over the years, she heard many request for bikes and this year, she came up with a great idea for her Girl Scout Gold Award project.

She collected bikes for the Gift Room. She recruited other Girl Scouts to help and they collected bikes, learned to fix them up, and obtained donations of bike helmets.

Rhiannon and her friends donated 28 bikes and new helmets to Hopelink.

I don't know about you, but I'm smiling!