LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Over the span of a year, you hear a lot of bad news.
So, let's end this year by focusing on the good stuff.
We've compiled a series of stories focusing on the great and inspiring things that happened in our community in 2019. Check them out below and share your favorites with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Want to see more? Tune into the What's Right Holiday Special, airing at 6 a.m. on December 25 on WHAS11.
JANUARY
Shelby West Middle School teachers spent their work days delivering food to students who may face difficult burdens during snow days.
He's a visitor you wouldn't expect to see during your chemotherapy treatments, but he's making a big impact on patients at a Southern Indiana cancer center.
FEBRUARY
Elizabeth Kizito of Kizito Cookies has been selling her cookies at Louisville Slugger Field since it opened in 2000. This year, she was given her own bobblehead.
People of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds spent their Saturday morning at the Swaminarayan Temple, armed with cleaning supplies, days after the Hindu temple on Bardstown Road was broken into and vandalized.
Window washers scaled the windows outside the hospital in their superhero personas for the day, and the smiles speak for themselves.
MARCH
Fern Creek High School implemented a new service to make life a little smoother for its students: a laundry room.
An encounter between a diverted truck driver and a generous Kentucky resident warmed hearts across social media.
It's a day Eastside Middle School will never forget. On February 28, the school almost lost one of their students before her bus driver and assistant principal saved her life.
APRIL
Her paintings put a focus on the unforgotten faces of Louisville's violence.
It's one thing to turn 100 years old. It's another to get the whole world to celebrate you. That may be bit of a stretch, but that's certainly what it felt like for one Scottsburg senior preparing for his biggest birthday yet.
MAY
Ty Westerman sent a letter to the Louisville Bats asking if his mother, a breast cancer survivor, could throw the first pitch at a game. They said yes.
Travis Durham began mowing lawns as a form of therapy after his father died. Three years later, his non-profit is changing his community in huge ways.
What started as a gift to a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's has provided over 300 dolls to nursing homes across Kentucky and Indiana.
The Survivors Parade is one of the most heartwarming traditions during the Kentucky Oaks. This year, the parade celebrated a decade of strong women.
In the spirit of the Kentucky Derby, special moments often take center stage at Churchill Downs. For one couple, it was definitely a Derby Day to remember.
JUNE
A local couple got engaged in the most special way during the annual Color Run at Waterfront Park.
Cancer treatments left Trinity with the bones of a 75-year-old. Thanks to a team of local doctors, she is able to walk - and dance - again.
JULY
Vietnam veteran Larry Miller died in a nursing home, alone. An Indiana funeral wanted to give him one final send-off with the spirit of family.
AUGUST
Paul Schank, 94, and Dewey Williams, 96, have a bond only those who served together can relate to.
For nearly five decades, one JCPS program has been helping students and parents prepare for the upcoming school year with free uniforms, belts and even socks.
SEPTEMBER
A JCPS teacher's act of kindness gave a Tully Elementary School student a chance to go on a field trip with her friends.
RecycloCraftz teaches people how to make crafts from recycled materials. But the ministry goes far beyond just providing jobs for those in need.
The “Larger Than Life” moment happened for Down Syndrome of Louisville after they submitted a video in hopes of meeting the group.
Some lost everything after Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas, but those who had the ability to help did as much as they could.
Donna McGraw collects bottles of liquor for a bourbon pull to benefit the Families for Effective Autism Treatment, a nonprofit that supports and funds autism programs for families.
OCTOBER
Carter Willett, a Louisville native battling a rare form of cancer, is celebrating his 10th birthday with thousands of cards.
The Kentucky Humane Society program that acts as a hospice for pets has been comforting dogs and cats for two years.
Three Clarksville police officers went "above and beyond" on their search for a missing person, saving a man who had been stuck in a creek bed for two days.
Rose Smith lost her son to gun violence in 2015. Through the ACE Project, she has been able to honor her son's memory by giving back to the community.
The KY Elite Step Team has national acclaim, but Jasmine Collins said the experience is more about what members learn off stage than on.
Chuck Srgo has helped build 165 houses with Habitat for Humanity since 1998. He says giving back to the community has been 'a blessing to me'.
NOVEMBER
Bailey Griffin hosted a donation drive in Shively in November. She said she does it because she likes "helping people in need."
Bob and Barbara Grose foster children through St. Joseph Children’s home but say they always knew they had room for more in their hearts.
Michael Ray's love for his daughter with down syndrome inspired "Smile Project Louisville."
The boys started a lemonade stand to raise over $3,000 for a Kevlar vest for K-9 officer Hundo.
For one Louisville veteran, who has had years of reflection, Veterans Day is about more than his service but a special anniversary that happens to be days before.
Chris Small was working his normal night shift on the Norfolk Southern railroad when he heard a series of small meows.
DECEMBER
The family who was forced to live in a hotel at the Omni unexpectedly received a call two days after the fire about a new property waiting for them.
A mother battling cancer received the surprise of her life in the form of a generous donation from her community.
A local kindergarten is spreading christmas joy with a tradition he learned in his native Puerto Rico.
Jarod Mills wanted to make sure that kids who use sign language to communicate got a special message from Santa Claus. The result is pure Christmas cheer.
The Robley Rex VA Medical Center's foster home program pairs veterans with families so they don't have to spend their final years in a nursing home.
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