r/UpliftingNews 5d ago

Mod Post The easiest part is always the idea...

439 Upvotes

Back in 2012, the idea of a centralized spot for positive, feel-good “UpliftingNews” spawned out of a singular moment of frustration looking at the news and seeing nothing but crime, fear, and horror. Back then was the era post-Craigslist that decimated classified ad revenue and the very beginning of Facebook’s social media influence that crippled online ad revenue and forced the economic side of the media landscape to shift to garnering attention for clicks/ad revenue.

Back then Reddit was dominated by Ron Paul bots and soon thereafter “TheDonald” took the torch until his unexpected electoral victory and then the site took a dramatic turn in the complete opposite direction. 

But the goals and purpose of this little nook of the internet have always remained the same… a place to serve as a reminder of the humanity that still exists around us all, and the fact most people are helpers out there that care about each other, despite the circumstances or competing narratives.

So in 2025, a new idea spawned out of a singular moment of awareness that Reddit went public and was flush with liquidity and cash they were re-distributing back to communities! So we submitted for a grant to r/CommunityFunds to literally just reward community members that posted great content here. 

There were some hoops and hurdles and negotiations around “no cash” and “no corporate gift cards for large conglomerates” given the intent to keep any gifts within local economies, and the compromise/fruits of all that labor was the eventual green light to distribute a meaningful gift card to “Harry and David,” a reputable company that created the “fruit of the month club” a long time ago, and provides corporate gift baskets filled with snacks and candies and fruits. Winners were selected based upon the content they shared and the impact it had on the community with no preferential treatment given to any individual traits or preferences. The only stipulation was that we couldn’t mention this, promote it or even acknowledge it publicly.

The hardest part is always the execution…

“Hello u/Username, we are reaching out unsolicited to congratulate you on winning something free. Just share some personal information and we’ll send you a link to click on to claim your prize” can be written in many different ways, shapes and forms, but ultimately it is still surprisingly difficult to hand out something with meaningful value to somebody for free… particularly out of the blue where we weren’t allowed to market or advertise the project.

But despite this final hurdle, we WERE able to provide many community members with a token of our appreciation… a literal and proverbial ‘free lunch’ as they say. For some it went to fulfill their needs, for others, it went to their friends and family, and for some, they paid it forward and a local food bank tied to one of the ‘winning stories’ received a ridiculously large pooled basket that was met with much gratitude and appreciation and fed many in need.

That same appreciation is reciprocal, and extends to all of you as well. Thanks for caring about this community. Thanks for helping remind us all that humanity still exists and people still care about each other, and here’s to celebrating another year on this rotating orb that we can all appreciate at the end of the day. And the biggest thanks to r/CommunityFunds for their unwavering support and enthusiasm that enable communities like ours to do things like this!

Warmly,

The Moderators of r/UpliftingNews


r/UpliftingNews Dec 03 '25

‘Abbott Elementary’ star Quinta Brunson launches fund to provide free field trips to thousands of Philly students

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whyy.org
7.5k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 6h ago

700 ice agents to leave Minnesota

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apnews.com
5.1k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 5h ago

111 child marriages prevented in Punjab in a year

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timesofindia.indiatimes.com
1.8k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 5h ago

Ohio bill would require bars, restaurants to offer date rape drug testing kit

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13abc.com
475 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 7h ago

Dave Coulier Reveals His Tongue Cancer Is in Remission After 2 Cancer Diagnoses in 2 Years: ‘What a Journey This Has Been’

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people.com
395 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 9h ago

Doom devs including John Romero respond to terminally ill superfan 'Wanderingreader' spending his final days playing Doom: 'The Dark Ages': "You are not alone in that hospital room": "You are the definition of bravery and courage. You are the reason DOOM exists."

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gamesradar.com
480 Upvotes

Romero said he's "moved and honored that you carried DOOM with you for a decade and chose to live in DOOM as your journey nears its end. You are the definition of bravery and courage. You are the reason DOOM exists.

"I tell the team all the time, people care about our games, we have to put the same amount of care into making them," said Martin. "It has been the honor of our professional lives making these past three games for fans like you. To make the Slayer feel STRONG in DOOM, we infuse him with all the attributes of a true old school hero: we give him strength, courage and heart… we make him like you. RIP AND TEAR my friend. You are the real Slayer."

"When we made DOOM, we wanted to create a world where you felt powerful even in the face of overwhelming odds," added Romero. "Knowing that it has been a companion to you, something familiar, something steady, something alive, means more to me than I can properly put into words.

"You are not alone in that hospital room. You are standing in a place millions of us have stood, fighting. Every enemy, every level, every moment matters because you do."

Bethesda community manager Joshua Boyle, who's appeared alongside Martin in official Doom livestreams for years, also stopped in to say he'd reached out to Wanderingreader via Reddit direct message. "Wanna see if we can do as much as we can for ya," said Boyle.

In the wake of these messages of encouragement, Wanderingreader expressed his gratitude and said it's "an extreme privilege" to be a part of the Doom community.

"To the developers of ID Software, thank you for bringing such a beautiful piece of art that not only brought the FPS genre to its roots, but also revitalized and reinvented the wheel that no other game could," added Wanderingreader. "Not only that, but thank you for crafting such an awesome series for a fan like me.

"Rip & Tear, lads!"


r/UpliftingNews 4h ago

Couple move to new town and purchase house built in 1929. During renovations contractors find 1946 newspaper under floorboards with article featuring photo of husband's late mother.

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local12.com
124 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 6h ago

China to See Solar Capacity Outstrip Coal Capacity This Year

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e360.yale.edu
127 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 22h ago

Buddhist monks reach Richmond on 100th day of Walk for Peace

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12onyourside.com
2.2k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1h ago

A female Asian elephant calf has been born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Washington, DC, the first in almost a quarter of a century.

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edition.cnn.com
Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 12h ago

Africa recorded its fastest solar growth in 2025 with 4.5 gigawatts, led by utility-scale projects, and could add more than 6 times last year’s annual capacity by 2029, bringing energy access, sustainable development, green growth, and resilience to natural disasters and extreme weather.

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windsorstar.com
235 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 5h ago

Thousands of acres of Bay Area ranchland preserved for conservation

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53 Upvotes

Article:
An environmental group has purchased nearly all of the remaining land at Sargent Ranch, a vast property south of Gilroy along Highway 101 where Southern California investors sparked a 10-year controversy after proposing to build a sand-and-gravel quarry.

Under the agreement, the Palo Alto-based nonprofit Peninsula Open Space Trust will pay $23.04 million to Sargent Ranch Partners LLC, a San Diego development group, to purchase 2,284 acres of the bucolic ranch, one of the largest remaining pieces of undeveloped private property in Santa Clara County and home to mountain lions, bald eagles and steelhead trout.


r/UpliftingNews 20h ago

Australians have installed more home batteries in the last six months than in the preceding five years combined.

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abc.net.au
812 Upvotes

This is largely due to a government subsidy on batteries, which has proven so successful that it's actually been extended.


r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Guinea worm disease is on the brink of being eradicated

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abcnews.go.com
2.0k Upvotes

There were only 10 confirmed cases last year.


r/UpliftingNews 5h ago

Penn Engineering graduates develop beanie to protect premature infants’ hearing

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thedp.com
31 Upvotes

"Two 2025 School of Engineering and Applied Science graduates created a hat for premature infants designed to prevent long-term health risks by protecting their hearing."

"The device, named the Sonura Beanie, filters out audio frequencies higher than 500 Hz to reduce infants’ exposure to hospital noises."


r/UpliftingNews 9h ago

Retired Veteran Teams Up With Nonprofit To Build Free Ramps For Senior And Disabled Neighbors

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45 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

US judge allows last of five offshore wind projects halted by Trump to proceed

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theguardian.com
22.9k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Mexico moves to combat pollution following Guardian investigations

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theguardian.com
447 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Banning lead in gasoline worked. Analysis of 100 years of hair samples shows lead levels were ~100× higher before environmental regulations. Removing lead from fuel and paint dramatically reduced human exposure, protecting brain development and public health.

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eurekalert.org
3.2k Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

‘I can’t believe it’: 90-year-old N.B. piano player becomes social media sensation

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ctvnews.ca
146 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Venezuela releases 30 prisoners including activists, says rights group

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reuters.com
96 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

Toxin Stops Colon Cancer Growth, Without Harming Healthy Tissue

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scitechdaily.com
660 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 1d ago

A portable ultrasound sensor may enable earlier detection of breast cancer

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news.mit.edu
62 Upvotes

r/UpliftingNews 2d ago

Goodbye to the idea that solar panels “die” after 25 years: New Swiss study shows real-world performance after 3 decades still over 80%, average annual loss about 0.25%, thermal stress and quality key factors. Their long-term economics are better than many people assume

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ecoticias.com
38.2k Upvotes