【推荐1】After successfully selling his software company for millions, Canadian enterpriser Marcel Lebrun has embarked on a mission to address homelessness in New Brunswick.

Lebrun’s latest project, “12Neighbours”, is a tiny home village providing affordable and secure housing for formerly homeless residents in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Marcel Lebrun, the founder of this groundbreaking initiative, became a multi-millionaire after selling his social media company to a tech giant. Now, he’s using his wealth to make a significant difference in the lives of the estimated 600 homeless people in New Brunswick.

12Neighbours comprises approximately 75 tiny homes custom-made under Lebrun’s supervision (监管). Despite their small size, these homes are fully equipped with essential devices, including a kitchen, bathroom, and dining/living area, ensuring that residents have a comfortable and dignified living space. What sets 12Neighbours apart is its commitment to low-price housing. Residents are only required to pay 30% of their income to live in the village, allowing them to regain stability and work towards a brighter future.

Furthermore, the 12Neighbours community offers on-site job opportunities, creating employment options for its residents. To enhance safety and security, the village is equipped with gates that close at night and a network of security cameras.

The village is situated on a previously unused land near a shopping center in Fredericton. Lebrun has ambitious plans to expand the village, with a goal of accommodating up to 99 homes on the site. Currently, Lebrun’s factory is producing one new tiny home per week to fulfill this vision.

Marcel Lebrun and his wife have personally invested $4 million into the 12Neighbours project. Additionally, provincial and federal contributions have added another $8 million in funding, bringing the total investment to $12 million.

【推荐2】A hero schoolgirl who saved people trapped in a burning apartment raised the alarm after being inspired by a TV show about the emergency services.

l4-year-old Lily Swanson is obsessed (着迷的) with the Disney⁺ show 9-1-1, so when she noticed a strong burning smell she immediately stopped to investigate. She had been on a walk with her dog near her home in Leyland, but decided to try and find the source of the smell. The quick-thinking teenager looked around and finally spotted black smoke billowing out of an apartment window on Hough Lane. Lily ran home to wake her dad Mike Swanson and rang 911. Mike grabbed his ladders and ran to the scene to help those trapped inside before the building was engulfed (吞没) in flames.

“We opened the ladders and leaned them against the building and there were two or three people trying to climb out. They were desperate.”

Thankfully, everyone was evacuated quickly after emergency services arrived at the scene just minutes later. Lily added, “And soon the fire brigade showed up very quickly and took over.”

Mike said, “She’s been obsessed with this TV program on Disney⁺. It’s about emergency services in America that deal with things like this. Then this happened practically on our doorstep and she handled it brilliantly.

Leyland fire station manager Jonny Nottingham, who was the incident commander on the night of the fire, praised Lily for her quick and calm response. Mr Nottingham said, “We’d like to thank Lily for calling us so quickly after spotting the fire in the apartment. We have seen in the past that people can have lots of different reactions to seeing a fire but Lily showed maturity and calmness beyond her years to quickly and effectively notify us.”

【推荐3】On a cold February evening, while her mother slept peacefully, a kid slipped out of her home and into the darkened streets of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dressed only in a T-shirt, socks and a diaper (尿布), the 3-year-old girl wandered around the abandoned parking lots of the city’s southwest side all by herself. She was cold and almost certainly afraid, but most of all, she was not safe. Thankfully, the right person saw her out alone and knew something wasn’t right.

Gabe Botello was delivering pizzas for Villa Pizza when he saw the unattended child at around 3: 00 am. He caught sight of her in the McConnell parking lot, but by the time he’d dropped off the food to his clients and retraced his steps, she had disappeared into the night.

A father of three kids himself, Gabe refused to go back to work until he located the little girl. He started pulling into empty parking lots to search for her. He finally spotted her curling up (蜷缩) between two walls at a factory across the street.

The concerned father jumped out of his car, pulled off his coat and wrapped her up to keep her warm. He put her into his car and gave her some water while he called 911.

The police arrived and were able to locate the kid’s home, where they discovered her mother was sound asleep and thought her daughter was, too. Gabe didn’t judge the child’s mother, and he hoped no one else would, either. He said, “As a parent, I know that children are quick and don’t always listen when they are told what’s best for them.”

Gabe not only did the right thing by finding the child and calling the police, but his level-headed and compassionate response to her mother warms our heart. It truly does take a village sometimes to take good care of a child, and we’re so glad this experienced dad was there when a child needed him most: