Many years ago, I made a living by driving a car. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 am. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

    I walked to the door and knocked.“Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.

    After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.

    I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly towards the car.

    She kept thanking me for my kindness.“It's nothing,” I told her, “I just try to treat my passengers in the way I would want my mother treated.”

    “Oh, you're such a good man,” she said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”

    “It's not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.

    “Oh, I'm in no hurry,” she said.“I'm on my way to a hospice(临终医院). I don't have any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long time.”

    I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器).

    For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

    Sometimes she'd ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

    At dawn, she suddenly said, “I'm tired. Let's go now.”

    We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

    “How much do I owe you?”she asked.

    “Nothing,” I said.

    “You have to make a living,” she answered.“Oh, there are other passengers, ”I answered.

    Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”

    After spending three months in and out of the hospital with numerous health issues, Donald Austin had his leg partially cut off. He was relieved to finally be able to go home after just four days recovering from the operation. When he reached his porch, though, the joy drained away.

    Donald thought he'd be able to make it up the steps to the front door on crutches, but his strength and balance weren't as strong as he'd hoped. The wheelchair was too heavy for his wife, Jennifer Austin, to lift up the steps, even when his mom offered a hand to help. Donald ended up on the concrete, the family feeling totally at a loss. They were out of strength and out of options. Just then, a car caught the family's eyes. It had driven past once but was slowly circling back. The stranger, Steven Smith, pulled up and asked if he could help. Relieved, the family watched Smith lift Donald inside and lay him safely on a couch.

    But the Good Samaritan knew there was more to do. Smith figured this wasn't the only time Donald would need to climb those steps. So the next day, Smith, who's an ordinary worker, came back and asked if he could build a ramp(斜坡) in front of the house. With his dad and a couple more helping hands, Smith set up a ramp over the steps to make the home wheelchair accessible. The act of kindness brought the family to tears.

    “This stranger has saved the day for us twice within 24 hours. He also brightened our spirits that had become increasingly dimmed over the difficult months,” Jennifer wrote on Facebook. “There is a sense of optimism back in our home because of his kindness.”

    Kenyon Scudder once told me a story about his friend, Michael. Michael happened to be on a train sitting next to a young man who seemed worried. Finally the young man told the friend that he was a convict (罪犯) returning home from a prison for away. What he did had brought shame on his family, and they had neither visited him nor written to him. He hoped, however, that this was only because they were too poor to travel and too busy to write.

    When he was set free he had written to tell them he wanted to go home. To make matters easy for them, however, he had asked them to put up a signal (信号) for him when the train passed their little form. If the family had forgiven (原谅) him, they were to put up a white ribbon (丝带) in the big apple tree near the railway. If they didn't want him back, they were to do nothing, and he would stay on the train, and go far away.

    As the train neared his hometown, his suspense became so great that he was afraid to look out of the window. He asked Michael to watch for the big apple tree. They changed seats. In a minute, Michael put his hand on the young convict's shoulder. “There it is,” he said, his eyes filled with sudden tears. “It's all right. The whole tree is white with ribbons.”

    Philadelphia offers a ton of attractions that are suitable for people of every age and here are some family—friendly attractions.

    Spruce Street Harbor Park

    Spruce Street Harbor Park, one of the best urban beaches in America, is an outdoor heaven on the Delaware River waterfront. Visitors can relax in a hammock, play on the playgrounds, and play games like table tennis and giant chess. Don't miss out on the park at night, when colorful LED lights hanging from treetops make the entire area bright.

    Blue Cross River Rink

    Offering ice skating in the winter and roller skating in the summer, Blue Cross River Rink creates a fun, outdoor experience for the whole family. Visitors can play on the nine-hole mini-golf course during the summer, and enjoy eats and drinks from the on-site(现场的)bar and restaurant all year round.

    Sesame Place

    Big Bird, Elmo and the other stars of Sesame Street come out and play at Sesame Place, the only theme park in the nation starring the popular TV show's most lovable characters. A water park, interactive activities, parades, fireworks and shows add to the fun.

    Once Upon a Nation Storytelling Benches

    On summer days, uniformed and professional storytellers at 13 storytelling benches throughout Philadelphia's Historic District entertain visitors with true, free, three-to-five minute tales about the colonial(殖民的)era as part of Once Upon a Nation. Children can pick up a Story Flag at any storytelling bench, and then collect a star from every storyteller on their journeys. Flags with all the stars can get free rides on the Parx Liberty Carousel at Franklin Square.

The Master Gardener Foundation

Aim

The Master Gardener Foundation provides free information to the public on environmentally safe gardening practices and water conservation. The information is research-based and encourages limited use of farm chemicals and fertilizers.

Donation Activities

The master gardeners here did much donation work. They donated over 35,000 volunteer hours, serving 40,000 adults and more than 5,200 children. They did this through about 35 plant clinics, 6 demonstration gardens, 4 youth gardens, as well as a classroom program and dozens of workshops. The Master Gardener Foundation provides roughly two-thirds of the financial support for all these valuable activities.

Washington State University currently provides the salary and benefits of the Master Gardener Program. The foundation funds office space and supplies, as well as a part-time program assistant.

The Master Gardener Program

Safe and green gardening and water use practices are vital to preserving our environment. The Master Gardener Program seeks to provide this kind of education and information to the citizens for free. It is a highly successful example of cooperation between a foundation and volunteers.

Waiting for Your Donations

The Master Gardener Foundation is a non-profit organization, and all donations are allowed by law and support the Master Gardener Program and activities.

Please consider a donation to the Master Gardener Foundation and help keep our environment green!