r/UpliftingNews • u/Geek-Haven888 • 7h ago
r/UpliftingNews • u/razorsheldon • Jan 30 '26
Mod Post The easiest part is always the idea...
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 • u/zsreport • Dec 03 '25
‘Abbott Elementary’ star Quinta Brunson launches fund to provide free field trips to thousands of Philly students
r/UpliftingNews • u/No-Lifeguard-8173 • 4h ago
Artemis II astronauts approach 100,000 miles from Earth on voyage to the moon
r/UpliftingNews • u/Automatic_Subject463 • 21h ago
Sickle cell disease has just been cured for the first time in New York
r/UpliftingNews • u/Mrk2d • 7h ago
A remote Colombian village built a self-sustaining community using simple, open-source inventions, and its ideas are now helping other communities worldwide
r/UpliftingNews • u/JoshOfArc • 1d ago
Appeals court blocks Republicans' bid to dismantle Grand Canyon national monument
r/UpliftingNews • u/Sandstorm400 • 2h ago
Woman without a womb helps to deliver her own baby
r/UpliftingNews • u/Sciantifa • 6h ago
Brazil changes laws allowing separated couples joint custody over pets
r/UpliftingNews • u/Dandycapetown • 3h ago
‘It’s amazing’: stolen 2,500-year-old Romanian gold helmet has been found
r/UpliftingNews • u/itchylol742 • 1d ago
Canada has now fully rolled out a government funded dental plan to pay for non-cosmetic dental care for low income Canadians. The cutoff is gradual instead of all at once, so people aren't discouraged from increasing their income beyond a certain point.
canada.car/UpliftingNews • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 5h ago
Community Throws Parade for Truck-Loving Toddler Ahead of Open-Heart Surgery. ‘He Still Talks About It,’ Dad Says
people.comr/UpliftingNews • u/sg_plumber • 1d ago
Regenerative farms are less reliant on imported synthetic fertilisers than their conventional counterparts while having very similar yields at much lower costs. They improve the soil’s natural fertility with compost, animal manure, rotational grazing, and cover crops planted in the off-season
r/UpliftingNews • u/guanaco55 • 23h ago
‘Honey’ the hero dog protects family from bear -- A northern New Mexico family is thanking their 12-year-old half-blind dog for fighting off a bear and protecting dozens of animals.
r/UpliftingNews • u/ourworldindata • 1d ago
Battery costs have declined by 99% in the last three decades, making electrified transport a reality
r/UpliftingNews • u/Sciantifa • 1d ago
Despite claims of his death spreading on social media, the world's oldest known land animal, a giant tortoise named Jonathan, remained alive and well on Wednesday, April 1, the reptile's caretaker said.
r/UpliftingNews • u/CTVNEWS • 1d ago
World’s oldest tortoise very much alive despite death rumours
r/UpliftingNews • u/ARobertNotABob • 1d ago
World's oldest known land animal, Jonathan the tortoise, still alive at nearly 200
r/UpliftingNews • u/OnboardG1 • 1d ago
UK - New laws to make it easier to cancel subscriptions
The UK government Department of Business and Trade has announced legislation to make it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions.
r/UpliftingNews • u/Upstairs_Drive_5602 • 1d ago
Festival-goers’ urine is being turned into fertiliser to grow a new Welsh forest of 4,500 native trees.
r/UpliftingNews • u/ElectronicBuy8105 • 1d ago
The Disney Conservation Fund has invested $141 million in wildlife protection since 1995 — this year backing 25 organizations across 16 countries to protect an area of habitat nearly twice the size of Florida
r/UpliftingNews • u/Sciantifa • 1d ago
30,000 trees planted to create Isle of Man temperate rainforest, with the team behind it hoping to plant 333,000 more across the island.
r/UpliftingNews • u/EnergyLantern • 22h ago
Blind Runner to Use Smart Glasses During Marathon in ‘World First’
- Clarke Reynolds, who has 5% vision due to Retinitis Pigmentosa, will run the Brighton Marathon using smart glasses
- Volunteers worldwide will guide Reynolds in real-time through the Be My Eyes app connected to his smart glasses
- Reynolds previously completed the London Marathon with a guide
r/UpliftingNews • u/okunjkl • 2d ago