1. After Decades Searching, Woman Finds Biological Mom on Facebook and Meets Grandma Days Before her Death
An adopted woman found her mother using a DNA site and Facebook after decades of searching, allowing her to meet her grandmother just days before her death. Rachel Ruiz always knew she was adopted. On her 18th birthday, she was given a handwritten letter written by her birth mom for her future daughter, saying she hoped they would one day meet. But it contained limited information—not enough for a successful online search. Years later, the now-35-year-old turned to ancestory.com last year which led her to her grandfather’s obituary—the key to tracking down her biological mother, Angie Howard.
2. Older Adults With Positive Outlook on Aging May Recover Better From Mild Cognitive Impairment
Issues with memory and thinking are more common as you get older, but it’s not a given that everyone will experience them. With that, it’s understandable to want to do what you can to get better if you find you’re suddenly being forgetful or struggling to think clearly. Now, a new study published in JAMA Open Network suggests that positive thinking about aging may help people better recover from mild cognitive impairment than those who don’t have as sunny an outlook.
3. Tree Growing Nonprofit is Sprouting Entrepreneurs With Unique Training and Lots of Trees for Madagascar
Out in the ultra-rural jungles of eastern Madagascar, something is happening that all climate-conscious philanthropists and investors should take note of. A few intrepid locals have created a 6-year, work-for-knowledge program that’s turning jobless country folk into passionate, skilled, forest management agents and entrepreneurs, ready to show the world that they themselves have the power to restore the glory of Madagascar’s stunning biodiversity. Organized by a Malagasy woman and her Wall Street ex-pat husband, Green Again Madagascar is unlike any other tree-planting nonprofit around.
