Oh wow, would you LOOK AT THAT!

It's your stunning face looking at your phone or computer ready to read this newsletter😍. I hope you're as happy to see me as I am to have you reading.

And wouldn't ya know – we have a jam-packed issue filled with some amazing good news from around the globe. Sit back, relax, and enjoy! 

Have a fantastic week.

- Kailyn

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today's newsletter takes ~3.53 minutes to read (939 words).

Every day is a new beginning. Where I am right now is exactly where I need to be.

Yelitsa Jean-Charles, founder of Healthy Roots Dolls, was 20 years old when she made the realization that she had never really seen her natural curly/wavy hair. 

Her whole life, Yelitsa had struggled to learn about her textured hair, often wearing it in braids or relaxing the curls to fit in with her peers. 

• “I didn’t see women with natural hair or braids, and I really struggled,” she shared. It wasn't until her junior year of college when she realized the issue stemmed all the way back to childhood toys. 

🤔 The Root(s') cause... Yelitsa, like many children of color, didn't have any dolls that looked like her growing up. 

• “My mother worked really hard to make me feel beautiful when she was doing my hair,” she said. “But, most of the time, I felt less like Cinderella and more like a pumpkin because I didn’t see more girls with hairstyles like mine celebrated as beautiful and valid, and that was an experience that a lot of women shared." 

Realizing she wasn't alone, Yelitsa got to work founding Healthy Roots Dolls, an organization that makes multicultural dolls in an effort to teach girls to love their natural curls.

Yelitsa received a $4,000 grant from the Brown University Social Innovation Fellowship to kickstart her organization. But the real support came from the $50,000 she raised organically from people who believed in her mission. 

Over the last four years, Healthy Roots has taken off, selling out regularly and receiving orders from around the globe. 

💬 What she's saying: “We’ve had so many moms reach out and say they’ve had such a hard time finding something like this for their daughters," shared a grateful Yelitsa. "Young girls reach out excitedly saying, ‘She looks just like me!’ And, of course, at that point, I start crying and can barely make it through the rest of the message. It’s inspiring to see the impact we’ve already had and hear people’s stories.”

+Editor's note: This story was originally published in The DONUT in August 2023. It was so sweet we had to share it again🥰.

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Max is a well-loved and frequent visitor to Vermont State University’s Castleton campus.

The cat lives with his human family on a street close to campus. Four years ago, he started inching closer and closer to the school, befriending many animal-loving college kids on his way. 

🐾 Now the kitty has become somewhat of a legend, strutting down the university streets and interacting with students and professors before returning home for the night. He even tags along on campus tours for potential students, following them the whole way.

• “Max the Cat has been an affectionate member of the Castleton family for years,” the school said in a Facebook post. They've awarded the kitty an honorary doctorate in – of course – litterature. 

🏊‍♀️ If you can dream it... 55-year-old Amy Gubser recently completed a jaw-dropping 29.6-mile, 17-hour swim through frigid, shark-infested waters off the coast of San Francisco. She had been planning the swim for over five years, and, other than a few jellyfish stings, completed it unscathed. 

🍎 Food freedom... The Regina Food Bank Community Food Hub is set to open this summer. And when it does, it'll become the first full-scale, completely free grocery store in Canada. The unique food bank will allow customers full autonomy over what they bring home to their kitchens, rather than relying on the typical pre-chosen food selections made by traditional food banks.

💪 Women supporting women... Melinda French Gates just pledged to donate $1 billion over the next two years to individuals and organizations working on behalf of women and families. "Decades of research on economics, well-being and governance make it clear that investing in women and girls benefits everyone,” she wrote.

vs. your mood after: 

🐵 If you're ready to feel like one happy monkey, try out one or two of these journaling prompts below. Don't filter yourself, and let the thoughts just flow. You may be shocked at how much it improves your mood. 

1. When do you feel most like yourself? 
2. What is something you wish more people knew about you? 
3. Is there someone you're currently seeking approval from? What would having their approval change?
4. What's a lesson you've had to learn lately? 
5. Describe your perfect day. How can you incorporate some of those things into your day-to-day life? 

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It's time for What's Your Win, where we celebrate all of the good things happening right here in the Positive DONUT community. It's great celebrating positive news from around the world, but there's something so special about hearing what good is going on with all of you 🥰.

Nothing is too big or small to celebrate. Check out some of the submissions we received this week! 

💪 Sie H. from Virginia is hitting the gym and feeling great...

• "I’ve gotten back into working out recently🎉. It’s such a mood booster, and I honestly enjoy doing it once I start! Personally, I find that dance party workouts are my go-to for cardio and a mood boost."

😎 Andrea S. from Arizona is the ultimate innovator...

• "This may be more of a helpful hint … maybe a win. I've had so many pairs of sunglasses fall off my head or shirt that I started tucking them into my ponytail." ⬇️

🎨 Jessica B. from Portland, Oregon, is advocating for herself...

• "I think I'm part of the generation that just sort of feels bad about taking time off, but my supervisor 100% supported my decision to take an entire week off at the end of June to stay home and paint and do a whole lotta nothing. I'm really looking forward to it."

✍️ Wally W. from West Marin, California, is discovering his hidden passion...

• "It took many decades of thinking about writing poetry and never having the courage to put pen to paper. I wrote my first poem two days ago and my second today. They flowed once I started, I have plenty more to hone, but here they are... I also attached a photo of the sun catching a bouquet of flowers. Deep breath - exhale."

Breath

Take in to fire up the furnace. 

Exhale the heaviness of the soul. 

The wheel of the world revolves with each -

bringing new light building a new day. 

Let the first light come, may you linger in its warmth and glow.

Ripples

Caught between moments of the eternal 

Finding infinity within the world watches 

Time expands before your eyes 

The gentle words of a stranger 

a warm smile an act of kindness 

watching the ripples of love 

move through the air

+Note: Some responses have been slightly edited for grammar and clarity.

Share your own wins... If you take a moment to slow down and recognize the good things in your life, you'll notice there really is always something to be thankful for🥰. 

And, if you feel compelled to share, let us know what you're feeling especially grateful for or proud of right here. Nothing is too small or insignificant to celebrate, and we promise to be your biggest hype-people😎.

Submit your or a loved one's wins here for a chance to be featured in next week's newsletter. You can even submit anonymously if you're feeling extra humble.

It's time for Positive DONUT Trivia: Pride Edition. How many of these interesting LGBTQIA+ facts do you know? 

1. The US' first Pride march took place in what year?
2. Which TV show features the longest-running queer character in TV history?
3. Who was the first openly gay person elected to public office in the United States?
4. Which state became the first to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples?
5. The Stonewall riots, known as the start of the modern fight for LGBTQ rights, took place in June of what year?

(keep scrolling for the answers)

👆 Check out the referral prizes you can get, just for introducing people you know to little old us. 

What to do: Copy your unique link below, then send it to anyone who you think would like Positive DONUT. Once you hit each milestone, you'll get an email with a link to claim your prize.

Start referring.👇

1. 1970 
2. Grey's Anatomy (Bonus points if you can name the character: Dr. Callie Torres played by Sara Ramírez)
3. Kathy Kozachenko
4. Vermont 
5. 1969 

Hit that reply button and let me know, I read every response. Have a great week!🥰

–Kailyn

P.S. Enjoying this newsletter and want to support my work? It'd mean the world if you told a friend or two about Positive DONUT. You can even win sweet, sweet prizes for each person you refer using your unique link (found two sections above).