Eight-year-old Landyn Wadsworth purchased 600 pounds of dog and cat food, as well as blankets and treats for the abandoned or neglected animals. Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly, surprised three fatherless boys at home a few days before Christmas.

Michael Esmond contacted the local utility and learned 36 of his neighbors were at risk of having their utilities disconnected this month. Then, he forked over $4,600 to pay off their past due bills.

What if we all followed young Braxton’s example by identifying a need in our own local communities, then uniting all family members to work together with others to meet that need?

“Just making sure that they feel special and loved on their special day and knowing that’s what’s going on makes it all worthwhile,” said Gann.

What a novel approach to being “the church” — go out into the community, fix up a home and donate it to someone who selflessly served his country.

Grand Rapids First Church in Wyoming, Mich., bought more than $1.8 million in medical debt for less than a penny on the dollar. Once acquired, the debt was forgiven. It sounded fishy to me, but then I saw how brilliantly it was designed.

For 25 years, church members have served meals to hungry people on Sandwich Saturdays. Then, last year, one of their members who works as a nurse practitioner started bringing a medical trailer to aid people who came for food.

Not even triple-digit temperatures can stop Braden and Camryn Palacios from selling lemonade outside. The siblings heard family members talking about the boy with leukemia, and got the idea of starting a lemonade stand to raise $500 by the end of summer.