Want anoter Good News Story about IraQ???? Visit my Dads special project to help families hundreds of them who have had spouses leave to fight the war from the RESERVES!!!! NO help from the Govt, like Military families You will not believe what he has done and how many people have been touched... (www.OperationBravekids.com)

Anonymous -- Here is the Making a Difference report from Nov. 10 about the Navy SEAL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15654972/

I am interested in the work of the Navy SEAL you profiled Friday (Nov. 10) in the "Making a Difference" segement. Can you tell me when it will appear on the "Making a Difference" Web page or how he can be reached. Thank you.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!

Today I watched the "Katrina Kids" broadcast on moms using art to help Katrina survivors, and it made my day to show the early and dark visions and the hopeful colors in the later creations of the kids. Thanks Ron Allen and John Reiss for this great segment.

I have been a faithful viewer of the NBC nightly news for years. Your new spot, "Making a Difference" is a wonderful addition. Thank you for ending the work week on such a positive note.

My husband and I were on the opposite side of the tv just recently. Making A Difference came to our little town of Brighton, Iowa and did a story on kids making a difference in other kids lives...Al Henkel was absolutley GREAT...and the story that was on NBC Nightly News has changed our lives and the lives of the whole organization "Kids Against Hunger"...thank you NBC for caring about the little guys who are making a difference.

From 911 to the recent tragedies in our coal mine, its always the same. Its Bush's fault. Please just tell the truth about the news. Tonight I heard once again about the problems in New Orleans, and another plea about sending money. Just last week in USA Today there was a interesting article about the corruption in the city of New Orleans and the government. Here would be a story for you, Trace the money trail sent to New Orleans and find out where the money is really being spent. Mississippi is recovering well and not getting the publicity that New Orleans is getting. Perhaps the people of Mississippi are working to buuild themselves back up. Where are the cholocate people of New Orleans? Why aren't they working to rebuild their communities. Perhaps there are to many hand outs!!

Thank you for "making a difference". It makes my heart sing to see such wonderful, generous human beings. If we could have much, much more of this kind of reporting think of the positive example it sets the indiviudal, the country and the world.Imagine what could happen if more and more people saw only the best of humankind instead of the worst. Might communities and societies actually beign to change? Thank you again!

As a reporter for a small local newspaper, I found my niche by reporting the good things that happen in our community. Not always front page news, but often enough for me to keep looking and finding stories people like to read, as well as keeping my editors happy enough to keep paying me. Keep it up NBC people do notice.

I may be too late as your email link is not working for me. But I want to mention T. "Hoke" Huss of Greensboro, NC. Hoke is on his way Sunday morning to New Orleans to work with his team from First Presbyterian Church (Greensboro) in conjunction with St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church (SCAPC) in New Orleans. He will be there Monday through Friday cleaning out houses identified by the RHINO program at SCAPC. That stands for "Rebuilding Hope in New Orleans."

Many wonderful people do that, but Hoke has responded many times over the years as a volunteer. In the years following Hurricane Floyd's flooding and devastation in eastern N. C., he traveled 3+ hours each way to Grifton, N. C. to rebuild houses there. His work continued for almost a year. Then it was Cuba, a Navajo reservation, homes in Greensboro and now in New Orleans. He sees himself as "just a worker;" and claims no leadership skills. But his Santa-like smile gives him away.

He will be reachable this week through SCAPC or though my cell phone, (336) 253-8414 as I will be in the group of 12 from Greensboro. I thank you for considering Hoke for this series. And thanks for your continuing coverage of post-Katrina in the Gulf Coast area.

I'd like to see a MAKING A DIFFERENCE story about the Seeds of Peace http://www.mpdn.org/seeds.htm founded in 1993 by author/journalist John Wallach prior to his untimely death. The organization still fluorishes and is worthy as a little good news between the Palestinians and Israelis (youth).

There was a time, on both national and local television newscasts, when the evening news closed with a story in which no one had to die or go to jail. This was the feature reporter's corner. On NBC, you had Bob Dotson, who wandered the nation, and occasionally beyond, bringing home the story of the man or woman who made a difference. Some of the stories were heart-warming, others thought provoking. Some just made us smile. But the point is after 28 minutes of doom and gloom, of war and scandal, of exposes about new worries and more of what's wrong with the world, these feature reporters left us feeling good about ourselves, our lives, our world, our chances for survival. No, it's not news when the planes all land safely. But some of your viewers, including this one, would appreciate knowing there are still some good people out there doing good things. It would be nice to see a story every night in which someone doesn't have to die or go to jail to be on the news.

Many thanks to Bill Osborne of Paducah, KY for sharing the posting from G. Burt Lancaster of San Jose, CA. I have searched for information like this for a long time. Good news makes for positive feelings. Positive feelings are contagious and can accomplish so much. I'll be watching for more "Making a Difference" segments. Thank you for sharing their stores.

Thank you for good news. It is not to soon to tell uplifting, heartening, moral building and even patriotic news items. We can all do better when we feel better by feeding our pscyche with items from the higher ground.

I would like to write that I am an avid, longtime watcher of NBC news. In fact, NBC is one of the few stations I watch. Upon receiving an email to write about someone who makes a difference, I decided to write about the military men and women; whether service members, spouses, or the family who supports them. I am an Army wife, married one year. I have known my husband for four years and have gone through three separations (deployments) to the Middle East. I would like some positive news for a change. I am a Today show junkie and it breaks my heart when I hear the same thing over and over again when getting ready for work each morning. Let's hear some good news once and awhile for ordinary people who make extraordinary differences including the right to freedom of speech which infringes on me every day as I watch my husband at war and others share their "opinion" about it. Godspeed to our troops and our loved ones. Never forget you are what make our country so great.

The hours I work makes it sometimes impossible for me to watch your evening news on NBC but what I have seen of "Making a Difference" it's great! I get to watch (during the m-f) at least 1 sometimes 2 nightly news. I have been sick this week so I got to watch 3 of them and I just wanted to say "Thank You" for Making a Difference! I'll give you an "ATTABOY"!
Keep up the good work!
Etta

Gabriel Heater, it wasn't, but I did appreciate an uplifting story after setting through all the conflict and arguments.

Could it be a regular feature?

The following information arrived via email a few days ago from a cousin in Memphis, who has a reputation of being a straight shooter, who checks with snopes.com to make sure things are true. This is not the first email I have received that takes a shot at "the media" for not reporting the "good news" from Iraq. The person who originated this is named at the bottom of this page.

Subject: "Of course I didn't know. How could I?"

Did you know that 47 countries have reestablished their embassies in Iraq?

Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?

Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been built in Iraq?

Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating?

Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program?

Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational? They have 5- 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.

Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft (under! Iraqi operational control) which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers?

Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?

Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers? Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?

Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals,
83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.

Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?

Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?

Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158! %?

Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?

Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?

Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a televised debate recently?

WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW? OUR MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US!

Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos of flag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at the presidential motorcades.

Respectfully,
G. Burt Lancaster
San Jose, California

Blogs are great. So often I have watched news and wondered, "What were they thinking by airing that?" and now blogs give us a chance to know the answer. I think as a culture we desperately need to know how people make a positive difference. We need to know it because we are bombarded by scandal, crime, war--the so-called bad news.

That a plane landed without crashing is not so much good news as it is no news. Good news takes as much digging as bad news. For me, good news would be creative ways of overcoming adversity. Provide people with role models of those unsung heroes making changes for the good guys, You say, John, that there are plenty of these stories out there, and I encourage you to continue finding them.

The good stuff is great. Thanks.

News does not have to be about something that blows up. Yes, airline landing success is not news but any good things happening in Iraq is news.

Then there is the Iraq infrastructure. How about a regular report on what the goals are with water, electrical, sewers and roads. Then tell use where we are succeeding. This is SO important for the Iraqi people. It is also important to me.

Thanks