LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - Too often we report the negative news, but great things are happening in your community each day.
Here's a look at a few stories that are on The Brighter Side...
The Department of Correction's Paws in Prison program celebrated its first birthday with a fundraiser Thursday night at the Governor's Mansion.
'Bark at Dark' featured auctions and a special demonstration of skills by some of the Paws dogs. Andrea Kartley is a trainer with the program.
"I train the inmates," says Kartley. "I go in once a week and the inmates use what they've learned to train the dogs. And eight weeks later, the dogs are adopted."
Paws in Prison is a special program that places shelter dogs within the prisons for approximately 6 weeks of 24/7 obedience training and socialization by ADC inmate handlers in preparation for the dogs' adoption.
Since Paws in Prison began in 2011, 130 dogs have been saved from animal shelters and pounds where they were at risk of being euthanized.
University of Arkansas student-athletes are taking being a Razorback to a new level as they have made tremendous strides in reaching their community service goals for the season.
So far the Razorbacks have completed over 1,000 hours of community service, and have set a goal of 7,000 hours for the year.
The community service efforts began in June, as the men's basketball team assisted with the Make-A-Wish foundation. Since then all 19 Arkansas teams have chipped in their time to tally 1,479 hours of giving back to the community.
Also this week AT&T announced that its Aspire program is awarding two Arkansas organizations a total of $525,000 to help them prepare at-risk students for college and careers.
City Year and KIPP Delta Public Schools have been named as two of 47 recipients nationwide that will share in nearly $10 million from AT&T.
City Year Little Rock/North Little Rock will use Aspire funding to support their Whole School, Whole Child model that leverages highly trained adult advocates to implement evidence-based attendance, social/emotional learning, and coursework interventions to 436 at-risk 9th grade students.
KIPP Delta Public Schools will use the money to support the KIPP through College program to include a STEM cooperative learning program and financial incentive stipends for 90 students most at risk of not completing high school and going on to college.
And in more good news for children, a two-hundred thousand dollar commitment was made to the people of Arkansas' Delta.
Delta Regional Authority has joined with Save the Children in a partnership to target students in some of the most underserved areas across the Mississippi River Delta region.
According to the partnership, the Authority's commitment to investing in Save the Children will provide high-level skills training to 180 program employees and at least 180 teachers, books and computers to 30 Save the Children programs and quality after-school programming at no charge for families living in poverty.
The initiative helps support training and infrastructure expenses for thirty school-based literacy programs in rural areas of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.