Let’s face it, negative news tends to dominate the front page headlines, but there are still plenty of stories shining a light on positivity, hope and kindness. Take a look back at some of the Bay Area stories from 2024 that had us jumping for joy, smiling from ear to ear or feeling inspired to make a positive impact in our communities. Jaw-dropping Curry flurry propels Team USA to gold in Paris On the heels of a dazzling 36-point performance in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics basketball competition, Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry hit France with a ridiculous 3-point barrage in the closing moments of the gold medal game to seal the victory for Team USA. To celebrate the moment, Curry pulled out his patented “Night Night” celebration – or should we say “Nuit Nuit.” Oakland student who was accepted to 122 schools decides to stay close to home for college Talk above impressive. Oakland high schooler Helms Ategeka was accepted to a whopping 122 colleges and received $5.3 million in collective scholarships. He ultimately decided to continue his education at UC Berkeley. Off-duty Gilroy firefighters revive young girl after near drowning in Chico Right place, right time is the perfect way to describe this story. A team of off-duty Gilroy firefighters on assignment in Northern California saved a young girl from a near drowning. Off-duty nurses help save man who collapsed on East Bay basketball court Speaking of saving lives while off the clock, two off-duty nurses jumped in to save the day after a basketball player collapsed on the court during a game in Clayton. Forging hope: The Oakland blacksmith who’s making guns into garden tools From tools of death to tools of life. An Oakland artisan teamed up with a faith-based nonprofit to get guns off the streets and transform them into garden tools. Ukrainian refugees reunite with cat lost at SFO for a month after arriving in the Bay Area This one is sure to warm your heart. Thanks to a San Francisco International Airport cargo worker and a cat clinic in Redwood City, Ukrainian refugees in California were able to reunite with their missing pet. Actress helps East Bay teen with chronic illness achieve acting dream In 2021, actress Steph Langnas paired up with Zoé Berman to give the East Bay teen battling a chronic illness eight weeks of acting lessons. Fast forward to this year and the duo was still going strong, and Berman’s dream of starring in her own show became a reality. Saving wildlife, healing veterans: East Bay vet’s unique nonprofit changing lives on 2 continents Here we have a heartwarming two-for-one special. Nonprofit Warriors for African Wildlife, which is dedicated to healing veterans through wildlife conservation, brings veterans to Africa where they work alongside rangers protecting wildlife from poachers. For more good news stories throughout the year, be sure to watch Garvin Thomas’s weekly Bay Area Proud reports. Bay Area Proud Dec 19 San Francisco mother-daughter duo spread holiday cheer – and socks – to city's unhoused Bay Area Proud Dec 17 East Bay group gets charitable holiday operation up and running in less than 2 months