There’s a lot of bad in the world—we’ll just say that. And with so much bad, it can sometimes be hard to focus on the good, or forget that there are really decent people out there. And there are—so many of them. And we want to recognize them.

Here are 17 people with some tear-jerking, heartwarming stories behind them, and will restore your faith in humanity. Check ‘em out:

1. Snow problem

   When an elderly man had a heart attack shoveling his driveway one winter, paramedics came and took him to the hospital—and then came back to finish shoveling.

2. A selfless protector

   Anthony Borges is only 15 years old and used his body to hold a classroom door shut while protecting 20 other students from a gunman. That gunman fired through the door and hit Anthony five times.

3.  This friendly walking pair

   This elderly lady asked this man to help her walk home one day because it was icy out and she was worried she’d slip. He did her one better—he now walks her home almost every day (and they’re good friends!).

4. This patient swim teacher

   This 95-year-old veteran took it upon himself to show a scared neighborhood kid that jumping off a diving board wasn’t something to be afraid of.

5. He gave him more than a lift

   On the left is Beni. He took the man on the right to the hospital and kept him company because his family lives out of state. How do they know each other? Beni was his Uber driver.

6. ICU Grandpa

   Every Tuesday, this retired man visits the PICU to hold babies whose parents can’t be with them that day. On Thursdays, he heads to the NICU. Want to cry more? He’s been doing this for 12 years.

7. Free reads

   This book store really cares about how much people read and are very generous (and trustworthy).

8. Santa’s elves came

   This homeless man woke up to the surprise of a lifetime during the holiday season—food and gifts.

9. No bowl? No problem

   When he couldn’t find a bowl or cut, this man let this parched cat drink water from his bare hands.

10. Hair styling of love

    This man learned how to style his wife’s hair after a stroke left her unable to do it on her own. Can you even?

11.  The selfless donation

    This 7-year-old was saving for an iPad and had $20 so far. He really wanted that iPad, but decided he could use his money for good, and donated it to help a local Islamic mosque. As if that wasn’t enough, his kindness was returned, and he got his iPad after all.

12. 100th birthday surprise

    This Fire Department surprised this woman with flowers on her 100th birthday because her late husband served in the department.

13. Tied together

    There’s nothing more complicated than trying to tie a tie for a young man—this elderly man helped this perfect stranger get it done before heading to a train.

14. Doggie paddle

    Every night, this man takes his sick dog for a swim in the lake to ease his pain. I’m not crying, you’re crying! Okay, I’m sobbing.

15. Firefighter party

    When no one should up for this autistic boy’s birthday party, his mother asked for help on Facebook and these firefighters and officers came to the rescue.

16. An unsuspecting friendship

    This 22-year old man met an 81-year-old woman playing Words With Friends and became literal friends. He even traveled to Florida to meet her in person for the first time and had themselves a day!

17.  Kitty savior

    A kitten was drowning and this man saved him with just an umbrella.

18.  This little animal lover

    This little girl sold her stuffed animals so that she could donate the money to help real animals at a local shelter.

How sweet are these stories? Which one is your favorite?