Top 10 Heartwarming News Stories of 2025 So Far

#10: Steve Carell Announces Free Prom for Fire-Affected Students

We knew that Oscar and Emmy nominee Carell didnt need The Office or Despicable Me to make people smile not that those hurt, of course. The devastating Eaton Fire wreaked nearly $30 billion of havoc in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, with Altadena being hit the hardest. Burning for over three weeks in January of 2025, one unforeseen consequence was the cancellation of several high school proms, owing to the damage. That was before Virginia based charity Alices Kids stepped in to announce that they were covering the costs for all six high schools in the area. And they recruited none other than the Anchorman star to deliver the message. Wed hardly call that despicable, Steve.

#9: Major Advances in Sustainable Food Production

As part of an ongoing effort to create food that doesnt actively contribute to global pollution and waste, University of Tokyo professor Shoji Takeuchi tried going a different route. The scientist and his team devised a way to combat cell death in lab-grown meat, achieved through a process called internal perfusion. According to the Guardian, this was accomplished by building a bioreactor that holds living cells in a gel and feeds them with oxygen and nutrients through fine, semi-permeable fibres that pass through the material. Takeuchi speculated that, if his project receives the necessary funding, it can be on the market within five to 10 years. Said British science journal nature, Winner, winner, lab-made dinner!

#8: Clean Energy Surges to 40% of World Electricity Usage

There is a catch. That would be the fact that, according to the BBC, carbon dioxide emissions, which warm the planet, have risen to an all time high [...] with hot weather pushing up the overall demand for power. But, at the same time, positive and meaningful steps are being taken to combat the growing threat of climate change. An April 2025 report by global energy think tank Ember revealed that nearly half of the electricity usage on Earth was produced by clean energy sources, primarily solar generation. Said Embers report, China registered more than half of the global increase in both solar and wind power in 2024 and is the world leader in both clean energy manufacturing and deployment.

#7: How Metallica Got A Family Out of Harms Way

On May 7th, 2025, giants of rock Metallica played a literally life-saving show at Lane Stadium in Virginia. The night before, the Metallica-obsessed McKee family, from nearby Goodview, decided to enter Sandman early so they could be fully charged for the concert. This was a departure from their usual routine, in which they would stay up late and watch TV. Unbeknownst to them at the time, this choice would be the difference between life and death. In the early hours of May 7th, their living room was completely destroyed by a car plowing into it. Parents David and Kristin thanked God and Metallica for miraculously keeping their family, complete with daughter Maddy, together. Nice to see that opposites still attract!

#6: 91-Year-Old Hears Father's Voice After 30 Years

Turns out that TikTok is useful for reasons other than doom-scrolling (and, you know, finding new recipes). In an interview with People, TikTok user Irene Patón Reig shared that her mother discovered an old tape labeled with the name Blas Estevan while going through [her grandmother, Asunción Estevan Chicos] belongings. On that tape was a recording of Asuncións late father whose name was, indeed, Blas singing Julio Iglesias A Flor de Piel. Said an emotional Asunción, I felt immense joy, excitement, and the urge to cry, thinking I would never hear him again in my life. The kicker? She said that it had been 30 years since the last time she heard her fathers voice.

#5: Chihuahua Rescued on Highway & Reunited with Family

In a scene that sounds like something out of a pulse-pounding action movie, a 2-year-old chihuahua named Henry went on the lam all the way down the northbound Interstate 5 in San Diego. It was perhaps the most stressful highway chase since O.J. Simpsons slow-speed pursuit by police. Fortunately, Henry wasnt wanted by the authorities: having slipped away from his family, he ended up taking concerned motorists on a roughly 10-mile chase. Finally, one such driver was able to get Henry on a leash and on his way to the San Diego Humane Society, where he was reunited with owner Rachel Blatt. Wed recommend that Henry lets somebody know the next time he decides to take an impromptu stroll.

#4: Dad Surprises Daughter with Emotional Trader Joes Visit

The cult Canadian period drama Anne with an E is still beloved by fans, who mourn the CBC and Netflix shows untimely cancellation. However, one small ray of consolation is the personal vlog of Miranda McKeon, a recurring cast member who received a breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 19. Since then, McKeon has routinely vlogged about her experience with the disease, chronicling her journey in an effort to demystify what it is to live with cancer, as well as raise awareness. While the performer is no stranger to posting emotional moments, this 2025 TikTok was a downright tearjerker. Posted in February, McKeon produced possibly the single most moving piece of content ever recorded at Trader Joes.

#3: The Reason This Teacher Gives Her Students $20

Aspiring paramedic Kate Amodei tragically lost her life in 2014, the result of a car accident. Her savings, accumulated during her tenure in service, fell into the hands of her sister Kristina Ulmer, a teacher in Horsham, Pennsylvania, upon her passing. Ulmer found a novel, inspiring use for the money in 2018, after discussing empathy in the context of Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 with her students. Exchanging her sisters savings for $20 bills, Ulmer has since presented her students with an annual challenge: go out and spend the $20 to spread kindness. The Great Pennsylvania Schools campaign notes that students have found creative ways to share the love, with over 350 acts of kindness performed to date.

#2: Ohio School Bus Driver Performs Miracle Rescue

Its unlikely that Dorian Pace woke up on the morning of February 27, 2025 and expected to end his day as a hero. But thats exactly what happened. Pace, who works for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District, heard a boom while driving students of Monticello Middle School. Said Pace, When I pulled [the bus] over, I actually heard another boom and I saw smoke coming from the right rear tire. And then I saw flames. The 11-year driving veteran then promptly evacuated himself and the kids completely unharmed as the bus went up in a blaze. While he took the time to collect his flowers, Pace was back at work the very next Friday. What a pro!

#1: Historic Malaria Vaccine Rollout Saves Young Lives

Theres nothing like a scientific quantum leap to fill you with hope about the future. The mosquito-borne, infectious disease of malaria runs rampant in regions around the equator, such as Sub-Saharan Africa. Thats where, in 2023, nearly 95% of all deaths from the illness occurred, estimated at a staggering 600,000 people. As noted by the Agence France-Presse, a four-year pilot phase for the RTS,S vaccine was tested on more than two million test subjects, consisting of children from Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. Held from 2019 to 23, the experiment yielded an astonishing 13-percent decrease in mortality, which was formally announced by the World Health Organization in early 2025.

Which news stories on our list warmed your heart the most? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!