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The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett
Ever wonder what really goes on at a small-town morning radio show?
The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett and Best Friends is your daily dose of real callers, big laughs, and unforgettable characters straight from QCountry 925 in Show Low, Arizona.
The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett
Morning Kindness: Small Acts, Big Impact
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We explore how small acts of kindness create lasting impacts and ripple through communities, from a teacher turning her late sister's $100 into hundreds of kind acts to teenagers inventing salt-powered refrigeration for vaccine transportation.
• Christina Ulmer transformed $100 from her late sister's purse into a classroom kindness challenge that spawned 350 acts of kindness over six years
• Three teenagers in India invented a salt-powered refrigerator requiring no electricity to help transport vaccines to rural areas
• A Michigan mailman went viral after returning $10 found in a driveway, leaving it with an honest note
• Sequoia Village High School presents "Alice by Heart" this Friday and Saturday at Northland Pioneer College
• Show Low High School PTSO hosts their 18th annual graduation lock-in party with prizes donated by local businesses
• Paul from Beaumont shares his original song "Left Behind" about loss and finding purpose
Do one small kind thing every day and it will make a big difference.
Talk About Something Good Tuesday
Speaker 1From the Horn Auto Center Studios, chris Bennett and the Morning Brew. Let's check in with our best friend, janine Ford at our sister station's Magic 101.7 and iTalk 106.7 on this Talk About Something Good Tuesday, janine, are you over there? Yes, I am Just waiting for you. Yes, happy Talk About Something Good Tuesday.
Speaker 2Yes, yes, how are you?
Speaker 1I'm doing good, you want to share some good news?
Speaker 1That sounds good? Yeah, alright, I, how are you? I'm doing good. You want to share some good news? That sounds good? Yeah, all right, I'll go first and when we come back we'll get your good news story Sound good? Okay, all right, here we go. Here's my good news story.
Speaker 1Sometimes, the smallest things leave the biggest impact. In 2014, christina Ulmer lost her sister, katie, in a car accident and just after Katie had finished a shift waiting tables and she had $100 in tips still in her purse. Instead of letting the grief consumer, christina, who is a teacher, found a way to turn that $100 into something lasting and, as a ninth grade English teacher in Philadelphia, she challenged her students to take $20 each and do something kind and then document it. And then, six years later, this kindness challenge has sparked more than 350 acts of kindness, from sewing hats for premature babies to sending gifts to veterans and homeless shelters, and Christina says that every act feels like her sister's voice is still speaking through her students and it's a reminder that kindness doesn't have to be this huge, big, grand gesture. It could even be a small, thoughtful action and it can still change the world. And all this began just with $100 in her sister's purse that she gave to her students to do some kind acts Pretty cool, huh, that is so sweet.
Speaker 2You know what? And that's the thing is that it becomes contagious. That is so awesome, I love it.
Speaker 1I mean from one kind act to 350 acts of kindness.
Speaker 2It's just awesome and a good reminder to all of us that you don't have to do something big every day, just do something small. Yeah, yeah All right.
Speaker 1What good news you have for me, Janine.
Speaker 2Nothing, I'm just kidding, just kidding. Okay, I love there's a couple little tidbits here that are going viral. Okay, you got to look this one up. Three teenagers in India. They invented a salt powered refrigerator that doesn't need any electricity, and this is huge because it's being used to help transport vaccines and medical supplies to far rural areas in India. Yeah, they won the 2025 Earth Prize of 12,500 and plan to test 200 more units, units in one hundred and twenty hospitals. So there you go Salt powered refrigeration. Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 1Yeah, how old are these kids?
Speaker 2I don't know, they're just teenagers. I mean, there's a bigger article on it. It just says teens, three teens and teenagers.
Speaker 1Yes, Gosh so crazy. I know I wasn't doing anything that great when I was a teenager.
Speaker 2I know and there's another really cool little story about a mailman in Michigan. It's gone viral too. I like these viral ones that you can all look up. He's going viral for returning $10 that he found in a homeowner's driveway, rather than just pocketing it. He rang the doorbell but no one answered, so he left it along with a note in their box so super sweet on that $10. Along with a note in their box so super sweet on that $10. So the homeowner caught the good deed on their doorbell camera and posted it online and people recognized the mailman as Joshua O'Hara and he says, quote being kind to others doesn't cost a thing. You never know who needs it and one good deed can have a ripple effect, just like what you were talking about.
Speaker 1Chris, yes, yeah, awesome. So there you, yes, yeah, awesome. Some great good news this morning. And just a reminder to everyone do one small kind thing every day and it will make a big difference.
Speaker 2There you go, there you go All right?
Speaker 1Well, Janine, thanks so much for sharing some good news with us, and we'll talk to you tomorrow.
Speaker 2Awesome.
Speaker 1Have a great day you too All right morning it's the morning brew with chris. Who's this?
Speaker 1hey, good morning my friend heck, yeah, it's virgil, everyone's favorite cowboy from eager arizona, so good to hear from you. I've been thinking about you and all the cowgirls and cowboys out there. Yesterday you were gonna take uh your cow, uh your friend, your cowgirl's uh horse out to pasture and have a little picnic in her honor. How did that go? It went pretty good. It was kind of sad, but it was okay. Right, right, definitely sad, and the horse got off okay, and you ate your beanie weenies and what else did you have? Sardines? Yeah, we had sardines and we had what do you call those?
Speaker 2Beanie, weenies and bacon.
Speaker 1Just a nice little feast. And then, what are you guys doing Anything special today? Another tribute tour. What do you guys got going on today? Holy moly. What time does the cookout start? Oh, nice, an early cookout. And then what are you guys going to eat? What do you guys do? What do you eat for your cookout? We're having steaks, potatoes, corn, green chili, tortillas and beans. Oh, that sounds real good.
Speaker 1And then do you have music playing during this? Or do you guys play music? What do you do? We're listening to you, heck, yes. Well, I won't be on at 10 or 11, but you're listening to Q Country all day. Yeah, we're still listening to it. Yeah, that's awesome.
Kindness Challenge: Christina's Story
Speaker 1Well, virgil, we got a big old speaker in this place. So, heck, yeah, and Q Country is the only station on that speaker, right, yep, awesome. So, virgil, do you have a song you'd like to request today or something you'd like to play in memory of your friend? Yes, I'm giving it all because she did, she did and she was in the Army, right? Yes, hey, yeah, this lady, she wrote a poem for her. Can I read it to you? Absolutely, yes, she wore flowers in her hair and carried magic secrets in her eyes. Oh, she sounds like an amazing woman. She is Well. That was a beautiful poem, best friend, and we'll play this song going out to her. I love you guys and shout out to all the cowboys and cowgirls out there. I hope you have a good cookout and a good rest of your day. Thank you, my friend. You be safe.
Speaker 1From the Horn Auto Center Studios, chris Bennett and the Morning Brew. Welcome back to the Morning Brew coming to you from the Horn Auto Center Studios On the phone. We have my friend Stacy with Sequoia Schools promoting their big play going on for Sequoia Village High School Presents Alice by Heart. It's at Northland Pioneer College, the door, or at svsluduscom. Stacey, I thought we would play a game in honor of the school play. It's called Guess what Play this Quote Is From. I'm going to read a quote give you multiple choice and you've got to guess the play On a scale of 1 to to ten. How confident are you feeling?
Speaker 1uh four, four. Yeah. You're not involved in the plays, you're just helping promote it. So here we go. Uh, first quote to be or not to be? That is the question. Is it Romeo and Juliet, hamlet or Macbeth Macbeth? No, it is Hamlet no it. No, it's Hamlet, Sorry.
Speaker 2Next one I'm giving false information for my co-workers, oh no.
Speaker 1Your lifelines are failing you All. Right, here we go. Next one I've always depended on the kindness of strangers. Is it a streetcar named Desire, Death of a Salesman, or Our Town?
Speaker 2Death of a Salesman.
Speaker 1No, it's A Streetcar Named Desire. Did you get that from your lifeline too? No, oh no, that was all you. Okay, last one, all right, all right, last one. The Course of True Love never did run smooth. Is it A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Taming of the Shrew? Or Othello Midsummer's Dream? There we go, stacey, and that one was worth a million points. Congratulations, stacey. Thanks for calling in and talking about something good, promoting Sequoia Village High School's Alice by Heart. That's happening this Friday and Saturday at the Northland Pioneer College Performing Arts Center in Snowflake. Go out and support them, and thanks for having fun with us. Best friend, we'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2Thanks, chris, have a good day.
Viral Good News Stories
Speaker 1You too. Bye-bye, bye. Normally I am in studio all by myself, but sometimes I get lucky to have a guest and on this Talk About Something Good. Tuesday I have Stephan, we know, here to talk about something good with the Show Low High School PTSO. Tell us what's going on, stephan. It's time to party. Yeah, you gotta fight for your right to party. It is almost senior graduation night Day 22 at Show.
Speaker 4Low High School Kids are graduating. We are excited about this class of 2025.
Speaker 1Heck yeah, the biggest class ever at Show Low right.
Speaker 4Over 200 seniors this year at Show Low High School Nice.
Speaker 1Super excited about it and every year you guys have this great graduation party for them, kind of like a lock-in. Tell us a little bit about it.
Speaker 4This is the 18th year Show Low High School PTSO is hosting the lock-in at the grad night. It starts at 10 pm to 3 am. This is a call out to all you parents out there that got kids at Show Low High School and I know the other high schools across the mountain do something similar. But we are super excited about this party Games, activities, food. I've got to give a personal shout-out to Culver's they're going to be providing the little.
Speaker 2Sunday truck for us? Oh heck, yes.
Speaker 4And we are doing a little bit of recruiting for our local businesses, particularly also our alumni from Shull High School with businesses or work for businesses. Up here we are trying to do some fundraising and prize raising for the kids that night because we do games and our goal is to give everything back to the kids.
Speaker 1Nice, yeah, and it's a great event because it keeps the kids in a safe place to graduate their senior or to celebrate their senior graduation. And you guys have amazing prizes not just prizes amazing prizes that these students can win that are donated by businesses. Can you give us an example of some of the prizes?
Speaker 4Some of the prizes. In the past we've given off laptops, they've given kayaks. One of the big requests this year was actually mini refrigerators. Heck yeah, you know getting that little fridge going on. They have cash, of course, gift cards. The idea is to put something in every senior's hands when they're starting this life as an adult.
Speaker 4You know they're graduated, they're preparing for that next step. We want to give them a thing to help them with that, and it's a chance for the community to step up and say, hey, congratulations for representing us for graduating, and we want to give you a little bit of gift to get going onto your next steps.
Speaker 1Absolutely, and so if businesses want to donate items gift cards, maybe little refrigerator stuff for their next stage of life how can businesses or community members contact you to make donations for the high school graduation party?
Speaker 4Well, hopefully one of our members has already stepped in your business, and this is just to recall. Hey, I got that paper I need to fill out. But if you want to give us a call and be proactive about it, call us at 928-242-9676. All right, we'll take your call.
Speaker 1In honor of the seniors and graduation night, I thought we would do a. Would you Rather? You know, when we were in high school, at the end of the year, you'd always find out who was most likely to most likely to succeed, most likely to be a comedian, which I won my senior year. I'm going to give you a couple. Would you Rather be voted and you tell me which one you'd want to be voted as you ready? All right, we'll give a shot. All right. Most likely to pee their pants laughing on a road trip or most likely to make loud grunting noise while tying shoes. I'm going number two. Yeah, I do that. I do that. I definitely do that. Uh, would you rather be voted most likely to spill food on your belly during lunch, which I do every day, or most likely to accidentally flash plumber crack without noticing, which I also do every day?
Speaker 4I think that comes with the dad bod. Both of those, I'll go with the number one, Number one yes, I'd rather just get food on my shirt.
Virgil's Cowboy Update
Speaker 1And last, would you rather? Would you rather most likely throw out your back while sneezing or be voted most likely to pull a muscle getting off the couch?
Speaker 4God, I've done both of those.
Speaker 1I have too.
Speaker 4Man, let's go with the couch.
Speaker 1Yeah, at least you have a couch you could then lay back down on it. That was. Would you Rather with Stephan? We, we know, with the show low ptso. If you have an item you'd like to donate for their show low high school ptso grad night, go ahead and give them a call at 928-242-9676 that's my blood, because paul beaumont said so this guy don't look like he's smarter than a redneck. Oh, it's Paul from Beaumont.
Speaker 2Don't make me full of Chris.
Speaker 1Well, I just want to say I saw the post you made on Facebook you had a recent loss in your family and just want to let you know we've all been thinking about you and we're sending our love and prayers to you and your family. Thank you, you're welcome, buddy. You want to find out if you're smarter than Stephan. We Know Absolutely. How are you feeling, stephan? On a scale of 1 to 10? How confident are you that you are smarter than a redneck? This is Paul, I'm 4. Yeah, he has a good point. Paul, you're not just any redneck, you're Paul from Beaumont. You're a special. Just any redneck, you're Paul from Beaumont. You're a special kind of redneck. I'm the redneck, he's the redneck. Okay, we have a very special. Are you smarter than a redneck today, paul? We have Stephan.
Speaker 1We know in studio with the Show Low PTSO talking about their big senior graduation party that they're going to be doing and having some great giveaways donated by local businesses. So I thought for, are you Smarter Than a Redneck? We would do some high school graduation trivia. You ready, I'm ready, I'm ready for stuff. And we know, yeah, we know, ain't smarter than a redneck. All right, first question the tradition of tossing graduation caps in the air originated which year? A, 1912. B 1950. C 1893. Paul Paul 12.
Speaker 4What Paul?
Speaker 11912. 1912. He's up 1-0,. Stephan, I'm supposed to say my name first.
Speaker 4Yeah, yeah, you're already smarter than me, stephan. I'm supposed to say my name first, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're already smarter than me, paul.
Speaker 1Stephan, we know, doesn't know how to play the game. Here we go. When was the graduation hat developed? Was it A 17th century, b 13th century or C 15th century? Stephan, stephan, 15th, 15th. It is tied at one apiece Going into the final question that will determine the winner. What were graduation diplomas originally made of? Was it A papyrus, b sheepskin or C silk fabric, stephen, oh, I'm going to have to give it to Paul.
Speaker 1Sorry, paul the silk, it is not silk. Stephan, give me some sheep. Give him some sheepskin. The original diplomas were made of sheepskin. Stephan, we know you are smarter than a redneck. Good job, bud. All right, paul, we love you and again, our thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. I hope you guys have a good day.
Speaker 3I think we will. Hey, why don't you go ahead and play my song for?
Speaker 1me Left Behind? Yeah, absolutely. This is a song written by our very own Paul Gautreaux, aka Paul from Beaumont, left behind going out to his grandfather. We love you, best friend, later Bye.
Sequoia School Play Promotion
Speaker 3You were sitting at the edge of the bar just having a beer or two. I walked in with my head hung low and I didn't know what to do, flashbacks coming every which way and I knew things had to change. This problem was bigger than me, so I tried to drink it away. Won't somebody save me? I can't do this on my own. The pain's too real, the cut's too deep. My mind won't let me sleep. I still think it should have been me that left the earth that day, but God had a different plan in mind. That's why he left me behind. I look back to where I was and I see how far I've come. This once lost boy had no idea about the life he had won A lovely wife, beautiful kids and a growing family. God knew just what he was doing when he left me here that day. Won't somebody save me? I can't do this on my own. The pain's too real, the cut's too deep. My mind won't let me sleep. I still think it should have been me that left the earth that day, but God had a different plan in mind and a different plane in my eye. That's why he left me behind. I can't do this on my own. My pain's too real, my cuts too deep, my mind won't let me sleep. I still think it should have been me that left the earth that day. But God had a different plan in mind Faith and grace and trusting in His time. That's why he left me behind. He left me behind.
Show Low High School Graduation Event
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