Reader's Digest New Zealand - August/September 2025

GLAD TO HEAR IT 3 Stories to Make Your Day IRYNADANYLIUK/GETTY IMAGES A Couple in Sync Rashad Polk wanted to propose to his girlfriend, Rachel Hundertmark, at an upcoming Modest Mouse concert. The couple had shared their first kiss at one of the band’s shows. Little did he know, Hundertmark was thinking the same. She didn’t want a tradi- tional proposal, so she decided to ask Polk to marry her—at that concert. She even recruited her daughter, Jas- mine Halstead, age 16, to tag along and record the special moment. Only Halstead knew of her mom’s and Polk’s overlapping plans, and she kept both secrets. On the big day, she filmed her mom dropping to one knee and popping the question to Polk, who an- swered by also kneeling, and pulling a ring from his pocket. Stunned and overjoyed, the two fell into each other’s arms. They will marry this fall. No Small Service The life story of Daniel Walterhouse is far from feel-good: The Union Army soldier was injured in battle in 1862 and lived his last years at a home for the destitute in Albion, New York. He was buried in an unmarked grave. But now he’ll have a tombstone, thanks to two local teens, Kendall Peruzzini and Mary McCormick. The pair learned of Walterhouse through a teacher who had been contacted by a Civil War re- searcher wondering whether Walter- house was buried in New York. The girls pored over records at the town clerk’s office to prove that the soldier had lived—and died—in their town. Peruzzini told the Washington Post , “It makes us happy to know this war veteran will no longer be forgotten.” Fast-Tracking a Rescue As Mike Barker waited for the subway in Washington, D.C., last September, he heard a strange sound from the platform across the way. So he walked over and saw a man lying on the tracks, yelling for help. Barker pushed the emergency call button, but when nothing happened, he realized he had to act: The next train was coming in four minutes. Barker jumped onto the tracks and carried the man—who had driven his mobility scooter off the platform accidentally—to safety. By the time help arrived, Barker had already gotten the man back onto the platform, and bystanders were help- ing pull Barker back up too. reader ’ s digest World of Good 16 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2025 | READERSDIGEST.CO.NZ