Families who are struck by medical emergencies sometimes arrive at Canberra Hospital with their sick loved one – and nothing else. They could be coming from hundreds of kilometres away in country NSW and find themselves in the capital with nowhere to go. Enter East Hotel. The Bisa family, who own the hotel, partnered with the Canberra Hospital Foundation to offer free emergency hotel rooms for families who suddenly need to stay in the city overnight. They get a beautiful, comfortable room with breakfast and space for the kids to play and hang out while mum and dad try to relax and catch their breath. The hotel even sends up special chocolates or tea to make families feel that someone in Canberra cares. It's a lovely gesture from a well-known Canberra family.

Charlie Bigg-Wither's house is famous – it's decorated with a tonne of Lego. But when his autistic daughter Alison's beloved Lego sculpture was stolen, the family were shattered. The giant wooden Lego statue is one of the very few things Alison is close to. After stories in The Canberra Times and appeals on social media, the statue was thankfully found, dumped in Mitchell. But we think the nicest part was the hundreds of caring Canberrans who came forward to support the Bigg-Wither family, telling Charlie and Alison how much they had brightened people's day with their love of Lego.

"Your hair doesn't define you." That's Gabriela's message. She lost nearly all her hair after a bout of chickenpox at an early age but she's never let it stop her – she studied ballet and plans to be a dancer. She told her story to reporter Megan Doherty to show Canberra that alopecia isn't the end of the world, whether you're a middle-aged businessman or a young dance student. A beautiful girl with a strong heart.

A few years ago Rebecca Wiasak was a sports journalist at The Canberra Times with a talent for running, triathlon and cycling. She quit to pursue her dreams and we, her former colleagues, followed every challenge and twist in her journey. She lost her funding. She was left out of national cycling teams. And then, finally, at the age of 30, Wiasak made her debut at the Track World Cycling Championships in Paris this year – and won gold in the 3000m individual pursuit. It's a fairytale story and Canberra will be behind her in her quest for Olympic glory in Rio.

Sasa Sestic already has an incredible story – a former Olympic athlete turned successful businessman, whose roasting house, Ona, has put Canberra on the Australian coffee map. But then he won the title of Australia's best barista early this year and then was crowned world barista champion in Seattle in April. He wowed judges with an amazing Canberra coffee – a signature coffee drink that contained a splash of Clonakilla shiraz viognier juice. And he flew the Canberra flag with pride. "I'm from Canberra and I'm very proud to be from here," he said.

One Canberra family decided to spread a bit of cheer this Christmas with random acts of kindness. When they noticed a young girl patiently waiting at a chocolate cafe, they popped a $5 note into a Christmas card and gave it to her with a special message for being such a well behaved child. That one little act transformed the day for the girl – a foster child who had recently been separated from her birth family. Her foster carer posted it on Canberra Mums and it gained national attention and praise for the Good Samaritans, Ellie and Latoya Marks.

"I saw your car had a parking ticket on it. I'm sure whatever you are going through at hospital is tough enough so I have paid for you ... Hope things get better!" The mum who found this note on her parking ticket had been in hospital for a few days with her nine-week-old son. When they were discharged, she had copped a fine in the parking lot. But this second random act of kindness from a complete stranger named Laura brought tears to her eyes, was shared more than 16,000 times on Facebook, and made us all realise how much someone can touch our lives in a positive way.

It's a simple concept – you go in, buy your daily cappuccino, and pay for another coffee, which is added to a tally board. Later that day, someone else who's doing it tough can come in and ask if there are any "suspended coffees" available – and they get the coffee that you paid for earlier. It's an idea that has gone global in coffee shops and cafes around the world, including the ANU Food Co-op, where you can buy a coffee, or pay for a hot lunch for someone else. Other cafes around Canberra have also started suspended coffee programs.

When Canberra federal MP Andrew Leigh got his family together for a Christmas card photo, he couldn't have foreseen that it would go viral. Youngest son Zachary eventually had enough of being photographed and decided to stomp off and sulk in a corner by himself. The photographer took the the picture anyway – and the grumpy little toddler won the hearts of a nation (and the internet). And probably helped boost Dad's chance of re-election with all that cuteness.