Never Planned My Life
"Wouldn't you come back and help us?" The gentle question from a Afghani resident, almost an afterthought, struck her like the bolt from a crossbow. After covering the U.S. war in Afghanistan, NPR reporter Sarah Chayes decided to give up her job as a journalist and remain in Afghanistan to help rebuild the country. Sarah, with two degrees from Harvard, a Radcliffe College Prize and an inspiring... posted on Apr 22, 1101 reads

The Rural Studio
The Rural Studio is an architecture program started by Samuel Mockbee that sends students to design homes in some of the most poverty-stricken rural backroads of Alabama. Students learn to listen to the needs of the community and develop design solutions with materials and labor from within the community. Their work is elegantly simple, inspiring and reflects the dignity that resides in every hum... posted on Apr 15, 1165 reads

Desert Rose
San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point is a tough neighborhood; besides its notorious gang violence, the pollution that is spewed by the surrounded freeways, power plant, and Naval shipyard, have resulted in high levels of asthma, cancer, and birth-defects among its residents. 19-year-old La Constance Shahid is working to heal the land by inspiring young residents to raise the native plants that ... posted on Oct 10, 1053 reads

Vogalonga
Environmental protest meets extreme sports each year at the Vogalonga (long row) in Venice, Italy. As many as 1,000 human-powered boats take part in the 18.6-mile regatta through the famously polluted waters of Venice. Motorboats, whose wakes weaken the foundation of centuries-old buildings, and industrial pollution from mainland chemical factories are the main targets of these floating activists,... posted on Dec 27, 1510 reads

Helping The Children Left Behind
While mentoring and inspiring elementary kids in a low income neighborhood of Roxbury, Massachusetts, Harvard Law student Earl Phalen learned the hard truth about how far behind these kids were academically. Out of his living room he set out to change that by launching BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life), a rigorous after-school program that now serves 7,000 kids in four cities. The results,... posted on Dec 30, 1054 reads

One Class at a Time
In 1998, the children of Whitwell Middle School took on an inspiring project, launched out of their principal's desire to help her students open their eyes to the diversity of the world beyond their insulated valley. What happened would change the students, their teachers, their families and the entire town forever...and eventually open hearts and minds around the world. ... posted on Mar 9, 2029 reads

6-Year-Old Pumps it Up
6-year-old Ryan Hreljac listened intently as his teacher talked about how without access to clean water, people become ill and sometimes even die. "Every penny helps," the teacher said, explaining that a penny buys a pencil, "and $70 pays for a well." Ryan ran home and begged his parents for $70. They told him to earn it through extra chores, and so while his brothers played, Ryan cleaned for two ... posted on May 30, 3605 reads

Mystic of the Holocaust
Little is known of the external life of Etty Hillesum, a young Jewish woman who lived in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation, one of the millions who suffered during the Holocaust. This obscurity is in contrast with her well-documented internal life. Etty Hillesum wrote in her diary: "Sometimes when I stand in some corner of the camp, my feet planted on earth, my eyes raised towards heaven, tears... posted on Jun 26, 2130 reads

Kindness Repayed, and the Birth of a Star
Sandy Greenberg was struck blind while studying at Columbia University. How did he manage to stay in school? His roommate read his textbooks to him -- every night. Not a commitment that many would find easy to make. Sandy went on to graduate with honors. Not long after he got a call from his roommate, who told him unhappily that he no longer wanted to be in grad school -- he wanted to sing instead... posted on Jun 28, 3379 reads

Doctors from Inner-city Give Back
Thirteen years ago three African-American teenagers made a pact to raise themselves out of their tough inner-city neighborhood in New Jersey and become doctors -- together. Like their peers, they came from poor, single-parent homes in urban neighborhoods where survival, not scholastic success, was the priority. Today Samson, George and Remeck have each overcome wide-ranging obstacles to fulfill th... posted on Jul 5, 2206 reads

The Power of One
It might just be the most moving 1-minute video you have ever seen: Made by OneEarth.org, The Power of One combines evocative visuals with a moving original score by Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer, featuring historical and contemporary exemplars who have impacted the world and illustrated that when working toward greater good, the power of one becomes the power of many. Check out this deeply ins... posted on Jul 8, 4047 reads

Legendary Doctor Passes On
Dr. V(enkataswamy), the legendary eye surgeon from South India, who with his own two hands restored the sight of over 100,000 people, passed away late last week. His work resulted in one of the world's most extraordinary models of service delivery. Thirty years ago, at the age of 58, he started an 11-bed eye clinic in an old temple-city, and with his team, turned Aravind Eye Care System into the l... posted on Jul 10, 2057 reads

41 Letters To Younger Selves
If you could send a letter back through time to your younger self what would that letter say? In this inspiring new publication "What I Know Now" forty-one famous women from diverse fields write letters to the women they once were, filled with the advice and insights they wish they had then. Honest, wise and compassionate these letters reveal rare glimpses of the personal struggles and triumphs of... posted on Aug 8, 4721 reads

China: World's Third Largest Food Donor
Is giving a natural extension of receiving? China seems to have an inspiring answer to that question! In 2005, the same year it stopped receiving food aid from the World Food Program, China emerged as the world’s third largest food aid donor. According to the latest annual Food Aid Monitor from INTERFAIS, the International Food Aid Information System, China accounted for more than half of the ri... posted on Sep 14, 2882 reads

The Art of Disappearing
The simple yet profound lines in the quote above are from American-Arab poet Naomi Nye's piece, "The Art of Disappearing". Bill Moyers from PBS was so moved by this poem that he carried a copy of it folded in his wallet after undergoing heart surgery. In this inspiring interview the two discuss everything from poetry as a form of conversation, what it means to 'breathe in two countries', and the u... posted on Sep 16, 1977 reads

Biking a Million Miles for a Cause
Born with an oxygen deficiency to his brain, Freddie Hoffman entered the world with certain challenges most of us will never face. But he went on to overcome his disability one pedal push at a time. Inspired by watching astronauts land on the moon, Hoffman realized at a young age that his limitations would keep him from becoming an astronaut, in the literal sense. So he decided to ride the distanc... posted on Oct 5, 1737 reads

New York, Melting Shot
New York City may not be the center of the world, but NYChildren, a new photo series, is beguiling proof that the Big Apple sits at the world's crossroads. With 192 countries out there, the project aims to capture an image of a child from each. The caveat? All the children must now live in New York. When it started, the project, headed by photographer Danny Goldfield, was about the pictures. Now D... posted on Oct 19, 1492 reads

A Photo Gallery Inspiring Adoption
Photographer Jackie Mathey came up with the unique idea of using her skills to try and capture the spirit of foster children in a way that would inspire people towards adoption. Her work led to the formation of Heart Gallery, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about children in need of families. More than 150 of the country's most prestigious photographers volunteered to take portrait... posted on Oct 31, 1204 reads

Beyond the Call
Ed, Jim and Walt are not your average weekend warriors. Ordinary, inconspicuous Americans with wives, careers and hobbies, these three friends and former soldiers realize their deepest passion in life through self-financed humanitarian missions to war zones around the globe. Documentary filmmaker Adrian Belic (Genghis Blues), in the new film "Beyond the Call," tracks these self-styled knights in s... posted on Nov 10, 1555 reads

One Mother, Thirteen Kids
Mothers have a special ability to give, and Susan Tom is an exceptional mother. A 53-year-old single mother in California, 11 of Susan's 13 children are adopted, many of whom suffer from disabilities and life-threatening diseases. She never planned her current life this way, "I think when I found I could survive raising four kids, it was not that great a leap to get another one. And once I’d pro... posted on Nov 24, 1664 reads

Soccer as a Tool for AIDS Prevention
Created over the summer of 2006, Lusaka Sunrise is a 7 minute short film that examines how soccer/ "football" is fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa. Through the work of several organizations, the powerful and commonly accessible platform of soccer is facilitating the spread of knowledge and providing African youth with the skills, understanding, and community support to live HIV-free. Lusaka Sunrise take... posted on Dec 1, 1757 reads

Finding Freedom In Captivity
John McCarthy's life changed dramatically on April 17th 1986. The 29-year-old British journalist was ambushed in Beirut and imprisoned in a tiny cell, and it would be 5 years before he stood in daylight again. His companion in captivity was Irishman Brian Keenan. A recent film, "Blind Flight," powerfully dramatizes the story of their shared incarceration, and how they endured through the horrors o... posted on Dec 13, 2561 reads

A 9-Year Old's Vision: Hoops of Hope
When Austin Gutwein was 9 years old, he tried out for his school's basketball team, and didn't make it. But he did rebound in an unlikely and inspiring way. Austin's disappointment dissolved when he learned about the millions of children in Africa orphaned by AIDS. "I really started to think about what it would be like if I lost my parents," he says. Austin decided to raise money for these childre... posted on Dec 23, 2555 reads

Dancing Classrooms
It seeks to use the power of dance to do more than just bring elementary school students together. Dancing Classrooms was started in New York City in 1984 under the direction of ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine. In Dulaine's words, "The children learn ballroom dancing, yes; but the real thing they are learning are the transferable skills of decorum, etiquette, being polite with each other, respect, ... posted on Dec 24, 2366 reads

Creating Breathing Places
A Breathing Place is a space that people care for, for the benefit of wildlife and the community. A BBC Initiative, Breathing Places encourages people to get involved in visiting, volunteering and transforming local spaces to create tranquil, wildlife-friendly habitats: anything from school areas, workplace grounds and cemeteries to major landscape projects. Over the next three years, they are j... posted on Jan 9, 2348 reads

Turning Everest's Trash Into Treasure
Thousands of adventurers have been drawn to Mount Everest by the challenge of climbing to the top of the world. Jeff Clapp was drawn by the trash they leave behind. Inspired by a documentary about Everest's rubbish, Clapp traveled to Nepal and brought a load of discarded oxygen bottles back in 2004. He has created a business of transforming those banged-up, aluminum containers into gleaming bells,... posted on Jan 18, 2384 reads

Being The Cause
In his former life as a senior management consultant at a top firm, Sukh Chugh didn't have to pay for his car, gas, apartment, or even food. In his own words, he "had it made". But 9/11 and subsequent events brought him to a dramatic turning point.. Says Chugh, "The question that hit me then was what is most important in life? I vowed that my next action would be to help the people that needed hel... posted on Feb 12, 3051 reads

Photobloggers: Chronicling Lives in Pictures
Waitress Valerie J. Cochran started her photoblog partly as a reaction to customers who view restaurant workers as robots and not real people. Based in Berkeley, California, her photos are often of ordinary people and places. Lecturer David J. Nightingale is another photoblogger -- one of the thousands of people around the world using the net to publish photographs that offer a glimpse into life. ... posted on Mar 10, 3227 reads

Lessons From A Dyslexic CEO
As a student, Paul Orfalea had always had trouble with words, so he focused instead on people. Kinkos, the mega copy centre chain store he started, is testimony to his inspiring ability to turn the disability of dysexia into an asset. Through his tremendous people skills, and really paying attention to the things that matter, Orfalea grew Kinkos into a household brand. He says, "My favorite questi... posted on Apr 21, 2636 reads

The Story of Johnny the Bagger
Johnny the Bagger -- an unforgettable true story about a young man with Down Syndrome who changes the culture of a grocery store by being creative and giving his customers more than they expect. When Johnny finds a way to put his own personal signature of care on every interaction, his inspired action ripples out in unexpected and inspiring ways. Watch the video here.... posted on Apr 17, 20523 reads

Shared World, Shared Words
The inspiring Arab-American poet, Naomi Shihab Nye, wrapped a poem around an unexpected experience of both distress and kindness that she encountered at an airport in Albuquerque. She sent it off to exactly two friends, who passed it on to friends, who passed it on to friends. At a recent reading of the poem, Nye ended the evening remarking that this spontaneous series of people passing the poem o... posted on May 3, 0 reads

A Basketall Superstar's Turning Point
NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson never forgot the inner-city Sacramento neighborhood where he grew up. In 1989, he returned to his hometown to launch a nonprofit afterschool program that is now his full-time passion. Why? His freshman year at University of California, Berkeley, when a professor asked how many people knew what "euphemism" meant, 31 out of 32 students raised their hands. Johnson wasn't on... posted on May 5, 1850 reads

Cake But No Presents Please
At Gavin Brown’s 4th birthday party, there were 44 guests and an elaborate ice cream cake adorned with a fire truck. Glenn Johnson lifted his daughter Mia, 3, up to drop money into a donation box. But the only gift in sight was a little red Matchbox hook and ladder rig. All the bounty from Gavin’s birthday — $240 in checks and cash collected in a red box next to a plastic fire helmet — wen... posted on Jul 31, 3733 reads

Your Stories Of The Good Life
What does the good life mean to you? Yes! magazine asked that same question to some of its readers and the responses they got covered everything from sharing food, helping neighbors, raising a child, honoring other religions, and being present with someone who is dying. This inspiring article is a compilation of real-life answers to this question.... posted on Aug 11, 2897 reads

Barrio De Paz: Peace Town
"Everything in society tells us to distrust others. I think it's the other way around. We need to profoundly trust in those around us, in their potential and in who they are," the grandmotherly Nelsa Curbelo Cora says. In 1999, she walked into the violence infested city of Guayaquil, Ecuador to BE peace. Through her grassroot work, today, Guayaquil's most dangerous gangs have disarmed, agreed to a... posted on Aug 19, 2041 reads

China's Umbrella Samaritans
Thanks to a rainy day and an inspiring series of photos that captured a random act of kindness, residents in Qingdao, China don't need to worry about being caught in the rain without an umbrella. The "Love and Care Umbrella" campaign provides free umbrellas in places like banks, shopping malls, and even buses and taxis. It was started after a series of pictures were posted online, accompanied by a... posted on Aug 29, 2599 reads

88 Keys To Happiness
Harlan Creech fell in love with the piano when Woodrow Wilson was president. It was 1920 and Creech was 8 -- a creek-splashing dreamer stuck with a squeaky violin his parents made him play. His sister got the piano, which sounded to him like a sunny day set to music. He's wanted to play ever since. Creech grew up to be a husband, a father and a Methodist minister -- a job where he made time for ev... posted on Sep 23, 3458 reads

Live Like Andrew
Just months ago, his son, Andrew, a 14-year old competitive soccer player, was rushed to the hospital with a stomach ache. What Joe McDonough thought must have been appendicitis turned out to be leukemia, and doctors told him it was unlikely that Andrew would make it through the night. Andrew lived on for 166 days in the hospital, and Joe and his family were by his side each step of the way. Now, ... posted on Dec 8, 3233 reads

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Living
Don Alverto Taxo of the Atis people of Ecuador is dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom into modern living. He travels and teaches in the United States and Europe, encouraging individuals to bring more heart and intuition to their daily lives. "My invitation is to do it," he says. "We all feel the need to live in harmony with all the manifestations of life," shares Don Alverto Taxo in this inspirin... posted on Dec 12, 2772 reads

100 Ideas For Peace
Creating world peace is no easy task and it continues to be one of the most significant challenges of our times. But there are several things each of us as individuals can do to help create a more peaceful world. "Be generous with your smiles." "Let someone else go first." These are just two examples from a list of 100 simple and inspiring ideas written by David Krieger, Founder President of the N... posted on Jan 12, 5175 reads

11-Year-Old Law-Changer
Restaurants and hotels normally throw out enormous amounts of leftover foods from their patrons. It's simply thrown away, instead of giving it away, for fear of a lawsuit from someone getting ill. Jack Davis, age 11, was at a family buffet when he was explained by a manager that whatever was not eaten would be thrown away. The sixth-grader found this unacceptable and took matters in his own hand... posted on Jan 24, 2901 reads

A Pianist Like No Other
"When I arrive at Derek Paravicini's home, he is giving a glittering rendition of Cole Porter's "It's De-Lovely" on his shiny, black piano. When I leave three hours later, he is being spoon-fed lunch from a plastic bowl. Derek is 27, blind, has severe learning difficulties, cannot dress or feed himself -- but play him a song once, and he will not only memorize it instantly, but be able to reproduc... posted on Apr 20, 2844 reads

Rwanda's Weapon of Mass Construction
The 1994 genocide in Rwanda left the country in tatters, its future fraught with uncertainty. Of the more than 800,000 people killed, most were men and boys. Rwanda's remaining population was 70 percent female. Fast-forward to the present day: The economy has revived and is holding steady. Major road arteries between cities and outlying villages, which were destroyed, have been rebuilt. Today, the... posted on May 23, 2996 reads

Easing Childrens' Hospital Fears
It seems logical and reasonable, now, that in a children's hospital, it should be someone's job to make kids with serious illnesses less fearful and more comfortable as a boon to their treatment and recovery. But 44 years ago, when Myra Fox started working at Boston Children's Hospital, it was something new. "It was a whole different way of looking at the whole child, and not just the medical prob... posted on Jul 11, 2244 reads

Tell Me Your Story
Dan Gottlieb, the celebrated family therapist and radio show host who has helped thousands of people in difficulty has definitely faced his own challenges. A near fatal accident 29 years ago left him paralyzed chest down -- but it didn't take away his profound connection to others. "It came to me in the middle of the night a couple of weeks ago, four words that could change the world: Tell me your... posted on Sep 10, 3343 reads

Rebuilding Generations Through Football
What began as one man's passion to help at risk kids has become the vision of many through the Playmakers Mentoring Foundation and their innovative program which began in California. Developed and led by Coach Greg Roeszler (Aka Coach Roz) and his dedicated staff of assistant coaches, Playmakers is drawing kids off the streets and out of gangs to be part of this amazing outreach where children are... posted on Nov 15, 2867 reads

37 Ways To Join The Gift Economy
"You don't have to participate in a local currency or service exchange to be part of the cooperative gift economy. Any time you do a favor for a family member, neighbor, colleague, or stranger you're part of it. Here are some ways you can spend time in the gift economy, where you'll find fun, freedom, and connection." So begins this inspiring list of starting places from Yes! magazine.... posted on Nov 21, 3454 reads

Smiles In Pakistan
He's a Spanish-born lawyer, but you'd never know it from his big red nose. Alvaro Neal has given up his career in law for his true passion: making people smile. This inspiring video shows him having traveled 50 thousand kilometers by bicycle into Pakistan, where he performs at a school for homeless children.... posted on Jan 20, 3051 reads

Gifted Hands: The Story of Ben Carson
Benjamin S. Carson went from an angry street fighter in Detroit to become director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Carson, who attributes his escape from the poverty of his youth to the support and love of his mother, is the recipient of numerous honors and awards. His autobiography, "Gifted Hands", chronicles the road from a broken home and poor self-esteem to his life today.... posted on Feb 11, 5412 reads

The Gift of Creative Confidence
Until about a year ago, David Kelley was on a roll. He had received a National Design Award, been inducted into the National Academy of Engineering, held an endowed chair at the Stanford School of Engineering, and even won the Sir Misha Black Medal for his "distinguished contribution to design education." He also had a loving wife, a daughter to whom he was devoted, and a vast circle of friends t... posted on Feb 28, 5437 reads