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Jul 10, 2008

"Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible, it cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment, and offer you more joy than any material possession could." --Barbara DeAngelis

Selling 1 House to Serve 30 Villages

One day while driving with her father, Hannah Salwen noticed a Mercedes stopped next to a homeless man sitting on the curb. "I said to my dad, 'If that guy didn't have such a nice car, then that guy could have a nice meal,'" the 15-year-old from Atlanta, recalled. And so began the tale of what the Salwen family calls "Hannah's Lunchbox." The family began seriously thinking through what they actually needed, and what they didn't, ultimately deciding to sell their 6,500-square-foot mansion to move in to a home half its size -- and giving away half the proceeds: $800,000. What started as Hannah's simple reflection is now responsible for housing and development projects in 30 villages in Ghana, serving the needs of tens of thousands of people, all for the price of half of an American Dream.