The Man Behind 'Joy of Giving'
All his possessions fit in two suitcases. He doesn't earn much, he doesn't spend much. Most of his life is focused on birthing a culture of giving. In 2000, when he found out that formal giving was 0.2% of the GDP in India (compared to 1.8% in the US), he started an effort called 'GiveIndia', to promote good causes and to make their finances transparent. Millions of rupees were donated on that... posted on Oct 03 2009, 3,811 reads

The Same Walk, for 27 Years
For 27 years, he has walked the same path, Monday through Friday, rain or shine. His presence has become as familiar to early morning parkgoers as the cool gray mist that accompanies most mornings. He is noticed, not just because he is always there, but because as he walks, he raises a brown weathered hand and waves to everyone who crosses his path -- the joggers, the walkers, the gardeners. He sm... posted on Oct 01 2009, 4,399 reads

Luminous Comic Book Tells Mandela's Story
Keeping life lessons alive is important and telling our children and the young people of community about those that have walked before us is essential. Nelson Mandela, the prisoner of conscience turned president of South Africa, was a global inspiration even before he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Now a wondrous graphic novel, released to coincide with his 91st birthday, is the latest and pos... posted on Sep 29 2009, 2,987 reads

The Philanthropist Autorickshaw-driver
If you liked the Cash Cab for its ability to gift people a truly memorable ride, you'll love Sandeep Bacche's autorickshaw. For the last ten years, Sandeep has been giving free rides to the blind, donating money to an old age home, and raising money to distribute notebooks among slum children at the start of the school year. Right now, he's on a mission to raise funds for the treatment of a friend... posted on Sep 28 2009, 3,389 reads

World's First Karma Auction
Philip Kiracofe believes what goes around comes around. He just doesn't want to wait around. Kiracofe is running what may be the world's first "Karma auction" to inspire people to help others. He's selling computers worth hundreds of dollars, but he's not accepting money -- the only bids accepted are acts of kindness.... posted on Sep 25 2009, 5,793 reads

Chuck Close Alchemy: Using Adversity to Create Magic
If you're an artist in the 21st century, chances are you've heard of master-colorist and brush-wielder extraordinaire, Chuck Close. Considered one of the most influential artists of our time, he is quite frankly, unstoppable. Recognizing his thirst to paint at a very young age, he has not allowed anything to stand in his way, maneuvering every challenge into an opportunity. At age 48, after an awa... posted on Sep 21 2009, 4,188 reads

A 16-year-old Dancer's Awe-inspiring Performance at Julliard
Kiera Brinkley contracted a deadly bacterial infection, when she was just 2 years old, that required doctors to amputate her arms and legs. But they couldn't take away her love of dance. In August 2009 she realized a long-standing dream of hers and performed at Juillard in New York city, and in the process reinforced for students there what one Julliard instructor describes as the "magic of dance ... posted on Sep 14 2009, 7,941 reads

Promise to Smile At Random People
Bren Bataclan's cheerful cartoon creatures have been exhibited in some high places: at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, in Logan International Airport and even on a Girl Scout patch. But lately he's been leaving his artwork outside unemployment offices and closed-down retail stores across the country. For free. It all started when Bataclan moved to Boston from the Midwest to teach computer gra... posted on Sep 05 2009, 4,139 reads

A Tale With a Storybook Ending
They met on Boston Common -- two men with little in common. One a well-heeled, high-powered attorney, the other a street-schooled, often ignored homeless person. But every morning they would cross paths here in the park and over the course of several months, actually became good friends. How did that happen? You'd think after the weather and box scores they'd run out of things to talk about. And i... posted on Aug 30 2009, 4,987 reads

Tale of a Girls School in Afghanistan
Women in Afghanistan are held to be lesser beings than men; they are accorded fewer rights and fewer opportunities. But build a school for girls, and the girls will come. They will face down death to come. And their illiterate parents will support them. Their illiterate parents will push them out the door. Read about the incredible story of Afghanistan's Mirwais Mena School of 300 girls.... posted on Aug 23 2009, 5,046 reads