Kitchen of Cheer
"Food is just a means of getting closer to people." Watching a child rummage in the garbage to drink melted ice from a discarded plastic sack spurred Mavis Ching to do something. Touch A Life prepares lunches for local kids and Saturday deliveries to their families in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Mother Teresa said: "The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved." Touch A Life a... posted on Oct 21 2013, 4,883 reads

Harlem Hate Crime Victim: I'm Feeling Gratitude
"People keep asking me what it feels like to have been assaulted in a hate crime. Honestly, I can't come up with a better response than simply 'gratitude.' I'm thankful for a few reasons. If they had attacked me any more violently, I may not be awake right now to tell my story. If they had attacked me even half an hour earlier, they would have harmed my wife and one-year-old son. [...] My wife and... posted on Oct 07 2013, 29,366 reads

Teens Deliver 33,000 Burritos to the Homeless
In a world where the younger generation is pulled toward the newest gadgets and accumulating more of them, a father responded to his son's ambitious Christmas wish list with a simple act of service. In an attempt to have his son realize how much they already have and to feel gratitude for it, they made breakfast burritos and drove out to share them with the local homeless people on the street. T... posted on Aug 22 2013, 40,815 reads

Just Do It: No TYME Like the Present
When Elaine was 23, she found herself with 3 infants and 3 teenagers under her roof. Her home quickly became the neighborhood hangout spot. When a small circle of sharing in her living room grew into the size of a church hall, she knew she had to do more. That's when TYME was born: Teach Youth, Motivate and Empower. By day, Elaine runs programs for underserved kids, teens, and adults. By night, sh... posted on Jul 30 2013, 28,851 reads

A World Without Landfills
These two local heroes changed the tide of their communities through a deep commitment to nurture a healthy planet and unwavering courage to follow their hearts' calling. They're part of a "growing global movement to significantly reduce the amount of trash we produce as communities, cities, countries and even regions. It's called the zero-waste movement...Adilla is a grassroots recycler -- also ... posted on Jul 27 2013, 23,197 reads

Soul Surfer: Braving Life's Sharks
Kara Holden, screenwriter of the film "Soul Surfer" offers an eloquent reflection inspired by a conversation with Bethany Hamilton on whose life the film is based. Bethany is a surfer who lost her arm in a horrific shark attack. She valiantly returned to surfing less than a month after the incident and would go on to win numerous championships. In this piece the author probes into the reasoning be... posted on Jul 20 2013, 43,052 reads

GirlTank: A Sisterhood of Changemakers
Sejal Hathi and Tara Roberts found each other coincidentally while independently pursuing their dream of empowering young women worldwide. These dynamic young women joined forces and founded Girltank, an online community supporting young entrepreneurs doing exceptional things. "All around the world girls are starting promising projects," says Sejal, "yet there was no infrastructure for them to sus... posted on Jul 17 2013, 7,451 reads

Malala's Birthday Wish
It is customary to make a wish on one's birthday. On her sixteenth birthday, nine months after being shot in the head in an assassination attempt by a Taliban gunman in northwest Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai addressed the United Nations Youth Assembly in New York with a wish for universal equality, universal opportunity, and universal education. Once targeted for death because of her outspoken advoc... posted on Jul 13 2013, 6,296 reads

Eckhart Tolle: The Easier Path
To the uninitiated, his persona -- a soft German-accented voice, his boyish visage, his love of vests -- doesn't exactly scream 'guru!' Yet Tolle is one of the world's most popular spiritual teachers and a literary powerhouse whose best-selling books 'The Power of Now' and 'A New Earth' have influenced millions. Born in Germany, educated at the universities of London and Cambridge, Tolle writes ... posted on Jun 23 2013, 85,054 reads

A Romanian Truck Driver's Love of Underdogs
Truck driver Tamara Raab has made a couple of 2,000 mile round trip journeys to drive a massive load of donated dog and cat food, veterinary supplies and pet beds to animal shelters in Romania -- a global hot spot for animal cruelty and neglect. But this time she didn't have the 3,500 Euros required to pay the fuel. So she sought support from a nonprofit that sponsors major animal protection effor... posted on Jun 20 2013, 29,850 reads