The Art of Holding Babies
'"Carol Lee?" On our flight to New Orleans, the "Fasten Your Seat Belts" sign had just come on. Carol Lee was reading her book. She lifted her head, "What do you want to do in life?" I asked. I expected her to say she wanted to travel to Europe. Carol Lee turned to me and said, "I would like to hold babies." "Hold babies?" I was stunned. "You've got grandchildren." "I would like to work in a hospi... posted on Mar 09 2008, 5,984 reads

Never Too Old To Serve
Mack Staley was in line at the county dump one morning in 2001 when, "A fella in front of me had a truck full of stuff for the landfill," he said. "There was a perfectly good wheelchair in the back." Staley asked the woman at the gate if she got items like that very often."Oh, all the time," she replied. "People throw lots of good stuff away." That's when Staley, now 81, decided to open up Home Ca... posted on Mar 08 2008, 2,675 reads

An Unusual Punishment
What punishment should be imposed on a man who shot a police officer almost 40 years ago and fled to Canada, but went on to live an upstanding life as a husband and father who worked in a library? There was a rare answer here on Friday: Require him to give $250,000 to a foundation that helps the families of injured Chicago police officers. Joseph Pannell will serve just 30 days in jail and two yea... posted on Mar 05 2008, 3,448 reads

Building Communities from the Inside Out
In communities across the United States, people have rediscovered ancient wisdom about what builds strong communities, and then developed new ways to fit that wisdom to late 20th century community realities. As sources for funding community development projects have dried up, savvy organizers and leaders across the US are looking inward to identify the possible resources embedded in their own comm... posted on Feb 29 2008, 2,335 reads

A Blueprint for Alleviating Poverty
Acumen Fund is a non-profit with an ambitious plan: to create a blueprint for alleviating poverty using market-oriented approaches. Indeed, Acumen has more in common with a venture capital fund than a typical nonprofit. Rather than handing out grants, Acumen invests in fledgling companies and organizations that bring critical products and services to tens of millions of the world's poor. Acumen's ... posted on Feb 27 2008, 1,975 reads

Relying on Kindness & A Donkey
Jonathan Dunham is walking the earth. Assisting him in this endeavor is his donkey, named Judas. On a recent Sunday morning, reggaetón blared from a house near the abandoned shack where Mr. Dunham has been sleeping on the floor. Barefoot children wandered up to his hovel, petting Judas. They giggled and stared at Mr. Dunham, 33. "Are you an athlete?” one of the children asked him. "Or a mission... posted on Feb 25 2008, 2,966 reads

Dignity Village
Pirate Steve surveyed the eccentric collection of shacks and cabins that is now his home on the outskirts of Portland. "Quite frankly, being here has been the best period of my life," he said. "Not the time when I had my sports car, my condo and my jewelery." Known as Pirate Steve because of the patch which covers an eye seriously injured in a car accident, the former laser optics technician is on... posted on Feb 23 2008, 2,909 reads

Building A Life On $25
Alone on a dark gritty street, Adam Shepard searched for a homeless shelter. He had a gym bag, $25, and little else. A former college athlete with a bachelor's degree, Mr. Shepard had left a comfortable life with supportive parents in Raleigh, N.C. Now he was an outsider on the wrong side of the tracks in Charleston, S.C. But Shepard's descent into poverty in the summer of 2006 was no accident. Sh... posted on Feb 22 2008, 5,431 reads

Successful Communities Leverage Unsung Heroes
The most effective local initiatives engage people whose informal networks reach broadly and deeply across sectors and organizations. Such people are often unsung heroes in a community. They might include a uniformed policewoman who sets up a system to link diverse services for victims of domestic violence or a bakery owner who designs training for immigrant employees in partnership with the local... posted on Feb 19 2008, 1,661 reads

Anonymous Angels of Peru
In a country where jobs are scarce, it's nearly impossible to find work if you have a disability. But three friends are fighting to change that. Angeles Anonimos (Anonymous Angels), a Peru based group, trains the disabled and handicapped -- regarded by locals as unemployable and often left to beg on the streets -- to create fair-trade sterling silver jewelry. When asked in this video about the ori... posted on Feb 17 2008, 2,223 reads