All People Making a Difference
Difference MakerUrsula Cats puts the concept 'educate one, empower thousands' to workThe We Women Foundation provides women in Myanmar (formerly Burma) with access to higher education. The goal: become leaders in their communities.
Globetops gives old laptops a new home 鈥� and a new purposeBecky Morrison founded Globetops to send donated laptops to worthwhile applicants throughout the world. The computers change lives 鈥� and reduce the E-waste in landfills.
Elderly find a haven from abuse 鈥� and a sense of belongingA shelter in New York takes in the elderly who've experienced financial, psychological, or physical harm and provides medical care, counseling, and legal assistance.
When Hezekiah Eibert put down roots he found a passion for helping othersThe oldest son in a military family, he had bounced around the globe. But he found a home 鈥� and a desire to serve others 鈥� in a college town in Indiana.
Girls Inc. helps girls 'be all that you can be'The nonprofit group Girls Inc. is celebrating 150 years of helping young women reach their goals.
Difference MakerMallika Dutt found help in her work to end violence against women. She recruited men.Breakthrough, the human rights organization she created, calls on people, particularly boys and men, to stop domestic violence wherever they see it.
3-D printed buildings emerge from recycled trashA Chinese company has built 10 structures in 24 hours using 3-D printing, concrete, and repurposed industrial construction waste.
How focusing on profit can help the poorWater technology company Xylem makes a profit on its foot-operated irrigation pumps for poor farmers. But those profits allow it to stay around to service its products and develop new ones.
The Gardeneers: Two Chicago teachers on a missionMay Tsupros and Adam Zmick provide expertise, creative lesson聽plans, and help throughout the growing season to keep school gardens thrive as learning opportunities.
From deployed to employed: Nick Swaggert guides vets to civilian jobsGenesis10, a consulting firm, acts as a 'translator' between veterans and corporations, showing how military experience is great training for a wide variety of positions.
Brown at 60: a civil rights landmarkThe Supreme Court's 1954 ruling Brown v. Board of Education overturned the idea of 'separate but equal' and became 'the opening salvo' of the civil rights movement, says African-American legal scholar Sherrilyn Ifill.
Difference MakerThomas H. Culhane teaches people to build fuel sources 鈥� powered by garbageHomemade biodigesters turn human and food waste into biogas, which can be used to heat water, cook food, or produce electricity.
Rani Hong was a victim of child trafficking. Now she鈥檚 a leader in the fight to end it.Kidnapped from India to Canada, she was beaten, starved, and caged until a kind foster mother saved her. Now she's a UN special adviser on human rights.
This fifth-grader raised $200,000 to clean up the Gulf oil spillThree young activists have found creative ways to tackle issues from climate change to voting rights.
10 (mostly still-to-be invented) jobs that can power Africa's futureFrom founding free universities to advocating for small farmers to training rats to detect land mines Africa's future entrepreneurs will boost the continent.
The music didn't die 鈥� it's solar poweredIn Firebaugh, Calif., a small school district has become a model for the nation by switching to solar power and investing the money it saves in arts programs.
When the Big Apple went sour, two men found a simple solutionThe Citizens Committee for New York City has become one of America鈥檚 oldest and most successful micro-funding organizations, backing citizen-led projects from urban gardens to recycling efforts.
Difference MakerGeraldine Cox excels as a 'loud and pushy' advocate for orphansHer Sunrise Children's Village in Cambodia helps children who are 'abused, discarded, neglected, unloved, unwanted'聽 to grow up to be whatever they want to be.
Jose Corona goes 'all in' for his communityHis Inner City Advisors in the Bay Area shows that social businesses can create good jobs, even in the heart of a recession.
David Fischer designed a clean, safe way to transport waterIn much of the developing world people must carry water on their backs for use in their homes. PackH2O makes the job easier while keeping the water clean.
