All People Making a Difference
On wildfire patrol: Volunteers gauge success by blazes that don鈥檛 startThe wildfires that don鈥檛 start are a gauge of success for this corps of volunteers who educate hikers and bikers while keeping an eye out for smoke.
Difference MakerBoxing and talking: How a 1988 Olympian gives backFacing adversity in a high-poverty, high-crime neighborhood, students channel the impulse to fight into the discipline of boxing, gaining life skills.
Riding with the wildlife rescuers: No creature too big, small, or wildWhen rescue facilities closed in Southern Arizona, Lisa Bates created her own wildlife animal hospital. Her Tucson Wildlife Center cares for 5,000 animals each year.
Difference MakerThis East St. Louis grocer tends an oasis of uplift in a food desertAn East St. Louis corner store is a lifeline for residents who have to travel far to a supermarket for food. It鈥檚 also a hive of social connection.
Difference MakerMariachi singer turns loss into love for arts 鈥� and communityMariachi singer Veronica Robles channeled the loss of her daughter into the creation of a cultural center that fortifies Boston鈥檚 immigrant community.
Difference Maker脡l茅onore Laloux helps France see disability differently脡l茅onore Laloux 鈥� the first elected official with Down syndrome in France 鈥� is proving that her unique perspective is an asset to her town.
Difference MakerWhen prison doors swing open, these mentors open their armsSociety often treats formerly incarcerated people as broken. At the Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, they find healing together.
Difference MakerFrom inside a Ugandan camp, one refugee helps others tell their storiesHe fled home at four years old. Today James Malish lives in Bidi Bidi settlement with his wife and children, and gives voice to others鈥� experiences.
Glenn Hening strives to keep the 鈥榮elfish鈥� out of surfingGlenn Hening pioneered two volunteer organizations that reflect a holistic vision for the health of the ocean and the people who surf it.
This charity eliminates the middleman 鈥� cutting waste and expensesHouse of Good Deeds cuts out the charity middleman and gives clothes and household goods straight to the end user, cutting waste and expenses.
Difference MakerBritain鈥檚 hedgehogs are in a prickly situation. Meet their rescuers.Britain loves its hedgehogs, but their numbers are dwindling. Fortunately, their fans are finding ways to make life safer for the garden dwellers.
Swim pioneer Bill Meier鈥檚 mission is to transcend fear, increase safetyA spate of drownings in Massachusetts resulted in restrictions on open water swimming. But Bill Meier is on a mission to increase water safety among all levels of swimmers.
In the key of joy: Pianos for People gives instruments to St. Louis childrenPianos for People, a St. Louis nonprofit, matches unwanted pianos with families that need them. Free piano lessons are offered, too.
How Book Dash nurtures South Africa鈥檚 young readersFor Book Dash, getting more books into the hands and homes of South African kids is a question of social justice.
How a rumored hidden creek inspired a Baltimore pastor鈥檚 peace parkA hidden creek in a messy bramble on church property inspired a Baltimore pastor to build a peace park. Now it鈥檚 a model of environmental justice.
Difference MakerHow Otto Orondaam helps students make the gradeNigerian nonprofit Slum2School, founded by Otto Orondaam, aims to help kids access education in a country where about 1 in 3 are out of school.
Difference MakerSew it goes: The Sewing Machine Project stitches lives back togetherEarning a living does more than put food on the table and money in the bank. It builds pride and hope. The Sewing Machine Project helps people do both.
Difference MakerMarathon mentor helps prisoners run life鈥檚 raceOne man鈥檚 commitment to mentoring long-distance runners in prison is changing hearts, perspectives, and lives.
Difference MakerThe Travelling Telescope brings stars to studentsSusan Murabana鈥檚 Travelling Telescope program aims to show Kenyan kids the stars up close聽鈥� and that astronomy and science are for everyone.
鈥楤icycles kind of saved my life.鈥� Najari Smith spins a community forward.Najari Smith founded a co-op bike shop in Richmond, California, drawing youths to its Earn-a-Bike mechanics program and residents to community rides.
