Boon Lott鈥檚 Elephant Sanctuary, a 540-acre reserve in Thailand, is home to elephants saved from a life of misery in the logging and tourism trades.
Her foundation wants to break the cycle of poverty by educating 鈥� from kindergarten through college 鈥� at least one child in each family.
SongwritingWith:Soldiers provides a healthy emotional outlet. The songs help others facing similar challenges and build a bridge between military service and civilian life.
She advises residents on how to obtain title to a vacant property and defends grass-roots garden projects threatened by development.
The We Women Foundation provides women in Myanmar (formerly Burma) with access to higher education. The goal: become leaders in their communities.
Breakthrough, the human rights organization she created, calls on people, particularly boys and men, to stop domestic violence wherever they see it.
Homemade biodigesters turn human and food waste into biogas, which can be used to heat water, cook food, or produce electricity.
Her Sunrise Children's Village in Cambodia helps children who are 'abused, discarded, neglected, unloved, unwanted' to grow up to be whatever they want to be.
The Peace Crane Project is an invitation to kids everywhere to write a poem or message 鈥� or draw or paint a picture 鈥� of peace. Then they fold it into an origami crane and fly it to the world.
The athlete-adventurer co-founded a relay run called One Run for Boston that started in Los Angeles and ended at the marathon finish line to raise funds for victims.
She's chief executive of Endeavor Global, a nonprofit group that gives a leg up to budding entrepreneurs.
City Faces, started as an arts activity for St. Louis kids, now includes help with homework, library skills, basic cooking, and other classes.
Bracken, himself a former foster child, started Orange Duffel Bag to offer life coaching and other help to teens dealing with the challenges of homelessness or foster care.
His Border Network for Human Rights doesn't just point out problems but proposes solutions. It could become a national model for dealing with immigrant rights.
Rubicon Bakery, a moneymaking business owned by Andrew Stoloff, employs 105 full-time staff, some with only a sixth-grade education and many having served time in prison.
The web-based journalist is one of the few in Japan who continue to visit the region around Fukushima and give a voice to those who have been affected.
The tiny Fahamu Refugee Programme has an ambitious goal: provide lawyers and advocates around the world with the legal resources they need to win a refugee's case.
Let Girls Lead has provided training and services to more than 40,000 adolescent girls to foster a movement of global girl power.
She quit her job, sold her possessions, including her home, and dedicated her resources, energy, and time to New Orleans' most neglected youths.
The documentary film 'Every Three Seconds' profiles five ordinary people around the world who have found remarkable, yet simple, ways to 'get involved' and make a difference.
Students at Sabriye Tenberken's 'kanthari institute' have come from 30 countries and already overcome personal hardships. Graduates, determined to make a positive difference, have started more than 45 projects in the developing world.
The young architect built shiny yellow lockers with shelves and a place to hang clothes. They also serve as a postal address: Letters can be inserted through an outer slot.
Lovin' Spoonfuls, a nonprofit food rescue group in Boston, strives to remove a glaring kink in the food chain and bridge the gap between waste and want.
She cofounded OvidiuRo, a nonprofit group dedicated to helping severely impoverished children in Romania succeed in school.
Thousands of refugees and asylum seekers attempt the hazardous trip through Egypt's Sinai trying to reach Israel. About a third die in the attempt and many are held for ransom. Hamdy al-Azazy helps as many as he can.
