All People Making a Difference
Difference MakerA different kind of care package: Concertgoers ‘Blanket the Homeless’Blanket the Homeless volunteers are Ken Newman’s concertgoers, who hand out blankets and his packages of small essentials to people on the streets.
Difference MakerWhy a Muslim woman safeguards Jewish history for all MoroccansFor Zhor Rehihil, Muslim curator of the Museum of Moroccan Judaism in Casablanca, the shared past provides a path to a better future.
Eat well, do good: Bread for the People makes giving back deliciousBread for the People bakes and delivers sourdough bread around Austin, Texas, in exchange for donations to support communities near and far.
Difference MakerA new stone soup: Idle restaurants fire up to feed the hungryCooking for Community of Portland, Maine, saves some jobs as funders enable restaurants and volunteers to make and deliver meals to whoever is hungry.Â
Difference MakerHow one monk’s ‘inner evolution’ fuels social justice workSwami Agnivesh is an Indian social activist known for his campaign against modern-day slavery and support of interfaith understanding.
#ShareMyCheck: Why Americans are donating their coronavirus relief checksIn an era of coronavirus fears, Americans are pledging to pay it forward by sharing their relief checks to organizations and neighbors in need.
She was forced to marry a warlord. Now, she’s helping survivors heal.Evelyn Amony’s Women’s Advocacy Network helps survivors of conflict in Uganda, particularly those abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army.
Their past was a nightmare. For many refugees, the Dream Center offers hope.Founded by refugees, the Dream Center offers other refugees support and compassion – and for many, a sense of family.Â
Difference MakerHoops and Homework: One man shelves retirement for an after-school dreamHerb Chasan shows what it takes to launch an after-school program in Massachusetts – and how the rewards can be big.
Letter from Romania: A 12th-century village enduresBy investing in its cultural heritage, a Transylvanian village makes a comeback.
Difference MakerQuidditch in Uganda: On this pitch, women and men are equalQuidditch isn’t just make-believe. John Ssentamu brought the Harry Potter game to Uganda, where it’s giving women a new chance to compete as equals.
Difference MakerWhen the friend who has your back is a horseDream Catchers, a therapeutic horseback riding center, helps people with disabilities build trust and confidence.
When wildfires ravaged Australia, she found purpose in saving wallabiesAustralia’s wildfires were a wake-up call for Chris Pryor, who doubled down on her efforts to save the continent’s wallabies.Â
For these homebound seniors, poems offer food for the soulPoems on Wheels delivers poems along with meal trays to thousands of older New Yorkers, offering nourishment for body and soul.Â
A T-shirt shop grows in Brooklyn – and brings hope to young livesCalled Reconnect Brooklyn, this group helps young men who lack ties to either school or jobs. Learning to make T-shirts is a meaningful step up.
Difference MakerJournalist wants Russians ‘to believe in possibility of change’Investigative journalist Ivan Golunov became a rallying point for Russians opposed to police corruption when he was arrested in June 2019.
This man brings hope to Arab youth, one Wikipedia page at a timeIn the Middle East, where access to Arabic-language content is limited, translations of web content offer ideas and empowerment.Â
Difference MakerFashion – not disability – defines this young entrepreneur’s futureTie designer Will Howell joins other Americans with disabilities finding independence through self-employment.
‘Defense ninja’: One Muslim woman’s journey to empowermentFeeling powerless in the face of harassment, Fauzia Lala vowed to study self-defense. Now she helps others do the same in her school, Defense Ninjas.Â
Difference MakerFrom logger to tree-hugger: One man’s fight for the AmazonAfter going through his own transformation from logging company owner to conservation advocate, Mark Baker aims to pay it forward with nature tours.