All People Making a Difference
Difference Maker鈥楢 place of refuge鈥�: Bird-watching takes flight on Chicago鈥檚 South SideWhen she created the first 鈥淎frobirding鈥� group 15 years ago, Sherry Williams helped broaden and diversify a pastime known for its narrow demographics.
Difference MakerUganda鈥檚 forests are disappearing. He鈥檚 fighting back.Environmental activist William Amanzuru鈥檚 network, Friends of Zoka, is determined to push back against illegal logging and deforestation in Uganda.
Cover StoryMelinda Gates: What she鈥檚 learnedHow her approach to philanthropy, and her own life, has changed after $50 billion of giving.聽
Difference MakerThese dogs get second chances. Just like their inmate caretakers.Pennsylvania nonprofit pairs dogs with inmates. The goal is to help participants land a full-time job within 90 days of their release.
Difference MakerBlack history in plain sight: One woman鈥檚 quest to topple stereotypesA New Hampshire civil rights advocate resurfaces hidden stories of African Americans. Her work helps dispel the myth that slavery didn't exist in the North.
Difference MakerThe woman who鈥檚 appeared for 700-plus exams 鈥� to help disabled studentsPushpa Nagaraj has volunteered as a scribe for hundreds of students with visual impairments in India, helping them navigate an exam-based system.
Difference MakerHow Seattle cafe鈥檚 鈥榬adical hospitality鈥� serves recovery communityA cafe in Seattle doubles as a refuge for those in recovery from addiction. It鈥檚 part of a nationwide network serving around 1,500 people a month.
Difference MakerJob training that puts people 鈥� and their community 鈥撀燽ack on trackMarvin DeJear鈥檚 Evelyn K. Davis Center shows that social service organizations can strengthen whole communities 鈥� one person at a time.
Difference MakerTo save rare ponies, one couple gives up almost everythingAmanda Simpson and Stathis Katsarelias have given up almost everything to care for Skyrian horses on the island of Sk铆ros.
Difference MakerAn imaginative space that helps kids believe in stories 鈥� and themselvesThe nonprofit Grimm & Co. boosts literacy skills at its store and in schools, serving close to 3,000 children a year in Rotherham, England.
Village store revival? German towns opt for community over big-box retailersPeter B枚hmer reopened the village store in his German home of Farchant a few years ago, and it has been going gangbusters ever since.
Difference MakerHow a Chicago photographer uses art to bridge racial dividesSometimes art allows people to see in a fresh way. Tonika Johnson鈥檚 project has done that by connecting opposite sides of a long-segregated city.
He鈥檚 a reader on the run 鈥� a 56-mile runTo support school libraries, Marukgwane Moremogolo combines his two passions聽鈥� running and reading聽鈥撀燼t South Africa鈥檚 grueling Comrades Marathon.
Difference Maker鈥楻adical hospitality鈥�: Helping those on the streets get a showerTo address part of the homeless challenge, Doniece Sandoval started Lava Mae, a nonprofit that provides mobile showers.
Difference MakerAt a Georgia day care center, older neighbors find purpose, connectionLittle Steps Community Daycare in rural Georgia has transformed the lives of children, parents, and senior volunteers.
Difference Maker鈥榊ou can鈥檛 unhurt a young person.鈥� But you can help them thrive.At Hopeworks, Dan Rhoton helps at-risk youths find opportunity by coupling coding and computer training with聽life readiness coaching.
Difference MakerCan Europe be saved? One couple鈥檚 mission to mend, not trash, the EU.As nationalist and anti-Europe voices have gained strength, the R枚ders have organized pro-Europe rallies that encourage political participation.
Difference MakerLegal fights and threats to his life: an environmental activist in self-exileHe left Liberia for his safety and won the Goldman Environmental Prize fighting for land rights 鈥� and against governments and big corporations.
Difference MakerIndia has a big trash problem. TrashBot is trying to help.In Bangalore, India, a startup called TrashCon made a machine that helps manage waste by sorting mixed trash.
Four ways families can give back this summerThere are many ways to volunteer with family members. Try something different, maybe abroad or maybe in your own backyard.