Living on a Prayer.
Catch up with mega-star musician Jon Bon Jovi as he continues to inspire fans, serving up soup and doing dishes at JBJ Soul Kitchen in New Jersey.
In the midst of the pandemic, somewhere in the heart of Chicago, when the whole city was in quarantine, somebody opened a window and began singing. We may never know who that optimistic person was, but we will never forget the song. Read Story
BE THERE, ALWAYS
Superheroes Do Fly … Sometimes!
Olympic kitesurfer Bruno Lobo swoops in to save a drowning woman.
Kitesurfers seem to defy gravity. They skim along the troughs of waves and jet off the crests, seemingly weightless and birdlike. Tethered to a parasol arching 40 feet above them, they shift directions, glide, carve through the water and float through the air. Read Story
THANK YOU
Funny Business
Adam Sandler is more than a goofy face. Although he makes us laugh, he is quite serious about doing good. Read Story
LAUGH AT YOURSELF
From the NFL to the Opera
When Life Changes, Change your Dreams.
Ta’u Pupu’a grew up in Tonga playing football and singing in the school choir. His massive size and athletic drive propelled him to a career with the Baltimore Ravens. When an injury ended his playing time, he switched to his other passion: opera. Read Story
SING YOUR SONG
How Far Can Mind and Body Take You?
101 triathlons in as many days. That’s what the Iron Cowboy found out. How far can you go?
In the world of athletics, records are merely goals to be broken. In long-distance running, the marathon has long been the measure against which you pitted yourself. Read Story
SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO
We Are All Amateurs.
George Plimpton made a name for himself by slipping into high-profile careers and writing about his madcap adventures — as an amateur.
We are all participants in what Walt Whitman calls “the great play of life.” How we choose to participate is up to us. We can be casual observers or throw ourselves into life and enjoy not only the triumphs but also our foibles. No one embodied this truth more than one journalistic pioneer. Read Story
JUST PARTICIPATE
Crafting Relationships.
10-year-old Alfie works in the woodworking shop with his grandfather, crafting high-end chopping boards. Selling items out of the garage, the duo are building their relationship — and a brighter future.
It seems the world has gotten much smaller for the new generation of children. With access to world news streaming on smartphones and becoming the focus of discussions in classrooms, kids like Alfie are well aware of the problems other kids face around the world. Fortunately, that also inspires kids like Alfie to do something about it. Read Story
TIME WELL SPENT
A Hand Up.
Maak Impact Chairman Mike Linton and founder Skyler Meine had a chance meeting with a humanitarian while on safari. The result is an organization dedicated to creating business owners in one of the longest-running refugee camps in the world.
For most people, running a successful business and raising a family check all the happiness boxes. For Mike Linton, one of the perks of growing a business was that it afforded a dream trip to Africa. Read Story
MAKE AN IMPACT
The Hero to our Four-legged Friends.
When the floodwaters poured in, Captain Dusty Mascaro waded in and saved more than 100 pets in Hillsborough County, Florida.
In times of trouble, or even at the end of a long workday, many people turn to a familiar source of comfort: their animal companions. It’s no different after a disaster — for good reason. Read Story
BE GRATEFUL
Judging by Appearances Misses the Most Beautiful Part of Life: Friendship.
When Oliver Bromley was asked to leave a restaurant because of his facial disfigurement, he didn’t seek revenge. He only asks that we all seek understanding.
In our TikTok, filtered-reality world, it’s easy to get caught up in comparisons. Do I look as good as her? Are my cheekbones high enough? But these questions only narrow the lens through which we see the world. There is no divine standard by which we should all be measured. Read Story
FRIENDSHIP
The Dream Builder.
Mark Ostrom and the Joy Collaborative customize spaces for children with physical and emotional needs.
The result is a place where dreams flourish, friends and families gather, and wonderful kids get to be the center of something magical. Read Story
JOY
Listening from the Heart.
Ludwig Van Beethoven wrote some of his greatest works when he couldn’t hear a note.
While America was struggling to define its independence in the late 1700s, the upper echelons of European society were exploding with creativity. Read Story
ORCHESTRATE JOY
The Importance of a Good Dinner.
Cowboy chuckwagons were manned by veteran cowboys who cooked, sewed, repaired equipment and acted as mediators when tempers flared.
The iconic chuckwagon seen so often in movie Westerns came about shortly after the American Civil War. As the country expanded, cattle ranchers moved their herds along the Chisholm trail to Abilene, or across Texas to Dodge City, where cows fetched a good price and could be shipped to faraway markets. Read Story
RING THE DINNER BELL
The Electric Influence of a Good Mother.
Nikola Tesla was, in many ways, the stereotype of a mad scientist. His mother was kind, curious and loving. She encouraged him to look beyond his humble beginnings to the world stage.
The last name that is most famous today for the car that bears his name began as a knowledge-obsessed schoolboy. Read Story
BE A LIGHT
Engineering a Better Community.
Barron Prize winner and high schooler Adeline Smith co-founded Growing the STEM, a nonprofit that creates math and science programs for students in 14 underserved Idaho schools.
The roots of STEM education, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, go all the way back to 1862, when universities that received land grants began promoting agricultural science. Read Story
