Archive for the ‘Inspirational People’ Category

Jim Abbott won an Olympic gold medal, played professional baseball, pitched a no-hitter, wrote a bestselling memoir and has positively impacted the lives of thousands of people through his inspirational talks.

With all of that success, Jim still enthusiastically recounts how one of his greatest inspirations was one of his earliest — Don Clarkson, his third grade teacher.

Jim Abbott was born with only one hand. Like most young kids, when Jim was in elementary school he desperately wanted to fit in, but it wasn’t easy. Jim recalls being singled out as different. Kids would …

Anish’s parents probably hadn’t seen a white person before. Now, not only was there a white man in their village, but Conor Grennan had pictures of their missing son, Anish, whom they had mourned every day for the past 4 years.

Both parent sobbed. This was the miracle they had prayed for daily. Their son was alive and they would see him again.

It’s a safe bet that Anish’s family and the 350 plus other families Conor Grennan has helped reunite would be surprised at how Conor got into the business of saving kids . …

It was a star-studded night. After recording her new song at Rotation Records, Amy Hosmer left the studio. She was greeted by about 75 enthusiastic fans. It was an eclectic bunch, ranging from toddlers to middle-aged men. Amy smiled shyly and thanked everyone for coming. Not what we’d expect from a rock star. Probably because Amy isn’t a typical star.

Amy is similar to most little girls I know. She loves the color pink, Barbie, jewelry and makeup. She loves to perform and wants to be a professional singer. The 11-year-old receives a lot of …

I can’t believe 20 kids and 6 adults are dead. Shot in their school by a gunman. It made me cry. Shit, something like that could have happened in Philadelphia. That could have been our kid. As I sat devastated I thought, What now? What can I do?

I can be thankful for what I have. How can I let little or even big things bother me, when I consider what happened in Sandy Hook Elementary School?

I can be certain to appreciate and take full advantage of the time I have with my family. …

It was a warm Tuesday night, four or five years ago, and I was outside a convenience store drinking the Gatorade I had just bought. As I often did that summer, I was participating in the Philadelphia skate club’s weekly Rollerblade through the city. We were about halfway through the skate and on a drink break.

I knew I had about ten minutes, so I gave my 85-year-old grandma, Nanny, a call to check in.

When she heard my voice, she said, “Brad, I’m so happy you called. I have some important information to share.”

She paused and then continued.

“I think your underwear is too tight. That’s why you’re having trouble having babies.”

Erik and Diane Roberts’ 21-month-old son Ryan was born with a heart defect and Down’s syndrome; he has undergone surgeries since he was four days old. Ryan’s parents were recently told that there is nothing more doctors can do for him, and Ryan isn’t expected to live much longer. A parent’s worst nightmare.

The Roberts try to make the most of their time with Ryan–creating special moments and memories with Ryan. They had him pet a puppy, ride a bike (with help from dad) and Ryan even shared his first beer with his dad for …

When we consider the vast number of people who need help, being part of the solution can seem overwhelming. There are hundreds of thousands of kids trapped in failing schools in the U.S. alone. There are many millions of starving children around the world. How can a single person who isn’t a billionaire have an impact? Where do you start?

Start with one small act.

Hilde Back’s story is about how small acts of kindness can have an unimaginably large impact. When she was a schoolteacher in Sweden, Hilde decided to sponsor one child’s education …

David Boone became homeless in his early teenage years.

“When I was 14 years old, my family and I lost our home to gang violence. I refused to join the gang, so they retaliated, leaving bullet holes in our house and our family. As a result, my family had to split up because no one had room to take us all in together” David wrote in his blog.

David lived in a variety of places for about 2 years until his mom secured a safe place for his family. He lived with friends, caring …

Jack Andraka enjoys mountain biking, whitewater rafting, kayaking, and science. According to his Facebook page, he’s a fan of Beavis and Butthead, Family Guy and The Simpsons. Oh yeah—when Jack was 15-years-old he also created a new diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer that is 28 times faster, 26,000 times less expensive and over 100 times more sensitive than the current diagnostic tests. And, in case that’s not impressive enough, the test also works for ovarian and lung cancer.

His diagnostic test earned him first prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair…