A simple idea to combat loneliness on the school playground – the buddy bench! Christian, a first grader, saw a picture of a pretty bench, had an idea, and approached his principal. He knew that some kids looked like they were lonely at recess, and he thought that a bench,Continue Reading
Ted Qualli, the 66-year-old janitor at Newtown Elementary School, knows the names of every one of the school’s 850 students. Of course he is the first person to arrive in the morning and the last person to leave at night. But he does much more than cleaning classrooms. He wearsContinue Reading
Some professional athletes spend their money on luxury homes, cars, and vacations, but the Chicago Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo thought of something better. Rizzo announced a $3.5 million commitment to create two endowed funds at a children’s hospital in Chicago. One fund will provide grants on a case-by-case basis for familiesContinue Reading
Twelve students from San Fernando High School, a math, science, and technology magnet school in the Los Angeles area, spent all last year working on a project to create solar-powered shelters for the homeless. These16 and 17 year old girls are mostly from low-income families, and are either the daughtersContinue Reading
Bo Paske, a 6th grade student at Montford Middle School in Tallahassee, is autistic. He’s a sweet child with a smile and hug for everyone. For whatever reason, he almost always sits alone at the lunch table. His mother thinks his autism in some ways shields him from noticing heContinue Reading
Raven Osborne is the first student in the history of Indiana to earn a bachelor’s degree before receiving her high school diploma! A week before she gets her diploma in May, she’ll be graduating from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in early childhoodContinue Reading
Sidney Keys, an 11-year old African-American, noticed that his St. Louis school library had very few books about kids like himself. So he started Books n Bros, a book club for 8- to 12-year-olds who get together and read African-American literature. Sidney also wanted to improve literacy among his peers,Continue Reading
One of the most difficult things about leaving prison is getting back on your feet and not ending up back in prison. It is estimated that two-thirds of people released from prison in the U.S. are rearrested within three years. After serving time, people are routinely discriminated against when tryingContinue Reading
Cubs outfielder Matt Szczur made his major league debut in 2014 and has a career batting average of .242. While not an everyday player, Szczur has shown tremendous value as a consistent pinch hitter and backup outfielder. What is of special interest is the impact he has made off theContinue Reading
The Waste to Wealth program, started in 2012, has trained more than 300 women in northeastern Nigeria to recycle plastic waste into mats, bags and other colorful accessories. “This has really helped me. Now I can pay my children’s school fees, I can buy food for my family andContinue Reading