While Michael Phelps continues to set records in the pool this week, another inspirational U.S. swimmer is waiting in the wings for her turn at Olympic greatness. Melissa Stockwell, 28, is an Iraq War Veteran and above knee amputee. In 2004, just three weeks into her tour of duty in Iraq, Stockwell lost nearly her entire left leg in roadside bomb attack, making her the first U.S. female amputee of the war.
Rather than harbor bitterness for the accident, Melissa has made a point to help other amputees and inspire them to go after their dreams. Since recovering, she has dedicated hours volunteering toward that cause; and in her spare time competed in 8 triathlons and 2 NYC Marathons. In addition, she continues to represent the country she loves; this time by swimming 3 events for the U.S. Paralympic Swim Team in the upcoming Beijing Games. We thank Melissa for serving our country, and applaud her continued heroism in dedicating her life to helping other amputees. You can show your support for Melissa as well by purchasing a T-Shirt, inspired by her story, from TAKE PRIDE(another cool T-Shirt company which we’ll write more about soon)
Warren became a household name in 2002 when his book The Purpose Driven Life sold 40 million copies world wide. But its what he did afterward that solidified his impact. With money he earned from book sales, Warren stopped taking a salary from his church, retroactively paid back them back everything from the previous 25 years, and started a foundation to tackle global issues like poverty, illiteracy, and AIDS. In addition he committed to give away 90% of his income to the church and a variety of other causes and live off the remaining 10%
In 2006, he gave this memorable speech at the TED Conference (which we have also selected for our MajorityMag Myspace Video of the Week) and continues to inspire millions with his message of living with purpose and using our gifts and talents to make a difference.
When gang members in East L.A. want to get their lives on track, the man they go to for the past 20 years is Father G. Greg Boyle, as he may be more commonly known, developed his street cred as a pastor at the Dolores Mission Church. It was there that he helped several former gangsters (many from rival gangs) create their own bakery providing a way for them to make an honest living. Today that bakery has expanded into numerous small businesses collectively operating under the name of Homeboy Industries. In addition to providing jobs through their various businesses, HI also provides free servicessuch as case management, counseling, tatoo removal, and various educational opportunities.
On top of overseeing the Homeboy programs Father G now travels the country speaking to young people and advising for many gang intervention programs.
At the age of 12, Bill Wilson was abandoned, on a street corner, by his mother. It was out of that experience of pain and lonliness that he developed a deep compassion for hurting children, and for the last 30 years he’s made it his life’s work to replace their pain with joy and peace.
In 1980 Wilson established Metro Ministries in Brooklyn’s Brushwick neighborhood, an area infamous for its drugs, gang violence, and poverty. For his efforts to improve the plight of impoverished youngsters there, Wilson was beaten, stabbed, and even shot in the face, yet he refused to leave. Over the years he continued his weekly services, home visits, food distribution, tutoring, and more. His consistency has led to dramatic changes in the area, and helped many children rise out of disaster to success. In addition to the Brooklyn outreach Wilson’s organization now has programs operating in 150 U.S. neighborhoods and nearly 60 internationally, where a heavy focus is put on rescuing child sex slaves.
Overall about 45,000 kids per week are impacted by Metro Ministries thanks to one man chose to turn his loss into love.
In addition to this term with the Navy the Prince has already spent time in the Air Force and will complete tours of duty in the other branches as well. While William’s future position usually requires him to stay out of the action, it is pretty noble that he, and his brother Harry, are actually taking the time to serve in the armed forces that they will one day lead.
Randy Pausch, the computer science professor whose “Last Lecture” has inspired millions, died early this morning at his home in Virginia. Since we don’t normally write about sad stories here on MajorityMag, we want to use this post to celebrate Pausch’s life and the impact he made on millions (we’re pretty sure that’s what he would want too).
Above is Pausch’s “last lecture”, a heart-felt message entitled “Really Living Your Childhood Dreams”, which he gave on September 18, 2007, shortly after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and being told he had only a few months to live. The lecture, and subsequent book, have reached millions of people and inspired us all to live a meaningful life.
Even before this lecture made him famous Pausch was highly regarded for his achievements in the field of Computer Science. He created an innovative educational software called “Alice” and co-founded Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center. Among students and collegues he was admired for his passion, humor, and caring heart, and most importantly Pausch was a loving husband and dedicated father of three. Congratulations Dr. Pausch, on a life well-lived.
Quick Reminder: Pausch’s book The Last Lecture is our August book for the Summer Reading Series. Please consider joining us in reading and discussing it together on this site.
Milton and Fred Ochieng grew up in the rural village of Lwala in southwestern Kenya. Both excelled in school, earning scholarships to Dartmouth College, but couldn’t afford airfare to the U.S. When members of the village sold chickens, cows, and goats to help get plane tickets the brothers vowed to return the favor; and today they are doing just that through the Lwala Community Alliance (LCA).
The non-profit, formed by the brothers, is aimed at improving the standard of living for citizens of Lwala and other surrounding villages. The centerpiece of this mission is the Ochieng Community Health Center, a clinic run by the boys (who, by the way, have now completed Med. School) The clinic provides free healthcare to 1,500 patients per month and also help educate citizens on prevention of AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases. In addition the LCA helps provide clean water and sanitation, scholarships for young people, and is even working on a microfinance program. Milton and Fred now share time between Lwala and the U.S. where they continue to pursue their medical careers and raise funds and awareness for their projects back home. If you want to be a part of helping the brothers keep their promise, click here to see how you can contribute.
The goal: to photograph one child from every country in the world. The catch: every child has to be living in New York City. That’s the story behind NYChildren a uniquely uplifiting photography project that seeks to showcase the wealth of diversity The Big Apple has to offer.
Over the last four years that he has been working on the concept, Danny Goldfield has been able to meet and photograph kids from 151 of the world’s 193 countries. His candid shots capture a beautiful sense of innocense and hope that seems to exist in all children. Goldfield has hope too; not only that he will finish the project, but that once he does he will be able to bring all the children together to celebrate.
If you live on the East Coast, you’ve probably heard about Corey Booker before, but he gets alot less press over here in the Northwest, so we thought we should let people know. Booker, 39, is the current Mayor of Newark, New Jersey; a city with a long history of problems such as high crime rates, political corruption, underperforming schools, and unemployment, to name a few. For the past several years, even before becoming Mayor, Booker has been using a hands on approach to changing that history.
In 1998 Booker moved into Brick Towers, a well-known housing project in the city’s Central Ward, and organized tenants to fight for improved conditions. That same year he was elected to the City Council. Over the next several months he tried to draw attention to the city’s drug trafficking problem by living in a motor home which he parked on coners notorious for dealing. After losing his 2002 bid for mayor, Booker founded Newark Now, a grassroots organization that provides many programs aimed at improving the quality of life for the city’s residents. In 2006, Booker finally won the mayor position and has made some great improvements over the last couple years. While continuing to live among the people, (now in an apartment in the city’s notoriously poor and crime-ridden South Ward) Booker does regular ride-alongs with his police force, mentors teenage boys, and hosts open-office hours for citizens to meet with him one on one.
Even with all Booker’s efforts Newark still has a long way to go and many things to fix, but at least they have a leader who is willing to do what it takes to make it happen.
Today Bill Gates formally makes his transition into full-time work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. No matter what your opinions about Mr. Gates are, there is no question that he has a heart for making the world a better place and we applaud the commitment he has shown to that cause. Since its inception in 2000 the Gates Foundation has already committed over $16 billion to various causes that support their three focus areas: Global Development, Global Health, United States Development.
Congratulations on the new job Bill! We applaud your success this far and look forward to more great things to come.
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