For the Cost of a Box of Cereal.
How just noticing makes all the difference in the world.
Julian was having a difficult day at work. Projects were due, and his boss had just made major changes to a spreadsheet that would mean a long night. Julian isn’t the type to get angry, but he does get withdrawn. Taking a deep breath, he gathered himself and went out to grab a late lunch that would also serve as dinner. Read Story
SHARING
The Future Belongs to Kids.
So far, things look pretty bright.
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes features some pretty remarkable kids. Teens are cleaning up our oceans, feeding their underserved peers, creating tutoring networks and collecting donations for the homeless. Many have used their screen time to mobilize volunteer efforts in ways that the previous generation just couldn’t do. Read Story
OPPORTUNITY
An Impossible Journey.
How John Wesley Powell navigated the Colorado River and Grand Canyon in wooden boats.
In May 1869, John Wesley Powell, a former Union Army major who had lost most of his right arm in the Battle of Shiloh, led 10 explorers in launching four heavy wooden boats loaded to the gunwales with 10 months of supplies. Read Story
PERSEVERANCE
A Lesson We Should Never Forget.
The incredible story of American POWs smuggling rations to Russian prisoners at Stalag-B.
In 1988, Charles Kuralt discovered a story of heroism that would have disappeared from history were it not for the determination of a former Russian prisoner who vowed to thank the men who saved his life and the lives of many of his comrades. During the 40 years of the Cold War, Dr. Nikita Aseyev kept the names of the American soldiers safe and close to his heart. Read Story
HUMANITY
Overcoming Our Own Worst Mistakes.
Kaelin Clay made an unpardonable error in football. And he owned it.
There’s a story in football that goes all the way back to 1929. Roy Riegels of Cal picked up a fumble and nearly returned the ball to the endzone … for the opposing team. He had to be tackled by a teammate and earned the nickname “Wrong Way Riegels.” He was so distraught that his coach had to talk him into returning to the game. Read Story
OVERCOMING
The Least Likely to Help.
How a bedridden attorney still fights for the rights of others.
Reggie spent his college years on the ski team. Summers, he worked odd jobs and water-skied. His life was perfect, as he describes it. Outdoors most of the time, doing homework with buddies at the ski lodge. He moved on to law school and started his own practice so he’d have time to ski. His kids learned the art of the graceful turn in waist-high powder, and all were easily identified by their raccoon faces and smiles that hold memories of the latest best ski day. Read Story
GIVE BACK
Everybody Gets on Base.
Measuring the victories of life, one single at a time.
From the heartland to urban parks, the release of school kids onto the baseball diamonds signals the beginning of summer. There was a time when baseball was the only summer game. But with competition from soccer and lacrosse, the clap of leather gloves in around-the-horn warmups is not as omnipresent as it used to be. Still, America’s game is a place for young boys to prove themselves in their pre-adolescent tribes. Read Story
LOVE
Beyond the Moon with an Eye on Mars.
The story of a young woman who dreamed of pushing the boundaries and now designs launch systems for NASA.
The billionaire space race is on. And it rivals the competition between Russia and the USA in the early ’60s. In Trekkie language, space is “the final frontier.” What has changed since those early days of Star Trek and Apollo missions is the hairstyles and the technology, but not the imagination of space dreamers everywhere. Read Story
ENCOURAGEMENT
Road Trip Across America.
A discovery of what unites us.
The early morning sun shelters behind the Rocky Mountains, and it’s not until you reach Wyoming that it’s up full. Seeing America by car has re-emerged. Perhaps pent-up travelers want to move about with no schedules and restraints. Read Story
FAMILY
Being a Mother…
The roundabout journey to a dream fulfilled.
Li lives in a small New England town. She had two dreams growing up: to be a nurse and to raise a family. She got through nursing school OK; she says the classwork was much harder than being with patients. Read Story
LOVE
Reach for the Stars…
No Matter How Long it Takes.
Wally Funk became the oldest person to visit space. She’s 82 years young! Better late than never. Probably the last thing Wally Funk wants to hear. She just flew into space at age 82 after completing her spaceflight training in the 1960s. Read Story
DREAM
Stay Curious.
The remarkable underwater life of Jacques Cousteau.
So little was known about the depths of the sea in the mid 1930s. An entire world lay beneath the ships, yet it was mostly inaccessible. Staring out at endless ocean waters had spiked the imaginations of sailors for centuries. Tales of fantastic beasts and cursed currents filled their minds and kept them planted firmly on the decks. Read Story
WONDER
Taking Responsibility.
How one high school student supported her family during the pandemic.
Maria and her parents moved to the US from Brazil one year before the pandemic. Better education opportunities lay ahead, and they were excited to get Maria into an American high school to prepare for college. Read Story
RESPONSIBILITY
The World Awaits You.
The story of the first woman to circumnavigate the world.
The name Jeanne Baret is hardly a household name. She was born in rural France in the mid 1700s and her family teetered on the edge of poverty. But Jeanne was an unusual woman -- curious, intelligent, and determined to leave her small village to see what lies beyond. Little did she know how far she would go. Read Story
AMBITION
Born to Make a Difference.
Kids who are changing their world.
Kids these days. Seems they spend most of their time with their noses pointed at their phones or their eyeballs frantically moving to the flashes of video games. It’s easy to be a bit pessimistic about the future. But if you look closely, there are young minds solving major world problems. Read Story
