The Cellist of Sarajevo.
In the grips of war, the people of Sarajevo waited anxiously for some kind of resolution. Much of the city had been reduced to rubble. Life hung by a thread. The notes of hope cut through the air for 22 days straight as cellist Vedran Smailović risked death to fill the air with music.
In 1992, the country of Yugoslavia was being torn apart. Warring factions created chaos in this otherwise beautiful city. Read Story
THE PEACE OF MUSIC
From Humble Dishwasher to Mega-star.
Without the help of an elderly waiter, Sidney Poitier might never have become the actor that he is.
Sydney Poitier, the charismatic actor with the smooth-toned voice and intense gaze, rose to stardom in the 1960s. Honored by the Screen Actors Guild, winner of an Academy Award and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Poitier became a household name. But he got his start as a dishwasher. Read Story
MENTOR A TEENAGER
It’s Okay to Admit When You are Wrong.
A cancer survivor and his best friend live through an avalanche and preserve their friendship. A StoryCorps story.
Longtime friends Alex Lewis and Matt Koch hiked into the Colorado backcountry in December of 2016, planning to spend four days in the wilderness, miles away from the nearest town. Read Story
FORGIVENESS
The Bison are Back!
With the reintroduction of the iconic beast by Native American tribes, something else returned: the environment, creatures and culture.
“Anyone can love the mountains, but it takes a soul to love the prairie,” wrote Willa Cather, author of “O Pioneers!,” the saga of early westward struggles and the kind of character it took to appreciate the harsh and immense beauty of the plains. Read Story
GET BACK TO BEAUTIFUL
The Janitor who Changed the World of Science.
What would you do with your free time if you were a janitor at a university? How about becoming the inspiration for the movie “Good Will Hunting”?
James Croll was born into abject poverty in 1821. From birth, a slight deformity on the front of his skull made him the target of mocking children and adults alike. As a result, he developed a withdrawn personality that he eventually turned into an advantage — and an inspiration for us even today. Read Story
READ A BOOK
Pull Up for a Stranger in Need.
How the trucker community pulled off an impromptu maneuver that saved a man’s life.
The road can be a lonely place. Perhaps that’s why truckers have created a set of unwritten rules, a code for the road, that most live by. Read Story
PULL UP FOR A FRIEND
Changing Course in the Middle of Life’s Journey.
Peter Pretorius was stranded in Mozambique during the country’s worst famine. Rather than find a way out, he designed a way to give back.
Mozambique sits on the southeast coast of Africa. Its beautiful beaches and climate belie the challenges of poverty and growing pains associated with its independence, gained in 1975. Read Story
CHANGE YOUR COURSE. CHANGE A LIFE.
The Language of Love and Inclusion.
Barron Prize Winner Mia Lee founded LingoX, a nonprofit that provides free language classes for refugees, when she was 18 years old. LingoX now serves 136 countries.
Mia Lee is a confident teenager with a sharp mind and a big heart. She also lives in a world where massive geopolitical transitions drive people from their homes, requiring them to learn new languages and new life skills to survive. Read Story
SHARE YOUR VOICE
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
