A Hand Up.
Maak Impact Chairman Mike Linton and founder Skyler Meine had a chance meeting with a humanitarian while on safari. The result is an organization dedicated to creating business owners in one of the longest-running refugee camps in the world.
For most people, running a successful business and raising a family check all the happiness boxes. For Mike Linton, one of the perks of growing a business was that it afforded a dream trip to Africa. Read Story
MAKE AN IMPACT
The Hero to our Four-legged Friends.
When the floodwaters poured in, Captain Dusty Mascaro waded in and saved more than 100 pets in Hillsborough County, Florida.
In times of trouble, or even at the end of a long workday, many people turn to a familiar source of comfort: their animal companions. It’s no different after a disaster — for good reason. Read Story
BE GRATEFUL
Judging by Appearances Misses the Most Beautiful Part of Life: Friendship.
When Oliver Bromley was asked to leave a restaurant because of his facial disfigurement, he didn’t seek revenge. He only asks that we all seek understanding.
In our TikTok, filtered-reality world, it’s easy to get caught up in comparisons. Do I look as good as her? Are my cheekbones high enough? But these questions only narrow the lens through which we see the world. There is no divine standard by which we should all be measured. Read Story
FRIENDSHIP
The Dream Builder.
Mark Ostrom and the Joy Collaborative customize spaces for children with physical and emotional needs.
The result is a place where dreams flourish, friends and families gather, and wonderful kids get to be the center of something magical. Read Story
JOY
Listening from the Heart.
Ludwig Van Beethoven wrote some of his greatest works when he couldn’t hear a note.
While America was struggling to define its independence in the late 1700s, the upper echelons of European society were exploding with creativity. Read Story
ORCHESTRATE JOY
The Importance of a Good Dinner.
Cowboy chuckwagons were manned by veteran cowboys who cooked, sewed, repaired equipment and acted as mediators when tempers flared.
The iconic chuckwagon seen so often in movie Westerns came about shortly after the American Civil War. As the country expanded, cattle ranchers moved their herds along the Chisholm trail to Abilene, or across Texas to Dodge City, where cows fetched a good price and could be shipped to faraway markets. Read Story
RING THE DINNER BELL
The Electric Influence of a Good Mother.
Nikola Tesla was, in many ways, the stereotype of a mad scientist. His mother was kind, curious and loving. She encouraged him to look beyond his humble beginnings to the world stage.
The last name that is most famous today for the car that bears his name began as a knowledge-obsessed schoolboy. Read Story
BE A LIGHT
Engineering a Better Community.
Barron Prize winner and high schooler Adeline Smith co-founded Growing the STEM, a nonprofit that creates math and science programs for students in 14 underserved Idaho schools.
The roots of STEM education, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, go all the way back to 1862, when universities that received land grants began promoting agricultural science. Read Story
LEARN TOGETHER
Never Too Small to Make a Big Difference.
Georgia “Tiny” Broadwick was the first woman to jump from an airplane using a parachute.
Watching paragliders and skydivers these days is thrilling. They float and control their gossamer sails like giant birds. Imagine the first parachutes and the thrills they evoked in crowds who had never seen a human drop from the sky. Read Story
THINK BIG
The Long Shot.
Hunter Woodhall won state in the 400 meters with a blistering time of 47.64 seconds — without legs.
The Olympics always produces some of the most memorable images of the year, and the 2024 Paris event was no different. Read Story
CONFIDENCE
Miracle or Magician?
Whoever created the Loretto stairs in Santa Fe was a master craftsman. To do it in 1878 with nothing but hand tools is awe-inspiring.
The Loretto Chapel, in the heart of Santa Fe, New Mexico, is built from warm earthen adobe, with a small nave and, above it, a choir loft. But at the beginning, the two weren’t connected. Read Story
CREATE BEAUTY, ANONYMOUSLY
Go Fast, Go Long.
Carroll Shelby left his name on racetracks and cars all over the world. But it was at Le Mans, teamed up with family carmaker Ford, that Shelby ran the race he’ll be remembered for.
At age 7, Carroll Shelby moved to Dallas, Texas. He was the son of working-class parents, balanced precariously on the poverty line. He had a leaky heart valve that reminded him that life could end any day. Might as well live it pedal to the metal. Read Story
DRIVE
The Most Recognizable Voice in the World.
James Earl Jones put away the villainous Darth Vader to enjoy a character more like his real self: the kind Mr. Mertle in Sandlot.
The young James Earl Jones suffered from a debilitating stutter. Shy and self-conscious, young James was encouraged to try theater as a way to overcome it. Perhaps the teacher saw his future potential, but more likely, she saw a boy who needed a little confidence. Read Story
LIFT YOUR VOICE
Everyone Needs a Good Teacher. Even Einstein.
Ernst Mach, the forgotten professor who influenced Einstein and developed a method for measuring aircraft velocity.
Many of us can point to a teacher who directed our talents toward a career, a fulfilling hobby, a better way to understand ourselves. Read Story
TEACH
Reforesting the Amazon, 100 Million Trees at a Time.
How skydiving legend Luigi Cani’s daring stunt is aimed at breathing new life into our world.
The Earth is one giant, living organism, and we have the privilege of calling it home. We enjoy the beauty of blue skies, the shade of magnificent trees, the lulling motion of waves. Read Story
