Prosperity

Housing Them in Her Heart

admin — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:27:00 -0500

The irony isn't lost on Diane Nilan. She voluntarily became homeless to try to end homelessness.

Her first exposure to poverty was in childhood, through her family's maid Minnie, who supported 13 kids on a salary of $8 an hour. "It started getting me to ask 'Why?'" says Diane. "I realized that the happiest times in my life are ones that are centered on others."

The Letter

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 12:22:00 -0500

The letter came on a frantic spring day, knee-deep in planning my daughter Keri's wedding. I wouldn't have noticed it except for the strange brown envelope. The paper was thin and crinkly. The stamps looked odd, too—-foreign. Then I saw the postmark: Harare, Zimbabwe.

Actors Climb Mount Kilimanjaro

batch — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:05:11 -0600

In an effort to raise awareness for the global water crisis, actors Emile Hirsch and Jessica Biel joined a group of individuals to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, which is Africa's highest peak.

As an introduction to the world's current clean water crisis (an estimated 1 billion citizens do not have access to clean water) the group of actors, activists, musicians and environmentalists spent a few days in a village in Tanzania, where they witnessed firsthand the hardships some people go through.

Gifts That Keep on Giving

test_1 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:11:40 -0600

On-the-Go Mama

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Soccer Coach Looks to Motivate Homeless

batch — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:05:06 -0600

St. John's Hospice is looking to teach homeless people about coming together through team spirit, which is why they've enlisted Dr. Wilbur "Billy" Oaks to serve as a soccer coach for the men's league.

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Community Renewal

admin — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 10:18:00 -0500

Most of us don't usually give shopping a second thought. Socks have holes? Buy a new pair. Labor Day sale? Good way to save on stuff. Cell phone dies? Replace it. But for members of a group called The Compact, it's not exactly that simple. They've vowed not to buy anything new in 2006—except for food, health- and safety-related items and, okay, underwear. If there's anything else they need, they borrow it, barter or buy it secondhand. Why? To reduce waste, conserve resources and build a stronger sense of community.

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Animal Lovers Pitch in to Help Pets Affected by Foreclosure

batch — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:05:08 -0500

On September 26, more than 400 dogs and their owners took a moonlit walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to help raise awareness and funds for animals affected by foreclosure.

The inspiration behind the first annual Brooklyn Bridge Pup Crawl was to call attention to the vast number of furry friends who are made homeless when their owners have financial problems - a problem that has increased during the current economic downturn.

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Angels on the Move

admin — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 10:35:00 -0600

I had anxiously awaited—but dreaded—returning home to Slidell, Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina.

When the storm hit, I evacuated to my sister's house to the north in Mandeville. The first day residents were allowed back, I drove to my house anticipating the worst; still, I couldn't have been more unprepared. My beautiful yard was a mess of uprooted trees and debris; the salt water had burned the grass a sickly brown. My lovely white picket fence lay on its side, and shingles from my roof littered the ground like fallen leaves.

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The Compassion Boom

mcherkezian — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:25:05 -0500

Last year, as the United States plunged into one of the worst recessions in its history, millions of Americans responded by reaching out to their neighbors, helping with repairs, running errands and joining together to tackle neighborhood issues.

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New Beginnings

admin — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 12:18:00 -0500

August 29, 2005, was supposed to be a great day for Georgia McBride, a student at Loyola University in New Orleans.

The music industry studies major, who had hopes for a career producing concerts, would have been starting her senior year.

Instead, Georgia, like thousands of other people along the Gulf Coast, found herself evacuating the area. She headed back home to Houston as Hurricane Katrina hit. Two weeks later, Georgia was among the 320 LU students taking up emergency residence at Loyola Chicago.

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