All Change Agent
- Girls Inc. helps girls 'be all that you can be'
The nonprofit group Girls Inc. is celebrating 150 years of helping young women reach their goals.
- 3-D printed buildings emerge from recycled trash
A Chinese company has built 10 structures in 24 hours using 3-D printing, concrete, and repurposed industrial construction waste.
- How focusing on profit can help the poor
Water technology company Xylem makes a profit on its foot-operated irrigation pumps for poor farmers. But those profits allow it to stay around to service its products and develop new ones.
- The Gardeneers: Two Chicago teachers on a mission
May Tsupros and Adam Zmick provide expertise, creative lesson plans, and help throughout the growing season to keep school gardens thrive as learning opportunities.
- From deployed to employed: Nick Swaggert guides vets to civilian jobs
Genesis10, a consulting firm, acts as a 'translator' between veterans and corporations, showing how military experience is great training for a wide variety of positions.
- Brown at 60: a civil rights landmark
The Supreme Court's 1954 ruling Brown v. Board of Education overturned the idea of 'separate but equal' and became 'the opening salvo' of the civil rights movement, says African-American legal scholar Sherrilyn Ifill.
- Rani Hong was a victim of child trafficking. Now she’s a leader in the fight to end it.
Kidnapped from India to Canada, she was beaten, starved, and caged until a kind foster mother saved her. Now she's a UN special adviser on human rights.
- This fifth-grader raised $200,000 to clean up the Gulf oil spill
Three young activists have found creative ways to tackle issues from climate change to voting rights.
- 10 (mostly still-to-be invented) jobs that can power Africa's future
From founding free universities to advocating for small farmers to training rats to detect land mines Africa's future entrepreneurs will boost the continent.
- The music didn't die – it's solar powered
In Firebaugh, Calif., a small school district has become a model for the nation by switching to solar power and investing the money it saves in arts programs.
- When the Big Apple went sour, two men found a simple solution
The Citizens Committee for New York City has become one of America’s oldest and most successful micro-funding organizations, backing citizen-led projects from urban gardens to recycling efforts.
- Jose Corona goes 'all in' for his community
His Inner City Advisors in the Bay Area shows that social businesses can create good jobs, even in the heart of a recession.
- David Fischer designed a clean, safe way to transport water
In much of the developing world people must carry water on their backs for use in their homes. PackH2O makes the job easier while keeping the water clean.
- Howard Buffett: a billionaire's son battles to end hunger
He's barreled headfirst into his task, visiting more than 100 countries; met world leaders and African warlords; had an Uzi pointed at his chest – and challenged the status quo.
- Gloria Henderson gleans satisfaction from sharing fresh food
She collects leftover crops from farmers' fields and delivers the fresh produce to food pantries and homeless shelters across North Carolina.
- Saving the bees: 13 groups buzzing with solutions
Bees play a crucial role in agriculture, helping to produce more than 30 percent of the world’s food supply. These organizations work to protect bees and keep them on the job.
- Mariam Raqib brings the gift of trees to Afghanistan
She launched Afghanistan Samsortya, a nonprofit designed to reverse decades of deforestation by planting fruit trees and teaching forestry skills.
- In post-tsunami Japan, rebuilding a town begins with a child-care center
The center has become a place where mothers and children, many of whom still live in temporary homes, can reconnect, share their experiences, and support one another.
- Former corporate shark now feeds the hungry
David Gerson left his lucrative law practice to head Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa, a nonprofit effort that provides free meals and other service to those in need.
- Sarah Gardner raises money to aid children through Yoga Reaches Out
Her Yoga Reaches Out charity has held Yogathons on both coasts and collected more than $1 million to help children and their families.