Dorothy O’Brien
After 27 years full time teaching, Dorothy went to the Annapurna Circuit, in the Himalayas. where she met a Sherpa who told her about Mirge, a village with a population of 7,000 with no electricity, a poor water supply and no medical provision. Dorothy decided to help to the Mirge community by opening a medical clinic and raising money to supply building materials, tools, and computers. She has built two classrooms for the pre-school children, replaced 6 bamboo-walled classrooms with a further 6 classrooms build in stone to allow 200 children up to the age of 11 to attend the school. A road was constructed, bringing electricity to the village and Dorothy coordinated a donation of £10,000 from outside source to buy a four-wheel drive ambulance allowing seriously ill patients to be transported to hospital. Dorothy also coordinated donations to purchase three sewing machines for the women and to arrange for a teacher to train them.
Greg Woodburn
Greg decided to establish a non-profit organization and name it Give Running to donate used running shoes to underprivileged youth. His initial goal was to donate 100 pairs of shoes to underprivileged children overseas. To date he has sent more than 9,400 pairs of cleaned-up running shoes to numerous other countries in Africa, including Kenya, Sudan and Mali, as well as earthquake victims in Haiti and closer to home in inner-City Los Angeles including the 32nd Street Elementary School.
Don & Elaine Herr
Don and Elaine Herr took a trip to Uganda in July 2005. They were devastated by the conditions the people were living under. They decided to establish Align Ministries to address man’s inhumanity to man, lack of servant leadership, extreme poverty, sickness and disease, and lack of adequate education.
The organization particularly provides food, clean water and medicine to HIV + parents and caregivers to Bombo community in Uganda. It also funds the school fees for the children, keeping fees low so ordinary kids can afford to be educated.
Align Ministries recently worked directly with the people of Bombo to develop and implement self-sustaining micro-enterprise business loans for 20 families. These enterprises leverage local resources and local talent to generate sustainable economic ecosystems.
Dr. Donald Schoendorfer
Dr. Donald Schoendorfer has devoted himself to serving people with disabilities living in under-served regions of the world through the design, development and distribution of a custom-made, sturdy wheelchair, provided free of charge through a network of partner organizations. By the end of 2010, Free Wheelchair Mission, the humanitarian, faith-based nonprofit he founded in 2001, had sent over 500,000 wheelchairs to people in 78 countries, transforming lives with the gifts of independence, dignity, and hope.
To learn more, please visit: http://www.freewheelchairmission.org
Bruno Serato
Anaheim White House Restaurant owner Bruno Serato serves meals to children in need. Five nights a week he delivers fresh pasta to 150 so-called “motel kids” at the club, all free of charge. Over the years, Bruno has served over 350,000 meals through the Motel Outreach Program – and all at Bruno’s expense.
In 2003, Bruno formed “Caterina’s Club” (in honor of his mother) to assist underprivileged girls in the city of Anaheim. Bruno hosts four fundraisers per year to support Caterina’s Club. He has also raised over $200,000 thus far in 2010.
Bruno provided numerous advantages to underprivileged youths including: providing one-on-one tutoring; providing medical and dental care; donating funds to purchase computers and software; and even providing piano lessons.
Bruno has raised and donated over $2 million dollars to humanitarian efforts.
To learn more, please visit: http://www.anaheimwhitehouse.com/about/bruno.php
Lovetta Conto
Lovetta Conto was unfortunate to see the dangers of war in Liberia, West Africa and had to leave her family and the hometown and move to a refugee camp in Ghana when she was four. While living in the camp, she distinguished herself by advocating for special education for sight-impaired children and was chosen as the first Strongheart Fellow from the Strongheart Fellowship Program.
She helped create a project called Strongheart House to build a big house in Liberia for orphans. Lovetta established a non-profit organization and named it AKAWELLE to help provide home for her fellow young survivors of refugee camps, child slavery, poverty and war. In 2008, Loretta was honored as one of two top world finalists for the 2008 International Children’s Peace Prize, which is awarded annually to an exceptional child who has demonstrated great coverage or remarkable actions to help protect and improve the lives of children who face great risks or injustices.
To learn more, please visit: http://www.strongheartfellowship.org
Bibi Caspari
Based on her involvement in a think tank, studying the limitations and problems in traditional forms of education, entrepreneur and producer Bibi Caspari founded Forward Step, a non-profit organization, in 1997. She was inspired to develop an innovative personal development training for at-risk youths and adults. Through her program, teens and adults have been able to move away from dysfunctional behaviors such as substance abuse and violence, and gain more effective coping and success strategies so that they can learn to make better choices, have healthier relationships and become more productive citizens.
Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson established the foundation “Mission of Hope Haiti” (MOH), a ministry who serves the hurting and less fortunate in Haiti, is quickly organizing its “first responder” teams.
The foundation provides medical help, supports in rebuilding churches, homes and schools through the Church of Hope, School of Hope, Hope House Orphanage, Hospital / Clinic of Hope, Disaster Early Warning and Disaster Relief.
Timothy Searcy
Timothy began his humanitarian career in 2000 – when he started working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He co-produced numerous fundraising events. He also wrote, produced and performed several original songs – all rights to which were granted to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Tim has spent the last 3 years working with the non-denominational church Metropolitan Community Church. Every week, Tim spends 2 days taking meals to the homeless and serving meals to the homeless. He is a 2 time winner of the Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year – has been donating an enormous amount of time hosting numerous charity fund raisers for a variety of causes.
In the meantime, Timothy hosts numerous fundraising events to AIDS patients, the homeless and those in need of assistance.
Robin Steele
Robin Steele, Adoption Coordinator Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati, has been the program coordinator for the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network for 28 years.
She provides information and support to birth families, adoptive families, and agencies who are considering adoption plans for a child with DS. Robin and her husband have four children with DS who have joined their family by adoption.
Joe Wang
Joe Wang, Football Coach, Author, Motivational Speaker, is a cast Member on CBS’s The Amazing Race, founder of South Bay Youth Sports, and author of “Joe Wang’s Code to Unleashing Your Inner Coach”. Joe founded a youth sports organization in 2007 that has trained over 1,500 boys and girls through its sports leagues and training camps. South Bay Youth Sports (SBYS), ties together his love for sports with his ability to motivate and lead those around him. SBYS’s mission is to teach young athletes and coaches the importance of sports to future success while also promoting a healthy and active lifestyle.
To learn more, please visit: http://www.southbayyouthsports.org/sbys/
Calvinia Williams
Calvinia Williams is President/CEO of Lupus of Nevada, Inc. The organization’s mission is Educational awareness and advocacy. Ms. Williams has provided clothing, food and hope, to many lupus families, and completed 100 intakes on individuals with diagnosis of SLE Lupus. Calvinia Williams was also instrumental in bringing a young lady from Eritrea, East Africa, who had been diagnosed with a severe form of lupus SLE. Unable to diagnose and managed the disease, (there are no medical facilities equipped in Eritrea to deal with lupus) her doctors recommended that she go abroad to the U.S. for medical treatment. Through much work over a period of almost two years, the young lady arrived in the U.S. Ms. Williams has continued to reach out beyond the seas to bring about awareness and assist those who needed much help. Ms. Williams calling is to love and to show much compassion in the United States and around the world. She is the example of giving and making lives change for a better life. She has recently written a book entitled “Loving God While Living with Lupus.”
Sossina Haile
Sossina Haile, one of the recipients of 2010 David Chow Humanitarian Award.
Professor of Materials Science and of Chemical Engineering
California Institute of Technology, M/C 309-81
Steele Laboratories, Room 307; 1200 California Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91125
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey wanted to, as he puts it, “do some good with the goods that I had been given.” So he started the J.K. Livin Foundation (it stands for “just keep livin'”), an after-school program that encourages inner-city high school students to improve their physical and mental health through exercises and teamwork. The program now reaches more than 6,000 students in California and Texas, providing adult guidance for the kids. It’s an eclectic group that gives kids a safe place to go. “We aimed for the students who ‘didn’t make the team,’ so to speak.”