Positive Impact Magazine

PAY IT FORWARD Good works go global TEEN IRON CHEF Role models for healthy eating NFL SUPER CHOICES Superbowl is greener than you think

GOOD VIBES Life is good® company

A SERVANT’S

HEART Bono, the Boy, and the Broker

PREMIER ISSUE 2010

Let’s save the planet One acre at a time

What if everyone took responsibility for one small piece of the planet?

Now, you can do your part. When you Adopt an Acre,® you help The Nature Conservancy preserve the diversity of life on Earth, in places close to home, and around the world.

To adopt your acre, visit nature.org/adopt

Photo: © istockphoto.com / lopurice

My name is Heidi Klum and I’m an American Red Cross volunteer.

Will you join me?

WE ALL HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER. SUPPORT THE RED CROSS AND CHANGE A LIFE, STARTING WITH YOUR OWN. THROUGH HER INVOLVEMENT WITH THE AMERICAN RED CROSS, HEIDI KLUM HELPS TO SAVE LIVES EVERY DAY. TO LEARN HOW HEIDI KLUM IS HELPING, REDCROSS.ORG.

OR TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP, VISIT

H20693-12/09

OUR VISION WELCOME TO POSITIVEIMPACT MAGAZINE On the way we love and the way we hope. On the way we see others and the way we see ourselves. On what we eat, what we read, what we watch, what we listen to, and what we give.

Positive Impact Magazine is a unique online and quarterly print publication aiming to inspire, encourage and foster the creative ideas that will result in a long-lasting positive impact on the world. We strive to have a transformative effect on the reader with the transformation being positive, uplifting, inspiring, moving and enriching to the mind and spirit. You will find stories that cross gender, geographies, cultures, and generations – stories about artists, athletes, authors, celebrities, children, teens, musicians, and heroes; information about micro community efforts and international initiatives; and reviews of books, music, events, sports, charities, businesses and more.

Our readers share our passion for the positive. They are finding motivation

and know that small changes can have big results. They are inspired to find new ideas and new products to help them take the next step toward a better tomorrow.

It is the objective of Positive Impact Magazine to not only report positive news but also to maintain and develop positive relationships in all that we do and say. This extends not only to our readers and our staff but also to our investors and advertisers.

We believe that the smallest action, done with positive intent, is life-altering, even if just for the person taking that action. A single raindrop creates a ripple causing an effect, no matter its size, and no matter the size of the body of water it impacts. Yet, impact it has.

We encourage you to browse this copy, and let us know what you think. We are open to suggestions for improvements of future content. If you like what you see, subscribe, and please share with others this unique and inspiring magazine.

FURTHER PURSUING OUR PASSION FOR THE POSITIVE In our efforts to create this magazine, we have been inspired and are grateful to the people who have come forward with their ideas, time and energy to help make it a success. People from all over the world – from small children to global leaders – keep amazing us and showing how their true generosity is making a difference.

Positive Impact Magazine hopes to help you find that part of yourself wanting to make a difference or a positive change in your life or in other people’s lives. Together, we can create a powerful resource of education, inspiration and hope. This magazine and creed of change is for all of us. The time is now.

To further our commitment to making a difference, we are in the initial stages of forming the Positive Impact Foundation.

We are looking to make

Be Well. Be Involved.

a positive impact .

together.

©iStockphoto.com/Yuri Arcurs

Let’s do it

A percentage of your subscription dollars, as well as a percentage of our advertisers’ dollars, will fund the foundation, which will allow various charities, foundations and other organizations like the ones featured within these pages to receive grant money and continue embodying the Positive Impact mission every day.

We want you, as our subscribers, to help determine where the grants will go.

It will allow you the opportunity to get involved and make your own positive impact! To start the ripples and get involved with the foundation, contact us today and let’s get started. Watch our Web site, future issues and the press for more details as we roll out this critical aspect of our mission.

IN EVERY ISSUE I CONTENTS 24 28

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COMPANIES

ENVIRONMENT LAND & WATER

Life Is Good

ART SPEAKS

Strap On The Stilettos

Festival writings

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Pop Art Diva Jules Burt

Sustainable Housing

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Mod Pod houses

3 Cups of Tea

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ATHLETES

Ryan Nece

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Greg Mortenson creates educational phenomenon

NFL Super Choices

Promotes forwardthinking trend 42

Transitions Tournament PGA week benefits

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Super Bowl is greener than you think

EDUCATION

Youth Writers Challenge Who has inspired you?

IN EVERY ISSUE 8 12 15 56

Notes from the Publishers Contributors Your Thoughts How to get involved

SPECIAL SECTIONS 32 Florida Forever Florida’s leading nature photographers celebrate the state’s most endangered lands

COLUMNS 16 A Moment of Clarity 44 Living Treasures

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Photo By: Greg Mortneson/ICAT

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COVER MUSIC & MUSICIANS

A Servant’s Heart Bono, the Boy & the Broker

Perhaps the most powerful way to have a positive impact is to be of service to the world.

Guitar photo: Jennifer Rondinelli Reilly

STR/AFP/Getty Images

Cover photo: © Harry Borden/Corbis Outline

DEPARTMENTS

UNSUNG HEROS

Grandmothers Beyond Borders

INSPIRE

Women helping women in third world nations

Pay It Forward Bracelet promotes worldwide giving 38

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MIND

Optimism Positive thoughts lead to good health

HEALTH

Teen Iron Chef

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YOUNG PIONEERS

Innovator’s Express Let your child’s imagination go wild

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Role models through healthy eating 35

© 2009 Positive Impact Magazine positiveimpactmagazine.com

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NOTES FROM THE PUBLISHERS 8

Charity Beck Founder • Publisher • Editor In Chief

POSITIVEIMPACT MAGAZINE

Welcome to the premier issue of PositiveImpact Magazine.

I guess you could say that I’m a natural humanitarian. I’ve always loved people and found beauty in all things, and one of my lifelong dreams has been to be a philanthropist. I always thought I’d have to be wealthy to be a philanthropist, but I was wrong. I now realize that every time I help someone – whether it’s assisting with meal preparation at a local soup kitchen or supporting the cleanup and rebuilding effort in an area devastated by a hurricane – I am a philanthropist. Check any dictionary, and you will find that one of the definitions of philanthropy is “the giving of necessities.” I am thoroughly convinced that kindness and good deeds are necessities, and it is this belief that led me to embark on an amazing journey – the creation of the magazine you are now reading.

My childhood friend Jen Hellman and I are the publishers of Positive Impact Magazine, and we are proud to be seeing

the fruition of our dreams in this magazine and our Web site. Jen and I share a joint conviction that grace and compassion seem to be disappearing from our society, and we want to do our part to change that.

Rather than dwelling on problems, we want to focus on the solutions that truly selfless individuals have found.

Our goal is to bring visibility to the countless acts of kindness and compassion that are happening every day throughout the world and, more importantly, provide you with the connections you need to make your own impact.

Let us show you the stories and people who have the courage and drive to unselfishly give from their hearts for the benefit of others. Turn to us as your source for the who, what, where, when, why and how of actions that bring positive improvement to our global society. We’ll share with you how famous individuals, ordinary people and even children are making positive impacts. Our hope is that their stories will be the fuel that energizes you to live your life with kindness and a positive attitude.

Thanks for reading – we appreciate your support and hope that you’ll take the time to share the experiences of people you know who are making positive impacts. Together we can reinforce the positive. That’s the reason we’ve created this magazine, and we know it will have a powerful impact! And don’t ever forget that even the smallest act of kindness can make you a philanthropist too.

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.

- Mother Teresa Photography: Charity Beck • Mexico • “My Favorite Beach”

NOTES FROM THE PUBLISHERS 10

Jen Hellmann Publisher • Creative Director

POSITIVEIMPACT MAGAZINE

One afternoon while watching my daughter push her toy car on the driveway, filling the trunk with toys, pinecones and other random items, I asked her what was she doing. “I am taking it to kids that don’t have anything to play with,” she stated. Just that morning I had talked with my 4-year-old twins about this magazine, describing to them the concept of paying it forward.

It’s amazing the profound influence we have on our kids. They are listening to every word we say, and they are watching everything we do. And, as they watch and listen, they are learning. If we strive

to enrich our children’s lives with caring words and, more importantly, thoughtful acts of kindness, they will learn the importance of empathy and love. They will carry these qualities with them for the rest of their lives and continue the goodness by passing these qualities along from generation to generation. That is my goal as a parent, and it melds perfectly with my goal for this magazine – to help spread good news about selfless individuals that commit themselves to helping others.

I am excited and honored to be a part of this magazine. To have the opportunity to launch this publication with my lifelong friend Charity and to put my skills and experiences to use in a meaningful medium is truly rewarding.

During our journey to search for story ideas and gather a team of contributors, I have been exposed to sensitive, caring people and powerful ideas that have sharpened my perspective on the importance of showing the good things people are doing.

This premier issue is a glimpse into what is to come. Future issues will include more departments, such as “Local Heroes” and “Parenting,” that will vividly describe how everyday people are making a difference. Our “Here’s How” section will show many ways that you can make your own positive impact.

Additionally, we are committed to featuring socially responsible advertisers that provide products and services that are in keeping with our mission.

My 4-year-old twins understood (in their 4-year-old way) the concept of paying it forward, and through the coming years I will continue to reinforce that quality in them. We want to reinforce the positive qualities in your life. We want you to feel the balance your life can have. Join us as we strive to make a positive impact – through this magazine and the lives of everyone we touch.

Imagine all the people living life in peace.

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.

– John Lennon Photography: Jen Hellmann • Pyramid Lake, Nevada • “Road Trip” Photo of Jen: Dan Brice Photography • www.bricephotography.net

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IN EVERY ISSUE I YOUR THOUGHTS

“We must become the change we want to see in the world.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

Photography: Carlton Ward • A young boy stretches his arms in front of a fountain in Washington, D.C.

Teaching Our Kids What’s Important

Balancing The Negative

A Ray of Light

I took time today to visit your magazine Web site and I fell in love with it! It brought tears to my eyes when I read the article about the 10-year-old boy helping children in Africa. My kids are worried about Nintendo games and if they have the best clothes and shoes. It was amazing to know there is a child so selfless that he is doing so much and giving up so much of his time to help people that he doesn’t even know. We can all learn a lesson from him, young and old!

As for the coming print issue of your magazine, I would buy it in a store and I don’t buy any magazines! The content will be not only educational, but heart warming as well! You named it right because it is a positive impact! I will not only read it regularly, but will tell as many people as I can about it. I wish the best for you and your magazine. I hope it becomes as well known as Redbook or Time magazines!

Amy Day

I love Positive Impact Magazine! It’s such a ray of light amid all the crime, doom and gloom from other sources. Thanks for creating it. Keep up the great work!!

Megan James Tillson

Relax & Enjoy First let me say how happy I am to see that we have a new publication in the neighborhood. It seems that magazines and newspapers have become an endangered species. I prefer the tactile feel of a newspaper or book when I relax with a cup of coffee. I love the Internet...don’t get me wrong. But pulling a chair up to the PC is not as nice as curling up on the couch with a book, with actual pages, across my lap.

Silly, I know. I wish you success with Positive Impact.

In a world where negativity is overemphasized, this publication is a brilliant ray of sunshine.

Patrick L. McKee President and CEO McKee & Associates, Inc

Leaders of Change It’s refreshing to see a media outlet dedicated to inspiring content.

With stories that touch the heart, ignite curiosity, and promote leaders of change - be they rock-stars or elementary school children - reading the online magazine always leaves me excited and ready to find ways I can make a difference. Positive Impact fulfills its mission with every story: It inspires people!

Autumn Kindelspire Editorial Assistant Watson-Guptill Publications

Deborah Klein

positiveimpactmagazine.com

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A MOMENT OF CLARITY THE UNEXPECTED SURPRISE: 5 ways an economic downturn may actually make your life better By: Marci Wise

W

hile it appears we may finally be coming out of the recession, nobody can dispute that the last couple of years have put a strain on our lives, our nerves and our wallets.

Just when you think nothing good could come of this, an unexpected surprise appears — we’re forced to get real. Without all the material distractions that we’ve surrounded ourselves with, we see our lives under the spotlight of truth. So before you chalk this whole experience up as a waste of time, energy and money, take a look at the five ways a bad economy may actually make your life better.

You get clear on your priorities: When you have to pick and choose where your money goes, you’re automatically set into prioritize mode.

©iStockphoto.com/alexsl

Things that have real meaning jump to the top and the others fall away. It’s amazing how often our priorities can get out of whack. A bad economy makes you step back from your life and take stock of what really has value. It gives you the gift of perspective.

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2

You trim the financial fat: Let’s face it, we all have one area of weakness that’s like a black hole that sucks moolah in — never to be seen again.

Whether it’s mocha lattes, massages or manicures, most of us have fallen into the habit of shelling out the greenbacks without even thinking about it. By slowly weeding these things out of our lives, we’re actually strengthening our financial foundation. When the economy does come back, you’ll be running such a tight ship that it truly will be smooth sailing.

3

You find renewed enjoyment in the simpler things: When money is tighter, we obviously look for less expensive forms of entertainment.

We slow down, open our eyes and start seeing and appreciating things in a whole new way. Famed writer Henry David Thoreau once said, “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.”

Although your bank account might be getting smaller, you now have the opportunity to create a bigger, more fulfilling life for yourself.

4

You reconnect with family and friends: In times of hardship, we turn to those we love.

Not only do we need to reconvene to discuss a new game plan, but we also need the support and reassurance that only those closest to us can offer. Troubled times bond us together, transforming us from separate individuals, each busy with our own agendas, back into a family united in common purpose.

5

You remember who you really are: Too often we define ourselves by a title, or the number of zeros at the end of our paychecks.

Your value is not measured by financial success, attainment or impressing the neighbors, but instead by something much larger. Your true legacy lies in the way your life touches others. Recommit yourself to expressing your own unique talents. Time is on your side. How do you calculate that? Priceless.

In order to experience any of these positive effects, you must first allow yourself to let go of what was, and choose to embrace what is. Nothing lasts forever. Change is the nature of life and this too shall pass.

So while the world is crashing and burning around you, choose to focus on what you cherish instead of what you’ve lost. In time you’ll emerge from the ashes like a Phoenix, spread your powerful wings and soar higher than ever before!

ŠiStockphoto.com/Vasko

AUTHORS & BOOKS TO MOVE A MOUNTAIN One American’s mission has led to the educational freedom of thousands – one child at a time By: Amy Siewert & Jean Schauer • Photography courtesy of Central Asia Institute

At first glance, Greg Mortenson may look like your average American dad. With his wife and family, he lives in a small Montana town where life is peaceful, albeit routine.

A second glance reveals the true Greg Mortenson. The basement of his home is base camp for the Central Asia Institute (CAI), a non-profit organization with

the mission to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. This organization is the result of Mortenson’s extraordinary undertaking that began after his ill-fated climb up northern Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain.

In 1993, following the death of his

younger sister, Mortenson set out to reach the summit of K2 in her honor. However, it was not meant to be. Mortenson was forced to turn back. While his summit attempt ended in defeat, it led to a journey that has touched the lives and hearts of countless individuals throughout the world.

Greg Mortenson with Sitara “Star” school children in Afghanistan.

Lalander school children in Afghanistan.

Children are taught with books and compassion, not bombs and hatred In the book Mortenson co-authored with David Oliver Relin, Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time, Mortenson tells the story that changed his life after his descent from K2.

Separated from his guide and lost on the trail back to civilization, Mortenson wandered into a village where the Balti mountain people took him in as one of their own.

Mortenson may have lost his way down the mountain, but he found his true calling in this remote mountainous area. During his time recovering in the Korphe village, he was introduced to their culture and his life’s new purpose. He discovered 84 children weathering the harsh outdoor conditions while using sticks to scratch their daily lessons in the dirt. The village was too poor to afford the $1 a day it would take to hire a teacher.

The situation moved him to 20

promise the village elder that he would build a school for the community. With no infrastructure in place to haul the building supplies to the desolate village, building a school was no small task. Adding to the challenge was the fact that many religious extremists in the area hated Americans and were radically opposed to educating

girls. Despite the “mountain” of obstacles that he faced, Mortenson held to his vision.

After many trials, he finally reached his personal summit in 1996 – a new bridge and school lay in the shadow of K2. That same year, he co-founded the Central Asia Institute, a non-profit organization that was founded on the belief that the key to longterm success is self sustainability.

Mortenson exemplifies selfsustainability. Amidst a backdrop of poverty, political unrest and vast uncertainty, one man from Montana has changed thousands of lives in Afghanistan, Pakistan and America with his promise to educate children. As improbable as it sounds, Mortenson has managed to make friends and progress toward his goals in remote areas that lie in the center of the breeding ground for the Taliban. He has been a superb ambassador of Girls study at an outdoor school in an Afghan refugee camp, Pakistan. good will, even putting his own life

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Three Cups of Tea is now required reading for all officers enrolled in counterinsurgency courses at the Pentagon. in jeopardy time after time to see that children in this isolated part of the world are taught with books and compassion, not bombs and hatred.

CAI encourages community participation in all phases of the planning, evaluation, and implementation of its projects – a selfsustainability effort that ultimately contributes to continued success. The community matches the funds provided by Central Asia Institute by contributing labor and local resources. The CAI strives to build and maintain relationships with the local people and once established the locals consider the CAI family. The Institute also focuses heavily on the education of girls — unheard of in this region before. These educated young women typically stay in the community to help educate others, thereby sustaining the benefit their communities have received from the CAI. Mortenson’s success did not come at an easy price. To save for the first school, he sold everything he owned and spent countless hours fundraising in the United States to make the dreams of the Pakistani children come true. As of 2009 Mortenson and the CAI have established 131 schools in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan and educated more than 58,000 students, including 44,000 girls.

While he did lose his way coming down from K2, he found a different mountain path that enabled him to make a positive impact. Mortenson reached the summit of a humanitarian mountain that he and the CAI continue to climb today!

Mortenson continues his story in a new book Stones Into Schools released in December of 2009.

Hushe School Inauguration. Pakistan.

Greg Mortenson with Khanday schoolchildren in Pakistan.

Pennies for Peace In 1994, a group of elementary school children from River Falls, WI, decided they wanted to help Mortenson and donated $623.45 in pennies for his first school project. The unselfish act prompted adults to take the program more seriously and the Pennies for Peace campaign began.

Fifteen years later, thousands of schools and students from around the world participate in the campaign to help CAI’s efforts.

For more information on Pennies for Peace or how to contribute to the Central Asia Institute, visit the Web site at www.ikat.org.

Lalander School. Afghanistan.

ART SPEAKS Tagged as the Pop Art Diva, Jules Burt has been coloring the world with style and flair for over two decades. Her work defines “happy art” and is lighthearted and fun. Her vivid use of color breathes life into her subjects including “Glamour Girls” and “Fun Flowers.” She is best known for her work on the NBC hit series “Friends” where Burt’s originals adorned the set including the Central Perk coffee shop.

Strap On the Stilettos

Jules Burt takes a new approach to the 5K fun run — a 1K walk in heels By: Dawn Michael • Photography: Charity Beck

Ever had an “AHa” moment?

That is exactly what happened to internationally known pop art diva Jules Burt.

Somewhere in the midst of paperwork and Jimmy Choo’s, Burt had a vision.

Combine sassy stiletto strutting sisters and a worthy cause and the concept for “High Heel Hike” was born. With visions of divas donned in wild wigs, red lipstick and high heels dancing in her head, Burt grabbed her Muse and trademarked the event. She assembled her Board of Divas (B.O.D.) and sent them out with mission in hand and a mantra in mind: “Put on your lipstick and conquer the day!”

Within one month of Burt’s vision, the High Heel Hike was official. In 2004, the inaugural hike was held in Tampa, Fla., benefiting children’s pediatric cancer.

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Since its birth, the event has raised $300,000 for various worthy causes including Moffitt Cancer Center, Easter Seals, Y-me Moffitt Cancer Center and The National Music Foundation.

The hike has grown over the years from 100 participating in the inaugural hike to more than 500 in 2009.

Burt wants everyone to get involved including kids and teens. She feels it’s a great way to make our youth aware of charities and be part of a good cause in their community.

The event is fun, colorful and easy to do. “It is a sassy strut that only takes about 20 minutes, just like a quick trip around the mall,” explains Burt.

Divas of all ages are encouraged to participate from moms with strollers to

walkers raising funds and awareness for a good cause.

Many have asked, “What if I can’t wear heels?” Burt responds, “You can wear flip flops or tennis shoes if you want, it’s ALL about the cause.”

Burt incorporated a “Crowning Ceremony” complete with sash and crown as a fundraising incentive. The age group crowns, including Queen, Teen Queen and Princess, are given to the person in each age category who raises the most funds for the event.

“These crowns are for sale,” exclaims Burt. “The most monies raised wins. We encourage teams to pool their donations together and pick one captain who could be eligible for the ‘High Heel Hike’ title.”

What is a queen without a ball? That’s where the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino comes in. They sponsor the “Jules Glam Ball” where High Heel Hike participants gather for a festive event including an auction. “It’s truly a night fit for a Queen,” Burt raves.

The High Heel Hike is Burt’s baby, and just like a mother, she glows with pride when talking about it. Like her art, Burt has taken the “Hike” from an “aha” moment to a full production. She and her divas are ready to strap on their stilettos and take the “show” on the road. As the “Hike” grows so does its demand. Initially Tampa based, the “Hike” has branched to other Florida cities and is ready to go global.

Jules Burt has now teamed up with Jenny McCarthy and Generation Rescue to help raise awareness for autism. There is no doubt autism has met its match with these two dynamic divas. Burt says confidently,

“The sky is the limit! I am looking forward to another successful “High Heel Hike” to bring to life the awareness needed to combat autism.” –Jules Burt

COMPANIES

GOOD VIBES The Life is good Company makes positive thoughts their mantra

Life is good co-founder John Jacobs and his father-inlaw David admire the completed Art-for-All Mural at the 2009 Life is good Festival in St. Charles, MO. (The mural is comprised of 2,000 individually painted tiles)

By: Amy Siewert • Photography: Jessica Jacobs (above) • Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University (right)

Optimism and a positive message is the key that makes the Life is good Company a phenomenon in today’s retail market.

Two brothers, Bert and John Jacobs, have been sharing their core beliefs since 1989 through simple positive messages emblazoned on their clothing and accessories.

To say they started a “ripple effect” would be an understatement. From the humble beginnings of selling their clothing on the streets of Boston to spreading their message globally, the Jacobs have taken a positive attitude to a whole new level. We 24

sat down with Jim Laughlin, the director of communications at Life is good, to find out more about the company.

PIM: What types of products does the Life is good Company sell?

A: Life is good (officially, The Life is good Company) is a New England-based apparel and accessories wholesaler, retailer and lifestyle brand founded in 1994 and best known for its optimistic T-shirts and hats, many of which feature a smiling

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stick figure named Jake and the three-word registered trademark “Life is good.” Life is good has expanded its product lines from T-shirts and caps in the early years to a full and varied line of apparel for men, women and children, as well as an increasing number of accessories categories.

Products are sold online via the company’s Web site as well as in approximately 4,500 retail stores across the United States and in 30 other countries. The company is growing worldwide, and we have 36 categories and 980 distinct items for sale.

PIM: How did the Life is good Company begin?

PIM: Who has positively impacted John and Bert Jacobs’ lives?

A: In 1989, brothers Bert and John Jacobs designed their first T-shirts. They began selling their designs in the streets of Boston and out of an old van at colleges and street fairs along the East Coast of the United States. While their intentions were good and their work ethic was strong, they knew nothing about the realities of such a business. As a result, it was not uncommon for them to live out of their van during road trips in their first five years, sleeping on top of stacks of T-shirts and subsisting largely on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

A: The single most important positive influence on the brothers has been their mother Joan Jacobs. She is an eternal optimist. The brothers grew up in a family of six children that struggled financially, but their mother ensured they focused on “more sunshine than shadow.” At every evening meal she would ask each of her kids: “Tell me something good that happened today.” She and their father were also devoted to healthy outdoor activities, such as hiking, canoeing, swimming and skiing. She remains the ultimate “glass half full” influence on the brothers.

PIM: What makes the Life is good Company unique compared to other companies?

A: Life is good is unique in thriving entirely as a word-of-mouth brand. Since its beginning, the company has spent zero dollars on the traditional advertising and marketing of its products. The company is fueled by optimism and its fans act as good will ambassadors, helping spread the word and the good vibes. We are also unique in putting a social impact strategy at the heart of our nonprofit business.

Life is good seeks to harness its brand and business to spread the power of optimism. It does that through its positive messages and products, through Life is good Festivals that rally good communities around a great cause, and especially through the Life is good Kids Foundation, which has distributed well over $3 million to children’s charities.

PIM: Does the company plan to expand into other product lines?

A: We are always looking at product extensions and new product lines. We say no to far more new opportunities than we say yes to because we are committed to expanding while maintaining or enhancing our product quality. We added jeans this past year. We are considering many new lines, including sheets and stationery.

the world. Most are people who are facing – or who have overcome – great adversity.

We are humbled by the far-reaching positive impact that our simple brand and life-affirming messages are making.

Life is good as a company also makes significant product donations to children’s charities nationwide. In 2010 we will begin a cancer hat program, distributing donated hats by the thousands to children’s hospitals and clinics treating children with cancer all across the country.

Finally, we agree with Mother Teresa that, “We shall never know all the good a simple smile can do.” Letters and countless comments from people everywhere show us the message is spreading. Bert and John always believed that there was room in the market and in the world as a whole for more positive, optimistic messages to counterbalance the huge amount of negative news people receive today.

Optimism is contagious. There is a ripple effect. We see evidence that it is spreading far and wide, and it motivates us to work harder to spread it.

PIM: How have John and Bert Jacobs personally made a positive impact for others?

A playful crowd listens to music and has a ball at the 2008 Life is good Festival in Boston, MA

PIM: How does the Life is good Company positively impact the world?

A: We believe we do this in many different ways. I mentioned our strong philanthropic work through our festivals and Life is good Kids Foundation. You can find complete write-ups on each on our Web site as well as information on the primary beneficiary of our Kids Foundation, a nonprofit called Project Joy. We have made a good start of helping children who are facing life-threatening challenges, but we believe we will touch thousands more children in the years to come.

If you visit the “Fuel” section of our Web site, you will see the amazing and inspiring letters we receive from Life is good consumers across the country and around

A: They continue to lead all major aspects of the company.

They developed the festivals as an outgrowth of their charitable giving and involvement from the earliest days of the company. They still provide major input on Festivals and other fundraisers. Together, they created the Life is good book that has raised more than $300,000 for our foundation (100 percent of sales profits are donated by our company to the foundation). They set up the Life is good Kids Foundation. They are high energy, inspirational leaders both inside the company for our 250 employees, and outside the company, speaking to thousands of people nationwide each year through speeches that emphasize the power of optimism and the social good we can all do by creating positive change where we see opportunity. And they live their lives with youthful energy, joy, playfulness and engagement. They live their life in a Jake-like manner, with their arms wide open. positiveimpactmagazine.com

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EDUCATION

For Grammar Schools, Junior High/High Schools, Colleges/Universities

Youth Encouraged To Write About Anything Making A Positive Impact Positive Impact Magazine has launched the 2010 Youth Writing Challenge inviting students of all ages, from grammar school through college, to report the who, what, where, when, why and how someone or something has created a positive impact in our world.

Positive Impact Magazine is dedicated to telling stories about people both young and old that inspire action, courage and compassion in small and big ways throughout our worldwide community. The stories that appear in the magazine focus on artists, athletes, companies, celebrities, children and teens, musicians and unsung 26

heroes, both rich and poor, with a global audience or an audience of one. These stories bring about change by generating positive thoughts, hope and inspiration.

We are confident that through the stories of the youth who accept the Youth Writing Challenge, we will all learn how to follow Ghandi’s invitation to “be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Positive Impact Magazine is online and slated as a quarterly publication with a national distribution. The Positive Impact staff is made up of writers, graphic artists, photographers and business professionals that share a passion for the positive. We

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feel a social responsibility to provide insight and imagination to the youth that are going to be our next creators and leaders.

For more information about the Youth Writing Challenge and registration details, log on to www.positiveimpactmagazine.com and go to the Writing Challenge located under education. The winners will be published in our magazine quarterly.

We’re ready and we know you are too!

EVEN A SUPERWOMAN CAN MEET HER MATCH Every day you make a positive impact. On the lives of your children. For your spouse or significant other. At the workplace. In your community. For a sick friend. You are doing it all, and doing it well. Then one day, you get the call.

Mom has fallen and broken her hip. Or Dad has been diagnosed with Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Disease. Few roles are as difficult as family caregiver to an elderly loved one. You may feel like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve met your match.

YOU CAN DO IT. AND DO IT WELL. WE CAN HELP. Extend your network of support. Receive guidance on how to proceed. Find the answers you need. At Legacies & Lifelines, our trusted team of professional advisors is here for you, so you can continue being their hero.

ŠiStockphoto.com/digitalskillet

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ENVIRONMENT

sus·tain·able: of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.

– Merriam-Webster Dictionary

SUNSHINE YELLOW

From left: Jerel McCants, Geno Knowles, Jr., Michael Renaud

GOING GREEN By: Kurt Piazza • Photography: Alisha Pergola

Known by the happy moniker the “Sunshine State,” Florida is also regarded as the “Lightning Capital of the World.” In addition to having a roaring tourist trade in Disney visitors and beach vacationers, it 28

is a region that boasts substantial amounts of rainfall throughout the year and large areas of vast, flat and unspoiled landscape.

It’s enough to make an environmentalist think green. Florida’s natural environment

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provides some prime ingredients for an impactful green movement. The opportunity to transform abundant sunlight, ample rain and the energy of frequent lightning strikes into sustainable resources

Above right: “A_POD is a machine for green living that grows to fit your lifestyle”

for everyday living is huge.

Although the notion of employing these natural elements as alternative energy sources has not been embraced by the majority in Florida, there are some enterprising takers.

A collective of Tampa-based architects known as ob_zurv are focused on harnessing the state’s natural resources and designing structures that merge innovative architecture with sustainable components. Comprised of architects Michael Renaud, Geno Knowles, Jr., and Jerel McCants, ob_zurv functions as a hybrid of design studio, think tank and science lab. Although most of their designs have yet to be realized, they are on a fast track positive trajectory and have won numerous competitions with their innovative and forward-thinking approach to green architecture.

“human dwelling vessel,” apod _4living is comprised of a mainframe structural system which then introduces “pods” that “plug in” to this mainframe.

The fundamental concept of apod_4living is the essence of sustainability. One has the option of just a single pod, depending on one’s needs, or up to three pods that can be plugged in, a practical solution for a growing family. One of the principal philosophies of ob_zurv is that the “mechanics” of sustainability are an aesthetic component of their projects. So in apod_4living, the cistern that collects rainwater to cool the structure, irrigate the vessel, and perform other functions is integrated into the mainframe.

This cistern is not hidden and instead contributes integrally to the overall design aesthetic.

Besides collecting and reus-

housing developments tend to overbuild and construct houses with few or no sustainable elements.

The apod_4living design provides a sustainable, practical and elegant solution by using concepts of verticality inventively and reusing natural resources. The pod components are stackable; this reduces the overall footprint of the structure, which is adaptable to either city or suburban situations. In fact, apod_4living is pioneering a way for what 21st century single-family urban and suburban neighborhoods could potentially look like in the future.

The approach of ob_zurv to green architecture is largely successful because they are able to gracefully translate their knowledge of charming architecture and design into sustainable projects. These projects

For instance, a closer look at apod_4living, which won the 2004 American Institute of Architects (AIA) competition “Home on the Range,” provides a brilliant example of ob_zurv’s ability to merge design that is not only beneficial for the environment, but also aesthetically satisfying and ergonomic.

Described by ob_zurv as a

ing rainwater, another environmentally sensitive element of apod_4living is its potential to control urban and suburban sprawl. Existing high-rise condominium buildings use vast amounts of electricity and water and often cannot incorporate environmentally friendly initiatives without incurring huge costs. Similarly, suburban

additionally introduce the community to constructive discourse on new and more environmentally sensitive ways of living.Hopefully one day in the near future, their sustainable conceptualizations will have traversed a level to become part of, and make better, our three-dimensional world.

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DEPARTMENT I ENVIRONMENT

Super Choices Super Bowl XLIV Environmental Program makes

preserving the environment its priority for the big game

By: Amy Siewert • Photography left: courtesy of NFL Environmental • Below: BigStockPhoto.com © Living Life

When you think Super Bowl, catchy commercials, exciting half time shows and wild fans cheering may come to mind — not thoughts of planting trees, recycling and aiding soup kitchens.

What millions of viewers who tune in to the celebration do not see is the major effort undertaken every year by the NFL to preserve the environment.

The NFL Super Bowl Environmental Program was born in 1993 and was up and running for the 1994 Super Bowl game.

Jack Groh, director of the program, has been with the project since its inception.

The NFL took the lead when it came to concerns about the impact of the environment as a result of the Super Bowl. They were worried about the carbon footprint they were leaving in the community and the greenhouse gas effect.

The Super Bowl is different than other events. “We’re always a tenant in someone else’s house,” Groh explains.

So they decided to take some positive environmental steps to offset their weeklong presence in a city. “It wasn’t started as a PR campaign,” says Groh, but rather as a way to give back to the host city of the Super Bowl. In 1994, recycling was not the norm it is today. “We were a little too far ahead of our time. There was no literature, etc.,” says Groh. “No one had applied recycling solid waste to major events.”

The program is broken down into different facets, all helping the city and/or environment in some way.

PREPARED FOOD RECOVERY The big game may only be one day, but the Super Bowl experience consumes the entire week prior with thousands of fans converging at parties and celebrations.

Groh and his team thought, “Why not recover food from these parties?”

They began researching the idea. Who was having buffets? What were the federal regulations and the logistics of perishable food items being delivered to soup kitchens?

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The research paid off, and last year the program recovered 90,000 pounds of food, valued at over $125,000.

It is important to note that none of the food collected for the soup kitchens had ever been served to guests or put out on a buffet line. It was extra food that was prepared, but never served. Under strict federal guidelines, the environmental program works within the regulated time frame to deliver the food to soup kitchens and homeless shelters in the city hosting the Super Bowl.

“The food is just as good as money for a soup kitchen,” says Groh. “The money that would have been spent to purchase food for the charitable organization can now be shifted to another use.”

“A lot of things can also be reused,” says Groh. For example, banners and

“We usually work with the United Way, but distribute to non-United Way member agencies as well.”

Dolphin Stadium during Super Bowl game day will be run using

CLIMATE CHANGE INITIATIVE The NFL commissioned a green house gas study for the Super Bowl six years ago.

“First thing we tried was tree planting, but we ran into issues calculating how much of a greenhouse impact was being made,” he says. “We still plant trees,” Groh explains, and last year the program was involved with more than 20 projects in the

100%

renewable energy through wind and solar power. other Super Bowl paraphernalia are given to local nonprofit organizations and auctioned off.

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SUPER KIDS-SUPER SHARING It’s not only the adults that are getting involved. The NFL reaches out to the kids in the community as well. Jack Groh’s wife, Susan Groh, runs the Super Kids-Super Sharing program.

She visits schools in the host city and asks kids to donate their used books, games and sports equipment. The program then collects the equipment and redistributes it to needier children in the area. Last year, over 100 schools in the Tampa Bay area donated to the program.

As of November, 70 schools in the Miami area had signed up and Groh predicts there would be more to come.

Tampa Bay area. The program works by local organizations applying for the grant money, supplied by the U.S. Forestry Service, to be used to plant trees, but are only granted the money when the organization commits to matching the grant money. Last year, $35,000 was given as grant money, making it a total of $70,000 with matching contributions. “When the community invests some of themselves and money into the project, they will take care of it,” says Groh.

VEHICLE EMISSIONS This year, the NFL program plans to use biodiesel fuel wherever possible for its fleet of 3,000 vehicles that are used during Super Bowl week. That fleet includes everything from limousines to buses shuttling fans in the Miami area.

The generators that are used in remote locations where grid power is not available will also be run on biodiesel fuel.

The day of the event is no exception.

Dolphin Stadium during Super Bowl game day will be run using 100 percent renewable energy through wind and solar power.

The NFL is working with local Miami energy company, Next Era Energy, to facilitate the process. “The whole idea is to reduce greenhouse gases,” says Groh.

“The power for the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl will all be wind and solar energy run,” he says.

Groh encourages all people to step up and do their part in helping the environment. “The best thing people can do is look at what we’re (NFL Environmental Program) doing and do it themselves in their own communities,” says Groh. “Start right at home and do the same kinds of things on a smaller scale.”

Now, the football teams are jumping on the environmental band wagon by implementing their own green programs in their communities. There is a coordinating committee, “The Green Team,” out of New York who works with the teams to “think green.”

The NFL Environmental Program is leading the way for corporations making positive choices when it comes to the environment. Groh sums it up, “We hope to make an impact and leave a legacy in the community.”

To learn more, visit www.nfl.com/ superbowl/community.

IN EVERY ISSUE I SPECIAL SECTION

Photo: Kevin Barry â&#x20AC;˘ Save Our Everglades, Collier County, Fla. Under warm skies the cypress sloughs of Southwest Florida stretch to the horizon, shouldering water that flows to the coastal mangrove forests of the Ten Thousand Islands and Gulf of Mexico. The Save Our Everglades project has already protected 200,000 acres of this unique cypress prairie habitat, helping to provide refuge for critically endangered animals and recreational enjoyment. However, more acreage remains to be purchased.

Please visit www.positiveimpactmagazine.com to view the 2010 Florida Forever calendar.

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Florida Forever 2010 calendar depicts state’s endangered lands

Natural Beauty

Florida’s leading nature photographers celebrate the state’s most endangered lands in the Legacy Institute for Nature & Culture’s (LINC) fourth annual conservation calendar.

The 2010 Florida Forever calendar is a collaborative work featuring 12 of the state’s leading nature photographers focused on a selection of Florida’s vulnerable, but spectacular landscapes.

“These photographs celebrate the best of natural Florida and champion its survival,” says Carlton Ward, Jr., LINC founder and eighth generation Floridian.

“For more than two decades, the state’s Florida Forever program has been protecting sensitive land from development, yet more than a million acres of land and water remain high priority for protection. We hope that this wall calendar serves as a daily reminder to everyone of the important natural resources that need our attention.”

The mission of Legacy Institute for Nature & Culture (LINC) is to raise awareness for natural environments and cultural legacies, educate about important connections between human societies and natural ecosystems, and promote conservation of natural heritage.

Learn more at www.LINC.us.

The calendar shares landscapes from across the state, selected from the Department of Environmental Protection’s top 21 endangered sites. Each locale is celebrated by beloved leaders in the emerging field of conservation photography including, Chad Anderson, Kevin Barry, Clyde Butcher, Will Dickey, John Moran, David Moynahan, Jeff Ripple, James Shadle, Mac Stone, Jim Valentine, Carlton Ward, Jr. and Eric Zamora. Their photos reveal stunning vistas, endangered waterways and fragile ecosystems that could all too easily be replaced by houses, shopping malls, restaurants and parking lots.

Contributing conservation photographer Chad Anderson of Big Pine Key reflects on his cover photo. “This image shows the endangered Key deer in its native mangrove habitat in the lower Keys.

The smallest subspecies of the North American white tailed deer, the Key deer

typically weighs less than 80 pounds and stands less than waist high on most people.

Key deer were threatened by over-hunting until it was prohibited in the early 1950s.

While we can be proud that over the past 50 years their population has increased, dramatic changes in the Keys have led to new threats from habitat loss and fragmentation, collisions with cars and illegal feeding. Unless we take steps now to protect their native habitat through programs like Florida Forever, the future of the Key deer will remain uncertain.”

Eric Draper, deputy director of Audubon of Florida, offers his views in the opening pages of the calendar: “Imagine the place in Florida you will discover, the place that you will fall in love with. See the terrain, the colors, the life. See yourself helping to save that special place. The places showcased in this calendar, like the places in your imagination, are not yet protected. These places have been loved, envisioned and evaluated, yet remain in danger of being lost.”

The Florida Forever 2010 Conservation Photography Calendar is available from the University Press of Florida for $15. Visit the Web site at www.upf.com or call (800) 226-3822. For volume discounts, please contact LINC at www.info@LINC.us or (813) 362-4825. Orders of 10 to 39 calendars are $10 each, orders of 40 or more calendars are $5 each. The calendars can also be resold to raise funds for schools, clubs and community organizations.

Calendar sales will help enable educational outreach supporting Florida Forever, as well as conservation photography fellowships and scholarships by LINC. The Florida Forever 2010 Conservation Photography Calendar was made possible through the generous support of lead sponsors Baldwin Connelly Group and Mitigation Marketing, joined by Tom Arthur, Archbold Biological Station, Audubon of Florida, Cedar Key Aquaculture Association, Entrix, Environmental Resource Marketing, E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center, Family Lands Remembered, Florida Wildlife Federation, GenSpring Family Offices, Hill Ward Henderson, Nokuse Plantation, 1000 Friends of Florida, Scrub Conservation Bank, Sustainable Florida, Collins Center, Tucker Hall Public Affairs & Public Relations and Wildlands Conservation. positiveimpactmagazine.com

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TEEN IRON CHEF

Empowering Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Youth

By: Sheryl Crutchfield

Adolescence and food seem to go together like two peas in a pod. Unfortunately, studies have shown as teens begin making more autonomous choices regarding nutrition, often poor dietary habits ensue. Increased fast food consumption, meal skipping and inappropriate dieting can quickly become the norm. But what if our youth became more knowledgeable, skilled and enthusiastic about cooking and

making healthy food decisions instead?

The Teen Iron Chef program, developed

by FamilyCook Productions in New York City, is a youth culinary and nutrition skillbuilding program that opens new horizons for adolescents and food. During seven weeks of two-hour, after-school sessions, teens learn about garden-to-table food preparation and how to educate their peers as well.

HEALTH “Young teens are a pivotal age group in the community, with the ability to act as messengers and role models to inspire younger children, peers and elders,” – Lynn Fredericks

A

The Teen Iron Chef program will be implemented in 50 Health Corps-designated high schools in nine states during the 2009-2010 school years.

For more information, visit familycookprductions.com and healthcorps.org.

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ccording to author Lynn Fredericks, the founder of FamilyCook Productions, the sessions are a refreshing departure from classroom style learning. Each week, two teams explore a specific culture’s food through preparing a recipe and competing against each other in food presentation, and the culture and nutritional significance of their assigned recipe.

“Teen Iron Chef is a youth development program that’s really about teamwork, youth empowerment, transforming one’s knowledge about food and cooking, finding out more about who you are, and celebrating enjoyment of good food,” says Fredericks.

Participants and their mentors describe an impressive array of newfound skills and abilities such as working as a team, following directions and sharing responsibility. The teens also gain self-confidence, public speaking and problem-solving skills, health literacy and experience testing their creativity through trying new foods.

A rewarding and perhaps somewhat surprising outcome of Teen Iron Chef is the leadership role that students gravitate toward in their communities as activists and educators. Much of this enthusiasm is directed toward promoting good nutrition, sustainable food systems, healthy food choices and local food production.

Teen Iron Chefs become community ambassadors on changing attitudes toward healthy eating. “They are bursting with enthusiasm to share with others and become catalysts for change. They really want to do something powerful and set an example,” adds Fredericks.

Giovanni Edwards, one of the founders of the youth farmer’s market program in New York City, loves when the Teen Iron Chefs come to do cooking demos. “With youth working at the market, we can get more knowledge to schools, friends and parents,” says Edwards. “Friends can tell friends and hopefully change the way they eat. It can start a chain reaction and hopefully there will be a domino effect which will change the health of our neighbors, our community and one day even our nation.”

In fact, the youth leadership potential of the Teen Iron Chef program has attracted the attention of author and cardiac surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, well known from “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” In cooperation with FamilyCook Productions, he is incorporating the Teen Iron Chef curriculum as part of his Health Corps organization — a national network of high school peer mentoring programs that aims to engage and educate America’s youth and families in making healthy lifestyle choices.

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Burner flame: ©iStockphoto.com/AlexKalina Spices pg. 36: ©iStockphoto.com/Synergee Photo copyright 2009 courtesy FamilyCookProductions.com Photos from Top: 1. Cooking up a seasonal meal at the 47th street Greenmarket in Manhattan.

2. Dr. Mehmet Oz taking time to congratulate the popular Teen Iron Chefs at his “Highway to Health.”

3. Teen Iron Chefs whip up quesadillas to order at HealthCorps “Highway to Health” in Brooklyn.

4. Youth market Manager Giovanni Edwards helping Teen Iron Chefs spice things up in the Bronx.

5. The Chefs prepare for a celebration by leading cooking activity with younger peers in the school garden.

6. FCP Founder Lynn Fredericks with veteran Iron Chef Camilla.

7. Teen Iron Chefs present African dish for youth delegates of the United Nations Committee on Sustainable Developement.

Photo by: © Jennifer Calais Smith

INSPIRE

Photo: Charity Beck • Kids wearing the Pay It Forward bracelets

PAY IT FORWARD Good Works Go Global with the PAY IT FORWARD Bracelet By: Maureen Maclay • Photography courtesy Charley Johnson & Catherine Ryan Hyde

An idea that is helping to change the world came to Charley Johnson one day while he was driving down the road. The 29-year-old vice president of SnugZUSA decided to create a white silicone bracelet with the words “PAY IT FORWARD” printed in bold purple letters.

Wearing it as a reminder to help someone, people take off the bracelet and pass it along to a person they have helped — like a chain to PAY IT FORWARD. Since 2007, Johnson and Brandon Mackey of SnugZUSA have shipped out 500,000 bracelets worldwide at a cost to them of approximately $90,000.

Even as a young child, Johnson always looked for ways to help people. It upset him to see people being treated unkindly or hating their jobs and complaining to their families. “I made up my mind at a young age that I never wanted to be like that,” Johnson says. “I always wanted to treat people better.”

Johnson realized that charities and nonprofits were having a hard time. “The main 38

“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”

– Charley Johnson, Pay It Forward Today

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goal of a nonprofit or charity is to get people to donate their time or money,” he says. “But people have to be in a good mind-set in order to do either of these.”

In 2000, “everything just clicked,” says Johnson, after he first saw the film starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment that is based on Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novel Pay It Forward.

In the novel, Hyde creates an assignment — think of an idea to change our world and put it into action. One fictional student takes the assignment seriously and sets forth to change the world with his actions through a “pay it forward” chain of kindness.

Johnson’s idea had just blossomed when he sent a box of bracelets to Hyde.

She contacted him and a year later invited him to be on the board of the Pay It Forward Foundation. “Charley is just a hugely positive person,” says Hyde. “He’s one of those rare people who always gets things done. He seems to have almost boundless energy and enthusiasm.”

“The bracelets seem to spark excitement in people,” says Hyde. “I think maybe people respond better to something that’s real, that they can see and touch.” So far without advertising, people from 53 countries and nearly every continent have contacted Johnson and Mackey requesting bracelets.

Johnson doesn’t want it to become a corporate public relations ploy or a flash in the pan. He would rather see the bracelet idea grow more slowly until it becomes a worldwide phenomenon that sticks and kindness and compassion just becomes second nature for people. “I want everyone to be so heavily involved in helping others that it is everywhere,” Johnson says.

“I mean everywhere, without even thinking about it.”

Johnson’s bracelets build and extend Hyde’s original idea in a unique way.

“Charley is just a hugely positive person. He’s one of those rare people who always gets things done. He seems to have almost boundless energy and enthusiasm.”

“If every single individual takes one step to help someone else, the world changes drastically. Then there are more and more humans with a better mind-set, and eventually the entire world is involved,” he says.

Beyond Johnson’s Pay It Forward bracelet, people have created a Pay It Forward Movement, and now April 20th has become Pay It Forward Day. All of the donations received through www.PayItForwardToday.org are used to manufacture and distribute the bracelets.

Johnson’s goal is to give away one billion bracelets worldwide.

To find out how to get involved, visit www.payitforwardtoday.org or www.snugzusa.com. To learn more about the Pay It Forward Foundation, visit www payitforwardfoundation.org.

– Catherine Ryan Hyde, Pay It Forward Author

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ATHLETES TOUGH LOVE NFL linebacker Ryan Nece

is tackling his biggest challenge — changing the mind-set of the “me” society By: JP Peterson • Photography courtesy of Ryan Nece

NFL linebacker Ryan Nece may have to be tough in his job, but the professional football player follows a different mantra when it comes to living life.

Nece is a model of humility and his unselfish attitude began in childhood.

It started on the playground during sixth grade recess while picking teams for kickball. Everyone knew that Nece is the son of legendary NFL football player Ronnie Lott, paving the way for Nece to be one of the coolest kids at school.

As team captain, many expected Nece to pick the popular kids first, but that was not in his game plan.

He remembered a challenge his mother once posed. “Why don’t you pick the worst athlete? The person that always gets picked last? Imagine how that act of kindness could brighten a kid’s day? Make an impact in his life?”

So that’s exactly what Nece did.

“I really learned how good it feels to give – how a little act of kindness can do more for the person who gives than the one who receives,” explains Nece. “She told me if I’m as good an athlete as I think I am, I would win anyway. It really made that kid feel good and me too.”

That’s where Nece got the inspiration for his lifelong quest to “pay it forward” and create the Power of Giving initiative.

He kicked off the initiative in April 2009, with a charity gathering at a small Tampa Bay restaurant. He invited 50 friends and local dignitaries for cocktails and appetizers.

Instead of the usual fundraising benefit where the host solicits donations from attendees for a cause, Nece chose to give money to his guests instead.

He gave everyone an envelope containing $55 and challenged each one to perform random acts of kindness that 40

would transform their conventional thinking. (The number 55 is his Jersey number.)

He told the group they could spend it anyway they like, but encouraged everyone to “pay it forward” and use the money to help or inspire others to “pay it forward.”

The story was chronicled in a Sports Illustrated article: “The response was huge.

I heard from folks all over the nation. One gentleman and his wife celebrated their 55th anniversary – not by throwing themselves a huge party – but by giving away $55 envelopes to everyone in their church and challenging them to pay it forward.”

The Sports Illustrated story ignited a

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nationwide movement that is growing with every random act of kindness.

Teachers have challenged their classes and they have responded. Individuals are performing random acts of kindness to strangers.

Ryan Nece’s Web site, www.ryannece56. com, is the conduit through which followers share their emotional stories and inspire others to join the movement. The stories have moved the tough linebacker to tears.

“One man was given $55 worth of art supplies when he was in a coma. When he came out, this artist was inspired to start

painting again. He felt God had blessed him and called him to pay it forward. Now he paints for charity and writes “pay it forward” on the back of every painting,” says Nece.

“One lady went around and put quarters in parking meters that were about to run out. She left a note to pay it forward,” he says.

“No matter how small the act, it can have a huge impact on someone and society itself. The power of giving lets us slow down and realize what’s important: Sharing joy with the ones we love and those we don’t even know,” Nece says.

YOU SEE A ROOM.

“Why don’t you pick the worst athlete? The person that always gets picked last? Imagine how that act of kindness could brighten a kid’s

We see a path to stronger communities.

day? Make an impact

At Volunteers of America, we envision a world where everyone has a place to call home an a meaningful role in society. Th at’s why we open our doors to millions and provide the help and support needed to rebuild lives. We serve as a path to stronger communities – because when lives are improved, communities are, too. After all, who are we as a society if we don’t help those who need it the most? To help strengthen your community, visit VolunteersofAmerica.org.

in their life?”

–Ryan Necs’s Mother

Following his NFL career, Nece hopes he can devote his time to the Power of Giving initiative. He would like to go on the “Oprah” show to spread his message.

Nece says he doesn’t know what happened to that awkward boy he picked for his kickball team. Maybe that kind act left an indelible mark on his life and he has paid it forward.

He is hoping we all catch on to his little secret. It’s better to give than receive.

DEPARTMENT I ATHLETES

HOLE IN

ONE

Transitions Championship is a Win/Win Situation By: Mick Elliott • Photography: Charity Beck

T

he Transitions Championship — March’s annual PGA Tour stop at Innisbrook Resort — does something no other game in town can do. It guarantees a hometown victory.

“The golf tournament is unique to other sporting events in that its owner is a charity,” tournament director Gerald Goodman explains. “Copperhead Charities owns this PGA Tour week in Tampa Bay, Fla. Once all the bills are paid, the money

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is donated locally.” Last year, despite difficult economic times, more than $1.8 million was presented to a long list of participants. All area charities are eligible to become involved.

The tournament’s Birdies for Tampa Bay Charities is a fundraising program designed to allow participating groups to generate contributions for their organization based on the number of birdies made by contestants during the tournament’s

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four rounds. Any 501(c)(3) charity can participate and receive a donation equal to 100 percent of the money the individual charity raises.

“The way it affects us directly is that donors are really drawn to the concept that they can have more impact for their donation when matching funds are available to leverage their own donations,” says Howard Baskin, director of Big Cat Rescue.

“The result has been that the maximum

“We are showcasing the Tampa Bay area around the world,” Goodman says. “We have 144 of the world’s best golfers come here to compete on the famed Copperhead course that year in and year out the players rate as one of the top five courses they play.”

Over the event’s history, a total of $23 million has been given to local causes.

has been donated every year for the last four years. In fact, it has gotten to the point where some of our donors are so familiar with the program they proactively ask me when it starts before I contact them.”

Past winners of the event include defending champ Retief Goosen, Mark Calcavecchia, K. J. Choi and Vijay Singh, but the host area always shares the glory.

The event showcases Tampa Bay like few others can. First, to have a place on the PGA Tour schedule distinguishes the

area. Also, the March date is part of the prestigious “Florida Swing” that leads to the Masters and builds interest as golf heads to its first major championship of the season.

Tournament week promises 12 hours of network television coverage that goes around the world to more than 200 countries.

According to PGA Tour research, an area the size of Tampa Bay experiences an economic impact of more than $23 million as a direct result of the tournament.

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LIVING TREASURES QUEEN OF THE KEYS:

Column by: Rachel Schaeffer • Photography courtesy of Lillette Jenkins-Wisner

“Life is to be shared.

What else can you do with it? If you keep it to yourself, what purpose does it serve? Music is my heart, my passion.

Whatever you love, share it with everyone.”

– Lillette Jenkins-Wisner

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Lillette makes you smile. Lillette makes you want to dance even if you just groove in your chair. Lillette calls out to the little girl or boy in you that just wants to belt it out in song. At 85 years young, Lillette Jenkins-Wisner doesn’t just play the most amazing classical and jazz piano you have ever heard, She IS the music.

I fell in love with Lillette online. Her heart and soul comes out to grab you simply by hearing her sing and play. But I just couldn’t stand it; I found out she was playing at Harlem Nights, a benefit event less than two hours from my home, so I went. I count it as one of the greatest blessings of my 42 years — the chance to experience Lillette live.

Just days prior to the performance, she was in a car accident and broke her pedal foot. When a fellow performer assumed that she wouldn’t be able to participate, Lillette replys, “Honey, I’m from the old school. The show must go on.”

And go on it did. She brought down the house with her vivacious and contagious energy, and her stellar brilliance.

All aglitter in her sequined gown, she dedicated each piece to famous fellow musicians that are now gone.

Lillette is not only a mesmerizing performer, but also a genius of musical technique. She combines classical hymns and spirituals with remarkably fun jazz pieces. She worked as a minister of music for many churches and choirs in both New York and New Jersey.

She played with all the greats including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Ella Fitzgerald.

The award-winning musician also played in television’s “All My Children” and in movies such as “The Cotton Club”

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with Richard Gere. She directed the music for “One Mo’ Time,” an off-Broadway hit about black vaudeville.

“We weren’t allowed in the ladies’ rooms or restaurants, but we were the stars,” Lillette recalls.

Nat King Cole wrote a song for her called “Lillette,” a big hit in the early 1950s.

“Lillette, Lillette, my pretty violet,” she sings while snapping her fingers at her home in Sarasota, Fla., which is filled with memories of both stardom and a big loving family.

I felt like one of the family as she spoke to me of her old Harlem neighborhood friends and fellow performers, like Louis Armstrong.

“We all played together. They had big shows back then during vaudeville times with special acts, dance acts, comedy acts and big bands,” she recalls. “In the jazz field, hardly anybody was trained. I was one of the few that had studied and could read music.”

Growing up as one of nine children in a tenement apartment, Lillette’s mother had a friend upstairs with a piano. This friend loved being entertained and was so impressed by 4-year-old Lillette, that she told Lillette’s parents if they provided her with lessons, she would give the family her piano. Lillette continued to study at New York University, New York College and the Westminister Choir College in Princeton, N.J. Over the years, Lillette has showered music, love and happiness on both loved ones and strangers alike. In the early 1940s, she traveled overseas entertaining the troops in the USO, even though she admits being frightened during war times.

When World War II was over, she participated in a tribute celebration to the

She played with all the greats including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Ella Fitzgerald. them. If you say, ‘that was awesome!’ it really lights them up,” shares Lillette.

Now that Lillette is in what she calls her “entirement,” as opposed to her “retirement,” she still performs several shows every week. She gives of herself completely whether she is at Carnegie Hall or in a local nursing home, prison or drug rehabilitation center.

“Tonight, I’m performing for an assisted living group. I just want it to be fun for them — make it a big party. See that?”

The photos in her many albums are testament to the fact that she makes it “fun” for lots of people. The pages are filled with beaming smiles as well as impressive postcard-like shots from around-the-world cruises where she performed for years.

In the assisted living center photos, smiles can be seen all around.

“Those are genuine smiles!” Lillette boasts with joy.

She brings her heart to all she does.

Whether it’s her much-requested “The Bumblebee,” a fast piano boogie woogie that she made into her signature song, the ever popular spirituals that she loves including, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” or the Christmas service that she

has right in her home with her family, she’s both having fun and sharing her love of music. Now a great-grandmother, the cycle of life is coming full circle. Lillette’s greatgrandbaby, also named Lillette, received a piano before she was even born.

For more infor mation about Lillette’s Foundation for the Arts, go to www.lillettesfoundation.org.

©iStockphoto.com/javarman

Negro Troops in Carnegie Hall. She contributed her USO salary to her family that helped them to purchase their first home.

“It was the happiest day of my mother’s life when we moved out to Long Island.”

Lillette recalls.

Later, Lillette taught music in the New York City school system for seven years.

In 2005, in keeping with her dedication to the musical dreams of young people, Lillette and her family created Lillette’s Foundation for the Arts — which provides scholarship assistance to middle and high school students pursuing their study in the performing arts. Eligible students can receive private lessons with the teacher of their choice. While currently focused in Florida, the foundation eventually plans to go national.

This past summer, the foundation afforded 15 students the opportunity to attend a two-week summer music boot camp. Their lessons included music theory, history, piano basics and notation.

They also went on a field trip to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall where they learned about staging and production.

“What the students really get is someone paying attention to them, to encourage

MIND The Benefits of Optimism: Live Longer and Happier By: Sandy Sun Kaster, M.S., B.S.

Although we have a genetic predisposition to our patterns of thinking, optimism can be learned. Why bother? Compared to pessimistic people, optimists are healthier, live longer, and are less prone to anxiety and depression. They also tend to be more satisfied in their relationships and more successful in school, work and athletics. Truly, a positive outlook can combine with talent and desire to enable achievement.

Seeing the glass as half full also has physiological benefits. An optimistic outlook on life can boost your immune system, prevent depression and improve general health.

According to Harvard researchers, positive thinkers had a lower incidence of diabetes and hypertension in middle age than negative thinkers.

Since optimists believe they can make a difference in their health, they are more likely to take active measures to live healthy lifestyles and combat disease.

Pessimists might believe that they are destined to have medical problems and be less likely to do anything about it.

So how do you reap all the benefits of optimists? Anticipate that positive events will occur in the future and don’t let past failures overwhelm you. If a setback occurs, think of any possible positive things that can come out of the incident. Know that the difficulty is just temporary and that you’ll be able to overcome it. Rather than dwelling on your mistakes and failures, learn from them and move on to better things. How you think will affect how you feel and how much positive energy you will attract. Your mood can also impact the moods of those around you, including your family, friends and even strangers. Strive to be an optimist – believe in the goodness of life and your own abilities.

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©iStockphoto.com/luSh

H

ow can you live longer and happier, enjoy better health and relationships, and have more good things come your way? By thinking like an optimist. Every day people deal with challenges such as loss of a job, a fight with a friend, or an awkward moment at work. Although none of these experiences are pleasant, some people respond to them as devastating, overwhelming crises, while others are able to deal with them and move on. In most cases, unhappiness is less about what events occur in your life, and more about how you perceive and respond to them.

Is a setback a learning experience, or is it a devastating blow? Hardships are seen as “learning experiences” by optimists, and, not surprisingly, they tend to experience less stress than pessimists.

Because optimists believe in themselves and their abilities, they expect good things to happen. They see negative events as minor, temporary setbacks they can overcome by their efforts and abilities. They also tend to be more persistent than pessimists and are more likely to achieve success because of it.

Optimists view positive events as the results of their efforts and as evidence that more great things will come. Their sense of personal power and belief in themselves also leads them to take more risks and create more positive events in their lives.

In contrast, pessimists tend to believe that setbacks will last a long time and undermine everything they do. They believe that one mistake means more will come, causing even more mistakes in other areas of their lives. They explain positive events as flukes that are caused by things outside their control that probably won’t happen again.

For example, an optimistic view of a bad day is, “Today was bad, but there will be better days in the future.” A pessimistic view would be, “Today was bad, so why shouldn’t every day be bad in the future?”

Some people may argue that they’re not pessimistic, they’re realistic. However, is it truly realistic to believe that all the possible negative things that can happen in your life will occur, and none of the possible positive outcomes will happen?

Pessimism has been linked to depression, while optimism is linked to hopefulness.

© Toby Melville/Reuters/Corbis

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A SERVANT’S

HEART Bono, the Boy, and the Broker

By: Anthony Burbidge

TO THE PEOPLE

LISTEN

Perhaps the most powerful way to have a positive impact is to be of service to the world.

For three decades, the rocker turned global humanitarian, known to millions as Bono, has engaged his followers and world leaders alike, armed with the sacred heart of a servant driven by a penchant for justice.

Even 30 years after beginning his musical career, Bono continues to demonstrate — through his music, his message and his philanthropy — how one person truly can make a difference.

Here’s a closer look at the brave Irish poet who has had such a profound and positive impact on the world in which we live.

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STR/AFP/Getty Images

The Boy Who Changed The Man Not long after taking part in 1985’s Live Aid concert, Bono and his wife Ali were invited by World Vision to witness firsthand what was happening in Ethiopia. It was during their six weeks working at a feeding station in Ajibar that the young singer had an experience that made a permanent mark on his conscience. An Ethiopian man with a little boy approached Bono and pleaded with him to take his son back to Ireland, telling the singer that if he refused, the boy would surely die. Reflecting on the encounter in the 2006 book,

U2 on U2, Bono states, “I don’t know whether he made it or not, but in a certain sense I have always taken that boy with me, and if the rage rises up inside me, as it sometimes does, it’s usually him I’m thinking of.”

Bono transmuted his hidden rage into the courage needed to effect meaningful change in the consciousness of his fellow man. To this end, Bono has worked tirelessly for more than two decades to What is it that drives a person to make a difference in another’s life? To actually do something.

Does it come from inspiration, education?

shine a light on the continent of Africa’s often neglected people. In speaking to Oprah Winfrey in 2002 of the inspiration that grew from his Ethiopian experience, Bono states, “At a certain point, I felt God is not looking for alms. God is looking for action.”

And act Bono did.

Through both his career as one of rock’s most passionate chanteurs and his afterhours vocation as a political catalyst and agitator, Bono has kept pace with the evolution of the world’s most significant predicaments. Early on, he lent his time, talent and tenacity to organizations such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace,

Top photo: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA: Irish rocker Bono, lead singer of U2 is pictured at the Love Life Train in Soweto township 24 May 2002, outside Johannesburg. He was visiting the clinic that deals with AIDS related issues with the youth of Soweto.

Bono is in the country on the second leg of his African tour to highlight the need for development aid to the world’s poorest continent.

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COVER I MUSIC & MUSICIANS UN Millennium Project and War Child. As Bono has grown older and more worldly, however, he’s altered his approach, focusing less on his desire to inspire the masses and more on his quest to effect true change in the political system that governs the modern world.

Bono The Good: 1979 – 1999 Even before U2 had released its first full length album, Bono’s mind was set on a life of service. Upon seeing The Secret Policeman’s Ball (a show to raise awareness of Amnesty International) in 1979, the young vocalist was inspired to become involved in charity work. At the time, Bono (whose moniker is a truncated version of Bono Vox, a nickname meaning “good voice”) was unsure of what role he might play in the world of humanitarian work; but in the decade that followed, the way would be made clear for him.

In 1984, the opportunity to merge his talents with his charitable aspirations presented itself when fellow Irish rocker, Bob Geldof recruited Bono to contribute his unique tenor to one of the most successful singles of all time. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” not only raised millions in aid dollars for the people of Ethiopia, but also the Band Aid single stoked Bono’s humanitarian fire.

The following year, the charismatic front man once again had the opportunity to be of service when Geldof asked U2 to participate in one of the most ambitious concerts in history — Live Aid. On July 13, 1985, with 400 million viewers in 60 countries glued to their televisions, Bono stole the show when he saved a 15-year-old girl’s life by jumping into the crowd to

rescue her from being crushed by throngs of people. The band’s performance, led

by Bono’s spontaneous interaction with the audience, helped solidify the group as one of the world’s preeminent live acts and further strengthened Bono’s resolve to use his growing celebrity for good.

When World Vision contacted Bono with an opportunity to take part on the front lines in Ethiopia, the budding activist leapt at the chance. He and his wife took the trip under the media’s radar. They wanted to serve as people, not stars. They wanted to experience the situation firsthand, without sugarcoating or special treatment. It was this experience, coupled with a subsequent trip Bono and Ali took to Nicaragua and El Salvador in 1986, that helped inform Bono’s writing on what would become U2’s hallmark album, “The Joshua Tree.”

This was an active period for the young singer and his band. In the midst of recording “The Joshua Tree,” U2 took time to headline Amnesty International’s “A Conspiracy of Hope” tour. It was also during this period that Steve Van Zandt called on Bono to take part in the United Artists Against Apartheid project. The song “Sun City” and accompanying album featured the talents of some 54 musicians and raised over one million dollars for South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement.

Throughout the 1980s and into the following decade, Bono used the concert stage as a platform to inspire and inform U2’s audience. When Bono sang “I Will Follow,” the fans looked to the singer as a vanguard whom they themselves might follow. When he waved a white flag during performances of “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” the audience took a deeper interest in “The Troubles” in Ireland that had been sapping the spirit of the singer’s homeland for

decades. And when Bono spoke from the stage about the atrocities inflicted upon prisoners of conscience around the world, Amnesty International’s ranks increased dramatically.

By the late 1990s, however, Bono had begun to see the limitations of preaching to the masses through the vehicles of song and testimony. He sensed that in order to truly alter the injustices he witnessed in the world, he would have to take a different approach, one that would lead him to the inner chambers of the world’s most powerful politicians.

Bono The Broker: 1999 – 2009 As the new millennium approached, there was much for Bono to feel good about: Amnesty International had become a household name, communism had fallen, apartheid had crumbled in South Africa, and peace had been established in the singer’s homeland. In each case, music played a role in bridging the gap between the hearts and minds of discordant groups.

Still, Bono was not satisfied. It was clear that even though his efforts to inspire the masses had been effective, larger and more fundamental issues continued to go unresolved in the world. Over a billion people were living on less than a dollar a day, and Bono’s beloved Africa remained mired by civil conflict, public health catastrophes and crippling debt.

Enter Jubilee 2000, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from around the globe dedicated to convincing the world’s wealthiest nations to cancel a significant portion of the debt owed to them by the poorest of countries. With the milestone moment of the new millennium

According to USAID as of 2003, approximately 15 million children had lost one or both parents due to HIV/AIDS. By 2010, this number is expected to increase to 25 million.

TO ELIMINATING AIDS IN AFRICA AIDS is the leading cause of death in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the fourth leading cause of death globally. positiveimpactmagazine.com

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on the horizon, organizers saw a golden opportunity to inspire a sense of compassionate capitalism in the hearts of G8 leaders.

Bono had known since the days of his first visit to Ethiopia in the mid ’80s that the impoverished nations of the world had become slaves to foreign debt, often as part of a complex web of international policy and interests dating back to the Cold War era. The singer believed what

Photo: Dave Long with U2tourfans.com

Bono has always been a man whose actions have spoken as loud as his words. Even in the midst of U2’s daunting 360º World Tour, the singer is willing to devote time to the causes closest to his HEART. Photo caption: U2 360 Tour Produced by Live Nation.

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Friday, Oct. 9th 2009

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Jubilee 2000 was trying to do was about more than peace. “The injustice of it really struck a chord with me. It wasn’t a charitybased idea, it was a justice-based idea. It made me think there was something solid we could do to change the lives of the people we’d met years earlier.”

Throwing his support behind the Jubilee 2000 campaign marked a turning point for Bono. Instead of working with humanitarian organizations to mend the

fabric of broken societies, now Bono worked with the policy makers of the developed world in an attempt to get at the root of the problem. Instead of calling on his audience to rise up, he was calling prime ministers and presidents by phone and asking them to take a look from the top down at how they might provide a fresh start for the world’s neediest of nations.

Once a rebellious rock star, Bono had made the conscious choice to humble himself in order to serve those who needed his help the most. No longer a poetic commentator on the state of the world’s politics and problems, he had become a sort of viral missionary, infecting the system from the inside out with a message of justice and hope.

In the USA, the singer built bridges between right wing senators like

Jesse Helms and democratic leaders on the left. At G8 meetings, Bono reached out to world leaders, finding common ground on which to build a new future for the forgotten continent. Amazingly, Bono succeeded in convincing a number of countries to begin the process of canceling debts and increasing development funds to Africa’s hardest hit nations. “Bono the Rock Star” had become “Bono the Broker,” bringing together support in a way previously considered impossible.

With the passing of the millennium came new challenges and opportunities.

While not successful in completely erasing the debts of the planet’s poorest nations, the Jubilee 2000 coalition did help inspire Bono to carry on with the cause. In 2002,

he and Bobby Shriver founded DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa), an organization that widened the approach to solving Africa’s problems. In 2004, Bono pledged his support to the One Campaign, a grassroots organization dedicated to rallying public support and to lobbying elected officials to fund more international development and relief programs.

Then, in January 2006, Bono helped launch the RED product line, which forged partnerships with a number of major retail businesses, including American Express, Apple Inc., Gap, Hallmark and Microsoft.

In each company’s case, unique RED products were developed and the corporations agreed to donate a percentage of the profits to the Global Fund.

One might say that Bono’s life has come full circle — from his early days taking humanitarian sabbaticals to volunteer for worthy causes to the present when he takes time off from U2 responsibilities to discuss African debt relief with G8 leaders. The truth is, however, that Bono’s passion for lifting the children of Africa from the depths of destitution has never waned. Although the world has been changed by Bono’s conviction, his conviction has never been altered by the world’s reluctance to tackle the troubles that besiege humankind.

The only change has been that the methods he’s employed have evolved as his understanding of the root problems has deepened.

As for the road ahead, Bono has always been a man whose actions have spoken as loud as his words. Even in the midst of U2’s daunting 360º World Tour, the singer is willing to devote time to the causes closest to his heart. At a time when so much uncertainty fills the news, it is reassuring to know that Bono is still on the job. With the heart of a servant, he continues to inform and inspire as he persists in his pursuit of justice for those among us who need it most.

Welcome to the 200 Story Home Art Contest!

Enter for a chance to win this Park City, Utah, mansion or $500,000!

And we’ll donate $50,000 to your favorite charity!

One Million New Scientists.

One Million New Ideas.

TM

Like most amazing journeys, the 200 Story Home started with an idea: How do we sell our home to start our foundation and create a WIN-WINWIN? We mixed creativity with some out-of-the-tank thinking, added a pinch of group genius, and the 200 Story Home Art Competition was born!

Here are the details. We’ll collect 19,000 home-themed art entries (stories, drawings, photography, or collages – the sky’s the limit). Each entry costs $100, and the top 200 entries will be submitted to our panel of judges who will choose the Grand Prize Winner. The winner will receive our 8,000 square foot, 6 bedroom, 8-bath home in stunning Park City, UT, or $500,000 in cash! The best part is we all get to be part of the BIG GIVE.

It was a 4-H experiment in robotics that sparked the imagination of a young girl, that became a passion for engineering, that created new designs and new sources of energy to power a growing world.

Companies and universities around the country are embracing the 4-H commitment of fostering one million young scientists and engineers over the next five years. With their help, 4-H is growing the next generation of great thinkers.

To learn more about America’s largest youth development organization, visit www.4-H.org.

As part of the 200 Story Home Art Competition, $100,000 will be given to charity. The Grand Prize Winner will choose a charity and we will choose the other winners. The 199 runner-ups each will receive $500, and the top 200 “stories” will be collected in a book and displayed in a traveling art exhibit.

Please take a look at our Web site at www.200StoryHome.com for all the details! We hope we’ve inspired you to embrace your creativity!

- Kelley Miller Agee

By: Lorraine V. Alomar • Photography: Sarah Walls

LOVE WITHOUT LIMITS Grandmothers Beyond Borders

UNSUNG HEROS F

or years, many Ugandan women have had to struggle through poverty and heartache. With the HIV/AIDS epidemic being an everyday reality, many have had their worlds turned upside down as they have watched their loved ones pass away and leave behind their own children. Now, many of these women are getting help. It was the story of one grandmother who touched the heart of one Milwaukee woman that put her town into action.

Amy Peterson witnessed firsthand the struggle and heartache facing many grandmothers in Uganda. Peterson was compelled to travel to Uganda after hearing a story

happiness to a small town of women who once felt abandoned and alone. The one common thread amongst all who contribute to the organization is compassion. Mary is the symbolic grandmother. Arseneau explains that while many of the volunteers have had children themselves, they mostly feel that “Mary could be their grandmother.

“It could’ve been any one of us. It is any one of us,” Arseneau says. Everyone has experienced suffering at one point or another, and it is this understanding that will compel people to reach out and help those in need. Although they were unable to locate Mary, they found many who likewise were raising grandchildren that were left behind.

“Things changed markedly for these grandmothers.

They realized that they are not alone,”- Jamie Arseneau.

Since the program was launched in 2006, they have raised over $60,000 to serve more than 500 grandmothers. With the help of Caritas, a Catholic charity, the group of volunteers sees to it that these women have basic necessities, such as food baskets, blankets, poultry and mattresses. There are places now that are uncontaminated, which makes it easier to grow fruit and vegetables. Every year the group takes a trip to Uganda to make sure the women are doing well. They help distribute supplies. But most importantly, they want to get things directly to the people so that the community can make decisions and thus feel a sense of empowerment.

The women of Uganda now feel joy because they know there are people who In 2007 in support of Grandmothers Beyond Borders, care. The sharing and caring transcend the people of Naggalama gather for a parade.. the miles that separate them. Of the on NPR of Mary, an 80-year-old grandmother who not only change in these women, Arseneau observed that “together, buried all 14 of her children, many or all due to AIDS, but these women have power. They’ve formed a collective. also had the added task of raising her 10 orphaned grand- They found their music again.” Grandmothers Beyond children. Peterson was moved by Mary’s plight and felt a Borders strives to ensure that these women no longer are moral obligation to help those that were faced with similar left to feel isolated or alone. circumstances. After sharing Mary’s story of sadness and isolation with friends like Janine Arseneau and local news- For more information on how to help, please visit: papers, Peterson set out to find Mary and women like her www.grandmothersbeyond.org. to let them know that they are not alone.

That was three years ago. Since then, the two have gone on to recruit numerous volunteers in the area. What started out as two determined women has evolved into a group of dedicated individuals eager to bring hope and positiveimpactmagazine.com

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IN EVERY ISSUE I HOW TO GET INVOLVED Looking for a way to make a positive impact in the world? If you felt inspired by the stories in this issue, begin your own “ripple effect” by getting involved with the organizations below.

HERE’S HOW BONO/RED ORGANIZATION RED products were developed and corporations agreed to donate a percentage of the profits to the Global Fund. www.joinred.com

Central Asia Institute A non-profit organization with the mission to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. To find out how you can get involved, make a donation, or learn more about the Pennies For Peace Campaign, visit the Web site at www.ikat.org.

GRANDMOTHERS BEYOND BORDERS: Grandmothers Beyond Borders, founded in Milwaukee, Wis., is an all volunteer organization that raises funds to support community-based initiatives at the grassroots level in Uganda to improve the lives of grandmothers and their grandchildren struggling to survive because of the devastating impact of AIDS. For more information, go to the Web site at www.grandmothersbeyond.org.

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2010

FLORIDA FOREVER The Florida Forever 2010 Conservation Photography Calendar is available from the University Press of Florida for $15. The calendars can also be resold to raise funds for schools, clubs and community organizations. Calendar sales will help enable educational outreach supporting Florida Forever, as well as conservation photography fellowships and scholarships by LINC. For more information or to place an order, visit www.upf.com or call (800) 226-3822.

HIGH HEEL HIKE Artist Jules Burt is helping to find a cure for Autism through High Heel Hike, a 1K hike to raise money for Generation Rescue for Autism. To find more information on upcoming hikes, visit www.highheelhike.com.

INNOVATION EXPRESS: The second annual contest is seeking elementary and middle school students with original invention ideas to improve the world around them. For more information, visit the Web site at www.innovationexpress.org.

LILLETTE’S JAZZ FOUNDATION For more information about Lillette’s Foundation for the Arts, go to www.lillettesfoundation.org.

NFL Environmental The NFL Environmental Program has developed a series of initiatives to minimize the impact of Super Bowl activities on the local and global environment. To learn more, visit www.nfl.com/superbowl/community.

PAY IT FORWARD: Pay It Forward bracelets are a worldwide phenomenon started by Charley Johnson of SnugZUSA. The idea behind the bracelet is to pass a bracelet on to another, encouraging the idea of paying it forward and charitable work. To learn how to get a Pay It Forward bracelet, contact: www. payitforwardtoday.org or www.snugzusa. com. For further information about the Pay It Forward Foundation, visit the Web site at www.payitforwardfoundation.org.

TEEN IRON CHEF PROGRAM: FamilyCook Productions offers schools, community-bases groups and other organizations curricula for K-12 that teach nutrition through cooking. To find out more information about the Teen Iron Chef Program, go to the Web site at www.familycookproductions.com or www.healthcorps.org.

TRANSITIONS CHAMPIONSHIP The Transition Championship in Tampa Bay, Fla., is a PGA tournament that donates the proceeds to various charities. To find out how to volunteer for the Transitions Championship, visit the Web site at www.transitionschampionship.com.

POSITIVEIMPACT MAGAZINE If you would like to get involved with Positive Impact Magazine, submitting stories and ideas or the many opportunites available, please contact us at www.positiveimpactmagazine.com.

Hands: ©iStockphoto.com/urbancow

LIFE IS GOOD To learn more about this retailer that is focused on spreading positive attitudes and good vibes, visit their Web site at www.lifeisgood.com.

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YOUNG PIONEERS

©iStockphoto.com/abu

EDISON PROTÉGÉS Contest seeks young inventors’ bright ideas

“We hope to inspire schools and young inventors to create opportunities as well as the innovative solutions these young minds are capable of achieving.”

- Positive Impact Magazine

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F

lorida may be the new hotbed for budding inventors. Elementary and middle school students in the Tampa Bay area are vying for a chance to be named top inventor in the 2nd Annual Innovation Express Youth Inventor Contest.

The contest was the brainchild of Anna Hopen, 10, whose father Anton Hopen, is a patent attorney. “If a toy broke or an appliance didn’t work right, Anna would have a sketch of an improved product waiting for me when I got home from work,” Hopen says. “At some point we both realized what a great opportunity this would be to motivate kids towards science and technology.”

POSITIVEIMPACT MAGAZINE Premier 2010

With the help of Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), the University of South Florida, and local school districts, the contest expects to see several thousand invention submissions. “Due to the sheer volume of applications, we will likely see commercially profitable inventions created,” Hopen predicts.

To participate, students must complete an invention disclosure form that identifies a problem with current technology and describes their solution. They are also required to provide a sketch and explain how their invention works.

Contestants are judged on creativity, persuasiveness, benefit to the public and marketability of the invention. Thousands of submissions will be judged by the Academy of Inventors at the University of South Florida.

Academy founder Dr. Paul Sanberg volunteered the group to identify the top five elementary school finalists and the top five middle school finalists.

The grand prize winners for elementary and middle school students will receive a $1,000 cash prize. In addition, each winner’s school receives an additional $1,000 cash prize. All participants receive special awards including free admission to MOSI. Finalists receive additional prizes including annual passes to MOSI and $100 gift certificates to Learning Express Toys.

The deadline for submission of new inventions is January 27, 2010. The contest is open to all elementary and middle school students in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Manatee, Pasco, Hernando, Sarasota and Citrus counties. Finalists will be selected February 1, 2010, and the finalists will present their inventions and prototypes at MOSI on Thomas Edison’s birthday, February 11, 2010.

Contest rules and applications are available at www.innovationexpress.org or through the school districts.

David Alan Harvey / Magnum Photos

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