Cody Clark, Kemptville, Ontario, Canada
Cody Clark, 11, provides "Comfort Kits" to children and seniors in hospitals and nursing homes to help them forget, for a moment, about their illnesses and fears, and to let them know that someone cares about them.

Stephanie Dummerth, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Camp Sunrise is one of many summer camps organized by local chapters of the American Cancer Society for children with cancer. For the last five years, Stephanie Dummerth, 12, of St. Louis, MO, has volunteered as a junior counselor to provide the children the same carefree experiences she had when she attended the camp in 1998.

Manoah Chengeah, Nairobi, Kenya
In Kenya, where abortion is permitted only under certain circumstances, many women undergo unsafe, "back street" procedures, which often lead to life-endangering complications. In the capital city of Nairobi, Manoah Chengeah, 23, is trying to decrease the number of unsafe abortions and abandoned infants by educating young women about their reproductive choices.

Jessica Leving, Highland Park, Illinois, U.S.
Jessica, age 15, created a children’s book in an effort to educate young people about autism and acceptance.

Mari Trubenbach, Lake Forest, U.S.
Mari, age 14, traveled with her grandfather to witness his "Passion in Action": Performing corrective surgery for Ecuadorian children.

Alex Scott, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Four years ago, Alex Scott, now 8, started making and selling lemonade to raise money for the hospital where she was receiving chemotherapy. Her “lemonade stand” has grown into a national fundraising movement to raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer research.

Anthony Leanna, Suamico, Wisconsin, U.S.
Anthony, age 14, collects brand-new hats and gives them to cancer patients in hospitals and clinics around the world.

Justin Motley, Headland, Alabama, U.S.
Justin, 16, urges children and youth to live lives free of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

Justine, Brittany and Catherine V.F. Dronet, Norco, California, U.S.
Justine, Brittany and Catherine V.F. Dronet of Norco, CA, ages 12, 14 and 8, respectively, share the joys of their miniature horse during their visits to a local hospice and a center for mentally challenged adults.

Stories from Adults

Marilyn Chisolm, of Columbia, SC, U.S.
Marilyn Chisolm, 49, of Columbia, SC, oversees her ministry's chapter of GoGirlGo!, a national initiative of the Women's Sports Foundation to improve girls' health and self-esteem through physical activity.

Glenn Shockley, of Albuquerque, NM U.S.
Delivery driver Charles Glenn Shockley, 57, invented the field game of terfball, "designed to have a lot of participants and be non-contact and co-ed so everyone can play." For the last 15 years he has volunteered with Rio Rancho Parks and Recreation to teach, play, and referee terfball games for local children and youth.

Rene Giacalone, 42, of Melville, New York, U.S.
While her youngest daughter was battling bone cancer, Rene was able to manage the emotional and physical demands of daily life, thanks to her support network of family, friends and community. In response, her family founded The Honeysuckle Foundation for Children with Cancer to support and help families of young cancer patients, with a special focus on their younger relatives.

Brenda Wilcox, 40, of Houston, Texas, U.S.
Massage therapist Brenda Wilcox helps teens and their parents overcome the "family disease" of adolescent substance abuse and addiction.

Marci A. Rinner, 31, of Norwalk, Ohio, U.S.
Marci grieved over her brother's 1999 death from a heroin overdose. She overcame her grief by telling her story to middle school students, and the experience led her to volunteer frequently as a public speaker and to form her own organization to raise students' awareness of the consequences from drug use.

Jack Sutherland, 51, of Penfield, New York, U.S.
Motivated by his own childhood experiences with stuttering, Jack founded a one-week support camp for children and youth who stutter, which is in its fourth year of operation.

Armando Torres López de Lara, 64, of Torreón, Coahuila, México
Armando overcame his depression over his son's death by volunteering his horses for physical therapy of poor and severely disabled children.

Cindy Elsberry, 34, Acworth, Georgia, U.S.
Cindy founded Project Fit Kids, Inc. to teach children and educators, in metro Atlanta, that physical activity is fun – and necessary.

Joanne Jones, 42, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Joanne Jones is a teacher who founded a nonprofit to help at-risk youth in Philadelphia build their self-esteem so they can make positive choices in life.

Karen Dorame, 64, Glendale, Arizona, U.S.
Karen created Special Kids Photography of America, a nonprofit that trains professional photographers in how to take pictures of children with special needs.

Celebrities

Jane Fonda
The actor and political activist supports reproductive health and education. Among her activities: Emory University named their adolescent reproductive health center after her, and she founded the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention in 1995 where she remains an active donor and board member.

Tyra Banks
In response to the many letters she receives from girls seeking advice, Tyra Banks created T-Zone, a summer camp designed to build the self-esteem of young women.

David Beckham
The soccer legend and his wife, Victoria, founded The Victoria and David Beckham Charitable Trust to assist children and people with special needs worldwide.

Jackie Chan
The martial arts movie star is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS and UNICEF to help arrest the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Dominique Dawes
The Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast is the new president of the Women's Sports Foundation, which recently launched its three year, $10 million GoGirlGo! initiative to fight the emotional and physical health risks that result from physical inactivity.

Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie and his wife Laurie started "Dougie's Team" in 1998 to honor their son Doug Jr., who has autism, and to help other families facing childhood autism through support and education.

Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox created the Foundation for Parkinson's Research, which is dedicated to ensuring the development of a cure for Parkinson's disease within this decade through an aggressively funded research agenda.

Mia Hamm
Soccer star MIA Hamm's foundation is focused on providing support for two important causes: raising funds and awareness for bone marrow diseases and continuing the growth in opportunities for young women in sports.

Elton John
Since 1992, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has distributed more than $30 million internationally to support HIV/AIDS prevention, the elimination of prejudice and discrimination against HIV/AIDS-affected individuals and direct services to those living with HIV/AIDS.

Alonzo Mourning
The NBA basketball player created Zo’s Fund for Life to raise money for Columbia University's Glomerular Institute, one of the U.S.'s leading centers for research and clinical studies on kidney disease. His charity also raises funds for nonprofits serving at-risk children and youth.

Jorge Posada
Jorge Posada, catcher for the New York Yankees, established the foundation that bears his name to support athletic programs for children in New York and Puerto Rico, and organizations that work with children who suffer from craniosynostosis.

Christopher Reeve
The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation is committed to funding research that develops treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders

Montel Williams
The goals and scope of Montel's MS Foundation are far-reaching: they are to provide financial assistance to select organizations and institutions conducting research, to raise national awareness, and to educate the public about multiple sclerosis.