Dr Prakash and Manda Amte are now both now 60 and have done charitable work that would stun most people in scope. 37 years prior, Dr. Prakash moved he and his family to the heart of a jungle in India to care for the Madia Gonds, an indigenous tribe that had seen very little if any medical care, save the work of the local witch doctor, and were suffering from malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhea, whooping cough, gangrene and malnutrition.

For the first six months, the tribe would have nothing to do with them, but after years of good deeds, slowly but surely, tribes people from hundreds of miles away would pay a visit to Dr. Prakash and Manda Amte, in great need of medical help. Since that point, Dr. Prakash has helped tens of thousands of people and animals (he created a rescue center for injured animals as well). He and his wife are recent recipients of The Magsaysay Award, which is often referred to as the Asian Nobel Prize. When Prakash Amte heard the news, he was busy tending to the injuries of an eight feet long python.

Again, the scope of Dr. Prakash and his wife’s work is dwarfed by this blog entry. Their work is stunning in its vastness and history. If you’d like to read more, you can do so here.

And if you have any comments about positive news, send it our way. We love hearing from you!

Orrin Hudson is changing the way inner-city kids think, one chess game at a time. A chess champion, U.S. Air Force veteran, and former Alabama State Trooper and entrepreneur, Hudson began offering free, 16-week chess workshops across the nation in 2001.

He knew that chess was more than just a game; it offered strategies that a troubled youth could apply to a myriad of areas in his or her life. He knew that chess sharpened a young mind and helped them to think many steps ahead. He knew it was a way that a kid could stay off the street and continue another form of education.

At this point, Hudson, often called “The Pied Piper of Positivity,” has coached more than 20,000 kids in over 15 states. The name of the program “Heads Up, Pants Up, Grades Up” (”Pants Up” encourages the kids to abandon the baggy pants look in favor of something more professional.) In a remark that has many meanings, Hudson tells his students:

“If you make the right moves, you can get the right results.”

If you have some more positive news to share, send it our ways. We’d love to hear from you!

Campi ya Kanzi is a Kenyan safari camp making great strides in environmental awareness. Recently awarded its second annual World Savers Award by the magazine Conde Nast Traveler, this solar powered camp changes the face of resorts and safari camps around the world, as more and more travelers purposefully choose places that care about the land on which they live and giving back to the community.

Campi ya Kanzi (which means camp of the hidden treasure) is staffed primarily by the local Maasai tribe, (http://www.maasai.com) and is located between Amboselli and Tsavo National Park. For $500 a night, you are treated to a luxury tented experience and the opportunity to track game with experts in the area.

The awards given by Conde Nast celebrated resort destinations that are making efforts to preserve the environment, alleviate poverty, further education, conserve wildlife and improve health.

Please send in your comments or suggestions if you have any destinations that are eco-friendly and giving back to their community. Positive news spreads positive news!

When Terri Johnson fled her New Orleans home for a safe shelter in Fort Worth, she had something on her mind other than the oncoming Hurricane Gustav: her son’s first birthday. Christopher Lewis was turning one and she feared that she’d have to overlook his birthday due to the extenuating circumstances.

But the people at the Fort Worth shelter refused to let that happen. Gathering funds of their own, they arranged a proper birthday for Christopher Lewis, complete with balloons, cake, an animated movie, party favors and gifts. It was positive news for Terri and her son, amidst the concerns of the impending storm.

“They surprised me with this. This is wonderful,” Johnson said through sobs. “I feel more happy than he is.”

The director of operations at the shelter, Becky Wach, explained that it’s important for the evacuees to feel a sense of normalcy during a stressful time, so this party is just what the doctor ordered.

“Our mission is always to reach out to those who need us the most,” Wach said. “We wanted to try to make it feel like home as much as we could.”

If you have any comments or positive news you’d like to send our way, please do so!

It began in a papermaking studio in Burlington, Vermont. Drew Cameron and Drew Matott wanted to figure out a way to aid return vets from Iraq to process and assimilate their experience. They experimented with shredding old military uniforms and found they could make paper from it.

This is how the Combat Paper project began.

Since then, the pair has toured Combat Paper throughout the U.S., where soldiers were invited to bring their old uniforms and transform it into paper.

The two Drews rationale?

That this transformative process would aid the soldiers in processing their experience. If the soldier could see how an old uniform, which may have carried negative connotations for them, into something positive, then he or she could see the process of internal transformation as well, via art therapy.

Combat Paper also allowed veterans from all across the country to meet and share their experiences, transformative and healing process in and of itself.

“Most of the time the veterans have never met. It’s amazing to see how much they have in common.”

- Drew Matott

What do you think about turning negative into positive news via art therapy?

We’d love to hear from you!

Art Therapy - Positive News for Vets

Sonya Barclay was in serious need of some positive news. Her breast cancer had spread through her bones and feeling worn-out from treatment. But that didn’t stop her from wanting to make some improvements to her old home, in serious disrepair, that housed her four children, her husband and herself. She and her husband decided to compile a tape for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Surely the producers of the TV show would see this family’s need and want to take on the project. Her family worked hard to compile a video that displayed the hardship they had fallen under, with her husband explaining to the camera how he had recently lost his job at the local mill, which had recently shut down.

But the TV show receives a lot of tapes. And unfortunately the Barclays weren’t one of the chosen families.

So what did her community do? They built a house for her. The city of Old Town, Maine gathered and in the old “barn raising” tradition built a new, 3 story home for the Barclays within 22 days with the help of 400 volunteers and 22 businesses.

The Barclays were floored (literally!)

Says Sonya:

“This to me is more than a dream come true. And it didn’t take a TV show to build this house. It was built out of love, compassion and they knew that we needed it and they went ahead and did it.”

The Elizabeth Gregory Home in Seattle is for women who are in serious transition in their life. Many of these women have been homeless or close to it before entering this program. This special house offers housing and programs for 2 years, helping women to get back on their feet again.

Unfortunately, it was running into financial problems of their own, falling $30,000 short needed in order to operate. This would spell disaster for up to 8 women who would be asked to leave, due to this shortfall. They were in serious need of some positive news.

The story ran in The Seattle Times and unleashed a wave of generosity. One resident who chose to remain anonymous, donated $30,000. She recalled times in her life being a paycheck away from the street and felt that now, it was her time to give back. But it didn’t stop there. The checks kept pouring in: one for $30,000, another for $10,000, $1,000, 500 - to reach a grand total of $130,000!

Executive director, Kimberly Jackson, has this to say:

“The response has just been overwhelming, beyond anything I could have foreseen or imagined. To say that we’re appreciative doesn’t even begin to describe the thankfulness we feel or the joy the women expressed when they were told they could stay in their home.”

And as one donor put it:

“I looked around my family room and my own yard — reminding me of my many comforts and blessings. Every bird deserves a safe, clean nest.”

When Nicole Kuepper opened up her birthday present, she probably expected what most little girls expect: a doll, a toy or a dress. Instead at the ripe young age of 10 years old, Nicole was given a solar energy kit. And her world (as well as ours) was changed.

Now at the age of 23, Nicole celebrates the winning of two Australian Museum Eureka Prizes for her passionate scientific research. Nicole has developed a way to generate solar polar with the use of a conduit as small and accessible and a pizza over or even a laser printer, potentially supplying poverty-stricken regions around the world a new and affordable way to light and electricity.

As it stands today, photovoltaic cells (which convert sunlight to electricity) are sophisticated and costly and need a “clean” manufacturing plant in order to run optimally. Nicole’s new technique (called the iJET cell concept) uses low-cost procedures to manufacture solar cells. And to add to the beauty of this ground-breaking concept, this process is greenhouse friendly!

While it may take as long as five years for the patent on this idea, it’s an idea that may literally light up the world. Something to think about the next time you buy a child a present!

Positivity is definitely something the world can use more of.? It is so easy to get caught up in the negative messages we receive from press, friends, and associates that we lose sight of the good things in life.? We are here.? We are able to logically think, and critically analyze our world, our life, our decisions.? We can make a difference.? Leaders are not born or made, they evolve from people who learn from mistakes and take an active role in the world around them.? ? We, through our actions, influence others.?

Today, as you go through your day-to-day tasks, look inwardly and ask yourself, is the example you are leading with bringing more positive energy and results to the world and people around you?? If not, what can you do to change?

As Maya Angelou once said, “If you don’t like something change it.? If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

I’m going to work to change my attitude and find more positives in a world flooded with negatives.? Care to join me?

For 85 hours George Hood focused on nothing but pedaling his bike.? He was allowed a 5 minute break for each hour of pedaling completed.? However, other than that, he was on a mission to pedal, and pedal, and pedal some more.? What he was racing toward wasn’t really any particular location; after all, he was pedalling on a stationary bike.? What he was after, however, was a title in the Guiness Book of World Records and a successful fundraising drive for the Illinois chapter of COPS, an organization specifically designed to help the families of slain police officers.? He did both.? The title, upon proper certification by Guiness officials, will be his AND the event raised $25,000 for COPS.? Hood had about 200 people on-site to cheer him on for a job well done.? Congratulations for doing something that not only provides you a sense of satisfaction and acknowledgment, but also helps a group of deserving people.? Nice Job!