Finalizing a wedding headcount can be tricky if a bride or groom has a large extended family, but when it came time for Shahzeb Anwer to plan his wedding in Pakistan, the task didn’t faze him — he invited the entire city of Birmingham, Alabama, to his nuptials. Anwer became acquainted with the Magic City, […]
Many a Burning Man attendee has been known to wax rhapsodic about their experiences communing in the desert. And that type of passion is well documented throughout history — sociologist Émile Durkheim called the self-transcending effects of mass gatherings “collective effervescence.” Now, a study out of Yale suggests that the transformative impact of festivals persists
Attending Festivals Can Increase Connection to Humanity, Study Shows Continue Reading »
Collette Divitto isn’t allowing a disability to hold her back from accomplishing her dreams. The entrepreneur, who was born in 1990 with Down syndrome, is the CEO and founder of Collettey’s Cookies — a successful cookie company that’s on a mission to create jobs for people with disabilities. “I was not only determined to show
“If you see something, say something.” That mindset is what saved the lives of two people, all thanks to Jessica Higgs — an Instacart delivery driver who listened to her intuition. In an emotional video shared on her TikTik account back in February, Higgs explained that while she was delivering groceries to an elderly man’s
By putting pencil (and crayon) to paper, an elementary school class honed their creative writing and drawing skills while also helping some overlooked shelter pets find adoptive homes. Second-grade teacher Kensey Jones was mulling over new writing assignment ideas for her students at St. Michael’s Episcopal School in Richmond, Virginia. Jones had become a volunteer
Students’ Letter Writing Campaign Successfully Boosts Animal Shelter Adoptions Continue Reading »
Vaughn Smith was bilingual from a young age, learning English from his father and Spanish from his Mexican mother. As he grew up, though, languages began to captivate him, and he soon took on many more tongues. Now age 46, he speaks 24 languages and has a basic understanding or some familiarity with 21 others.
Meet the Carpet Cleaner Who Speaks 24 Languages — And Had MIT Study His Brain Continue Reading »
A community of care, compassion, and hope has blossomed at The Seaward Hotel in Weston-super-Mare, England, which is currently home to 22 Ukrainian refugees. Following a pandemic closure, the seaside hotel only saw a small return of visitors since it reopened. So when Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine in February, owner Nitsa Michael and
British Woman Closes Her Seaside Hotel to Tourists to House Ukrainian Refugees Continue Reading »
At 13 years old, Alena Analeigh has already achieved more than your average adult — she was the youngest-ever NASA intern, she’s a triple major undergraduate enrolled at Arizona State University and Oakwood University, and she’s the founder of Black Stem Girl, a program dedicated to providing girls of color access to STEM programs and
Great teachers have the power to create vivid memories from our youth that we carry with us into adulthood. But one middle school teacher in Montclair, New Jersey, has been using a memory from his own childhood to share an important lesson about empathy and acceptance. When Daniel Gill was 9 and living in New
How One Teacher Uses an Empty Chair as an Inspiring Lesson of Inclusion Continue Reading »
While it’s often said that not all heroes wear capes, a few in the vicinity of the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England, do wear scuba tanks, as Emma Lyon can attest. On May 7, Lyon was attending a regatta and had been cheering on a local race participant with such enthusiasm that the ring
Divers Rescue Woman’s 100-Year-Old Wedding Ring From River: “A Total Miracle” Continue Reading »
