Food is more than a simple snack or meal: It symbolizes comfort, connection, and care, and we’ve been using it to nurture social relationships since at least the Bronze Age. So when Rhiannon Menn found herself yearning to make an impact as the COVID-19 pandemic caused layoffs, school closures, and illnesses, she started cooking. “I […]
In 1921, Bessie Coleman became the first Black woman to earn a pilot’s license. And now, over 100 years later, American Airlines has honored her achievement with a historic flight from Dallas, Texas, to Phoenix, Arizona, run by an all-Black, all-female crew. Aboard the flight was Coleman’s great-niece, Gigi Coleman, president of the Bessie Coleman
Nestled amid the hubbub of the Bronx and Queens, New York, perhaps where you’d least expect to find them, are several peaceful horse farms established to support and empower people living with disabilities. GallopNYC, founded in 2005, offers both recreational lessons and therapeutic horseback riding to the residents of its surrounding city. At the onset
This orthopedic technician can now add “artist” to his resume. Luis Ruiz, who works at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, transforms his young patients’ casts into adorable pieces of art. Ruiz has painted thousands of casts over the past decade or so, customizing the plaster with everything from cartoon characters to sports teams. And while the
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“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind.” The quote from Lilo & Stitch sums up how Disney’s parks have been working to become more inclusive of all visitors. Guest Zoe Tapley, who is deaf, experienced it this past July when she was meeting characters at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Jeanette Tapley, Zoe’s mother,
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Faced with the COVID-19 crisis, most of the world seems to have chosen the path of kindness. In the world’s largest public study of kindness, two-thirds of participants said they believe the pandemic has made people kinder. The Kindness Test, an online questionnaire created by researchers and psychologists at England’s University of Sussex, reached over
World’s Largest Kindness Study Suggests Pandemic Has Made People Kinder Continue Reading »
A heartwarming — and belly-warming — tradition marks its 80th year this summer, as Helsinki, Finland, continues its long practice of delivering hot, free lunches to playgrounds around the city. The meals are made available every weekday at noon, from June to August, and are free of charge to all kids up to age 16.
Over a century after being stripped of his laurels, Jim Thorpe, one of history’s greatest athletes, has been reinstated as the sole victor of the Olympic decathlon and pentathlon events at the 1912 Stockholm Games. Thorpe, a Native American also known as Wa-Tho-Huk, meaning “Bright Path,” was dubbed by King Gustav V of Sweden as
This article was updated on September 6, 2023 Myron Rolle’s secret to achieving his myriad accomplishments — being named a Rhodes Scholar to study at Oxford, playing in the NFL, and pursuing a career as a neurosurgeon — is taking things one step at a time. He spent two seasons in the NFL, with the
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When Ronald Braunstein takes the podium, baton in hand, he isn’t merely conducting an orchestra — he’s creating an inclusive space where musicians with mental illness are both seen and heard. Braunstein, an award-winning conductor, is the founder of Me2/, the world’s only classical music organization that was created for people with mental illnesses and
