Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Teen Makes 100-Mile Wheelchair Trek for Charity



A 14-year old Michigan boy named Gene Fletcher has completed a 100-mile wheelchair journey from Rapid River to Bay Cliff. He raised more than $20,000 for the Bay Cliff Health Camp, a nonprofit therapy and wellness center on Michigan's Upper Peninsula for children and adults with physical disabilities.

Read more on Fletcher's website: www.trektobaycliff.com/

Monday, June 29, 2009

Urban Farming - A New Revolution?













On a piece of land in downtown Atlanta, a group of residents have taken a lack of fresh produce into their own hands. You could call Habesha Gardens a revival of old traditions. It's one of many urban gardens emerging throughout the country. The fruits and vegetables sprouting up in this economically depressed area known as Mechanicsville is providing more than just fresh produce - it's also restoring a broken food system, providing mentoring programs and teaching a community how to utilize its resources for profit. Click on the link to learn more about Habesha Gardens: http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/06/29/bia.urban.farming/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Friday, June 26, 2009

A Miracle at the Memorial Wall



When the father of a young man who'd died serving in Iraq went to the Vietnam Memorial Wall for a celebration, he met a trauma nurse who'd comforted his son on his deathbed. Listen to the moving story.



http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104389637

Thursday, June 25, 2009

You Are Never to Old to Have Fun!

Avola Fitzwater is still water skiing at age 77 and despite arthritis in her legs she is not stopping anytime soon.

"I just love the water," says Avola Fitzwater. "I can't stay away from the water." In a cute one-piece bathing suit, the 77-year-old rips across the lake like a pro.

See for yourself in the video below.



Avola's husband Clarence is no slouch either, he drives the boat.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

"Imprint-TV Moment" With Josh Barker


This week's "Imprint-TV Moment" is brought to you by Josh Barker, a reporter for the New York Amsterdam News. See how he's making an imprint on the Big Apple.

Homeless to Harvard

A teen girl navigates years of homelessness on the tough streets of California and a fractured family to reach academic success and admission to the prestigious Ivy League school.



Thinking about giving up on anything? Let Khadijah Williams's story inspire you to be motivated against all odds.

More @ Linke: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-harvard20-2009jun20,0,1882109.story?page=1"

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

"Field of Dreams" in Compton













NBC recently covered this story & even though it's a couple days late, it's so worth discussing on our blog. It's the story of Tim Lewis - a little league baseball coach in Compton, California, who literally found a diamond in the rough. When he came across an unused baseball field in his Compton neighborhood, memories of his childhood summers on little league baseball teams resurfaced. An idea was born. He started his own baseball team for youngsters - all in the effort to motivate them, create teamwork, and keep them off the streets. But perhaps this is where the beauty lies in this story. Tim is homeless & is not shy about sharing his slip-ups in life. He admits to the mistakes he's made & is determined to be an example for the young men who look up to him. After NBC aired this story, many people wrote in asking to contact Tim & find ways to help him & his team. Because he is homeless, Tim has suggested people reach out to him through a family friend. Here is her contact info:

Ms. Clotilde Sanchez
1202 W. 130th Street,
Compton, CA, 90222

Here's the link to the MSNBC story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31434372#31432809

Monday, June 22, 2009

Incredible Program: Puppies Behind Bars













Out of a prison in upstate New York, PUPPIES BEHIND BARS is underway & changing lives. Inmates at the Fishkill Correctional Facility are training puppies behind bars & in the process being transformed. Inmates are given 8-week-old puppies and taught to train them to become service dogs for the disabled, including wounded returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. The puppies and the prisoners are together for 24 hours a day - the dogs even sleep in crates in the inmates' cells. In return, prisoners experience something they never expected - unconditional love. Glenn Close was recently on The Oprah Winfrey Show sharing her first encounter with the program when she volunteered at a women's prison in her town. "We know the bond that can be created between humans and animals. And there is common knowledge that it's a healing quality," Close says. Learn more at: http://www.puppiesbehindbars.org.

Wiz Kid Investors












They may be young, but don't understimate their ability to teach you a few things about investing. Damon Williams, a 15-year-old investor with a passion for sneakers, explains how to turn a $1000 into over a half-million dollars by investing in the stock market. He started investing when we was a just a kid. Check out his tips & suggestions from a group of fifth-graders on how to make the most of your money in today's economy. Copy & paste this link to learn more: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/learn-how-to-invest/are-you-a-smarter-investor-than-a-5th-grader.aspx

Friday, June 19, 2009

Classy until the End!



NPR did this story about an amazing woman who like many other heroes in this world only receives the gratitude and attention she deserves after passing away.

Classy Morant, died recently at 104, after nursing both her younger siblings through to the end of their lives: she had promised never to put them in a nursing home, and she didn't. As she put it to NPR, "I made a promise to the Lord...If he give me the health, the strength, the life to do for them, take care of them, keep them from going in a home, I would do it. And as long as he give it to me, I will give it to them."

More @ Link - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105560988&ft=1&f=1001

In times of global turmoil, when pain and suffering seem to outweigh good, it's often small acts of strength and kindness that we need to be reminded of.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Unsung World War II heroes finally get their due

65 years after their service, the 300 surviving Women Airforce Service Pilots are being honored with the Congressional Gold Medal.

The Women Airforce Service Pilots was born in 1942 to create a corps of female pilots able to fill all types of flying jobs at home to free male military pilots to travel to the front.

In the days after the outbreak of the war, Jacqueline Cochran, one of the country's leading female pilots at the time, went to a key general to argue that women would be just as capable pilots as men if they were given the same training.

She won the argument, and the program was launched.

Hear the stories of these incredible women who served America bravely in the video below:

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

When at first they don't succeed, show them how to do it! When doctors offered no answers, a teen diagnosis herself in science class



When doctors didn't give a Washington state high school student the answers she wanted, she took matters into her own hands.

Eighteen-year-old Jessica Terry, brought slides of her own intestinal tissue into her AP science class and correctly diagnosed herself with Crohn's disease.

"It's weird I had to solve my own medical problem," Terry told CNN affiliate KOMO. "There were just no answers anywhere ... I was always sick."

For years she went from doctor to doctor complaining of vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and stomach pains. They said she had irritable bowel syndrome. They said she had colitis. They said the slides of her intestinal tissue were fine, but she knew that wasn't right.

So when local pathologists stopped in to teach students in her Biomedical Problems class how to analyze slides, the high school senior decided to give her own intestines a look. And what she found surprised herself and doctor's who missed signs for years.

Here is Jessica's story from CNN affliate KOMO.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Ari Hest Leaves An Imprint



This week's Imprint-TV webisode features singer-songwriter Ari Hest. The Brooklyn-based musician has left his imprint on peers, fans & the music industry as a whole with his "52 Project." Check out our website to learn more: www.imprint-tv.com. In addition, you can hear more from Ari at www.arihest.com.

Monday, June 15, 2009

D.C. Nail Tech Sells House to Build School in Ethiopia













CNN's "Heroes" segment is at it again. This week they're sharing the story of Lidia Schaefer, a manicurist from Washington who decided to change the lives of young people in her native village of Ethiopia by building a new school. The inspiration came after a visit back home in the 90s when she saw children walking three hours to classes held under a tree. Schaefer knew she had to act. She began setting aside a third of her salary and all of her tips. She later sold her house & car to raise enough money to build a school for her village - Feres Mai. Schaefer told CNN it was a matter of doing what felt right. "I don't work with my head," she says. "I really work with my heart." Copy & paste this link into your web browser to learn more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/06/11/cnnheroes.lidia.schaefer/index.html

Friday, June 12, 2009

Save Larry! He's Turning 107!



This was just on CNN. Larry has outlived his savings account yet again! Now that's a beautiful thing. The founders of this website are reaching out to the public again - this will be the 2nd time the public has helped Larry - to raise money for the birthday boy. All $ raised will go toward his living expenses at Greenfield Assisted Living. Check this story out! Larry's going to be 107 on June 14th! Visit this website to learn how to make a donation: http://www.savelarry.org

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Reunited and it feels so good

Ron Stewart’s father took him away from his mother in 1963 when Ron was only 5. Both mom and son believed the other had died, until Ron’s wife did some digging that would heal two hearts.



Full text of story at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Best Selling Car Doesn't Even Use Gas!


The Cozy Coupe, a plastic cherry-red sports car, allows toddlers to sit on a bench-style seat and poke their legs through to the ground. When they start walking, the car begins to go.

On Saturday, it will take its place next to historically significant automobiles at the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum.

The Cozy Coupe sold 457,000 units in 2008, topping the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. In the '90s, it outsold both the Accord and Ford Taurus.

It would land in the top-20 best-selling models of all time, if considered, having sold more than 10 million units in its 30-year history.

So to all those nay-sayers who say people don't want small "green" cars, they are technically right. People prefer small plastic red cars instead :)

SOURCE: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525318,00.html

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Need Clothes? Let's Swap!


They're popping up all over the country. Clothing swaps are becoming more popular by the day. As the demand for clothes for growing kids increases, families affected by the recession are looking for a place to turn. Clothing swaps may be the perfect solution. They're absolutely free! All you have to do is bring in clothes your kids have outgrown and swap them with something new. Check out this "Making A Difference" story from NBC & learn how to get help plus start your very own clothing swap.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Imprint Moment - Leisan Echols



Every other Monday we're bringing something new to the table at Imprint-TV. We've searched the streets of New York City to find everyday New Yorkers leaving positive imprints on their communities. Have any New Yorkers you'd like to nominate for an Imprint Moment? Be sure to send us an email at: info@imprint-tv.com.

This week's Imprint Moment is brought to you by fitness trainer Leisan Echols.

Girl Child Network - Betty Makoni













We had to post the story of this week's CNN Hero on our blog this morning. Betty Makoni, a child rape survivor from Zimbabwe, founded the Girl Child Network. The organization was created to help Zimbabwe's young sex abuse victims. Through GCN, Makoni has helped rescue 35,000 girls from abuse; thousands more have found an empowering community and a public forum in which to speak. Check out the full story on CNN and find out how you can get involved with the Girl Child Network.

CNN Hero Story:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/06/04/cnnheroes.betty.makoni/index.html

Girl Child Network Worldwide:
http://girlchildnetworkworldwide.org/

Friday, June 5, 2009

Ha-Ha! Ape study traces evolution of laughter

According to a new study, laughter's been around since our last common ancestor with the apes—at least 10 million years ago.

The scientists found striking similarities when comparing the young apes’ laughter to that of young human babies, proving that laughter has been evolving at least since the days when man and monkey’s last common ancestor walked the Earth.

“What we can say is that laughter goes back at least 10 to 16 million years,” Marina Davila Ross, a primatologist from University of Portsmouth told MSNBC.

(See full story at http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/04/1953175.aspx)

The scientists who conducted study say they are not so interested in finding out how laughter evolved but how it can heal.

Studying animal laughter certainly lightened the mood of Davila Ross and her colleagues: "When watching the apes play with the caretakers, it was contagious," she said.

Unfortunately, we don’t know how many zoos would let you walk in and tickle a few gorillas but you check out a couple of apes’ laughs for yourself, take a look at these video clips from the project.



Thursday, June 4, 2009

A push in the right direction

Google London Removes Employee Trash Cans To Promote Recycling



Google has made several eco-conscious changes at its London office. One of the more creative changes Google implemented is the removal of trash cans from individual employee desks. Instead of simply tossing away garbage without a second thought, employees now have to get up and walk to a centralized disposal and recycling station. This small change has led to an increase in onsite recycling -- if the employee is already walking to the disposal center, it is easy to make the decision to recycle the waste.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

All you had to do was ask!

A Long Island Deli owner is confronted by bat wielding robber. A frightening situation, but if you think you know how this story ends, you are wrong. See for yourself in the video below.





Truly remarkable. Kindness in the face of fear is truly disarming. Don't be afraid to do one good thing today.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Heroes of the Recession













We're going with a heavy hitter for today's Imprint-TV blog posting. Oprah Winfrey is the epitome of giving back to society and she knows how to leave an incredible imprint on this world. That's why we had to post her story [in conjunction with PEOPLE Magazine] on the Heroes of the Recession. She highlights unsung heroes who are selflessly going above and beyond in order to help individuals and families struggling in the current recession. Read their stories - proof that just a little bit of time, money, and love can go beyond anything you ever expected. Let's join them & make the time & commitment to help someone without expecting anything in return. Check out their stories:http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090416-tows-heroes-hard-times

Monday, June 1, 2009

Great News: Imprint-TV Launch Party TONIGHT!








Imprint-TV officially launches this evening & we're celebrating with a launch party at Butterfield 8 at 8:00pm. If you're in Manhattan & want to feel inspired, definitely stop by. Don't forget to check out the website this evening for our first story about a group of young tween feminists making their mark on New York City. Good news all around today!