Rose Garcia, Executive Director of Tierra del Sol Housing Corporation insists her success is because of the support from and efforts of her network -- collectively they have grown into a nationally affiliated organization advocating for families and workers in rural America.
Rising to the occassion -- Melinda Wiggins has done just that and inspires students that participate in her Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) program to do the same. Addressing immediate problems facing farmworkers, Melinda echoes the ideals of Cesar Chavez -- service, acceptance and respect for life and the environment.
Bernarda Wong finds that the her joy comes not only from helping others, but from stopping to see the changes that have made peoples' lives better. As a founder and President of the Chinese American Service League (CASL), she has the opportunity to see the lifechanging effects of her work each day.
Serving others without the expectation of recognition -- that is what has carried Rogelio Lona through his 47-plus years as a farmworker. His mentor Cesar Chavez reinforced the ideal that nothing comes easy, especially lacking preparation; that, with Rogelio's hard work and zeal for organizing people around causes that will change their lives, drives him to press on.
As a lawyer, Rob Williams is welll versed in the art of fighting for justice. As director of the Migrant Farmworker Justice Project he stands in the gap for farmworkers threatened by obstacles to their success and fair treatment.
Mary Jo Dudley's passion for elevating the plight of farmworkers started with her own family -- growing up with relatives who worked their own vineyard later translated to her work at Cornell, focused on the lives, struggles and stories of the farmworkers from all over the nation.
In memory of her son and in fulfillment of the purpose predestined for her own life, Rev. Eve Nunez touches the lives and meets the needs of homeless Americans through her Help 4 Kidz program.
A physical education and health teacher at Alice B. Beal Elementary School, Cindy Coughlin has been teaching the merits of exercise and healthy eating for the past 17 years -- teaching her students lessons they can carry with them for a lifetime.
As the Athletic Program Director of DC Scores, Kenneth "Kenny" Owens uses "the combination of soccer, poetry, and service-learning to help increase a student’s level of physical fitness, school engagement, self-worth, and sense of belonging in his/her community."
Dr. Richard Kozoll, determined to reverse the effects of a less mobile population, plays to the natural beauty of the outdoors in rural New Mexico. His prescription for getting communities excited about moving outdoors: infrastructure changes.
Beyond her role as a middle-school English teacher, Shawanda Weems serves as a coach and mentor to third through eighth graders of the PS/MS 15 Jaguars track team in the University Heights neighborhood of the Bronx -- promoting physical health and positive self-image in her students.
As the founding president of the UCLA chapter of Coaching Corps, Cameron Hajialiakbar works to train and place volunteer coaches in after-school programs serving girls and boys in low-income communities to bridge the ever-growing access gap between those that have and those that don’t have access to quality youth sports programming.
Sarah Bucher has made it her mission to promote healthy lifestyles for employees, participants, child care centers and YMCA programs. In her role as the Director of Healthy Living at YMCA and JCC of Greater Toledo, Bucher has connected community leaders to create local and state-level changes in policy, systems and environment.
Melissa Stockwell, and two of her fellow triathelete friends, founded Dare2tri Paratriathlon Club as a way for disbaled athletes to remain active and stay encouraged knowing they can do anything.
As the Program Coordinator for the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) Soccer for Success program, Hector Avila focuses on life skills development through sports. Hector knows firsthand the impact soccer can have on one's life -- he was part of a free youth soccer program that changed his life and career path.
Humbled by the difference he has made in the lives of Portland children -- and those who are young at heart -- Andre Ashley continues to advocate for programs that encourage physical activity and recreation in communities.
Robert and Amy Castaneda have made it their mission to make their community "a peaceful place through sport and play" founding Beyond the Ball in 1998, a youth and community development organization which "uses the power of sport to change lives, give hope, reclaim space and develop a culture of opportunities for youth and families in Chicago."
Dr. Carolyn Ward founded the Kids in Parks Initiative to bring together the public and private sectors with one common goal: to promote the health and future of our kids, our parks and our communities.
A physical education instructor at Bauder Elementary School in Fort Collins Colorado for the past 15 years, Chris West has co-lead the Wellness program since 2006 developing innovative methods to integrate academics into his physical education classes and helped changed the mindset of the school to greater physical activity.
Empowering women to be their own advocates, Sara Finger, Founder and Executive Director of the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health (WAWH), commends the strides of the Affordable Care Act and continues to fight for the health care needs of women in her state.
JoAnne Fischer has the best interest of women and families at heart -- especially in light of health care reform brought about by the Affordable Care Act -- as she continues to advocate for maternal and child health needs, locally and nationally.
Meeting people where they are -- that's been the mantra behind Katherlyn Geter's professional and personal passions. Geter finds that people who aren't reguarly accessing information about what the Affordable Act can do in their lives are often the ones most in need of its resources, services and benefits.
Dr. John Casey combines his passion for medicine and aptitude for policymaking to serve as a resource for fellow physicans about the ways the Affordable Care Act has reshaped health care access, quality and cost for millions of Americans.
Volunteering her time and her gift for educating others, Alice Kitchen, Co-Chair for the Affordable Care Act Public Education Committee of the Metro Kansas City area, spreads "the good news" of what the Affordable Care Act can do for the uninsured and underinformed.
ACA "WIN" started as a grassroots program in Iowa, but with the help of Carmen Morales-Board and other nurses in the surrounding Bakersfield, California area, it has grown into a several county-wide initiative at the helm of the upcoming Public Health Nursing Conference.
Standing upon the platforms of stewardship and compassion, Rev. Linda Hanna Walling, along with the Faithful Reform in Health Care interfaith coalition, vows to continue work helping to shape a more sustainable and inclusive health care future.
Josephine Underwood uses her voice and compassion for others to connnect with people on a personal level -- educating, engaging and empowering specific communities to take action in their own lives.
Director of the Health Access Coalition for the North Carolina Justice Center, Adam Searing applauds the Affordable Care Act and the improvements it has granted many people; but realizes that even at this two-year anniversary, there is still work to be done. Searing uses the stories of real people to convey what the legislation means in the lives of millions of Americans.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) made it possible for many struggling Nevadans to gain access to and afford the same health programs the rest of the nation already used. Jan Gilbert, co-founder of the Northern Nevada Coordinator of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN), has helped to publicize the positive role of ACA in individuals' lives, bearing in mind that sharing these victories will help bring light to the issues that still need improvement.
