Nancy Wins Free Copy of Being the Difference

Last week I hosted a little contest to win a copy of Darius Graham's book, Being the Difference: True Stories of Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things to Change the World.

To enter, you had to write a comment on the post, Win a Copy of Being the Difference: True Stories of Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things to Change the World about an "ordinary" person you know who is doing extraordinary things to change the world.

I picked Nancy 's name out of a hat this morning ( I really did use a hat), so Darius will be mailing her a free copy of the book!

I wanted to share with all of you the wonderful stories folks left in the comments:


From Sonia of Hidden Phoenix - The Native's Guide to the Valley and The World Through Nala's Eyes.

After 34 years in the Navy, Rick Koca "retired" - and started StandUp For Kids (S4K), a nonprofit that works with homeless and street kids. I've known Rick for years and have met few people as inspirational as he. Since he started S4K in San Diego, it has grown to over 30 programs in over 20 states, powered by over 2,500 volunteers.

All because he saw an episode of 48 Hours on street kids and decided to do something about it. AARP did a great short video on Rick.

None of what he does is about him, ever. It's all about the kids. In every orientation and training he conducts, you'll hear him quote the line he asks his kids, "If I could do one thing for you today, what would that be?"

From Just_Kelly of The Hensley's:

My mentor, Marilyn, is an amazing women. She is a CEO of a nonprofit day program for adults with developmental disabilities. She grew her program so it now serves 700 people of varying abilities and allows them to express themselves through the art. While being CEO is her "job", the organization and it's mission is her passion. She lives for what she does and adds meaning to many individuals lives.

From Nancy of Sharing My Castle in the Clouds:

My sister Terri comes to mind, not to imply she is ordinary ~ She's successfully raised 3 children, attended Northeastern, and earned her degree as an adult working mother, and is an amazing photographer, for starters...

The "extraordinary" thing Terri has done to change the world is the successful implementation of a mentoring program called Stand and Deliver for teens in the challenged community of Lawrence, MA. Working for Raytheon full-time, Terri put countless hours into developing and growing the Stand and Deliver program, pairing Raytheon employees with at-risk but motivated teens, with significant positive results.

Stand and Deliver was started at a time when Corporate Social Responsibility was not a common term. Recently, Terri's paid position has come to include her work for Stand and Deliver ~ reflecting the change in corporate America to include and embrace the potential of true corporate social responsibility ~ to the benefit of all involved.

I may have gotten a few of the facts wrong ~ but the end result is right on, and a great example of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to change the world ~ in this case, one child at a time!

Here's a link to an article, including some quotes from Terri, written about the importance of mentoring and the potential for using mentoring in a variety of service organizations.

From Christopher of Sublime Goodness:

That book looks really cool. Working in the credit union movement, I'm surrounded by ordinary people "being the difference!"

But in my personal life, my wife constantly wows me. She is the mother of two little girls and works part-time (she stays home to watch them). In her little free time, she has taken on the hard task of rejuvenating the neighborhood association in our area in order to thwart the growing crime and other problems. In just over a year, she became president and after meeting after meeting, she is slowly making a difference. A few people that patronize her work even recognize her from the news!

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