Jeffrey Antonelis-Lapp of Enumclaw WA cut his teaching career to halftime in order to do an anti-drug music show for schools. His Dream-a-Way program of original songs and patter helped kids understand and avoid the dangers of drug abuse.
Home when commended: North America, US, Washington Home now: North America, US, Washington Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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When he was a student at Moscow Teachers’ College, Andrei Apteker organized his fellow students to work with dyslexic orphans who had been labeled as mentally retarded and/or potential criminals. Such private actions were unknown at the time—the government was supposed to handle everything but wasn’t. Apteker’s actions were considered highly suspect.
Home when commended: Asia, Russia Home now: Asia, Russia Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Patricia Arambula, one of five leaders of South San Antonio High School’s Science Club, has braved jeers and teasing from other students to pioneer environmental responsibility in their school and in their city. These young people led massive recycling drives, raised money to plant drought-resistant plants and trees on the school grounds, then planted fruit and nut trees for needy families. (See also Jefferey Jiminez, Michael Reyes, Louis Rubio and Iris Ybarra.)
Home when commended: North America, US, Texas Home now: North America, US, Texas Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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A.T. Ariyaratne of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, has been called the Gandhi of our era. He has braved death threats to lead the Sarvodaya (Awakening of All) movement, involving over 6,000 Sri Lankan villages in programs that stress spiritual, moral, social, cultural, political and economic development.
Home when commended: Asia, Sri Lanka Home now: Asia, Sri Lanka Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Cynthia Arnold created and carried out a program in North Carolina to assist poor, under-educated black women improve their working conditions in the chicken factories. A white woman, working alone, Arnold confronted racism and economic oppression in a place where union-busting was a tradition and local plant owners were allegedly tied to organized crime.
Home when commended: North America, US, Texas Home now: North America, US, Texas Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Dr. Mabelle Arole of Maharashtra, India gave up the comforts of a professional's life to develop a community-based health program in her country, training health workers in their own villages. As a result of her program, more infants survived and the number of unplanned pregnancies dropped.
Home when commended: Asia, India Home now: Asia, India Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Barbara Arrowsmith-Young of Ontario, Canada is living proof that students with learning disabilities can make miraculous turn-arounds. Severely learning-disabled herself, she developed successful brain exercises, using herself as the guinea pig. She founded Arrowsmith School and its programs to bring hope and concrete results to hundreds of LD students and their families.
Home when commended: North America, Canada, Ontario Home now: North America, Canada, Ontario Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Jaya Arunachalam is the president and driving energy of the Working Women's Forum in Madras, India. An officer of Gandhi's Congress Party, Arunachalam quit when she felt his principles were not being implemented. Rather than retreating to the comfortable Brahmin life she was born to, Arunachalam has taught and inspired thousands of self-employed women—most of them street vendors—to be successful entrepreneurs.
Home when commended: Asia, India Home now: Asia, India Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Robert Ascher, T. Colin Campbell and Joan Egner, three highly respected Cornell University professors, put their careers and research at risk to support a graduate student's claim that one of their fellow professors had plagiarized her work. The three professors challenged the university and the colleague who was accused of benefiting financially from the student's stolen research. The trio has been rewarded with character attacks, intimidation and threats to their own research funding.
Home when commended: North America, US, New York Home now: North America, US, New York Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Helen Ashe of Knoxville TN retired from nursing, with her twin sister Ellen Turner, began feeding the homeless out of a church basement. Despite the sisters’ advancing years, ill health, evictions, uncertain financing, and the dangers of serving any and all comers, their Love Kitchen serves 900 people twice a week, many of them homebound.
Home when commended: North America, US, Tennessee Home now: North America, US, Tennessee Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Ed Asner of spoke out against American foreign policy in El Salvador, when that was a most unpopular thing to do. Soon after his statements, his popular TV series, Lou Grant, was cancelled. Elected for two terms as president of the Actors' Guild, Asner spearheaded a tough strike and spoke at hundreds of rallies and benefits on behalf of actors far less successful than himself, becoming one of the most vocal labor leaders in the US.
Home when commended: North America, US, California Home now: North America, US, California Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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High school teacher Catherine Assad couldn't stand seeing her neighborhood taken over by pimps, dealers and thieves. Despite threats from those elements, she successfully organized residents to demand beat-walking patrolmen, and to revitalize the town as a good place to raise a family.
Home when commended: North America, US, Massachusetts Home now: North America, US, Massachusetts Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Some might think Patrick Atkinson gave up the good life to spend decades working with poor, homeless and disabled children in Central America. But Atkinson sees his volunteer efforts as the best and most important life he could lead. After almost "retiring" once, Atkinson rushed back to help 35 street kids in Guatemala. His God's Child Project provides aid to more than 700 needy children there.
Home when commended: North America, US, N. Dakota Home now: North America, US, N. Dakota Gender: M (male) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Bobbi Ausubel and her daughter, Rivka Solomon, risked everything they had to create That Takes Ovaries, a book and a theatre piece that tell the stories of incredibly brave women. Going into action herself, Ausubel has helped girls in India escape from prostitution.
Home when commended: North America, US, California Home now: North America, US, California Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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Fran Avallone gives endlessly of her time, enduring hate mail and death threats, to ensure the rights of women to choose whether or not to bear children. Founder of the New Jersey Right to Choose campaign, Avallone speaks to school groups about sex education, publishes a newsletter, and lobbies for abortion reforms.
Home when commended: North America, US, New Jersey Home now: North America, US, New Jersey Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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When she heard about the plight of kids in migrant farming families, Karen Aven took a truck full of kids' games to a nearby migrant worker camp. Though she spoke no Spanish, she won the trust of the Hispanic migrant families, whose children had never been served by community agencies. Her program went on to provide games and crafts to children in 23 migrant camps.
Home when commended: North America, US, Washington Home now: North America, US, Washington Gender: F (female) For more information, click on the Giraffe's name.
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1 Way 2 Help
FIND GIRAFFES
Please note
We're adding stories and photos to the Giraffe Heroes database everyday. If information isn't visible yet, know that we're working on it.
YOU & THE FOUNDER
From time to time, Ann Medlock, this Project's founder, does a brief but inspiring email called Heads Up. You can check out past copies here. They're so good (and so free) we bet you'll join the Heads Up circle and send them on to friends & family.
For further wit & wisdom from Ann, check out her speeches, radio commentaries and OpEds.