Update - #FillTheSeats

The target of $300,000 has been reached! The #FillTheSeats campaign was a success.

 Now thousands of Brazilian kids who could never afford to watch world-class athletes in action will do exactly that. Now thousands of world-class athletes who get little media attention and might have otherwise competed in front of nearly empty stands will enjoy cheering crowds to support their efforts.

The Paralymics in Rio are a better place to be because one man saw a problem and decided to do something. Kudos to Greg Nugent and to those who helped him. 

Fill the seats at the Paralympics

Yesterday marked the opening of the Paralympic Games in Rio. The 11 days of competition between world-class athletes are notoriously under-reported in mainstream media, especially given the hype of the Rio Olympics last month. And yet the athletes' personal stories of sacrifice and struggle to reach their elite competitive status are just as compelling as their able-bodied counterparts. More compelling, I would argue, because these individuals do it all with a significant disability.

So I was disheartened to hear that ticket sales to watch the Paralympic events in person were slow - only 12% had been sold as of mid-August. That would mean empty stands and sparse crowds to cheer on the efforts of these incredible athletes.

Greg Nugent decided to do something. A former marketing director for the 2012 London Olympics, he created the hashtag #FillTheSeats and set up an account to receive donations through Generosity on IndieGoGo. Nugent plans to use the money to buy tickets for Brazilians, especially children, who could not afford to attend otherwise.

As of this writing, the campaign has raised over $200,000 of their $300,000 goal. Because of Nugent's decision to do something right, the athletes will receive the enthusiastic support they deserve, and thousands of people will see events which may inspire them to achieve their own goals. Because one person decided to act, everyone wins.

Blast off! A new picture book has launched!

Drum roll, please... my long-awaited picture book has launched! Mikey and the Swamp Monster is my cooperative effort with talented graphic designer Michael Rausch. Available on Amazon in print and e-book!

Cruelty, inaction, and a pro-active project for change

An outstanding college student and musician, Tyler Clementi had just begun to open up to loved ones about being gay. Then his roommate at Rutgers captured an intimate video of him on a computer's webcam and shared it online. Others who saw the video didn't report this cyber-bullying, and Tyler became a target of ridicule. When he learned of this invasion of privacy and the rampant hate-speech against him, Tyler jumped off the George Washington Bridge.  

Like the rest of Tyler's home community, 10th-grader Christopher Rim was devastated by the news of Tyler's suicide. But Christopher didn't want to just sit back and be sad; he decided to act. He formed It Ends Today, a group of 18 students from his high school who traveled to different middle schools and high schools to educate teens about the importance of bystander intervention and the dangers of cyber-bullying.

The project grew and attracted the attention of celebrities including Lady GaGa and her Born This Way Foundation. Within a few years, It Ends Today operated 26 chapters in six countries with over 350 volunteers.



When Christopher went to Yale, he connected with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. They paired with Facebook and created InspirED, "a portal where educators, community leaders, young people, parents, and government officials can connect to positively impact school climates and the overall well-being of teens in the U.S."

Christopher's original project has expanded to now reach tens of thousands of people every year.

All because one teen decided to act.

More than a dozen people did the right thing

Twenty-year-old Jonathan Janzen was on his way to work on a Tuesday in July. As he drove 70 mph along a stretch of Interstate 20, he was momentarily distracted. He swerved, overcorrected, and lost control. 

His car flipped two or three times, and landed upside down in a ditch. 

Then the amazing happened. Over a dozen strangers stopped their cars and raced to help Janzen out of the wreck. Working together, they flipped his car over and freed Janzen. Check out the slide show and the video of their cooperative effort.

Janzen's injuries were minor.  “I was not expecting to see that many people standing there…then people [were] giving me hugs…” he said. “Thank you so much every single one of you, just thank you for your concern.”