Inspiring True Stories

19 Celebrities and the People Who Inspire Them Most

What better time of year to say thanks? Here, a group of distinguished men and women talk about who has inspired them most.

Best of America: Highway Helper

Stopping and helping others is this man's self-satisfying vocation.

Hero Returns to Liberia to Give Back

Forced from her home at 12 by rampaging rebels, MacDella Cooper returned to give back to the children of her homeland.

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1My Family's No-Buy Experiment
We ended up richer, but not in the way we expected.
213 Women and Their Necklace
What a group of women learned about life, love, and happiness from one spectacular necklace.
3They're Making it Matter
Through an initiative called Make it Matter, the Reader's Digest Foundation is donating $1 million to worthy causes over a one-year period. Each month, the Foundation selects someone who is giving back in a significant way and awards $100,000 to a nonprofit organization in honor of that individual.

Get inspired by the honorees and submit an individual or group for consideration.
4Helping and Healing Wounded War Veterans
Thanks to Project Healing Waters, veterans wounded in body and mind now have somewhere to go for solace and healing--a riverbank.
5Interview With Iraq War Photographer
Photographer Stephanie Kuykendal spent time in the Iraq battle zone, then came home to bond with war vets.
6Sheri Schmelzer: Accidental Entrepreneur
In the kitchen with her kids, Sheri Schmelzer got crafty-and lucky-with her Crocs.
7Rebuilding New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina
After Hurricane Katrina, Alice Craft-Kerney and Patricia Berryhill created The Lower 9th Ward Health Clinic deep within one of the poorest sections of New Orleans.
8Best of America: The Flag Ladies of Freeport, Maine
These patriotic women make supporting our troops a weekly mission.
9MAKE IT MATTER: After the Deluge of Hurricane Katrina
Two nurses lost everything to Hurricane Katrina -- and still found a way to give back.

“ Use your knuckle to rub your eyes. It's less likely to be contaminated with viruses than your fingertip. ”

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“ Based on research published in Nature magazine, olive oil might be a natural treatment for aches and pains. Researchers found that adding 1.75 ounces of olive oil to your daily diet has anti-inflammatory properties equal to about 10 percent of a normal adult dose of ibuprofen. While this might seem small, over time, the medicinal properties could build up to measurably reduce inflammatory pain. ”