Socially Conscious Non-Profits

Earlier this week I talked about Amy Purdy, and how she overcame the loss of her legs, and a critical illness that nearly took her life, to become one of the one of the top ranked adaptive snowboarders in the world.
 
After the loss of her legs, Amy made three decisions: (1) She would snowboard again. (2) She would not feel sorry for herself. (3) She would help other people.
 
Amy did exactly what she set out to do. By trial and error, she learned to snowboard with her prosthetic legs. And she got good at it. Really good.
 
Amy co-founded Adaptive Action Sports in 2005, which is a non-profit with the goal of growing the sport of adaptive snowboarding. You can learn more about her mission in this video.
 
I love the way Amy Purdy used her passion for snowboarding to inspire and uplift so many people, and to make the world a better place.
 
Do you have a passion that you can use to make the world a better place? Consider starting your own non-profit!
 

On December 26, 2004, Petra Nemcova, one of the most successful super-models in the world, was vacationing in Thailand with her fiance, Simon Atlee.
 
The couple was swept away by the Indian Ocean Tsunami, which was one of deadliest natural disasters in history. It killed over 230,000 people in 14 countries with waves up to 100 feet high.
 
Petra survived the tsunami by clinging to a palm tree for eight hours, despite a broken pelvis and severe internal injuries. She was eventually rescued by Thai civilians and airlifted to a local hospital. Unfortunately, Simon did not survive.
 
As Petra recovered from her injuries at her family’s home in the Czech Republic, she thought about how lucky she was to have a home to return to. The Thai people had suffered the devastating loss of virtually everything.
 
As soon as she was able to walk, Petra returned to Thailand with a determination to help the Thai people re-build their shattered lives. She established the Happy Hearts Fund in 2006.
 
The mission of the Happy Hearts Fund is to re-build safe, resilient schools in areas impacted by natural disasters. The Happy Hearts Fund is now active in 10 countries, and has rebuilt 130 schools that were damaged or destroyed by natural disasters.
 
You can learn more about Petra and the Happy Hearts Fund in this moving 2013 interview.
 
Do you have a mission that could turn tragedy into something positive?