Author: By The Foundation for a Better Life
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Expressing emotions in a healthy way helps us see the world for what it is
In classrooms across the country, students returning to fall assignments find themselves befuddled by the most daunting homework assignment: write a poem. It is not easy to bare your emotions in poetry. Many grade-school kids avoid exposing their vulnerabilities at a time when they are trying so hard to fit in. But under the gentle…
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17-year-old Gloria Barron Prize winner Anna Devolld is helping small things make a difference: Pollinators
Anna Devolld likes creepy crawly things in the garden. And buzzing, fluttering little creatures in the air. That’s because Anna is passionate about pollinators. As a teenager, Anna worried about the little things that keep our world beautiful and our orchards producing food. Her first project was creating activity and coloring books for kids to…
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Every year, a handful of students in prisons across America take stock of their lives and make changes
About 44% of criminals released in the United States return to prison within the first year after their release. It’s all part of a pattern: Their lives often reveal a series of bad decisions influenced by their environment, including disrespect and disregard of laws. While they wait out their time in prison, they are making…
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In a suburban neighborhood, the angst of the world still reaches a group of elementary kids
Max and his friends worry about the future of the world. They are 9 years old and not immune to the constant barrage of television news about war, the lingering pandemic, the anger in the airwaves. Bob is the old man on the street, a retired physicist who studies gamma rays in faraway deserts and…
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Norman Vaughan completed the Iditarod 13 times and climbed the 10,000-foot, icy mountain named after him at age 89
Some people are just made for adventure. The early explorers, who subjected themselves to privation, unknown elements and territories unheard of, left volumes of tales that inspired the next generation. But as the world became smaller, the wild ones who lived by their instincts began to thin out. Norman Vaughan was fascinated with the lives…
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The amazing story of the missing marathon runner who turned up 54 years later
We all have started on some task or set a goal for ourselves that we didn’t complete. Sometimes we lose interest or don’t have the willpower to keep going. And sometimes, we just forget about the task and move on, not seeing the purpose of it all — that is, until something stirs us inside,…
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How EMTs saved a life and then enjoyed living it together
Ask any first responder, and they’ll tell you the hardest calls you will ever get are those that involve a child. Many EMTs put their hearts on the line when kids are hurting. That was the case when a call came into an Indiana station about an injured person. At first, it seemed routine. But…
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How 18-year-old Barron Prize winner Austin Picinich is saving the salmon of Seattle by painting community murals
When you have big dreams, you need a big canvas. Austin Picinich’s dreams center on his home state of Washington and its dwindling salmon population. While streams flow downhill into the ocean, salmon make their way upstream to spawn. But recent droughts, commercial development and pollution have made it difficult for salmon to make the…
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Taming of the West: It’s time to give cowgirls their due.
Imagine growing up in New York City, dreaming of open ranges and taming wild horses. That’s exactly what Kitty Canutt did. At 17 years old, young Kitty competed in the Wild West Celebration Rodeo in Miles City, Mont. The year was 1916. The Western states were still populated with mavericks, roustabouts, gamblers and cowboys ……
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The amazing brotherhood of aviation navigators
In a small chapel, a handful of men with clear eyes and wise souls gathered to honor one more of their fallen brothers. These are the Air Force Navigators, a brotherhood bound by their passion for thrilling flights, dangerous missions and the reward of a mission accomplished. Not many left know how to use radio…