“Survivor” winner Ethan Zohn speaks about his involvement with Grassroots Soccer, an international organization that uses pro soccer players to educate youth in Africa about HIV/AIDS. Zohn donated a portion of the money he won from “Survivor” to co-found Grassroot Soccer with Dr. Tommy Clark and his friends Kirk Friedrich and Methembe Ndolvu in 2003. Grassroot Soccer and HIV-awareness organization (RED) partnered in Khayelitsha, South Africa, along with Converse, Bugaboo, and Dr. Dre’s Beats to form holiday camps for students during the the World Cup. Zohn recently published two children’s books, “Soccer World South Africa” and “Soccer World Mexico.” He also hosts a television series, “Outside Today.”

Question: Can you tell us a little bit about Grassroot Soccer and your role as the co-founder?

Zohn: I am one of the co-founders of Grassroot Soccer. I lived and played professional soccer in Zimbabwe in 1999 and 2000. While I was there, I had some experiences that shocked me. One of my close friends ended up passing away from AIDS.

While I was there, I was able to see how one disease can strike a whole community that I was now a part of. At that time I did not know what to do, I couldn’t do anything about it. Later, I was lucky enough to get chosen to be on that reality television show “Survivor.” That took place in Kenya, and when I was playing the show, I had another opportunity to play soccer with all these children on the challenges. Here I am in the middle of this cultural game of “Survivor,” and I had this real-world experience. It was at that moment that I decided that if this was my way, if I win a lot of money or whatever happens, I am going to use that money to do something good.

When I returned home to the United States I ended up winning and I gave a portion of that money to co-found Grassroot Soccer with some soccer buddies of mine. A guy by the name of Dr. Tommy Clark — he is the actual founder, the brain child, myself, Kirk Friedrich and Methembe Ndlovu. We started Grassroot Soccer in 2003.

Q: Why was it important for Grassroot Soccer to partner with (RED) on the camp?

Zohn: Well, we all know World Cup in South Africa is just an incredible opportunity to highlight the beautiful aspects of the country for the rest of the world. It is also about being able to raise awareness of one of the most devastating epidemics in this country and the entire continent. Just to put things in perspective, in the same month that the World Cup is taking place nearly 23,000 South Africans will die of AIDS. Each day about 4,000 people are dying across Africa. What’s crazy is that they are dying of a preventable disease. AIDS is a preventable disease.

We were able to partner with (RED). The (RED) campaign partners with different large corporations. Each corporation basically has one product that they designate as (RED). The proceeds from that product go to fund the global fund. The global fund uses that money to give grants to different organizations around the world.

Source: Happy News

It all started with a trip to Trader Joe’s. Jenni Ware had just rung up her groceries, which came to a total of $207. But as she reached into her purse, she discovered that she’d left her wallet at home.

Ware was about to go home grocery-less when she received a kind offer from the stranger in line behind her, a woman named Carolee Hazard. Hazard offered to pay Ware’s entire bill, simply asking her to send her a check to cover the cost.

The next day, Hazard received a check for $300—$93 more than she’d lent to Ware.

“I didn’t know what to do with the money,” Hazard told USA Today. “I’d thought to mail a check back to Jenni, but in the day and age of Facebook, I turned to my friends to decide what to do with the money instead,”

A friend suggested donating the cash to charity. Hazard thought that was a great idea, and selected the Second Harvest Food Bank, matching the $93 with an additional $93 of her own.

Several of Hazard’s friends were so inspired by her actions that they decided to make their own $93 donations. Soon, their friends were following suit. The group of philanthropists created “the 93 Dollar Club,” and a Facebook page to go along with it. A year since that fateful day at Trader Joe’s, the club has raised more than $100,000 to fight hunger in America.

Now that their story is getting so much attention, Hazard has a bold new goal: doubling donations to $200,000. Want to help? Check out the Facebook page for more info.

Source: Gimundo

Willard Wigan never meant for his art to become a business.

In fact, he never really set out to be an artist; the vocation found him as he was hiding from the real world at 5 years old.

Now 53, Mr. Wigan is renowned for his “micro-sculptures,” ultra-miniature works in a rare genre he helped create. He makes the minutest of statuettes, fitting them in a needle’s eye or fixing them atop a pin head. He carves figures into matchsticks and puts lipstick and clothes on dead houseflies. In short, he takes life-size ideas and characters and shrinks them to a “molecular level.”

These uniquely small works, a sampling of which is currently on display at the Atlanta Art Gallery in Buckhead, fetch high-profile buyers at big prices. During an interview in February, Mr. Wigan said he was working on a commissioned sculpture that would bring seven-foot-tall basketball star Shaquille O’Neal down to nano size.

England’s Prince Charles, musician Elton John, boxer Mike Tyson and “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell all own pieces of Mr. Wigan’s work, which range in price from $35,000 to upwards of $100,000. David Lloyd, the former British tennis player, owns 72 pieces, almost half of Mr. Wigan’s total output of about 200.

Though his work has made him a millionaire, Mr. Wigan doesn’t do it for the money.

“If I wasn’t going to get paid for it, I’d still do it,” he said. “It’s like telling someone who plays basketball they won’t get paid. They’ll still do it. You do what you love.”

Source: GlobalAtlanta