True Stories of Good People

In 2014, Donnie Davis got a phone call about a local campground in southern New Jersey that was up for sale. A crazy idea popped into his head. It would require a lot of money and hard work, but it had the potential to help save the lives of his fellow military veterans. Donnie decided to take a leap of faith, and the result is more incredible than even he could have ever imagined.

Liam Hannon is an 11-year-old boy who has impacted his community in a profound way. He started a program called “Liam’s Lunches of Love”, which works to hand out free lunches to the homeless individuals in the city of Cambridge. What started out of a little garden wagon has now grown into an impressive operation, serving thousands of meals to those in need.

As a social worker, Amy helped families of children battling life-threatening illnesses. To help kids express their hopes and fears, she often used dolls in play therapy. But as Amy worked with kids facing a wide variety of challenges, such as hair loss from chemotherapy to limb differences, she noticed that the children weren’t always able to see themselves reflected in the dolls that were available.

When Yasir Salem met Gwen Mann, he knew he had found his person. They cherished their lives together and loved going on adventures. Years later, Yasir tragically lost Gwen after a long battle with various cancer battles. Since then, he has spent his every waking moment becoming an advocate for change and honoring Gwen’s memory.

Schendy Kernizan grew up in a small village in Haiti. He loved it there but had to travel miles away to attend school, and many of his peers did not have the same opportunities. After growing up and becoming the co-director of MIT's self-assembly lab, he wanted to figure out a way to give back.