【推荐1】Volunteer Abroad Projects

Volunteering Solutions offers incredible and meaningful volunteer programs in different countries, where you can play an active role in building houses, schools, community clubs and more. These programs would be a perfect choice for gap year travelers as well as college student groups, who wish to travel together and combine their efforts in making a difference by getting involved in voluntary work.

Not only will you help the host communities, but you'll also get to learn a lot and gain first-hand work experience that'll boost your career in the future.

Urban Gardening Rio De Janeiro I Community Development	1. Assist in community gardening in the rural area 2.Keep the local residents away from low nutrition processed food 3. Work 8 hours a day,4 times a week
Community Development Project Tamale | Community Development	1. Work in village communities located 15-20 km outside the city of Tamale 2. Organize health awareness programs for school children 3. Work on weekdays
Thailand—1 Week Special Surin I One Week Volunteer Abroad	1. Volunteer for the rural communities in Surin 2. Help in daycare centers 3.Explore the charm of Bangkok with a local guide

【推荐2】Do you love animals? Are you interested in spreading awareness about animal suffering around the world? Then A Voice for Animals is perfect for you! Check out what past winners are doing to make a difference for animals.

Sneha Ayagari

Junior high student Sneha and her sister Raga founded the Louie Foundation, which works on issues related to the welfare of animals, wildlife and children. The organization's current project Kitabu for Kids has raised enough money to provide hundreds of textbooks for children in need in Tanzania.

Winner: 2011, First Prize

Sofia Prado

In high school, Sofia Prado founded Huaperros, a shelter and clinic in Monterrey, Mexico, for stray and companion animals. Sofia has been involved in numerous campaigns to address animal overpopulation and neglect. She ran a free campaign with Foundation Luca where 55 dogs and 11l cats were sterilized (绝育). Sofia was chosen to participate in "Pedigree Adoptame" as one of 32 shelter owners from around Mexico.

Winner: 2009, Best Personal Activist

Alexander "Zander" Srodes

Alexander "Zander" Srodes has been teaching students about sea turtle conservation since he was 11 and has developed a turtle activity book Turtle Talks read by more than 200, 00 children in 10 countries. Winner: 2008, Best Personal & Active Involvement. Jenifer Yost

Jennifer was 14 when she started her own bird rescue. She did a lot of research on the needs of birds and then got her certification as a Veterinary Assistant.

Winner:2010, Best Personal & Active Involvement.

【推荐3】Want to help us serve more of our elderly neighbors? Want to deliver meals and a smile?

Meals on Wheels provides meals for the elderly and the disabled adults in Richland County, South Carolina. Meals are delivered at lunch time five days a week by volunteers.

But Meals on Wheels delivers more than just a meal. The daily visit from a volunteer also provides a warm smile and a safety check that helps keep seniors healthy, safe and living independently in their own homes.

Meals on Wheels recipients (接受者) are the elderly and disabled adults in our community who cannot maintain an enough, healthy diet, either because of transport or money difficulties. Nearly three-fourths of them are at or below the national poverty level (贫困线).

No one is refused a meal based on income. Some individuals may receive meals at no cost, while others are asked to pay according to their incomes.

Our menus are carefully planned to meet one-third of the daily nutritional (营养) needs of senior people. All meals are served with fat-free milk and whole grain bread.

Through the support of our funding partners, staff and volunteers, we were able to serve 169,381 hot and frozen meals to 1,015 recipients in 2018. The meals were delivered by volunteers driving nearly 55,000 miles. Although we have made great efforts, we still have a waiting list of people we can't serve because we don’t have enough workers. So please join us!

For more information, please contact Anne Shissias, Director of In-Home & Community Based Services, at 803-252-7734 x234 or ashissias@seniorresourcesine.org.

【推荐1】When Makayla Nunn was 8, she was diagnosed (诊断) with an illness called chronic (慢性的) fatigue syndrome. People with this condition are always affected by extreme tiredness. The feeling doesn't go away when they sleep or rest. Makayla lives in the United Kingdom. Because of her illness, she had to give up some of her hobbies.

On her doctor's orders, she started spending no more than three hours at school each day. She soon fell behind in her studies, and she missed her friends. “I would love to see them more,” Makayla, now 15, told TIME for Kids. Then Makayla's mom introduced her to a tool that would help her keep on top of schoolwork and stay connected to friends. It was a robot called AV1. AV1 is 11 inches tall and weighs about two pounds. The robot was developed to help kids who have a chronic illness.

Now, when Makayla can't make it to school, AV1 takes her place. If she feels well enough to take part in a lesson, she opens an app on her phone. She uses AV1's camera to see what's happening in the classroom.

AV1 isn't the only technology that lets kids who are sick attend school remotely (远程地). But AV1 is specially designed to encourage social interaction. The robot's expressive eyes let Makayla show emotions (情绪) to people such as happiness or sadness. The whisper function allows her to speak with friends in class. And AV1 is easily carried, so Makayla's friends can take it with them during breaks or on social outings.

Makayla's classmates nicknamed her robot Robbie. One staff member even made Robbie a coat so it wouldn't get cold.

Karen Dolva cofounded No Isolation, the company that makes AV1, in 2015. “When you're not in school, you miss out on all these small, magical moments and interactions,” Dolva told TIME for Kids. “AV1 helps you stay active in the conversation.”

【推荐2】Dry eye—a condition that occurs when your eyes don't produce enough tears, the tears don't work correctly or they evaporate (蒸发) too quickly—is much more than a bother. “The burning can feel like sand is in your eyes, and this can cause eye tiredness, light insensitivity, and blurry vision," says Angela Bevels, a doctor in Tucson, Arizona.

Nearly 16 million Americans may have dry eye, according to the National Eye Institute. Anyone can develop the problem, but it's more common in women and people over 50.

Sometimes dry eye is a temporary condition caused by a variety of irritants (刺激物). But it can be constant, too, when caused by immune system diseases. Skin issues on or around the eyelids and diseases of the glands (腺) in the eyelids are also common contributors. People who wear contact lenses (隐形眼镜) or have had eye surgeries are also at a higher risk.

Some lifestyle changes can minimize the discomfort. First, take frequent breaks from staring at computer and phone screens, which may cause tears to work overtime, according to Aditya

Turn off fans or other direct air to your face, as this can increase the evaporative loss of tears as well, he says. Eight to ten glasses of water every day can also play a role in keeping your eyes lubricated (润滑的).

Over-the-counter eye drops can help ease symptoms. But when these solutions don't provide relief or you find you're using drops more than six times a day, it's time to see an eye doctor for treatments.

【推荐1】One day, I was sitting in a local coffee shop, and staring at this man in a wheelchair. He could move his head and parts of his fingers but nothing else. He had a servant who cut up his food and placed it on a special mechanically powered fork that he would use to eat.

He saw me staring at him and invited me to join him at his table. His name was Stephen. For several hours we sat at that table and we got to know each other on a deeply personal level. I had never known a man who was more radiant (容光焕发), more energizing to talk and get to know than Stephen.

Stephen used to be a very successful businessman in Denver. He was in the natural gas business. Thirteen years before, when he was forty, he was waiting for news of a natural gas discovery to occur any moment.

He said, “I had so much nervous energy. I saw the storm clouds gathering, and I decided to clean out the gutters (檐沟）rather than sitting around waiting for this gas well to come in.”

He climbed up the ladder to clear the piles of pine needles on the roof. As he backed up, he accidentally fell off the roof. He landed on his back. He was paralyzed (瘫痪) for the rest of his life, except for his head and his hand.

I asked him, “How do you do it all? How do you suddenly stop hiking, fishing, and running marathons?”

He said, “There are three things you have to do when something like this happens. The first thing you have to do is adjust. The second thing you do is adjust. And the third thing you do is adjust.”

He said, “By adjusting to your abilities, Bill, you have to change your self-expectations. If you can’t be a physical athlete any longer, then perhaps you can be a spiritual athlete.” He was.

【推荐2】Kids should learn when they should call 911 because sometimes accidents happen.I will never forget the day when I first called 911.

One day I was sitting on a rock watching my mom train a horse.Suddenly, the horse kicked (踢) and she fell off the horse.She landed on the ground, rolled over, got up on her knees, and held her face in her hands.The horse ran off.

I was in a bit of shock. I shouted to my mom and asked if she was all right. She didn’t answer. Instead, she ran into the house. I was scared, but I knew my mom would want me to make sure the horse was safe. I found the horse and led him back to the barn (畜棚).

After I put him in the barn, I ran into the house.My mom did not look OK.I called 911 and told the operator what had happened.Soon an ambulance came.It drove us a short distance to where a plane was waiting to take my mom to the hospital.In the ambulance, I called my mom’s friend, who came and took me to the hospital, too.

On the way to the hospital, I was scared and started to cry.Would my mom be OK? Luckily, after five days in the hospital, she got well and came home.She said I was a brave girl.I was so happy to have her back.She was riding and training horses again after about six weeks.