【推荐1】Jackhorn Kentucky, a small village in the Appalachian Mountains, is deep in coal country. But with coal jobs disappearing and unemployment at record highs, this community has found a reason to hope. A bakeshop with an unusual name, Black Sheep Brick Oven Bakery, is providing steady employment and job training skills to local residents.

The bakery is a community-owned social enterprise that is focused on providing jobs for workers displaced (免职) by the coal mining industry, people in recovery, and others who need a new start in life. It started as a volunteer driven initiative (倡议) as part of the successful “Back to Our Appalachian Roots” project. Through the project, workers can learn traditional mountain skills like blacksmithing, quilting, and mountain cooking.

“There is nothing like bread baked in the hearth,” Gwen Johnson, the co-founder and manager of the bakery said. “It feeds the body and seems familiar even if you have never before tasted it.” The name of the bakery and catering company was borrowed from a local shop according to Johnson. But the shop didn’t mind being an inspiration.

The reasons why the community needs the social enterprise go back to the beginning of coal mining in America. Generations of Appalachian residents worked in the coal mines and it was a source of pride as well as the primary employer in the area. But coal mining is back-breaking work with a huge amount of injuries, accidents and diseases like black lung. Today, there are very few coal jobs left in the area due to automation and the reduction of power plants that are coal-fed. Poverty has become a major problem in the area.

The Black Sheep Brick Oven Bakery is working to turn this around. It is a model of giving people second chances and has become a successful business. Johnson said, “We have created an inclusive place of love and belonging for whoever wants to come. I was always a black sheep in my family, which gave me a heart for others.”

Depression Discussions

Alison Malmon was a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania when she got a call from her mother that would change her life: Her fun, outgoing older brother, Brian, had killed himself.

When Malmon returned to school after Brian's funeral (葬礼) that spring of 2000, she was still extremely sad. But when she looked for help on campus, there was no place to turn. “Back then, students weren't encouraged to talk about their mental health. I started reflecting on the fact that there was an enormous need to get that conversation going,” says Malmon.

She was only 19 and had no experience with mental health issues, but that didn’t stop her from launching Open Minds at Penn. Now, 20 years later and with a new name Active Minds, it is the largest young adult mental health advocacy organization in America, with more than 550 chapters at high schools and colleges. “What I'm most inspired by is that my generation and the generations coming behind me are taking on mental health as a social justice issue,” says Malmon. “Our tools are changing not only their campuses, but also their families.”

The mental health statistics on college campuses are alarming. The American College Health Association's 2019 National College Health Assessment found that 45% of students reported feeling so depressed in the previous 12 months that it was difficult to function; 66% felt great anxiety; and 13% seriously considered taking their own life. So Active Minds' peer-to-peer education techniques are more important than ever.

“I wanted to educate students about the issues, about the signs and symptoms (症状), and about where—on campus and off campus and online—they can get help for free. Active Minds chapters empower young adults to speak openly about mental health so that everybody who needs help gets it as early as possible. We can't make it uncomfortable for students to come forward with their stories,” she says. “Because that's how we're going to have more students graduate and go on to become productive members of society, and not feel so ashamed like my brother did.

【推荐3】Make A Difference Day is the largest national day of community service in the USA, which takes place on the fourth Saturday of October.

Who takes part in Make A Difference Day?

Anyone! Young and old, individuals and groups, anyone can carry out a volunteer project that helps others. It might be as ambitious as collecting truckloads of clothing for the homeless, or as personal as spending an afternoon helping an elderly neighbor or relative. USA WEEKEND covers volunteers and their projects in articles and photos.

How do I get started?

Look around your community. Are people hungry, homeless or ill? Are parks or schools dirty or neglected? No matter where you live, there’s a need nearby. And on Make A Difference Day, millions of Americans are expected to roll up their sleeves to help others. You can act alone or enlist your friends, family and co-workers. You can also call the Make A Difference Day Hot Line, 1-800-416-3824, for information. Or use the ideas on this website for inspiration.

What do I do after I’ve selected a project?

Tell others what you’re doing and enlist help. Several weeks before the day, tell us about your plans in the Make A Difference DAYtaBANK, a national listing of local projects that will be viewed by interested volunteers, other people looking for good project ideas and news media looking for good stories to tell. It will only take a few minutes to post your plans in the DAYtaBANK hosted by HandsOn Network.

Do it!

Carry out your plans to help others on Make A Difference Day. Be sure to take lots of pictures and share them on the Make A Difference Day Photo Album.