When she was thirteen, Adele decided to begin an organization called Adele’s Literacy Library. The goal of her library was to make sure all kids could have books and come to share in her love of reading. Today, Adele’s Literacy Library has donated thousands of books to kids, helping them believe, as she does, that “through reading…..ALL things are possible”!

In this video, Adele talks about her inspiration for creating her literacy library.

Additional Resources:

• Here is the Adele’s Literacy Library website, which has lots of information about Adele’s great work!
• Here is another IMK post about a girl who wants to bring books and reading to all kids!

Topics for Discussion:

• Do you believe that reading is important? Why or why not?
• Adele uses her passion to help others. Can you use a passion of yours to help others like she does?

Take Action:

• Visit the Adele’s Literacy Library web bookstore to find out how you can help support her worthy cause!
• Visit the Room to Read website to learn how you can help kids all over the world enjoy the gift of reading!

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

See Adele’s Literacy Library – Bringing the Joy of Reading to All Kids! and other inspiration for kids at InspireMyKids.com

Out of love for her friend, Abby took her other passion, music, and decided to use it to raise money and awareness to help Taylor. Abby adopted the motto “her battle is my battle”, and today she has raised over $400,000 and helped not only Taylor but countless others fighting the same brave battle as her friend!

This video shows Abby making a public service announcement on behalf of her friend Taylor.

Additional Resources:

• Here is an article in which Abby talks about her inspiration for her great work.
• Here is a video of Abby singing a song as a tribute to Taylor.

Topics for Discussion:

• Do you know anyone with cancer? What impact does it have on them, their families, and their friends?
• Abby used her passion for music to do good. What passion do you have that you can use to do good?

Take Action:

• Visit the Taylor Love website to learn more about Taylor’s cancer and how you can help support her and others like her.
• Visit the Friends of Kids with Cancer website to learn more about childhood cancer and how you can help kids with tihs disease.

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

See Abby Miller – Friendship at its Finest! and other inspiration for kids at InspireMyKids.com

When Sarah was a young girl, her left leg had to be amputated above the knee due to a tissue disease she had been born with. But Sarah always had a love of athletics, and so she became determined to succeed as an athlete despite her disability. She knew she needed to be, as she puts it, “tougher than the rest”. With the extraordinary success she has achieved as an Ironman triathlete, she has proven that she is just that!

In this video, Sarah tells her amazing story.

Additional Resources:

• Here is the offical website for Sarah, where you can learn more about her and her great accomplishments!
• Here is another IMK post about a truly inspirational disabled athlete.

Topics for Discussion:

• What do you think made Sarah so determined to achieve her great athletic success?
• What would it be like to be an amputee? How would your life be different than it is now?

Take Action:

• Visit the Athletes with Disabilities Network website to learn more about these tremendous athletes and how you can help support them!
• Visit the Livestrong website’s Sports Programs for Disabled Children page to learn more about these programs and how you can get involved!

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

See Sarah Reinertsen – “Tougher Than the Rest” and other inspiration for kids at InspireMyKids.com

When Freedom Service Dogs are matched up with disabled veterans, the results are incredible. Not only do the dogs provide the loving companionship that these animals are known for, but they also give the disabled veterans a very precious gift – they return to the veterans many of the simple everyday freedoms, like functioning independently and traveling outside the house, that their disabilities took away. And even more importantly, they give these veterans hope for a brighter tomorrow!

This video tells all about Freedom Service Dogs and the wonderful impact they have.

Additional Resources:

• Here is an article about Freedom Service Dogs and the great work they are doing.
• Here is another IMK post about dogs who are doing amazing things!

Topics for Discussion:

• Do you know any disabled veterans? How are their lives different than they were before their disabilities?
• How do you think a disabled veteran feels when he or she is matched with a Freedom Service Dog?

Take Action:

• Visit the Freedom Service Dogs website to learn more about these amazing dogs and how you can help support them!
• Visit the Disabled American Veterans website to learn other ways you can help support disabled veterans.

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

See Freedom Service Dogs – Taking “Man’s Best Friend” to a Whole New Level! and other inspiration for kids at InspireMyKids.com

One of the best ways to get motivated is to read words of wisdom from the world’s great movers and shakers. In that spirit, here are some of our favorite quotes from people who have inspired the world with their words, actions, and amazing attitudes!

This video shows just some of the many great quotes we can all be inspired from.

Additional Resources:

• Here is a website with lots of terrific quotes!
• Here is a website that has inspirational quotes especially for kids!

Topics for Discussion:

• Which of the quotes you read is your favorite? Why?
• Do you or your family have a quote that is particularly meaningful to you?

Take Action:

• Take just one of the quotes you’ve read and find a way to make it part of your life today!
• Visit the Do Something website to learn more ways you can put the great quotes above into action!

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

See Got Motivation? These Great Quotes Can Help! and other inspiration for kids at InspireMyKids.com

Brittany and Robbie decided that it wasn’t enough just to pay one soldier’s phone bill. They wanted to help all soldiers this way, making sure that each would have the ability to call home as often as possible. So they started an organization called Cell Phones for Soldiers to do just that. Today, Cell Phones for Soldiers has provided military men and women with more than 150 million minutes of free phone time, allowing them to stay connected to their loved ones as they bravely serve America!

This video tells all about Cell Phones for Soldiers and the wonderful impact it’s having.

Additional Resources:

• Here is a website that tells all about Cell Phones for Soldiers!
• Here is another IMK post about a group that sends soldiers a little bit of the comfort of home.

Topics for Discussion:

• Why is it so important for soldiers to be able to keep in touch with their families?
• Do you know anyone who is away serving in the military? What difficulties do they and their families face?

Take Action:

• Brittany and Robbie saw a need and did what they could to help meet it. What need do you see in your community that you can help with?
• Visit the Cell Phones for Soldiers website to learn how you can get involved in this worthy cause!

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

See Cell Phones for Soldiers – Keeping Military Families Connected and other inspiration for kids at InspireMyKids.com

Earth Day celebrates the earth we have and strongly encourages all people to help take care of our earth so that we can continue to enjoy its beauty, its gifts, and its invaluable resources. On Earth Day, people all over the world participate in “go green” events and learn just how important, and how easy, it is to treat our earthly home with care and preserve it for future generations as well!

This video describes how simple, small acts to help our earth can make a huge difference!

Additional Resources:

• Here is a website that has lots of great information about Earth Day!
• Here is another IMK post, from Earth Day 2011, that reiterates the significance of this day’s events!

Topics for Discussion:

• What could happen if we don’t take care of our earth?
• What is one simple thing you can do today to help take care of the earth?

Take Action:

• Visit the Earth Day activities page of the Kaboose website for great activities you can do in honor of Earth Day!
• Visit the Earth Day Network website to learn even more ways you can help the earth on Earth Day and every day!

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

See Earth Day 2012 – Taking Care of Our Home and Preserving Our Future and other inspiration for kids at InspireMyKids.com

Once in dance school, Gillian knew she had found her life’s passion. She went on to have incredible success as not just a dancer but also an actress and a choreographer! Today, she is renowned for the amazing work she has done, particularly her choreography in the Broadway productions Cats and Phantom of the Opera, in which she has created magic worlds of dance and enthralled the world with them.

This video tells the story of how Gillian got her “chance to dance” and the profound impact it had on her.

Additional Resources:

• Here is Gillian’s official website, where you can learn all about her!
• In this video, Gillian discusses her experience in choreographing Cats.

• This video discusses Gillian’s amazing choreography of Phantom of the Opera.

Topics for Discussion:

• Have you seen Cats or Phantom of the Opera? What do you think of the dance in them?
• How might Gillian’s life have been different if the doctor had not recognized her calling?

Take Action:

• Once Gillian began to pursue her passion, she found happiness and success. What is your passion? Are you pursuing it?
• Visit the National Dance Education Organization website to learn the importance of dance in early childhood development and how you can help the kids in your life dance!

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

See Gillian Lynne – Born to Dance Magically and Help Others Do the Same! and other inspiration for kids at InspireMyKids.com

Cousins Allison Nguyen and Laura Li both love to bake, and so they spend a lot of time in the kitchen making treats. In order to put their passion to work for a good cause, they decided that they would bake treats for people who get very few of them……kids in shelters. And thus the idea for the Iced Capades Cakery was born. Today, the Iced Capades Cakery provides treats to about 200 kids at shelters in and around Houston, TX, and they are beginning to branch out to other cities as well! Through their simple idea, Allison and Laura are bringing treats and, more importantly, a bit of joy where they’re needed most!

This video shows the amazing work Allison and Laura are doing with their Iced Capades Cakery.

Additional Resources:

• Here’s an article that tells all about the Iced Capades Cakery and the wonderful impact it’s having!
• Here is an IMK post about a lady who brings a different kind of joy where it is greatly needed!

Topics for Discussion:

• How would it be to have to live in a shelter? What else besides birthday treats might you have to give up?
• Allison and Laura use their passion for baking to do good. What passion do you have that you can use to do good?

Take Action:

• Visit the Iced Capades Cakery website to learn how you can participate in Allison’s and Laura’s wonderful effort!
• Do you know someone who is struggling financially? What “treat” can you give them that they might not otherwise be able to have?

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

See Iced Capades Cakery – Bringing Birthday Treats to Those Who Need Them Most! and other inspiration for kids at InspireMyKids.com

The commitment that Sampson, George, and Rameck made to each other in “The Pact” was nothing short of amazing. They promised one another that they would stick together as each pursued his education all the way through medical school, helping each other achieve their dreams of becoming doctors. And you know what? They did it, and now the trio calls themselves the Three Doctors! But truly, they have become much more than just doctors……they have become an incredible inspiration to others!

This video tells the story of the Three Doctors and their tremendous success.

Additional Resources:

• Here is the movie website for “The Pact”, which has lots of information about the Three Doctors and their wonderful promise to each other.
• Here is another IMK post about a man who overcame challenges similar to those faced by the Three Doctors to find his own success as a doctor!

Topics for Discussion:

• How do you think the pact the friends made helped them on their roads to success?
• Do you have friends who encourage and motivate you?

Take Action:

• Visit the website for the Three Doctors Foundation, the organization created by Sampson, George, and Rameck, to learn how you can support its worthy efforts.
• Here is a link to the book “We Beat the Street”, which the men wrote. Read it and learn how you can overcome the challenges in your life just as they did!

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

See A Friendship Like No Other – Achieving Greatness Through “The Pact” and other inspiration for kids at InspireMyKids.com