Dr. Sanduik Ruit, Himilayan Cataract Foundation www.cureblindness.org Dr. Ruit is one of the most selfless people I know, he is one of my heros. His mission is to cure blindness in the third world. Dr. Ruit travels to the remotest and poorest parts of the world and performs hundreds, sometimes thousands of cataract operations on every trip. In many parts of the world, if a person has impaired vision due to cataracts, they become financial burdens on their family and society. A cataract operation is quite simple and inexpensive, but many simply cannot afford the procedure. Dr. Ruit and his team set up state of the art clinics and literally give people their sight and their lives back. I traveled with Dr. Ruit to extremely remote parts of Nepal, and to the most isolated country on earth: North Korea.
Zainab Salbi, founder of Women for Women International www.womenforwomen.org Zainab runs an incredible organization that seeks to rehabilitate women who've lived through war. Zainab and her team of mostly women set up offices in some of the most dangerous countries on earth. I like to say that they help women find their voices again after experiencing the most horrific and heart-wrenching things. Zainab brought me to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to do a story about the thousands of women who are being gang raped by guerilla armies in the middle of the night, often in from of their husbands and children.
Alex Sanchez, Executuve Director of Homies Unidos www.homiesunidos.org The guy is a cool homie! Alex was one of the founding members of a notorious L.A. street gang that has become global. Somehow, he was able to leave the gang and turn his life around. Now he runs an amazing organization that trys to target the root of the problem vis a vis gangs: environment and lack of education. According to Alex, unless we understand the problem of gang violence, we'll never be able to get rid of it.
Rachel Lloyd, Found of GEMS www.gems-girls.org Rachel helps the girls no one wants to help. Once a child prostitute, Rachel left the life and went on to a Master's degree. She has devoted her life and her energies toward helping young girls who are victims of domestic trafficking a prostitution. Rachel really opened my eyes to this dark world. There is an assumption that girls prostitute themselves voluntarily. I learned how gross incorrect that is.
Along those lines, a few extraordinary people who are fighting desperately hard to change perception and laws regarding child prostitutes-or victims as they call them: Las Vegas District Judge William Voy, Las Vegas social worker Colleen Witt and Sgt. Byron Fassett. Sgt. Fassett blew me away. He totally turned the stereotype of uncaring, tough talking cop around for me. Sgt. Fassett is incredibly passionate and deeply care about these girls. And he's from Texas!
Trevor Debenning, Teacher Director of Risen Church www.risenchurch.com This 26 year old is one of the single most gifted orators I've ever heard. As someone who has shunned religion for much of my life, Trevor has expanded my thinking in ways I never thought imaginable. He is the antithesis of those holier than thou Evangelical preachers and is instead someone who embodies what Christianity should be. If you have a little time, listen to his teaching on the Risen Church website. . .the kid is extraordinary.
