Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

With a magnitude of 7.0, the earthquake killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions from their homes. An already impoverished country, Haiti was one of the last places in the world capable to handle a natural disaster of this degree and yet, here we stand -- proudly.

Laurent Lamothe

Former Prime Minister of Haiti, Founder of LSL World Initiative

I have high hopes for the 2016 awards season. By collectively raising our expectations -- of celebrities and of one another as a society -- we can use this moment to drive strategic, meaningful and memorable philanthropy.

In a perfect world, parents could leave their deathbeds not terrified of what their beloved child's final years will be like. In a perfect world, of course, there would be no severe autism in the first place.

David Royko

Psychologist; Director of Family Mediation Services/Circuit Court of Cook County; Writer (autism, music, children of divorce); Ex-drummer; Gluten-eater.

No matter what cause, industry or issue a nonprofit focuses on, the goal remains the same: make the biggest impact possible.

Christie Garton

Social entrepreneur, author and founder of the 1,000 Dreams Fund

Today we face the biggest environmental crisis that our population has ever seen. Centuries of careless development and industrial "progress" has sent the planet into a state of utter disarray.

We as a society need to go long on one especially critical issue that we seem to be in political and policy denial about -- the need for long-term services and federal policies which promote them.

That's an easy, simple truth. It can't be politicized, analyzed or reduced to anything other than what it is: reality. My brother is dead because of a gun. You can lump him into a statistic. You can break down the circumstances. But at the end of the day, what can I really say that will call you to action?

Professional athletes represent the epitome of health and fitness. But many pro-athletes have shared their stories battling IBD, along with more than 1.6 million Americans.

Michael Osso

President & CEO of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America

Today is my 21st birthday, a day I have been looking forward to for quite some time now. Due to an event that happened about six months ago, I will not be taking birthday shots and getting wasted tonight.

YouTube holds great potential for nonprofits to engage younger demographics, increase visibility in search, and drive revenue via donations and monetization. So why are only 13% of nonprofits ranking video as a "very important" communication channel?

Alexandra Ostrow

Strategist & Marketer for Social Impact; Founder, WhyWhisper Collective

Most of us wouldn't trade this magnificent job despite the hard times we face almost everyday. We love the sea! If we didn't love it, how could we sail it courageously and decisively, being calm or enraged.

Never did I consider https://www.linkedin.com/pub/amandeep-singh/107/624/6a4 jeopardizing the ability of women to access contraception and other reproductive health care services. At the same time, political assaults on sex education programs are gaining momentum and threatening the progress that we have made in reducing teen pregnancies. It all adds up to a bad report card for 2015, and it could get worse in http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/clean 2016.

Autistic appears to be an insult in this world. While cringing at the past tense usage, I replied to my conversation partner, "I am autistic. I have autism." Present tense. I live in a world where normally, it is safer to hide it than to be criticized for how I see myself.

Haley Moss

Author of two books, artist, autism advocate, University of Miami law student

January is National Mentoring Month, established to highlight and promote the positive difference mentors make in the lives of young people. Quality mentoring relationships are a critical asset for young people, providing them attention, support, and new possibilities.