Author: The Foundation for a Better Life
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Far from privileged, Sanna Marin overcame a difficult childhood to become leader of Finland
By The Foundation for a Better Life Sanna Marin led Finland during one of the most uncertain times in world history. Many doubted her ability to lead at the young age of 34. But her poise and dedication to the working people of her country earned respect. As a child, Marin remembers waiting at the…
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More than a cultural symbol, to the Lakota, hair braids are a connection to ancestors, to tradition, to the earth and to the soul
Braids of strengthBy The Foundation for a Better Life At a young age, all Lakota children are taught to braid their hair. Braids are deeply sacred and symbolize the connection between body, spirit and the matriarch. Men wear braids to honor women, who are revered as the life givers, the next best thing next to…
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The first victory is being part of a team
By The Foundation for a Better Life Sports have always been a measure of physical and mental perfection. As the push to be the best accelerates, and college kids are paid wheelbarrows of money to play a game for our entertainment, the trickle-down is more intense pressure on the younger kids to achieve. Competition leagues…
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The mistakes we make can become our greatest success
By The Foundation for a Better Life Bette Nesmith Graham was an underpaid secretary, single mom and mother of invention. She started her company, Liquid Paper, in her kitchen, and sold it 21 years later for $48 million. But as part of her lasting legacy, she also pioneered childcare in the workplace, Zen gardens at…
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From great to even greater
By The Foundation for a Better Life The sport of downhill racing is about speed. The fastest time wins. But to get across the finish line, skiers have to hold form in turns that almost defy physics and stretch the boundaries of human strength and balance. Racing requires incredible leg muscle to absorb the centrifugal…
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The postman who became one of the greatest football coaches
By The Foundation for a Better Life Knute Rockne was the son of immigrant parents from Norway. After graduating from high school, he worked as a postman for four years until he had enough money to go to college. He would bring his work ethic and ingenuity to Notre Dame, where he pioneered a new…
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Kids are finding a place on the farm
By The Foundation for a Better Life On a 6-acre lot that abuts an industrial park, students who didn’t fit the traditional mold are flourishing. The secret? Teaching love and responsibility with farm animals. When Tyler Bastian was a teacher, he resisted putting labels on students. Now, as the director of Roots High School, he…
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Celebrating 25 years of young heroes
By The Foundation for a Better Life Since 2001, the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes has honored 625 young people who are making a difference in the world – from providing meals to the elderly to cleaning up local rivers to mentoring young students in after-school programs. But the work is far from over.…
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The undeniable spirit of America’s oldest astronaut
Ed Dwight was born in Kansas City, 1933. It wasn’t wealth or privilege that earned him a shot at his dreams, but rather an anything-is-possible, never-give-up attitude called an undeniable spirit, and a mother who taught him that barriers were more like goals to push beyond. Black Americans like Dwight were not given the same…
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The longest race: How Major Taylor pushed against prejudice to become a cycling champion
Marshall “Major” Taylor was the son of a Black Civil War veteran who fought for the emancipation of enslaved people. As a young boy, he was befriended by the son of his father’s employer and the two spent time reading and studying together and riding bicycles. To Taylor, as an 8-year-old boy, the freedom, speed…