At the beginning of last year, the world was faced with a public health crisis, the scope of which had not been seen in a century. As COVID-19 rapidly reached every corner of the globe, chaos and fear ran rampant. Yet, as the pandemic worsened, billions of people decided to respond with love, care, and compassion. Even though we were separated physically, people were connecting and reaching out—to neighbors and strangers alike—more than ever before. Tim Shriver, chair of Special Olympics, saw this as an opportunity for people to come together, and organized the Call to Unite event in May, 2020, which featured nearly 300 participants, raised more than $85 million dollars towards relief, and reached tens of millions of viewers in all fifty states. He discusses his new book, The Call to Unite: Voices of Hope and Awakening, which captures the spirit of that event and features words of hope, wisdom, and inspiration from all walks of life: doctors, nurses, activists, religious leaders, former presidents, and artists.

Music: www.purple-planet.com