Upstanders

In the United States, 40 percent of the food supply is wasted. College student Maria Rose Belding created a web-based solution that saves tens of thousands of pounds of food each year. 

After spending his teenage years in and out of jail, Robert Clark turned his life around. Now he’s committed himself to helping the at-risk youth of Newark do the same, by leading them in building homes for poor families. 

Seventeen-year-old Destiny Watford’s decision to stand up for her community and oppose the construction of an incinerator led to an improbable series of events that would stun her neighbors and everyone connected with the project. 

John D’Eri set out to find a job for his autistic son, Andrew. His journey led him to open a car wash where 85 percent of the employees are on the autism spectrum — and business is booming.

Susan Burton, who spent years in prison, is determined to keep other female ex-convicts from returning to prison by giving them a place to live that’s free of drugs, alcohol and abusive relationships. She has helped hundreds of them start new lives. 

Former pro football player David Vobora gave up a lucrative career in the NFL to work with wounded warriors. His workouts have brought them new strength and inspiration.

Susan Rahr is transforming the way police officers are trained in Washington State. Instead of preparing them to wage a war on crime, she wants them to become guardians of the community. 

Faced with a growing homeless population, Utah changed the way it provides shelter to those on the streets. Under Lloyd Pendleton’s leadership, the state has reduced its chronic homeless population by 91 percent. 

In Baldwin, Michigan, college wasn’t in the cards for most high-school graduates... until residents did something remarkable: They banded together and raised enough money to provide every student with a scholarship. 

When an Islamic center purchased a plot of land opposite a church in Memphis, Tennessee, the local Muslim community expected hostility. Pastor Steve Stone had something else in mind.