Dreams For Kids: Changing the World One Person at a Time

This is the story of the nonprofit organization and youth movement, Dreams for Kids. It is the story of an isolated generation of youth, and of.
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Sep 25, Julie rated it liked it Shelves: This book was hard to rate, it had a lot of pluses, but also some fairly glaring negatives. I won the book from Firstreads. I was first drawn to the book and entered to win because it seemed to be a motivational book about how to help kids. The book is actually mostly a history of a charity the author founded. It contains many interesting stories of programs the charity has run and great experiences the author had interacting with the beneficiaries of the programs.

The best part of the book is th This book was hard to rate, it had a lot of pluses, but also some fairly glaring negatives. The best part of the book is the first bit, there are a few chapters about different people that started programs to help different groups of poor kids in urban Chicago. They are very impressive stories of incredible people and how they made a difference to those in need. Each chapter ends with a line or two about how the person was so great they were invited to be on the Board of Dreams for Kids. The rest of the book is about Dreams for Kids itself, and how each of the programs was inspired and started, there are of great stories, but by the end of the book it begins to become tiresome how thick he lays it on.

Every story is told with exaggerated, elevated language if I were still in English class I'd think it was satirical because if the extreme word choice. It seems like all these kids live utterly destitute lives, in constant need of food, clothing, warmth and apartments that aren't vilely infested with vermin and totally abandoned and unmaintained though it seems they all have cell phones without the slightest glimmer of any hope and are doomed to remain trapped and miserable prisoners of the dire cycle of poverty until they come in contact with Mr Tuohy or someone else from DfK at which point some program like a yearly Christmas party changes their lives forever and fills them vibrant, energetic hope and they go on to do amazing things and change the lives of other kids with problems and thereby change the course of the world forever.

I have a lot of respect for the man and his mission, I'm sure he's done a lot and made a big difference in the lives of MANY young people, but his writing would be a lot more accessible and convincing if it was done in a slightly more down-to-earth, realistic style. My other main issue about the book was that I assumed from the giveaway description that it was more practical and helpful about finding ways to make a difference and this book was more of a brag fest I always thought the snide comments you hear about "patting yourself on the back" are overly harsh and cutting for almost any situation, but they kept popping in to my head as I was reading.

15 Incredible Kids Who Are Changing the World

Most of us don't have the resources to run a non-profit charity for 20 years or organize a Christmas Party with gifts for , and also don't live near Chicago so we could volunteer with the programs he mentions, but other than the constant urging to say "hi" to people in wheelchairs there isn't much practical advice until the last page, which is a list of ways to contribute. Good advice, though, I never knew that many with visible disabilities suffer from isolation because people tend to pretend they're invisible because they don't know how to react to a wheelchair or other device.

I got the sense the book might have been a subtle fundraiser, though he doesn't actually ask for money, it seems a bit like that's where he's headed most of the time. With the pros and cons I'm not sure how to rate the book. The content could have been a 5, but I didn't think it was particularly well done. The reading experience was really erratic, sometimes really great, and other times highly annoying. Sep 01, K8e rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is by far, one of the best books I have ever read. Normally I add my favorite quotes from books that I read or favorite things I learned- but I found that the list would probably take me over limit of space provided here.

You will fall in love with the real people and their stories of strength and This is by far, one of the best books I have ever read. You will fall in love with the real people and their stories of strength and find yourself wanting to read more, do more and be part of something that is bigger than yourself.

I cried multiple times reading this book. I highly recommend it to anyone! Aug 28, Karen rated it it was amazing. I won this through Firstreads and I'm so glad I did. I really enjoyed reading this book. While it wasn't what I was expecting like a previous reviewer I was under the impression it was a book on how to help kids I still thought it was a great book. I enjoyed reading about the different people and their lives.

I was inspired by all that Tom Tuohy has done for kids that are disadvantaged and I came away with a sense that there truly are wonderful people in this world. I think this is a great boo I won this through Firstreads and I'm so glad I did. I think this is a great book for people who are looking for some inspiration and hope. Aug 28, Jeremy rated it it was amazing. I really liked this book, it was heartwarming, I really liked the part that had Jim Smith in it, that is my dads name, so I was drawn to that.

Would recommend this book to anyone. Dec 06, Alan D rated it it was amazing. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. This book is about creating lasting legacy. It is about how each of us has the power to make a positive difference in the lives of others — all others — and especially those who are disadvantaged by physical, emotional or social issues. This book is an elegant celebration of life and of the interconnectedness that binds us to one another. It is about giving of yourself so that others may rise up, and that they in turn, will give that gift back to others manyfold.

It calls each of us to a more noble purpose of seeing, engaging with, and honoring, the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves and creating the positive change that we want to see in the world.


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The book is a true story offering deeply personal insight into Mr. So I asked my mom and she said yes. Meet Mary Grace Henry, who is 18 years old and has hand-made and sold enough hair accessories to pay for 66 girls living in extreme poverty in Uganda and Kenya to go to 4 years of secondary school. She calls her organization Reverse the Course and donates all of its profits to combating gender inequality.

Change The World Quotes

She told the World of Children Awards her advice to other children who want to make a change: Dream big, but start small, taking little steps. At just 7 years old, Will realized that there are many people less fortunate than him and felt that he could do something about this problem.

He wanted to fight hunger in his community of Forth Worth and raise awareness to other people about the problem of hunger. Will has inspired many in his community to join his efforts. Today, FROGs has provided over , meals for the hungry through the Tarrant Area Food Bank, helped pack 50, backpacks with food for hungry children through Backpacks for Kids program, and helped serve over 10, families through the Mobile Food Pantry. Alanna Wall has a passion for nail polish and glitter. But she also has a passion for making others happy.

6 Kids who are Changing the World

At 12 years old, she started PolishedGirlz , a group that would go visit hospitals and treatment centers to paint nails for the girls with illnesses and special needs. Alanna loved painting nails and coming up with new designs and decided to use that to make other girls feel special.

She now has a wide volunteer base and has expanded to multiple states. As a tween, he was first inspired by a homeless girl and boy who had to take turns going to school every other day because they had one pair of pink shoes to share. Nicholas gave the boy a new pair of basketball sneakers. Since then, he has donated more than 76, shoes to homeless youth across America. When she was in the sixth grade, young activist Marley Dias realized she rarely came across leading characters that looked like her in the stories she loved reading.

Wanting to experience more diversity in literature, she began a book drive using the hashtag BlackGirlBooks to collect stories of black girl protagonists.


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    5. To date, she's collected and catalogued more than 9, books and written her own, "Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! When a close friend was diagnosed with cancer, 8-year-old Teagan Stedman began the Shred Kids' Cancer organization to help kids support their peers while they go through cancer treatments. As time went on and he began to understand how children's bodies were affected by chemotherapy, he began studying biology and nanotechnology, eventually coming up with an improved way to treat tumors and winning the Youth Award presented by World of Children.

    As a differently abled person, Jaylen Arnold had a hard time transitioning from his small school to a bigger, more traditional elementary in the second grade. Jaylen had been diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome, Asperger's and OCD by this time and suffered anxiety due to teasing from other kids, causing his symptoms to worsen.

    He started the Jaylen Challenge Foundation, teaching more than , kids about differences in others to prevent bullying through understanding—changing the world one young mind at a time. Even when her mother tried to prepare her for life with the use of only one arm, year-old Isabella Nicola Cabrera refused to accept limitations. She decided she wanted to play the violin and inspired three local graduate students to create Vio Arm, a customizable prosthetic arm that allows her to play on her own.

    Now, because of Isabella's drive to achieve her goals, others will be able to chase their musical dreams without being hindered by physical differences. The 9 Nakedest Looks from the Emmy Awards. They Were Born for This Affecting change in the world takes time, and these kids didn't waste any of it.

    Changing the World, One Word at a Time!

    Malala Yousafzai When she was just 15 years old, Malala Yousafzai survived a gunshot to the head. Sophie Cruz On a mission for justice and armed with a hand-drawn note, 5-year-old Sophie Cruz changed the world in when she ran out to the visiting Pope Francis's motorcade in Washington, D.

    Ryan Hickman When he was 3 years old, Ryan Hickman took his first haul of cans and bottles to a local recycling plant in California. Mikaila Ulmer Using her great-grandmother's flaxseed lemonade recipe, 4-year-old Mikaila Ulmer came up with the idea to help save honeybees by using honey instead of sugar to sweeten her drink. Zuriel Oduwole Self-taught child filmmaker Zuriel Oduwole is a powerful voice for the education of young girls in Africa. Xiuhtezcatl Martinez Indigenous activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez may only be a teenager, but he has moved mountains—better yet, he's tried to preserve mountains and all things natural—by being the spokesperson for a lawsuit against the federal government.

    Maya Penn Maya Penn was born to create.