All Stories

Linda – I Found My Passion for Local Healthcare Education Abroad

As a doctoral student in archaeology, I lived and led excavations near remote villages. Every evening, after the work was done, I would spend time ...

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Scott – Mental Illness Just Means I Need Help Now and Then

For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with mental illness. It got worse in my early 20s. All my friends used drugs and drank and, before long, ...

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Jennifer – Food is a Basic Human Right

I was born and raised in Loudoun County and my parents taught me to treat everyone with respect. At 16, I volunteered to work at a camp for children ...

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Ramy – Learning English Helped Unlock My Potential

As a boy growing up in Egypt, I always dreamed of living in the U.S. When I was in my late 20s, I won a visa lottery that allowed me to follow that ...

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Suzie — Teen Suicide Prevention Takes Root in Loudoun’s Schools

I lost my son, Ryan, to suicide. He had been bullied from a young age and struggled fitting in socially because he was different. One day, life just ...

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Tom — A Sanctuary Where Children and Families Find Hope Through Music

Music saved my life as a kid. Fleeing a terminally destructive household, I found church and church music. I learned how to sing and play the piano. ...

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Carol — Philanthropy is a Win/Win for Businesses, Nonprofits, and the Community

I grew up in a middle-class home where giving back was just routine—a part of daily life. My Mom, a cook at a local restaurant, made sure that no one ...

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Bobbi — You don’t have to feel alone when you are blessed with a special needs child

  I was in my mid 30s and pregnant with my first child when I went in for an echocardiogram. I knew something was wrong the minute they put me in ...

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Nick — The Only Food Your Infant Can Eat is Not a “Supplement”

I moved into Loudoun County in 2003, and I have been a deputy sheriff here since 2005. In 2010, my middle child began having serious health issues. ...

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Keely — Persistence and Love Unlocked My Child’s Silence

My son Mason was 2 years old when he started to bang his head against the wall—all the time. I took him to many doctors and therapists, and they all ...

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Amado — Sobriety Gave Me a New Lease on Life

I was literally one day away from death when my adoptive mother rescued me from a local hospital in Central America. After high school, I moved to New ...

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Carol

Carol — Healthcare Without Barriers

I started my nonprofit career working with people struggling with HIV/AIDS. This work opened my eyes to the many and diverse barriers that often ...

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