Oprah’s Angel Network

Access Books | Los Angeles, CA

“These children … find that although they’re from very diverse communities, they’re very similar.” —Rebecca Constantino, founder of Access Books

When Rebecca Constantino discovered that there were students who had never held a hardback book in their life, she knew she wanted to do something to change that. So, she started Access Books. Located in Los Angeles, the organization works with schools that have at least 90 percent of their student population at or below the poverty level. When Rebecca accepted the Use Your Life Award in 2000, she said, “The solution is very easy. You take books that children have read and you distribute them to children who need them.” Typically, a school with excess books holds a book drive and asks children to donate their favorites. Inside the books they donate, the kids write a note: ‘I liked this book because…’ While the two schools and communities might be only a few miles away, they’re “worlds apart in terms of opportunities that they have,” said Rebecca. “These children … find that although they’re from very diverse communities, they’re very similar.”

Alternatives for Girls | Detroit, MI

“We saw teenage girls and young women who were prostituting on the streets, sleeping in cars … We were determined to reach these girls and to help them find their way.” —Amy Good, co-founder of Alternatives for Girls

Amy Good didn’t let a lack of money or high-powered connections stop her from reaching out to help girls in her Detroit neighborhood. As co-founder of Alternatives for Girls, she helps teenage girls who are homeless or in crisis, as well as keeps younger girls from heading down paths of self-destruction. Through its shelter program, Alternatives for Girls provides shelter to homeless young women ages 16 to 21—those who are too old for the foster care system and too young for adult shelters.

“We saw teenage girls and young women who were prostituting on the streets, sleeping in cars …We were determined to reach these girls and to help them find their way. There’s a myth that homeless girls and young women have left home because they find the streets glamorous or because they didn’t like curfews,” said Amy. “The reality is that they are generally escaping serious abuse and neglect. Our message to them is that life does not have to be full of uncertainty, crisis and pain … they are deserving of a safe home.”

In addition to providing shelter, Alternatives for Girls also runs outreach and prevention programs, all with the goal of empowering girls and young women to make positive choices.

Assistance Dog Institute | Santa Rosa, CA

“These kids are not just learning to train a dog, they’re learning life skills.” —Bonnie Gergin, founder of the Assistance Dog Institute

Bonnie Bergin, founder of the Assistance Dog Institute, uses puppy love to help heal the hearts of troubled teens. Through its High School Assistance Dog Program, the Institute works with at-risk teenagers at high schools and juvenile centers to train dogs for people with disabilities. “These kids are not just learning to train a dog, they’re learning life skills. They’re learning to work with people, to know how to get the most out of a relationship,” says Bonnie.

The program includes hands-on dog training, dog and people psychology, and dog care and grooming. “I think one of the things we see most commonly lacking in these at-risk teens is self-control. But when you’re working with a dog, you’ve got to control your emotions,” said Bonnie. “And I think that’s a critical thing that these kids take away from here.”

According to Bonnie, students in the program have a decrease in violent behavior, and an increase in school attendance. “I think they’re learning to get in touch with a part of their being that allows them to feel joy and happiness to be loved and express love,” said Bonnie.

Auburn Rural Studio | Auburn, AL

“Part of being an architect is to improve civic life. And that’s what we try to do for the citizens of Alabama and the Deep South.” —Samual Mockbee, founder of the Rural Studio at Auburn University

Professor Samuel Mockbee had his roots and heart in the Deep South. An architect with a social conscience, Samuel created a program called the Rural Studio at Auburn University to train a new generation of architects to build relationships as well as unforgettable homes for the rural poor. Samuel passed away in 2001.

The mission of the Rural Studio is not only to educate architects, but to educate a community and improve the quality of civic life. Each year, undergraduate students from Auburn’s School of Architecture leave the comfort of the university to live, study and work in Hale County, Alabama. Before work even begins, they meet and get to know the future inhabitants of their buildings. In 2000, Samuel said, “It’s important that they live out here and become part of this community. They meet real people with real needs. What we are trying to create is the citizen architect.”

Bea’s Kids | Carrollton, TX

“It gives me a purpose to live, it gives me life. Every hug that I get—you can’t buy that with money. There’s no greater joy.” —Bea Salazar, founder of Bea’s Kids

At Bea Salazar’s lowest point in life, she found a crying boy digging for food in a dumpster. She took the boy home, made him a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich and from that day, Bea’s life changed. “That’s when I realized there was a child out there in greater pain than my own.”

Bea began a food drive, serving lunch regularly to 12 children in her community. Today, she changes the lives of hundreds of children with her organization, Bea’s Kids. Her program offers children tutoring, clothes, medical care, food and counseling—"a one-stop social services." Facing issues of hunger, illiteracy, drugs, violence, gangs and poverty, Bea’s Kids has managed to help many families get through difficult situations. “It gives me a purpose to live, it gives me life. Every hug that I get—you can’t buy that with money. There’s no greater joy.”

B.I.K.E. | Portland, OR

“We address the whole child—mind, body and spirit. In the process of teaching them to be bicycle racers we try to give them standards of hard work and high self-esteem and discipline.” —John Benenate, founder of B.I.K.E.

John Benenate was an active cyclist in Portland, Oregon until an accident in 1992 left him confined to a wheelchair. Determined to stay with the sport he loved, John created Bicycles and Ideas for Kids’ Empowerment (B.I.K.E.), a program to reach out to the faces that were missing in cycling. John said, “The sport is predominately white males and I decided I was going to transform this sport.” He chose to work with inner-city kids.

Children in the program meet with coaches and mentors, not only to physically train for races but also to work on academics. John said, “We address the whole child—mind, body and spirit. In the process of teaching them to be bicycle racers we try to give them standards of hard work and high self-esteem and discipline.”

John and the parents agree that the children then carry those qualities into every facet of their lives. One mother says the program has given her children hope. “Seeing John as a leader has proven to them that just because you experience setbacks in your lifetime, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have to hold you back.”

Boys’ Choir of Tallahassee | Tallahassee, FL

“Music is the tool we use to get them into boys’ choir. Once we get them in and get them singing, we structure them academically.” —Earle Lee, Jr., director of the Boys’ Choir of Tallahassee

The Boys’ Choir of Tallahassee isn’t just making beautiful music—it’s saving boys from a dangerous life on the streets. Choir director Earle Lee, Jr. believes that even boys with a troubled past deserve a future. Although parents sometimes make their sons join the choir, it’s often the boys who become the best recruiters. “We’ve created a village where we look after each other,” said Earle. “It’s amazing to see one boy helping another boy.”

The choir program gives the boys structure and a goal—college. “Music is the tool we use to get them into boys’ choir,” said Earle. “Once we get them in and get them singing, we structure them academically. It does not matter how well they sing. Once they finish that last note, they must be able to pass a standardized test and get into college.”

The award-winning choir has performed everywhere from Washington, D.C. to Italy. Of all the boys’ impressive accomplishments, Earle is most proud of the fact that since the first graduating class in 1998, every graduate of the program has gone on to college. “Our goal is to help these young men be whatever they want to be in life,” said Earle. “The sky is the limit for the boys.”

Brotherhood/Sister Sol Program | New York, NY

“Too often you hear about black and Latino youth ‘surviving.’ And that’s not enough. We need to raise the bar—they also must excel.” —Khari Lazarre-White, co-founder of Brotherhood/Sister Sol

Khari Lazarre-White and Jason Warwin wanted to put a new twist on mentoring. Instead of just giving at-risk youth the tools for academic success, they also wanted to nurture the mind, body and spirit. As a result, they founded the Brotherhood/Sister Sol Program, which provides support, guidance, resources and love to African-American and Latino boys and girls.

To help young people excel, Brotherhood/Sister Sol offers an after school program, tutoring opportunities, summer camps and an international study program that has taken students to Egypt, South Africa, Morocco and Mexico. Khari says, “We study the history and the politics and the culture of the place that we go. It takes them to a whole other level, one which they never come back down from. It elevates them.”

The Brotherhood/Sister Sol program also teaches kids about African-American and Latino history and offers educational workshops. Jason said, “What we end up doing often times is really trying to re-teach how men and women should interact with each other.”

Read about more Use Your Life Award recipients: C–F | G–L | M–R | S–Z