CNN Heroes

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
~Anne Frank

Last night I went with my sister to the Kodak Theater in Hollywood to attend the CNN Heroes Award Ceremony. My friend Katie couldn't use the tickets so she gave them to us. I feel so blessed and grateful that we were able to go. To say that the evening was inspirational is a HUGE understatement.

In case you've never heard of CNN Heroes -- it's an award ceremony for 10 ordinary people doing extraordinary works of service. This year's recipients included a school bus driver in Queens who, after working 10 hours a day driving his bus, goes home, cooks food, and then distributes it to up 140 homeless people a night; an Iraqi War contractor who started a foundation to bring wheelchairs to Iraqi children; a teenager who lost his legs in a boating accident and started, from his hospital bed, a foundation to give prosthetics to needy children amputees; a dedicated breast cancer survivor who, with her team of fellow volunteers, has knocked on the doors of over 20,000 Floridian women to make sure that they receive screening tests for breast cancer; an Indonesian airline pilot who started an orphanage in his home for 48 children in need, etc.

Each recipient was unbelievably inspiring. I saw this quote online today: "Greatness is a common thing, found in common people from common places, who simply do uncommon things." Basil Ibebunjo (Nigeria). The CNN Heroes personify this type of greatness. And they inspired me to try to be as great as possible in serving others.

A few years ago I started on a journey to renovate the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute -- to transform the space to promote healing. I got sidetracked from my mission and a little overwhelmed by the fundraising challenge I had set for myself. I'm embarrassed to say that I gave up. Saturday's award recipients made me see that I cannot give up -- I must continue this journey. Compared to what each of those people are doing, my goal is very modest. So stay tuned, there is much more in the horizon for me. I have so much more to give and I'm excited to be doing this.