Costco Connection - July 2009

And the list goes on...

The people profiled on the previous pages were chosen because they are representative of Costco members who are changing the world. Here is a brief list of others who are making a difference.

Steve Bryson California

Using his own funds, Bryson started a foundation, overseen by himself and his family, to help orphaned and impoverished children worldwide. He pledges that 100 percent of all proceeds go to the cause; www.neverforgottenfoundation.com.

Terry Colella Washington

After her son was diagnosed with a rare disease which receives little attention, Colella started an organization to raise money for research of facioscapulohumeral dystrophy; www.fshfriends.org.

Ben Eveslage Michigan

Eveslage, a high school student, created an organization to “connect communities, raise awareness, and serve the underprivileged youth of Africa”; www.vafrica.org; video at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=TWEPF0C4qQE.

Sipho Gumbo Texas

Along with four other Zimbabweans living in the U.S., Gumbo founded Munhu, Inc. (Munhu is Bantu for person) to provide educational support to children orphaned by AIDS by paying tuition, providing school supplies, promoting healthy living and an entrepreneurial spirit; www.munhu.org.

Carl F. Haupt Arizona

Haupt donates goods, cash and labor to areas in Mexico that border Arizona. He holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest man to climb Kilimanjaro, which he did to raise awareness of his foundation; www.starfishdifference.com.

Reita Hutson Arizona

Hutson became a surrogate mom to Gabriel, one of the “lost boys” of the Sudan, helping him get dental work and an education, and adjust to life in the United States. Other “lost boys” asked Gabriel if he could get Hutson to be their mom as well, so she formed an organization to help them all; www.gabrielsdream.org.

Carol Knotts and Bev Michel Pennsylvania

Sisters Knotts and Michel, inspired by their mother’s battle with breast cancer, raise more than $200,000 a year for breast cancer programs; www.debreastcancer.org; http://michelphoto.com.

Tammy Nguyen Lee Texas

Lee founded Against The Grain Productions to create social-issue-based media and raise funds for international orphanages, and is dedicated to reporting stories that represent the Asian-American experience; www.againstthegrainproductions.com.

Natalie Pope Kentucky

At 18, with an autistic brother, Pope developed an autism awareness specialty license plate for the state of Kentucky; www.kyautismawareness.com.

Mitchell Sheinkop Illinois

Sheinkop, an orthopedic doctor and a professor emeritus, shifted his educational time to international work, influencing healthcare in other countries, especially emerging nations; http://neuro- ortho.org/community/2008/09/18/the-picture-of-success-dr-mitchell-sheinkop.

Lucy Sumner New York

Sumner, a retired schoolteacher, started a nonprofit organization, The Magic Penny, to help rural communities in West Africa, with a mission to advance social stability, self-sufficiency and the standard of living; www.themagicpenny.org.

Elia Van Tuyl California

A retired businessman who travels the world, Van Tuyl puts together multimedia projects to highlight situations of great poverty and need, then posts them on a Web site along with information on how to contribute; www.cwforums.org.

Sandy Zinschlag Florida

Zinschlag left her job as a hospital financial counselor to start an organization to help people with cancer find financing for treatment when their insurance doesn’t cover enough and they can’t afford the debt; www.lightswfl.org.