Oprah Winfrey - "Use Your Life Award"

Born Jan 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Oprah Winfrey was reared by her grandmom on a farm where she "began her broadcasting career" by learning to read aloud
and perform recitations at the age of 3.

From age 6 to 13, she lived in Milwaukee with her mother. After suffering
abused by a number of male relatives and friends of her mother,
she ran away and was sent to a juvenile detention home at the age
of 13, only to be denied admission because all the beds were filled.

As a last resort, she was sent to Nashville to live under her father's
strict discipline. "As strict as he was," says Oprah, "he had some concerns
about me making the best of my life, and would not accept anything less than
what he thought was my best."

Oprah Winfrey's broadcasting career began at age 17, when she was hired by
WVOL radio in Nashville, and two years later signed on with WTVF-TV in
Nashville as a reporter/anchor. She attended Tennessee State University,
where she majored in Speech Communications and Performing Arts.

In 1976, she moved to Baltimore to join WJZ-TV news as a co-anchor, and in
1978 discovered her talent for hosting talk shows when she became co-host of
WJZ-TV's "People Are Talking," while continuing to serve as anchor and news
reporter.

In January 1984, she came to Chicago to host WLS-TV's "AM Chicago," a
faltering local talk show. In less than a year, she turned "AM Chicago" into
the hottest show in town. The format was soon expanded to one hour, and in
Sep 1985 it was renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

In June 1988, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" received its second consecutive
Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Talk/Service Program, and she herself
received the International Radio and Television Society's "Broadcaster of
the Year" Award. She was the youngest person and only the fifth woman ever
to receive the honor in IRTS's 25-year history.

In 1991, motivated in part by her own memories of childhood abuse, she
initiated a campaign to establish a national database of convicted child
abusers, and testified before a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on behalf of
a National Child Protection Act.

President Clinton signed the "Oprah Bill" into law in 1993, establishing the
national database she had sought, which is now available to law enforcement
agencies and concerned parties across the country.

She is one of the partners in Oxygen Media, Inc., a cable channel and
interactive network presenting programming designed primarily for women.

In 2000, Oprah's Angel Network began presenting a $100,000 "Use Your Life
Award" to people who are using their lives to improve the lives of others.

When Forbes magazine published its list of America's billionaires for the
year 2003, it disclosed that Oprah Winfrey was the first African-American
woman to become a billionaire.

Source : http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9534419

Life Without Limbs

First born child in his Christian family, Nick Vujicic was born limbless in
Melbourne, Australia on 4 Dec 1982. His parents were devastated; however, it
seemed that Nick would survive, but his life was going to be filled with
difficulties and hardships.

One of these such hardships was not being able to attend a main-stream
school because of his physical disability, as the law of Australia required,
even though he was not mentally impaired.

However, the laws were changed, and Nick was one of the first disabled
students to be migrated to a mainstream school. Being bullied at his school,
Nick grew extremely depressed, and at the age of ten, started contemplating
suicide.

After begging God to grow arms and legs, Nick eventually began to realize
that his accomplishments were inspirational to many, and began to thank God
he was alive.

He said, "I was given the wisdom to understand that if we pray for
something, if it's God's will, it'll happen in His time. If it's not God's
will for it to happen, then I know that He has something better...
Something's never change... But something's do..."

When he was seventeen, he starting to give talks at his prayer group, and
eventually starting his non-profit organisation, Life Without Limbs.

Nick completed university at the age of 21, and began travels as a
motivational speaker, focusing on the topics that today's teenagers face. He
also speaks in the corporate sector, however his aim is to become an
international inspirational speaker, in both Christian and non-Christian
venues.

By the age of 25 he wishes to become financially independant, however he
wishes to promote his words through shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show, as
well as writing books. His first book, planned for completion by the end of
2006, is to be called 'No Arms, No Legs, No Worries!'

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Vujicic 

www.thebelovedone.blogspot.com

The Woodcutter's Wisdom by Max Lucado

Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was
envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. People offered fabulous
prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. "This horse is a
friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?"

One morning he found his horse was not in the stable. All the village came
to see and scoffed him, "We told you that someone would steal your horse. It
would have been better to have sold him. Now the horse is gone, and you've
been cursed with misfortune."

The old man responded, "Don't speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is
not in the stable. That is all we know. If I've been cursed or not, how can
you judge?" The people contested, "Don't make us out to be fools! The simple
fact that your horse is gone is a curse."

The old man spoke again. "All I know is that the stable is empty, and the
horse is gone. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come
next?" The people laughed. They had always thought he was fool.

After fifteen days, the horse returned with a dozen wild horses. He hadn't
been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Once again the village people
gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. "Old man, you were right. What we
thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us."

The man responded, "You go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State
only that a dozen horses returned with him. Life is so vast, yet you judge
all of life with one page or one word. All you have is a fragment! I am
content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don't."

"Maybe the old man is right," they said to one another. But down deep, they
knew he was wrong.

The old man had an only son. The young man began to train the wild horses.
After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs.

Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their
judgements. They said. "The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a
curse." The old man spoke again. "Don't go so far. Say only that my son
broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse?"

A few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country.
All young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of
the old man was excluded, because injured.

Once again people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because
their sons had been taken. There was little chance that they would return.

They wept, "Yours son's accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but
at least he is with you." The old man spoke again, "You always draw
conclusions. Say only: Your sons had to go to war, and mine not. No one is
wise enough to know if it is a blessing or a curse. Only God knows."   * * *

The old man was right. We only have a fragment of our whole life story. We
must be slow about drawing conclusions. We must reserve judgement on life's
storms until we know the whole story.

"Do not worry about tomorrow" (Matthew 6:34). God is the Author of our life
stories and HE has already written the final chapter. "Although the world is
full of suffering, it is also full of overcomings" - Hellen Keller Source:
http://www.maxlucado.com/pdf/woodcutters.wisdom.pdf

Champion Never Quit

When Glenn V. Cunningham was 6, he and his brother Floyd had the
chore of starting a fire in the schoolhouse stove every cold morning. One
Feb morning in 1916, the kerosene container had accidentally been filled
with gasoline. The stove exploded. Floyd was killed and Glenn's legs were so
badly burned.

When Glenn was 8 the doctors recommended amputating his legs, but his
mother didn't allow it. The doctors predicted he might never walk normally
again. However, his great determination led him to gradually regain the
ability to walk.

After several weeks in bed, he was able to walk on crutches. Finally, he got
rid of the crutches but, as he said later, "It hurt like thunder to walk,
but it didn't hurt at all when I ran. So for 5 or 6 yrs, about all I
did was run."

Cunningham set a world record for the mile and indoor world records for the
1500 meters and the mile. He was on the 1932 n1936 Olympic teams.

Because of circulation problems caused by his childhood accident, Cunningham
needed nearly an hour to prepare for a race. He first had to massage his
legs and he then required a long warm up period.

Despite the fact that smoke bothered him, he turned in outstanding
performances at Madison Square Garden, where he won 22 indoor miles.

Cunningham had a master's degree from the University of Iowa and a
doctorate from New York University, retired from competition in 1940 and for
4 yrs was director of physical education at Cornell College in Iowa.

After spending 2 yrs in the Navy, Cunningham and his wife opened the Glenn
Cunningham Youth Ranch in Kansas, where they helped to raise about 10,000
underprivileged children. A lay preacher, Cunningham periodically went on
lecture tours to raise money for the ranch.

"Optimists enrich the present, enhance the future, challenge the improbable
and attain the impossible. If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you
can dream it, you can become it.~ William Arthur Ward"

Source:

http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/cunnhamg.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Cunningham_(runner)