Newport Harbor High School student Luke Hatfield recently received Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Mission Award for his work with the organization. When Luke Hatfield got involved with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s annual Student of the Year program, it was for his dad. “I didn’t even really know what I was getting into, but it […]

Teenager Conor Quill began volunteering with Orange County-based Miracles for Kids in first grade, and he shows no signs of stopping. Christmas. Back to School. These are all times of excitement for families with young children. But they can also be times of stress, especially for families with young children who are battling serious illness. […]

This beauty pageant competitor is on a mission to educate the world about seizure first aid. When Miss California High School America, Grace Edwards, was just 7 years old she already had a couple beauty pageants under her belt. The La Palma Christian School student also had a pretty comprehensive knowledge of seizure first aid […]

Teaching growth, freedom and dignity with music, local musician Elias Toscano helps support kids of all needs. Music is in Elias Toscano’s blood. It’s like the rhythmic beat of a heart. From a young age, he understood the value of it in his own life and it’s a gift he likes to pass on. The […]

Local chef Thomas Curran plans to walk across the country in the name of pediatric cancer research. Thomas Curran would never describe himself as an outdoorsy guy. “I love being in nature but I’m not an avid camper or hiker,” he says. Which is why it might be surprising that he will spend most of […]

Physician’s Assistant Tony Adkins puts smiles on his young patients’ faces by busting out some dance moves. Tony Adkins never intended to go viral. More than a year ago Adkins, a physician’s assistant at CHOC Children’s, was trying to find a way to help boost the spirit of a young patient who had survived childhood […]

Nine-year-old Ryan Hickman is an entrepreneur with a passion for the environment. Ryan Hickman’s career as a recycling prodigy began with a crunch. A bunch of them, actually. It was the crunching sound of aluminum cans and plastic bottles being compacted at the re-Planet facility near his San Juan Capistrano home that caught his attention. […]

By day Cris August helps LGBTQ teens. By night he’s a paranormal detective. The theme that flows through Cris August’s life, whether in the darkness of a haunted house or a well-lit office, is about education. In daylight, he’s trying to educate potential employers on the virtues of hiring developmentally disabled adults, or he’s mentoring […]

Patriot was three months old when Kevin Marlin (pictured with Patriot) first met the then-small Siberian husky puppy through a local rescue. “He was just a scrawny little guy,” said Marlin, who is executive director for Huntington Beach-based Orange County SPCA (OCSPCA) and its therapy dog program manager. The dog showed many signs of abuse—the […]