Brink Thinkers are people who have learned to nurture, persist and expand their thoughts to create unparalleled results. The brink of courage, the brink of death just before life, the brink of victim turned victor, the brink of societal change, the brink of peace in the world. The secret is to take that thought, that idea, all the way to the BRINK!
Wisdom From a 10 Year Old, After Beating Phelps Swim Record
“Always have fun and never give up on your dreams no matter what anybody says,” words of wisdom from a 10 year old. Clark Kent Apuda has done the unthinkable, he just smashed one of Michael Phelps’ longest standing swimming records. Clark finished the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 1:10:48; more than a second […]
May El-Khalil’s Search For Peace
“Hit by a bus one morning, I nearly died. I was in a coma, stayed at the hospital for two years and underwent 36 surgeries. I had to learn how to walk again. After the tragedy I needed something to take me out of my pain and an objective to look forward to. I didn’t […]
12 Year Old Solves Common Problems for Alzheimer Patients with App
If you have a loved one who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease you intimately know the frustrations that come with the emotionally draining journey down memory loss. Emma Yang grew restless watching her grandmother suffer and made a bold move to help her and other patients remember important dates, events, people and information by developing an […]
These days to stand on one side of an extreme is an act of blind courage. One never knows the repercussions of freely sharing their beliefs, as our nation has lost the art of appreciating different views. Tragically, Brian Ogle, a young Alabama teen was brutally bashed in the head by a pistol for sharing […]
Before Kristin Armstrong Collapsed, she asked “Did I win?”
“Did I win?” she asked. Yes at 44:26.42, Kristin Armstrong had indeed won the gold medal. And then, she fell to the ground. Beijing, London, and now Rio de Janeiro, Armstrong became the first American woman to win the gold medal three times in the same event. And at age 43, the oldest female Olympic cycling champion. It was not a perfect cycling […]
Jeni’s Wedding Day Needed Her Dad’s Heart
It’s been ten years since Jeni Stepien’s father passed away. Like every young woman – visions of walking down the aisle with her dad in hand on her big day were always in her thoughts. But how was that possible? Through the power of organ donation – Arthur Thomas was the lucky recipient of the heart from Jeni’s dad. […]
Girls Turn Lemons Into $10,000 for Dallas Officers
Often times the kids are much wiser than we give them credit for. At eleven and twelve years old, Landry Nelon and Lauren Roach knew exactly what to do with those lemons. As the saying goes, they made lemonade, and lots of it for the five police officers that were killed in Dallas. “At first we thought we would […]
Judge Lou Olivera Takes The High Road To Jail
The sound of the gavel striking against the desk in court means one of two things – the defendant is innocent of the charges, or the judge is sentencing the defendant to serve time in jail. When the gavel struck on Special Forces Sergeant Joseph Serna – he quickly realized that he’d be spending the night in jail. What he could […]
“Officers, Your bill is on me today.” Server Jessica Dunbar
Red Robin is known for it’s gourmet burgers and bottomless steak fries. It also has a knack for hiring caring and passionate servers, who are not only observant, but willing to dig deep into their own pockets to make a point. And what a point server Jessica Dunbar made when she left that note to 9 officers […]
Veteran Josh Collins Takes On PTSD, TBI, Crocs, Sharks & Life
Twenty years serving our great country in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia; Collins retired from the United States military in 2008. This was not to be just any retirement though; but one that was riddled with struggles, anger, random outbursts and frustration. Life had grown steadily more difficult for Collins as he struggled with TBI Traumatic Brain Injury […]
Leaping Life’s Emotional Barriers, Adrianne Haslet-Davis
We can only assume we know or understand what it must be like – to not only lose your leg in a tragic disaster that is reported on and televised around the globe – but to lose your ability to cope and live your life to the fullest – how could we know? At her lowest moment, perhaps […]
Books Up In Flames Ignite Movement For 8-Year-Old Heidi
When you’re eight years old and disaster strikes – it can seem like the world is falling apart. Problems are magnified and solutions don’t always come easy. In the case of eight-year-old Heidi VanSumeren – her solution came through her mailbox courtesy of authors, publishers, and librarians from across the country. Heidi and her family lost […]
“70 years on the job, and never worked a day in her life” Elena Griffing
In 1946, gas was 15 cents a gallon, the average wage was $2,500 a year, and Elena Griffing worked at the Alta Bates Community Hospital making about $120 a month. The name of the facility changed to Sutter Health Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, but Elena Griffing stayed her consistent self – never changing jobs and with an impeccable […]
Wrong Text Delights New Mom With Unexpected Visitors
We’ve all been there at one time or another – either as the recipient or sender of an unintended text. The question is – how do you react to the text in question? Do you keep your cool or do you let it rock your boat? Or might you do what brothers Deorick and Dennis Williams […]
Sean Swarner Goes From Cancer to Seven Summits
We should all have such big dreams. Like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, not one time, but a dozen times. And then there was the trek up Mount Everest. You might even decide to climb the highest peak on every continent – completing the seven summits. Now, imagine you did all this with only one lung! This […]
Ron Clark “like no other school in America”
It’s being called, “like no other school in America,” a transformative journey from middle school student to super-achiever. At the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, ‘skipping school’ is not part of the kids’ lexicon. Kim Bearden and Ron Clark, co-founders, shared an enthusiasm and love for molding kids into exemplary-beings – as proven by their early chance […]
“He fell to his knees, and he began to weep,” Pastor Wright
Staying calm under extreme pressure was the first order, the second, disarm the perpetrator – and then Pastor Larry Wright faced the challenges head on with alacrity. “I asked him, ‘Can I help you?'” asked Wright. “He said, Can you pray for me?” And with that, Wright took the rifle and passed it to a deacon. Once he […]
“I think people undervalue making people happy,” Colts Punter Pat McAfee
On the field, he’s earned a reputation as a ‘real competitor’, off the field he is a man that is dedicated to making the world a better place. Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee is known for his colorful personality – it shines through both on and off the field. ESPN states that “Colts punter Pat McAfee is a […]
‘I’ll take a bullet before you do’ Detective Jorge Lozano
It was a scene most of us will hopefully never see in our lifetime! Dozens of people leaving a Christmas party event on a beautiful afternoon – with their hands raised upward, while walking quickly through a narrow corridor in any office building in America. The police officer tasked with bringing the workers to safety […]
Is God Fact, Opinion, or Myth? 7th Grader Responds!
This is not a story about faith, although it could be. It’s not even a story about a school teacher who could be charged with ‘dereliction of duty’ – although many would argue this. This is a story about a seventh grader who stood firm on her own belief system – despite pressure from a teacher […]
Service Members Return The Favor To The ‘Hug Lady’
If the measure of success in a lifetime is – how many people you’ve impacted – then Elizabeth ‘Hug Lady’ Laird has clearly won the Nobel Peace Prize of Human Kindness! It’s estimated that over a span of twelve years she has hugged close to 500,000 troops. Every service member, whether coming home or leaving for […]
In Search of a Kidney Transplant – on Craigslist?
If you were in need of a kidney transplant would you peruse the ads on Craigslist for that kidney? Even more so – who in their right mind would place an ad on Craigslist in search of a life-saving kidney? It was the brilliant mind of Kay Saria. Kay put the ad up on Craigslist looking for […]
“You Will Not Have My Hatred” from Paris
If timing is everything in life – then surely the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris were in the wrong place at the wrong time. How could they possibly have known – that their lives would be so dramatically altered on this day? Hundreds were injured, and at last count, at least 129 beautiful people died in […]
The Secret To Running 50 Marathons in 50 States at age 73
Have you ever ran a marathon? What about 50 marathons in 50 states? Could you imagine running a marathon at the ripe young age of 73? Meet 73-year-old John Maultsby. Maultsby crossed the finish line in his 50th state earlier this month – in the state of New Hampshire. It was a celebration for sure – as […]
When Loneliness Is The Emergency, Officers Respond
It’s difficult to imagine that a cup of hot tea could save ones life, or even change their day. When the Manchester Police Department received a 999 emergency call from 95 year old Doris Thomson – they dispatched two officers to the scene. Stu Ockwell and his partner Andy Richardson, expected the worse. They thought that Mr. Thomson […]
High School Senior Brings ‘Moral Strength’ in Inspiring Speech
A week before 18-year-old Jake Bailey was to give a speech for the graduating class at Christchurch Boys’ High School in New Zealand – he was diagnosed with cancer. A very aggressive form of cancer – Burkitts non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Bailey is the Student Body President at his school – in New Zealand, it’s referred to as the Senior […]
Citations or Car Seats? Police Officers Respond to Family
The cost to properly have car-seat restraints on your child in Cedar Park, Texas is $100 for the base fine, and $104 for the court costs. If you have 3 children in the car you can triple those costs. That’s what one father was faced with when he was pulled over by Texas police officer Justin […]
As Wall of Mud Approaches, Teacher Averts Disaster
Eliene Almeida, head teacher at the municipal school in Bento Rodrigues, Brazil, heard the cry from her husband – “He came in shouting that we had to run!” The dam at the Samarco mine had burst – a 65 foot-high wall of mud and water was moving quickly through town and toward the school. The teacher had to move quickly or […]
“If a man can do it, I can do it,” the story of Marci Simms
Marci Simms, an NYPD lieutenant who worked at Ground Zero immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks – just lost her battle to cancer – 16 months after she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. “If a man can do it, I can do it,” Simms would say. And so she did – do it that is! Simms spent more […]
Star Wars Force Comes Thru For Daniel
The wish was for Daniel to see the film at a private screening, before the December 18th premiere – not easily done since this is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year. Director JJ Abrams said he wanted to give Daniel a private screening of the four-hour unedited filmuncut version. Update to Story: Five […]
