Stories of Kindness from Around the World

When I was on CBS's Survivor - Africa all I had with me were the clothes on my back and my one luxury item of choice: a hackey sack.

My hackey sack was my most prized possession, the one item that took me temporarily away from the Survivor game and home to the familiar... and I gave it away. It may sound silly, but it was a tough decision - a real moment of personal truth.

I was with a group of other Survivor contestants distributing HIV/AIDS testing kits to a small village in Kenya when I met Milton. Milton didn't have any of the luxuries I had growing up- no TV, no bike, no PlayStation. But Milton's eyes were full of laughter, and they lit up when I produced my hackey sack. I knew exactly how Milton felt, and that I would be leaving my beloved hackey sack with him when I left.

"It is better to give than to receive" has to be the oldest cliché in the book, but it wasn't until I sacrificed something I cared about to help someone else that I really understood the power of the sentiment. I gave Milton my toy, and in return he gave me the insight to realize that we all have the power to make a difference in the world.

You, too, have the power to give someone hope. You live in the greatest country in the world, and you are the best and the brightest of your generation. You may not have won Survivor, (yet!), but each and every one of you has a million dollars worth of energy, and commitment and a passion to change the world or to change one person's life for the better. One great way for you to get involved and make a difference in your own community, as well as the global community, is to participate in Grassroot Soccer's Kick AIDS Program.

--Ethan Zohn, Grassroot Soccer