Explainer: Previously on NBC Nightly News
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Hit 'next' to see a list of links to organizations and previous reports on NBC Nightly News
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Viewers Make a Difference
Featured Dec. 31, 2010:
Thanks in part to the generosity of Nightly News viewers, several people and organizations profiled have been able to make even greater strides and continue their good works. NBC's Kate Snow reports.
Video: Nightly viewers, Making a Difference -
Powderpuff Philanthropy
Featured Dec. 30, 2010: MSNBC’s Norah O’Donnell reports on how a group of women are using powderpuff football to bring a whole new meaning when it comes to tackling Alzheimer's disease.
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Fairy Dogparents
Featured Dec. 28, 2010: A Massachusetts organization is helping dog owners who have fallen on hard times to keep their best friends. NBC’s Anne Thompson reports.
Video: From the archive: ‘Ruff times: Helping dogs and owners stay together
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Goodwill
Featured Dec. 26, 2010: NBC’s Ron Mott explains how an American institution that provides clothing to those in need also helps people get back to work.
Video: Goodwill offers needy more than just clothing -
My Brother’s Keeper
Featured Dec. 25, 2010: Like an old-fashioned bee, groups of volunteers are turning out handmade sleeping bags for people they’ve never met. NBC’s Chris Jansing reports on the genesis of My Brother’s Keeper.
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Merry musicians
Featured Dec. 24, 2010: From hospitals to rehabilitation centers and hospices, a volunteer group called Holiday Express brings cheer to places that need it the most. NBC’s Natalie Morales reports.
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The Decorated Family
Featured Dec. 23, 2010: For military families separated by service, the holidays are sometimes full of sadness--and while there are many holiday gift drives for those servicemen and women who are far away, one program offers something special for the families who give just as much on the homefront. NBC's Janet Shamlian reports.
Video: Volunteers light the way to holiday cheer
Video: Gift brightens military wife’s lonely holiday season
Video: Wounded Marine: 'It wouldn't be Christmas without this'
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Walter Reed Gift Tree
Featured Dec. 22, 2010: Providing gifts for the children of wounded or deployed soldiers, the Walter Reed Auxiliary recognizes the sacrifices made by even the littlest members of military families. NBC's Norah O'Donnell reports
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Make Your Mark
Featured Dec. 21, 2010: A little boy who knew all too well how hard it is for a kid to be sick at Christmastime made sure other kids going through what he did were remembered during the holidays. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports.
Video: Toy drive pays tribute to a boy who made his mark -
Voices of Destiny
Featured Dec. 20, 2010: In a part of Los Angeles that's famous for all the wrong reasons, the Voice of Destiny choir is sharing the gift of hope. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
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Toys for Tots
Featured Dec. 19, 2010: The Marines are synonymous with some of the toughest battles in American history, but as NBC’s Ron Mott reports, for years, they’ve been fighting another mission, one that’s closer to home: bringing toys to needy kids.
Video: Toys for Tots offers hope for brighter new year
Video: Officer: Toys for Tots ‘the definition of Santa Claus' -
Reviving a neighborhood with brush strokes
Featured Dec. 18, 2010: A downtrodden warehouse district in Miami is in the midst of a curious transformation. As NBC’s Kerry Sanders reports, artists are turning ugly into trendy and, in the process, luring crowds.
Video: Reviving a neighborhood with brush strokes -
A legacy of happiness in LeRoy
Featured Dec. 17, 2010: In a small Minnesota town on the border with Iowa, a 94-year-old retired farmer named Loren Krueger died last year, but left behind a legacy the whole town would remember. KARE's Boyd Huppert reports.
Video: Leaving a legacy of happiness in LeRoy -
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Featured Dec. 16, 2010: Wild baby elephants need all the things most babies do: 3:00 am feedings, warm blankets and lessons in right and wrong. But when it's time to let these little ones go, things get a little less familiar. NBC's Maria Menounos reports.
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Video: Bringing up baby... elephants
Video: Orphans' protector: Elephants can 'read' your heart
Video: Dancing with the elephants -
Delivering Christmas dreams
Featured Dec. 15, 2010: For a growing number of children writing heartbreaking "Dear Santa" letters about their parents' economic struggles, the U.S. Postal Service's Operation Santa program is making Christmas dreams come true. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.
Video: USPS’ Operation Santa delivers Christmas dreams
Video: Dear Santa: The letters that are hard to forget
Video: Operation Santa's helpers deliver Christmas spirit -
Handy Dandy Handyman
Featured, Dec. 10, 2010: One man's simple idea to help neighbors who can't afford to pay for small repairs has brought a whole community together. NBC's Peter Alexander reports.
Video: A handyman with a heart of gold -
The Sugar Strings
Featured Dec. 7, 2010: With their musical trio, three young students transform the way children appreciate classical music. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports.
Video: The Sugarstrings: Sweet appreciation for classical music -
NYFD's George Faller
Featured Dec. 3, 2010: George Faller, a lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York, is making a difference by serving on the front lines and helping others who do. NBC’s Robert Bazell reports.
Video: Changed by 9/11, firefighter counsels peers -
Little Dresses for Africa
Featured December 1, 2010: An African safari turned into a lifelong mission for a Michigan woman who designed a way to lend a helping hand to her faraway hosts. NBC's Chris Jansing reports.
Video: From the archives: Sewing hope for little girls -
Rivers of Hope Foundation & San Pascal Academy
Featured Nov. 28, 2010: Sometimes the real heroism happens long after the stadium lights are dark and the players have left the field. NBC’s Lee Cowan shares the big-hearted efforts of San Diego’s Phillip Rivers and Quentin Jammer.
About Rivers of Hope Foundation
Video: NFL stars foster hope off the field -
Sheltering Books
Featured Nov. 27, 2010: Mackenzie Bearup is making a difference, and it all began when she turned to books to help her through a hard time. NBC’s Lilia Luciano reports.
Video: Teen looks to spread healing power of words -
United Network for Organ Sharing
Featured Nov. 23, 2010: Sixteen people with serious kidney failure have been matched with 16 living donors--some of them total strangers--who have chosen to share the gift of health. NBC's Tom Costello reports.
Video: Sharing the gift of health -
"Harmony"
Featured Nov. 19, 2010: Making a Difference: Using his high-profile role to help save the planet, Prince Charles discusses his new documentary "Harmony," and how thinking about nature as capital should not be considered heresy. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
Video: Prince Charles shows down-to-earth side -
Canine Assistance Program
Featured Nov. 18, 2010: For a person with disabilities, a trained assistance dog can keep everyday tasks from becoming too overwhelming. NBC's Ron Mott reports.
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Sharewood Project
Featured Nov. 15, 2010: Several dozen medical students are expanding their learning from the library to their community by offering health care to the underserved. NBC’s Peter Alexander reports.
Video: Tufts students staff clinic for neighbors in need -
Car Santa
Featured Nov. 13, 2010: Over the years, Terry Franz and an ever-expanding group of dedicated volunteers have fixed and given away hundreds of donated cars to people in need. NBC’s Clare Duffy reports.
Video: ‘Car Santa’ offers wheels, independence to needy -
Camp Erin
Featured Nov. 12, 2010: Providing kids who've lost a family member with a place they can meet others coping with similar grief, Camp Erin helps kids across the country to heal. NBC's Mara Schiavocampo reports.
Video: Grieving kids find comfort zone at camp -
Guitars For Vets
Featured Nov. 11, 2010: Making a Difference: Guitars4Vets has put the healing power of music in the hands of more than 800 soldiers who came home from war seeking a little harmony. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports.
Video: Music better than meds for vets with PTSD -
Peace Corps
Featured Nov. 5, 2010: Members of Colombia One, the first group of volunteers to serve in the Peace Corps almost 50 years ago, are credited with helping pave the way for the more than 200,000 Americans who followed in their footsteps. NBC's Ron Allen reports.
Video: First Peace Corps volunteers look back -
Hole in the Wall Camp
Featured Nov. 4, 2010: Making a Difference: Newman's Own, the company that got its start in the legendary actor Paul Newman's basement, has raised more than $300 million for his Hole in the Wall camps, where sick kids have a chance to get away from their illness for a little while. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
Video: Founder in mind, Newman's Own celebrates milestone -
UNICEF
Featured Oct. 29, 2010: Making A Difference: Kids continue a 60-year tradition of foregoing Halloween candy to trick or treat for UNICEF. NBC's Peter Alexander reports.
Video: For kids, UNICEF more than just a sweet gesture -
Race for the Cure
Featured Oct. 28, 2010: Making a Difference: The battle against breast cancer bridges the divide between Arab and Jewish women in Jerusalem. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
Video: Race for the Cure reaches across cultures -
Haiti Art
Featured Oct. 27, 2010: Making a Difference: Already a pioneering young artist prior to Haiti's devastating earthquake, 26-year-old Jerry Moses has now been tapped by aid groups to help raise awareness about cholera. NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman reports.
Video: Painting signs of hope in Haiti -
Acts of Kindness
Featured Oct. 23, 2010: Fewer may give during hard times, but three generous donations – one anonymous, one from a grateful family and one from a small boy – are making a difference for many. NBC’s Ron Allen reports.
Video: Acts of kindness aim to brighten tough times -
Tangier Clinic
Featured Oct. 20, 2010: On Virginia's tiny Tangier Island, where 30 years ago there were no medical services, Dr. David Nichols has committed his life to caring for his adopted community. NBC's Ron Mott reports.
Video: Dedicated doc proves no man is an island -
Culture of Calm
Featured Oct. 22, 2010: In an effort break the cycle of violence, one of Chicago’s roughest high schools is building an environment where students themselves define the standards of acceptable behavior. NBC’s Kevin Tibbles reports.
Video: School strives to create ‘culture of calm’ -
Michigan's first Hispanic superintendant
Featured Oct. 19, 2010: Making a Difference: Michigan's first Hispanic superintendant of schools--once a dropout himself--has learned to take the problems of his Hispanic students seriously. His efforts are paying off. NBC's Rehema Ellis reports.
Video: Keeping Hispanic students in the classroom -
NFL players think pink
Featured Oct. 17, 2010: In an effort to raise further awareness about the disease, the color has found its way into the ultimate male preserve: the football fields of the National Football League. NBC’s Peter Alexander reports.
Video: NFL thinks pink to aid breast cancer fight -
Take a Seat
Featured Oct. 16, 2010: With a bicycle made for two, Dominic Gill is bringing the spirit of adventure to people who might never get to see the world in quite the same way. NBC’s Peter Alexander reports.
Video: Disabled get front-row seat across America -
Citizen Teachers
Featured Oct. 15, 2010: Making A Difference: A group of volunteers share their professional expertise, coaching kids in what they do every day. NBC's Rehema Ellis reports.
Video: Citizen Teachers bring life lessons into classrooms -
Hunting Park
Featured Oct. 14, 2010: Making a Difference: A Philadelphia man leads the charge to reclaim the city park he loved as a boy for a new generation of kids. NBC's Ron Allen reports.
Video: Lending brotherly love to a beloved city park -
Love Kitchen
Featured Oct. 12, 2010: Making a Difference: For 25 years, twin sisters in Knoxville, Tennessee have stayed committed to making sure nobody in their community goes hungry. NBC's Thanh Truong reports.
Video: Tennessee twins, cooking with love -
George Clooney in Sudan
Featured in Oct. 11, 2010: Making a Difference: George Clooney, a long-time activist on the plight of the people of the Darfur, returns to the region to raise awareness of rising tensions there. NBC's Ann Curry reports.
Video: George Clooney: Civil war in Sudan 'can be stopped' -
Ride2Recovery
Featured Oct. 8, 2010: Making a Difference: NBC's Maria Menounos takes a memorable bike tour with some wounded warriors on a "Ride2Recovery."
Video: For military vets, cycling's not about the bike
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