Category: Uncategorized

Growing Our Impact

Luminari’s Lesson Plans and Videos: A Growing Impact In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, as schools around the world shuttered and students transitioned to remote learning, the team at Luminari found themselves facing a unique challenge. How could …

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Paws and Reflect in Shared Grief

by Beth Dolinar, Contributing Writer We said goodbye to our beloved Smoothie last month, taking the aged Sheltie for his last ride before he went to sleep for the last time. I started that sentence with “we” because, although Smoothie …

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Binge-Watching

by Dana Wineland O’Rourke, Contributing Writer “Come and listen to my story…” If you started to sing those words, chances are you grew up in a house with one television, no remote control, and only a few channels. For anyone …

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The Sounds of Summer

by Beth Dolinar, contributing writer The electric bill for June was bad—bad enough to cause me to turn off the air conditioning. Many of us have been sweating through the hottest summer on record. Just keeping the AC at a …

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2024 Teen Ambassadors in their own words

Our 2024 Teen Ambassadors shared their favorite moments and reflections from their I Want to be an Ambassador experiences, highlighting the camp’s impact on their lives. From engaging with diplomats and business leaders to developing essential skills in communication and …

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CORN

by Margot Callahan, Contributing Writer “Uh, yeah, Margot, it’s Jake, we’re out of corn.” Jake, when he calls me, always begins by saying, “Uh, yeah, Margot, it’s Jake,” even though he knows his number comes up on my phone as …

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Empty Nest

by Dana Wineland O’Rouke, contributing writer “Honey, wake up and come to bed.” My husband Tim whispered as he tapped my shoulder. “I’m waiting up for Danny,” I mumbled, as I repositioned myself on the couch.  “He’s not home yet.” …

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Luminary Doug Heilman makes his culinary debut on PBS

Exciting news from the Luminari community! Our friend and culinary genius, Doug Heilman, is set to showcase his cooking prowess on the national stage. A self-described foodie, Doug grew up on his family’s beef farm where food and the art …

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Broken Pieces

by Dana Wineland O’Rouke, contributing writer Anticipation caused me to hold my breath every time my grandfather slid the big wooden box that he handcrafted from under the living room sofa.  To the little girl me, it was a treasure …

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TikTok — The pros, the cons, and should it be banned?

by Debbie Casini Klein, Director, I Want to be an Ambassador! camp The United States is the country with the most monthly active TikTok users –more than 100 million, with teenagers making up the largest group.  It has more Gen …

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