In our conversations with thousands of entrepreneurs, professionals, and creatives we often hear the most heartwarming stories. These stories matter and they show why pursing your passion matters. When you care about what you do, you can make miracles happen for your clients, employees and other stakeholders. You’ll find some amazing stories below.

Rodrigo Prates

Zuando Som came about by chance. I had already been composing songs before my first child was born. After Vinícius, Lucas and João were born, I focused on their daily lives. In fact, before that, I was invited to promote music sessions with children at a school near where I lived. Only later did I have the idea of ​​giving my work a name. I started at one school and, before I knew it, I was at every school in the city. It was a small city, on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, but even so, there were seven schools. Sometimes, two a day. The song Bruxa, for example, I composed for Halloween and the children really liked it. I have always created what I sing. I like to listen to it, smell the music, taste it. The name Zuando Som comes from the word Zoar, which means to make noise, to shout. In Brazil, “Zoar” means to mess up, to disturb the place, to keep it quiet, to make it tremble. Read more>>

Matthew Plantenga

I remember my first day managing The Point Community Center and my first encounter with Dennis, a janitorial employee, vividly. I have a bright and bubbly personality. Combine that with customer service training from the Disney company and Merlin entertainment, and I can be “a little much” to some. My first encounter with Dennis was one of those encounters. There was a fear in his eyes. A worry. I learned quickly that he had a stroke and wasn’t able to speak very well. I could tell that he wasn’t expecting a great work relationship after day one. I vowed to support, encourage, and inspire Dennis to become his best version of himself. He has become a leader for our center. He helps me with training new employees. He has been promoted and works with our preschool. He has volunteered at our disabilities ministry. His smile is infectious and brightens our center every morning. I can’t say enough good things about his work ethic. I also can’t wait to see what amazing things he will do in the future! Read more>>

Ana Moncada

One of my clients, Mr. Lopez (not his real name), arrived in my office feeling hopeless and scared. I understand how tough it can be for clients to seek help and take steps to meet me in person. Rather than giving him more grim news that I could not help him due to his immigration status, I worked with him to put an action plan together that would help him resolve his immigration issues, and then start to address the other needs that he originally came to me to achieve; namely, housing and employment. Mr. Lopez and I uncovered a specific policy, with the help of legal aid partner agencies, that helped resolve his documentation and immigration issues. We built trust and hope together as he slowly but consistently followed the plan to obtain documentation, apply for services and attend necessary meetings. In the end, Mr. Lopez not only obtained his corrected legal status, but he also secured health care, housing, and employment – a huge success! This success was due to the trust we established, patience, and persistence. Read more>>

Daniele Clarke

There’s a particular story that’s etched in my memory, one that highlights just how complex yet powerful our journey of growth can be. A few years ago, I was working with a mother and her young daughter, Lily, who was struggling with severe anxiety. Lily’s anxiety would spike at seemingly small things—a new activity, a social situation, or even a change in her daily routine. Her mom was doing everything she could think of to help, trying to shield Lily from the triggers that would send her into a spiral of panic. She would step in, speak for her, and gently guide her out of uncomfortable situations, all to protect her. However, the more Lily’s mom tried to help, the more withdrawn and anxious her daughter became. Watching was heartbreaking because I could see the love and good intentions behind every action. Lily’s mother wasn’t just trying to fix things—she was trying to give her daughter a sense of peace. But that peace wasn’t sticking. Read more>>

Leeann Ditomaso Samantha Paros

Every single day, we witness a heartwarming story. That is the beauty of being an S2C Practitioner. Every single nonspeaker that walks through our door at Access S2C, has never been given the opportunity to express their own thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc. Whether that be 5 years in silence, or even 50 years in silence, our job is to open up a whole new world for these individuals. Although it is a process, each step in the communication journey is a miracle. Learning everything about nonspeakers that we never knew was possible is truly heartwarming! Read more>>

Sarah Pearce

I think looking back at my doula journey, where I started to where I am now; that’s the heartwarming story. Being able to see the families happy, healthy and thriving makes my heart sing louder than my voice ever could. Everytime a new parent looks up at me and says “Thank you so much for being here with us!”, I could burst with joy. It’s such a privilege to be in that sacred space with families and it is my absolute honor to be invited into that birth room. Read more>>