We gave you 41-50.
We gave you 31-40.
Now get ready for your top 10. Tonic’s Most Beautiful People: 1-10.
10. Organ donors and Kim Plank, grateful recipient
Would you give someone a kidney? Maybe for your kid brother, but for a stranger? That’s a tough one but over 100,000 Americans are waiting on the kindness of others, alive or dead. Even in a nation of 300 million, the wait for an organ is three years.
Kim Plank, a juvenile diabetic since age 9, began developing symptoms of kidney failure in her early 20s. Shortly after, in 1991, she was diagnose with chronic kidney failure and given the options of, “A lifetime on dialysis, a transplant or death, of course. It’s funny but they always give you that option,” she said laughing.
In 1995 she finally received a kidney and pancreas. After a slow failure, she would receive another in 2006. Although there are many variables that can complicate successful matches for both living and cadaver donors, such as blood type or cause of death, there is still long way to go in building a large national donor bank. Even if you’ve ticked the box on the back of your license, it’s not always a guarantee you will help.
“You can have it on your license but if it comes to the point where you aren’t able to make the decision at the last moment or after the fact, your family actually has the last say. So let’s say my mom was totally against it, there would be no donation. Where in Europe, you are a donor unless something is said. It doesn’t have to be on a license or anything,” explained Kim.
There are also many misconceptions surrounding organ donation. Many people assume that family members can donate, so they don’t need to help but that isn’t always the case. As someone at the center of this issue, Kim has heard it all, “They’re picturing themselves lying in a casket and not being a whole person. I think there’s just discomfort thinking about death. I’ve heard some people think doctors wouldn’t try as hard to save or resuscitate you if it said you were a donor on your license.” Kim suggests getting the facts from one of the best authorities on the subject, the National Kidney Foundation. “When I read those fact sheets, a lot of that was helpful to tell other people. I just tried to spread the word and help out to reduce the wait time.”
But even as the recipient of two transplants, Kim can’t say for certain that she would be able to return the favor.
“Oh my gosh,” she said, “I’ve actually thought about that if I were on the other end, and I honestly don’t know if I could do that. Could or would do that if I were in perfect health. I think it takes a very special unselfish person to consider that. It seems like the stories I’ve heard of friends closest to me, the people that ended up donating didn’t think twice before they would answer that they would be tested. It was just an immediate reaction. ‘Well obviously I’ll be tested to see if I’m a match.’ I think it’s really just a special gift. And those people also tend to be people that give in many different ways in their communities and in their lives. And just special beyond belief because its part of yourself. Its not just money or something you could replace.”
9. Cast of How’s Your News?
Most reporters stick to the facts and deliver the news in that studied newscaster-speak. Rarely do we get a glimpse into what they’re feeling or thinking, nor do we really get to the true personalities of their subjects. But such is not the case with How’s Your News, a media outlet whose reporters are all people with disabilities.
HYN got its start over a decade ago at Camp Jabberwocky, an overnight summer camp for adults with disabilities. HYN director, Arthur Bradford, was teaching a video class when the group stumbled upon the alternative news format. They began heading into town to interview people and the spots became fast favorites. Bradford made tapes for family and friends, one of which made its way to struggling filmmakers Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The three became friends and after the success of South Park, Parker and Stone financed a short documentary starring the camp’s best reporters. Before long, a news team took shape and in 1998 the first “How’s Your News?” video was made.
The HYN team’s seven reporters like Jeremy Vest, Ron Simonsen and Susan Harrrington each report through their own unique world lens. “That’s what’s fun about HYN, you can’t script our reports. At the conventions, Ronnie, one of our reporters, would get the senators and Congress people to do skits with him. And he wanted to know what actors they had met, especially soap opera stars from the ’70s,” said Bradford.
Each more charming than the next, they tell it like it is. Susan Harrison often rates what people are wearing at events. While covering Prom at Jeremy’s old high school, she rates the girls’ dresses on a scale of 1 to 10. While she’s happy with most, one only gets a ’7.’ And when the girl protests her score, Sue sticks to her guns. Her frankness is utterly refreshing — not to mention funny. HNY keeps you on your toes because each host will unabashedly follow a whim.
“They all have their own obsessions and interests, and not to be sentimental about it, but they’re more genuine than a mainstream network reporter. They really want to get to know their subjects as people. You’re not going to get hard-hitting political questions or investigative journalism. But you will get to know their interview subjects well. You find out quite a bit about a person by the way they interact with people with disabilities,” explained Bradford.
Interestingly, HYN is often asked if people find the show offensive. But Jeremy says this hasn’t been the case, “I think people were not offended. I’m glad that people watched the show. I think disabled people can do whatever they want. It’s their lives; let them do what they want to do. Let them be a part of a dream.”
Jeremy and the rest of the HYN team cover major events including the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, the Miss America Pageant, and the Kentucky Derby. “We covered the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California. I met Wolfgang Puck, the famous chef, Kermit the Frog from the Muppet Show, Miley Ray Cyrus also known as Hannah Montana and Cyndi Lauper,” explained Jeremy.
Last year, HYN made entertainment history when it landed its own series on MTV. It was the first program starring people with disabilities. And although they weren’t picked up for a second season, HYN continues to cover the news while its searches for a potential new home. Bradford thinks HYN might best be served by a quirkier network, “Where we could pursue some of the less mainstream news ideas that we have. I’d like to keep doing half-hour series where we can involve more reporters.”
Part of HYN’s appeal is its total absence of a social agenda. Their priority is entertainment. ”If we succeed in making the show fun and enjoyable, that in itself would dispel the stereotype that disabled people need charity and pity. Basically, I think a big part of HYN is humor and I think a lot of time people assume that people with disabilities don’t have much of a sense of humor, which is really untrue. It’s a big part of their lives,” said Bradford. Watch any segment, like one with Amy Sedaris, and this all becomes apparent.
But it’s not all jokes. Jeremy had some straight-up wisdom to share, “Yes, I’ve got some good words. Being nice is the way to go. It really is. You don’t want to get in trouble with anybody else. You don’t want to get hurt, get your feelings hurt. Being nice is one of my philosophies of life. Being nice is a good thing. And following a dream is another big one. Do what you wanna do and pursue and get through and get with it. Those are my big words of wisdom right there for ya.”
8. Dannette Hoarde
The plight of incarcerated women is more or less off the mainstream grid. They make up only a small part of the prison population, but their numbers are growing steadily, and the challenges they face are singular to those of their male counterparts. While the media highlights women who kill their children or commit other violent crimes, this is a grossly inaccurate portrayal of the female prison population. The primarily non-violent majority is “invisible and voiceless.”
Driven by her own experience and triumph as a formerly incarcerated woman, Dannette Hoarde works tirelessly on behalf of the disenfranchised group. “I hope to be an inspirational role model, helping women obtain employable skills, connect with other formerly incarcerated women and achieve their dreams,” said Dannette. The Chicago native helped carry the stories of others with her contributions to What We Leave Behind. The documentary challenges the stereotypes of women and prison and explores the effects of incarceration on the family.
Hoarde is also the program manager for Women and Prison: A Site for Resistance, an online community and forum dedicated to addressing the specific needs of women prisoners and their families. The exchange of shared stories supports women integrating back into society as well as keeping the women still “on the inside” connected and educated. Through her outreach, Dannette discovered a dire need for computer literacy among women in and out of prison system, and began hosting in-person seminars. Last year her efforts were recognized by a grant from the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund.
There are countless stories to be told. And if we’re all in fact connected, it may be well worth seeking out the quiet ones, they might know something we need to hear.
7. Kaylee Marie Radzyminski
Slackers move over, there’s a new kid in town. “20 years from now my generation will be the one who will be calling all the shots and basically running this country. I look at this as an opportunity to better prepare myself for what is to come. No matter how young you are you can still make a difference,” are the words of 15-year-old Kaylee Marie Radzyminski, founder of Tunes 4 the Troops.
While at a United States Navel Sea Cadet Corps program in the summer of 2005, Radzyminski was exposed to a lot of military personnel fresh off overseas duty. Of the many things she learned, she kept hearing about a lack of entertainment. After she got home from camp, Kaylee kept thinking about it and realized that she had plenty of spare entertainment at home. She collected her CDs and was amazed at how many she had. After getting her friends onboard, 500 CDs were on the way to our troops.
Kaylee’s initial care package has grown into a smooth operation, providing U.S. troops around the globe with countless songs. Even more remarkable than her tenacity and generosity, are this teen girl’s capacity for gratitude and an appreciation for her future. Maybe not such a bad thing, Gen X.
6. Jennifer Venditti
“I’m really interested in stories that speak to humanity, but through non-obvious sources. People think, ‘Oh, I’m going to see a film about a teenager, it’s coming of age, it’s something…’ But to me, Billy’s voice is the voice of humanity. Its everyman’s voice — man, woman, child — it speaks to humanity basically, but it comes in the form of a really awkward eccentric 15-year-old,” said casting director and filmmaker, Jennifer Venditti.
The 15-year-old she refers to is Billy Price, the subject of her first documentary, Billy the Kid (#33 on our list). Venditti has always had an eye for finding the beauty in the unexpected and out of context. Like the scene in her film where Billy, a troubled teen and his working class mother discuss Van Gogh and Gauguin in their backyard in Maine.
“I love when you’re forced to expand your thoughts beyond preconceived ideas or stereotypes,” she said. “Even if you’re a really open person you can’t help it. There are go-to thoughts or conditions that you’ve been conditioned to see thing and think about things. I like being forced to see it in a different way.”
In 1998 Venditti set out to expand the boundaries of beauty through casting with her own agency JV8Inc. She has since worked with the world’s top photographers and designers to cast advertising, film and runway shows. Even above and beyond finding the more unusual in the pool of professional models, Venditti has made a name for herself in street casting. If you find yourself moved by an ad campaign or fashion spread featuring real people, chances are Venditti’s had a hand in the process. She’s currently in the process of making a book about the people she’s worked with over the years. Some have gone on to greater success and others are remember one particular special moment in time.
Either way, Jennifer has a true gift for uncovering what others easily pass by. It’s clearly an innate sixth-sense process, not a checklist of concrete things to looks for. “I’m always really inspired by people that believe in themselves in one way or another, that are unapologetic and kind of confident in who they are, and unique in their own spirit. Beauty is so subjective. But I like people that are unique and have their own kind of beauty.” Spot it, you got it.
5. Brook Lundy & Duncan Mitchell
Ashton Kutcher recently challenged CNN to a Twitter War. The goal: To secure 1 million Twitter followers. The terms: Winner donates 10,000 mosquito bed nets to charity for World Malaria Day; loser donates 1,000. Game on. Ashton won.
Days later, in a less than similar spirit, someecards challenged Martha Stewart to a race of their own. The goal: to secure 500,000 followers. The terms: someecards would “very tastelessly redecorate Martha’s home.” Game on? Maybe. But on April 27, someecards conceded:
“For the 11 people still paying attention, someecards would like to formally congratulate Martha Stewart on her inevitable feat of reaching 500,000 Twitter followers before us. Martha ran a remarkable campaign — always sticking to the positive, barely acknowledging the event and mostly tweeting about trees. Should anyone feel the need to directly mock us for losing, we suggest creating a card here. And if you happen to speak to Martha, please find out what she wants for winning. We’re thinking either ecards or drapes.”
The brave, if not slightly deranged minds behind such a brilliantly inane challenge are the sites’ creators and founders, Brook Lundy and Duncan Mitchell. For seven years the online advertising creative team had pitched each other every possible fun, unique, interesting, pointless, idiotic, silly and annoying use of the Web — some good, some great, some terrible. Then Lundy stumbled across their best.
“I was trying to find the right ecard to send Duncan and was mortified by the available options. I wanted to say something that was in our comedic sensibility, something very specific. I have no idea what it was. I’m sure it was extremely unimportant, which was kind of the point. Anyway, I took him to dinner and said,” Now I’m going to pitch you the lamest idea ever.”
The lamest idea ever quickly evolved into a successful business. The humor and social media site currently gets 1.5 million unique visits a month and their content is fast approaching 3,000 cards. But the brand has evolved well past its dead-on hilarious birthday cards, although all 134 of them are worth reading.
The voice of someecards has gained some serious cred as an authoritative voice among social and political commentators. They were even called upon for civic duty by BotherVoting. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any religious, secular, historical, current, political, social, or just plain old stupid event that hasn’t been artfully put through the someecards mock machine. Lundy, however, assures there are some things off-limits.
Yes, but it’s hard to set a precedent because it’s on a case-by-case basis. Kos (Andrew Kosow, senior writer) and I work on all the cards and usually at least one of us can tell if something just feels off. Like if it’s racist/sexist/insensitive/cruel in a way that feels forced or untrue or just too easy of a joke. I run every close call by Duncan. And I’m often surprised at what he thinks isn’t crossing any lines. He’ll even suggest making it meaner and more over-the-top. Duncan is a terrible, terrible person. We’re actually always surprised at how little negative/angry/outraged feedback we get. And even the angry stuff is almost always phrased like, “I was deeply and personally offended by this card and I hope you’ll take it down. I’m still going to continue using your site, but I wanted you to know how I felt.”
And that’s the thing — even the people who hate them keep coming back for more. Surely a lesson in tolerance. “We loved that people immediately started writing into the site as if we were a close friend who understood everything they were thinking. But instead of saying, “Hey, funny site!” they would write “I’m going to f&*#ing kill myself if you ever stop doing this in the next 50 years.” Once we knew that fans of someecards were passionate and dangerously psychotic, we knew we were onto something special.
Special indeed. After all, what’s more beautiful than a provocatively subversive sublimely clever, if not at times, cringe-inducing laugh?
4. Ankur Jain
Seems we’ve gotten ourselves in a bit of a mess: The American dream isn’t exactly what it used to be, no thanks to the Boomers and the Slackers. So who’s going to clean it up? Gen Y? Maybe so. There was once speculation that the coddled trophy kids would amount to nothing more than a gaggle of spoiled self-centered immediate gratification tech-junkies. But au contraire! These kids are confident over-achieving team players — Millenials to the rescue. Or so says Wharton School of Business sophomore, Ankur Jain, co-founder and president Kairos Society.
“The purpose of Kairos is to bring together the brightest college students from different economic backgrounds from all over the country, who have passion for entrepreneurship. Since then it’s caught on incredibly fast. In one year we’ve become the entrepreneurship group at over 18 universities. At all these schools we have 50 to 100 hand-selected students that are doing incredible things.”
But Kairos doesn’t just want the business minds; they want to bring together the visionaries, the marketers, the engineers and the architects. They have kids who have done everything from alternative energy development, Emergent Energy Group, to creating a peer-to-peer lending platform, UniThrive. Levant Power, founded by MIT senior Shakeel Avadhany caught the attention of the U.S. military with a groundbreaking product called GenShock. The technology harvests the wasted energy of vehicle suspension to generate electric power, which can then be used for fuel-efficiency gains. They’re currently developing the product for the next generation Humvee and the heavy trucking industry. Does anyone just drink beer anymore?
What makes this new brand of entrepreneurship particularly compelling is its insistence on social and environmental responsibility. These would-be Masters of the Universe possess a deep appreciation for the connectedness of the global world they live.
“Even as the financial markets are crashing we can see, you have create value not only for yourself but for your community. I think people are starting to realize its up to us. If you look to the future, people realize it’s not just going to be handed to us. I think our generation knows it’s up to us to come together and find ways to change the world for the better. And the interesting thing, is that even after the financial crisis started hitting, you’re starting to see the money flow into socially responsible causes. This is one of the few times in history where the money is being focused on socially responsible causes even if it comes out of government subsidies or private investments,” said Jain.
And today’s brightest minds aren’t afraid to ask for help. In April they hosted the 2009 Kairos Summit at the Intrepid Museum in New York City to unite 500 students and some of the world’s top leaders including President Clinton and William H. Gates.
Jain has nothing but hope for the future and he believes that it is still possible to achieve anything in this country. “I think people today have gotten so scared of taking the risks, of being an entrepreneur. To be honest, being an entrepreneur is probably the least risky thing you can do in your life. It’s the only time where you have full control of your own destiny. I think once people realize that, and see that the opportunities are endless, that you can truly create value out of any problem you see, and take it into your own hands, I think you’re going to see a lot more innovations coming out. It’s coming down to taking that proactive responsibility; it’s not just about ideas, it’s about execution.” Apparently you can do well and do good all at the same time.
3. Shai Agassi
Shai Agassi wants to end your addiction to oil. In fact, he wants you to live completely free of the stuff. He dreams of a world with zero car emissions — not reduce them — get rid of them. Sounds extreme because it is. This guy’s not about moderation. He’s about making the world a Better Place through the electric car company he founded in 2007. But he’s not planning to accomplish that by just rolling out some snappy little electric car, he’s going to transform modern transportation as we know it by making it sustainable and independent.
Agassi was a serious player in the dotcom era, founding and selling, until his last job as president of software giant, SAP, where he was poised to take the company’s top post. After learning that plan would take longer than expected, he quit. He decided to get to work on the little problem he couldn’t get out of his head.
In 2005, Agassi joined Young Global Leaders, the invite-only organization for businesspeople and politicians under 40. During the seminar, members were challenged to think of ways they could make the world a better place. Shai looked at the environment and climate change. He returned home to his day job but couldn’t seem to get this energy stuff out of his head. He began researching and networking, finding out as much as possible.
Now, with partners all across the globe, Agassi is fearlessly leading us toward a 100 percent oil-free future. May as well get on board, eventually there won’t be any oil left whether you like it or not.
2. Doc Hendley
What’s a bartender in Boone, N.C., going to do about the world’s water crisis? Apparently a lot. During Christmas 2003, Doc Hendley was lying in bed having a hard time falling asleep. “My mind just got flooded with all these ideas and I picked up a pad and a pencil and the first thing I wrote down was wine to water. It just all dumped on me one night. It was crazy. I wrote out everything on one pad about doing an event.” By the end of January Doc hosted several successful fundraisers for Wine to Water. One month later he was on a plane headed for Sudan.
“I lived in Darfur for a year and continued the water work there, actually in the field instead of just raising money. So it all happened quite quickly. Doors kind of flung open every time I would turn to do more water work. It just always felt like it was meant to be.” And it was, Doc had been planting the seeds for his the vision behind the many bars he’d tended over the years.
“I really took pride in my job, not necessarily because I made the best drink in town or because I was the fastest bartender, but because I really prided myself in my ability to create relationships with people on the other side of the bar,” he said. “That’s what I loved about bar tending. I began noticing that the regulars that came in all the time, that even though they were different people in different bars, they were all the same. I noticed throughout those years, that if they had an opportunity to be a part of something a little bit bigger than coming to the same bar and drinking the same drink and paying the same tab everyday, I felt like they would. I really saw potential in their desire to want to help other people. I just felt like they never really had the opportunity.”
So Hendley brought it to them and literally served it at the bar. Doc was right on point and began raising money at wine tasting events at local bars and restaurants. Eventually Doc took the money he’d raised to an organization called Samaritan’s Purse. The head of the well-drilling operation was impressed with Hendley’s passion. Instead of taking his money, he offered to teach the emerging philanthropist how to drill so he could use the money to do his own water work. Doc accepted the job and packed for Sudan.
Again, Doc’s lack of formal humanitarian experience worked to his advantage. He was able to see things from a fresh perspective. He didn’t like the fact that big organizations came along with million dollar grants and half-million dollar drills to meet a quota of 50 wells in six months to successfully complete their grant, only to get another.
“It’s like a business. That’s how they make their money. And that really upset me. Because what I noticed while I was living with these people in their villages, is that somebody would come in and drill — they can pop a hole in the ground and leave. And of course the people like having the water. But I thought, this was $10,000 to do that and on the other side of the village there was already a well that had been broken and I just went over there and fixed that well myself for like $50. I was shocked.” While he realized not every organization operates that way, he wanted Wine to Water to take a different tack.
Yet again, the solution lay in Doc’s ability to connect with people. “On top of that, they didn’t have much faith in the local people. I just tried to ask myself, if I were in their situation how would I want someone to help me? Would I want some big massive organization to come in with nice white Land Cruisers and flags, and drill a hole right in front of my house? Or, somebody to come in and teach me how to do this stuff on my own? Obviously I’d choose the latter.” Teach a man to fish.
And, it turns out the human approach also lends itself to big-picture sustainability and fiscal responsibility. Hendley matter-of-factly acknowledges that wells are going to break. “The pipes are made of metal parts, they’re gonna corrode and rust, so just plan on it. So everyone in your community get together and put a few pennies per year … If you have your whole community doing it, so when this well breaks — because it will — you’ll be able to fix it. That really excited me. In my mind, I can do more with a few thousand dollars than millions. Just because I really submersed myself in their culture.”
As Wine to Water continues to grow, Doc remains dedicated to maintaining the essence of what’s made the organization such a success. They’ve scaled back this year’s efforts to concentrate on two projects in Northern Uganda and Cambodia. Much of the work focuses largely on training the local work force to drill and maintain its own wells and water containment systems. However, this could all change rather quickly. Doc was recently recognized as a CNN Hero.
“It sounds cliché — that you can make a difference, but its really is true. But the only way they’re going to figure that out is if they attempt it. I think the reason why people don’t find that out on their own is ’cause they get a little scared to even get started. I think they look at the big picture first. If I were to look at the water crisis when I first started, 1.1 billion that don’t have access to clean water — that’s hundreds and hundreds and millions of people — that’s a number that I’m never going to be able to tackle. So I got excited about getting other people excited about it, about meeting other people. It helped to believe that other people would get involved if they had a chance.”
And much like Scott Harrison, founder of charity: water, Hendley has zero interest in being number one. He received an email from a prospective donor asking him what set Wine to Water apart from a similar organization. “I told her, to be honest with you, if you’re inspired by them and you’re inspired by us and you truly trust both of us with your money to do water work. To be honest, it’s a win-win situation. I don’t care if you give us your money or the other one because my goal is to fight the water crisis. And there are other people out there doing it. My goal isn’t to become this massive organization; my goal is to inspire people to fight the water crisis. And, if you’ve already been inspired to do so, then I feel like I’ve won already.”
And our #1 Most Beautiful Person … because she reminds us that beauty shines in many ways; we should always be ready to be surprised.
1. Susan Boyle
In the Year of the Underdog it would be just plain wrong not to highlight Susan Boyle in this story. In fact, Susan Boyle is this story. The 47-year-old, West Ender was nearly disqualified before she even opened her mouth on the stage of Britain’s Got Talent. The mere sight of her raised eyebrows. And then, the declaration of her dream — to be a professional singer as successful as Elaine Paige — inspired scoffs, snickers and eye-rolls. They prepared for the joke, but the joke was on them. Susan hit that first note and flooded the room with unexpected chills of delight, and hopefully a little shame.
Maybe “don’t judge a book by its cover” is a drag of an adage, but wow! No one had ever given this woman a chance because, well, she’s unattractive. As I watched the video the next day on YouTube, I noticed the hair rise on the back of my neck and the tears surface in my eyes, and I wanted to shout, “Ha! Simon, you jerk! See?” But then I realized only 10 seconds earlier I was as mean-spirited and cynical as Simon Cowell. I simply had the luxury of not being watched by millions.
Obviously, the lesson here is clear. However, I can’t help but marvel at how conditioned I’ve become, how readily I discount, and how quickly I forget.