During the past year...

A carpenter in Ames, Iowa, who never had an opportunity to attend college, died in 2005 and left his $3 million life savings to pay college tuition for 33 students. This year, the last of these students finished her degree -- debt free.

A forklift operator from Phoenix, Arizona, was laid off from his job. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he handed out his resume to passing motorists as a busy intersection He received many employment offers, and is now back on his feet working at a concrete grinding company.

A 17-year-old high school student in Jackson, Mississippi, raised from then $600,000 to build Parker Miracle Field, the state's first baseball field fully accessible for children with disabilities. He was inspired to create the facility by his mom, who uses a wheelchair.

A math teacher in Aurora, Colorado, learned that one of his former students had lost his place on a kidney transplant waiting list because the 13-year-old was homeless. So the teacher became his foster parent, which gave the teen a stable home and qualified him to receive a transplant.

A customer in a Branford, Conn. restaurant noticed that his waitress was having trouble hearing him. He later learned why. Her hearing aid was broken. He responded by leaving a $500 tip so she could afford the needed repair.