The eye of the storm: Hearts With Hands

While many international aid organizations focus long-term efforts and energies on a specific population or location, Hearts With Hands’ work is determined by the disaster du jour. From hurricanes to tsunamis, the group turns its attention wherever the latest large-scale crisis has erupted. Healing touch: Dr. Maureen McLaughlin-Grant examines a patient at the Hearts With […]

Succoring the “sick men” of Nicaragua: Vision Nicaragua

There’s a long-standing relationship between Christian evangelism and providing material aid. Vision Nicaragua does both, attending to the spiritual needs of several Nicaraguan communities while also supplying shelter, medical aid and financial support. Setting up shop: Asheville electrician Scott Bruns (center) teaches Nicaraguans Marlon and Melvin (seated) some basic electrical principles, with Carlos, a local […]

Askville

Brandee Ponder has a lot in common with many other young women. She likes to go clothes shopping, watch movies (mostly comedies and romances), help with church activities and attend country-music concerts. But in some ways she stands apart: Perhaps most notably, the 26-year-old Weaverville native is the reigning Miss Wheelchair North Carolina. Ponder, who […]