"Before, I never thought that I would even talk to some of the students that I talked to at Challenge Day. I was just going to go through the rest of my school year concentrating on school and not bothering to talk to anyone or make new friends. It opened my eyes to the world and made me realize that I'm not alone." -Justine, Student

 "Challenge Day helped me in so many ways. It taught me not to judge others by the way they look and that everyone goes through most of the same problems as me. I now have a different outlook on life and have more respect for my classmates." -Emily, Student

"Challenge Day lowered my waterline, boosted my confidence, and opened my view of the people around me." -Jaci, Student

"[Challenge Day] brought the students' understanding of each other to a different level and gave us all ways to relate to one another. It contributed greatly to the culture at our school and started the year off on a great page. Since ours is a small school, the impact was tremendous. I think what we learned on Challenge Day will actively show itself throughout the year." -Natalie, Student

by Holly Torroija, Founder, Central Florida Circle of Change and the It's All Good News Club

Imagine you have only five minutes to explain the love and connection that can blossom at a Challenge Day. Central Florida Circle of Change Founder Holly Torroija stepped up to the challenge, and shared her beautiful and heartfelt essay response with us.

After having experienced Challenge Day firsthand, I now believe that the there are two main reasons that this program works like no other:

1) Challenge Day Leaders are experts at pumping more love, acceptance, and emotional truth into a room in a few short hours than many of its participants have felt in a lifetime.

2) Once they've pumped up that room, Leaders ask their participants to get real, and play what might be the most important game they will ever play in their life: Cross the Line.

Cross the Line is the simplest of games. The impact, however, is so powerful it rocks the very foundation of its participants. The Leaders call out a list of circumstances and if they apply to you, you simply cross and turn around and look at the people on the other side. Students and community members stand side by side as they watch their peers, friends, and possibly even enemies cross that line over and over again, some for heartbreaking reasons. The sheer sight of the numbers that cross, and all the tears that follow, melts even the hardest of hearts.

For those who didn't cross, it's a wake up call that you really never know what's going on in the life of someone else unless you care enough to ask. For those that had to cross, it's often a surprising revelation that you're not alone. All you have to do is look to either side to know that you have friends right in their own school or community who share your experience.

As an adult in the room, it's amazing to see how quickly kids abandon their old ways of being and replace them with wishes that their whole school could feel the camaraderie and love that they experience on this day; how they want bullying and segregation to stop; and how inspired and determined they are to get out there and create it for themselves -- to Be the Change.

Will the change last? I truly believe it will, because Challenge Day is not some day filled with lectures on why we should or shouldn't do things. It's a powerful opportunity for each of its participants to see with their own eyes the power and impact of their own choices. Whether the seed that is planted blossoms immediately or years from now, these are the types of lessons that take root in a person forever.

Poetry Corner
A Perfect Start
by Nola Boyd, Challenge Day Leader

I touched a hurting heart today,
A heart that was bruised and sore.
His mom was busy with the newest flame,
As his Dad walked out the door.

The soft brown eyes that were filled with tears
Looked straight into my core.
His loneliness, and embarrassed shame
Made my heart ache for him all the more.

At first he was so "above it all,"
Tried to "laugh it off," and yet,
'Neath the jersey and shoulder pads
He somehow couldn't get
Why he felt this way,
Why it hurt so much,
Yearning to hear their voice
And needing to feel their touch

He wasn't given any choice
What went on under his own roof.
His family often spoke of love
But he never saw much proof.

With a microphone in his trembling hand,
He soon found his voice and declared,
"I do have a choice. I can change how it is.
I can be happy if I really dared."

He spoke of the future,
What kind of Dad he will be,
What kind of husband she'll have
What visions he'll see.

He spoke with such hope
In a soft, gentle tone.
How nice, yet sad, to know
He was never truly alone.

I just listened to this young one,
Eyes to eyes, heart to heart.
Plan on bringing peace to this world?
Listening is a perfect way to start.

Meet Mike Robbins, a Challenge Day Board member who is "being the change" in the world.

As a former pro baseball player for the Kansas City Royals, Mike's sports career was flying high until he suffered an injury that ended his playing days abruptly.  Through the healing power of appreciation and his own personal journey of self discovery, Mike was able to move beyond the injury to find happiness and build stronger relationships.

Today, Mike is a dynamic motivational speaker, author, and coach who travels around the country, touching the lives of thousands by reminding people to focus more of their attention on what is working, what they appreciate about those around them, and what they are proud of about themselves.

Here are five of Mike's tips for living a life filled with appreciation, excerpted from his new book, Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation.

1)   Be Grateful - Focus on the many blessings in your life and all that you have to be thankful for.

2)   Choose Positive Thoughts and Feelings - Make a conscious decision to transform your negative thoughts and feelings into ones that empower you.

3)     Use Positive Words - Pay attention to the words you use with others, about things, and in speaking about yourself. Speak with the most positive words possible. Our words have the power to create, not just describe.

4)     Acknowledge Others - Focus on what you appreciate about the people around you and let them know. Be genuine and let others know the positive impact they have on you and your life.

5)      Appreciate Yourself - Celebrate who you are, what you do, and the many gifts and talents you have. Self-appreciation is not arrogance; it's an awareness of your own power and the key to self-confidence, success, and fulfillment.

Inspired by Challenge Day's appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, supporter Kathleen Fagan is using her talents as an online wordsmith to benefit Challenge Day.

If you're looking for thoughts and perspectives to lift your spirits, Kathleen's online blog, Serendipity, is all about happiness! With the philosophy that an important part of happiness is helping others, Kathleen is donating the revenue from the affiliate merchant links on her blog to support Challenge Day. So, each time you shop online through the links at the bottom of each Serendipity page, Challenge Day receives a donation.

"Given my background in education, and having seen Challenge Day on Oprah, it made sense to me that this was the way I'd give back," Kathleen says. "Challenge Day offers students who risk falling by the wayside a better perspective on their lives--and that in turn helps them go on to succeed in their education and in their communities."

Thanks, Kathleen, for your dedicated, creative support of Challenge Day!