Put on the eyes of your imagination and think of how the world will be like if the privileged and financially endowed few in the society would swing to action, providing services that promote the welfare of others, especially through generous donations of money to good causes? I bet the world would definitely become a better place. Some individuals who have acknowledged this truth have swung to philanthropic action, with activities that not only impact on lives positively but also inspire the next generation. In this “Me First” era where most of the money bag citizens just clamor to use their wealth as a tool for more wealth, only a few individuals still consider philanthropy as a necessary tool towards the development of a nation. Therefore, it is of uttermost importance to celebrate the few selfless icons who have distinguished themselves as figures of indispensable ladder to greatness. One of…

Everyone has a story but the stories that are never forgotten are those ones that have an impact on people and societies. In recent times, philanthropy has proven to be a sure way of making an impact because it goes beyond helping people and as far as advancing a society and building a nation. Very few persons have come to understand this and they are running with this vision. While others still see it as giving to the poor, these ones are looking forward to a future where the world will be rated very low in terms of poverty. These great personalities are represented in diverse ethnic groups, tribes, nations, and regions, and the inspiring tales written about them can make anyone want to go the extra mile. One of such kinds is the story of Jillian Haslam, a British entrepreneur, author, motivational speaker, and philanthropist, who was born and…

Flossie Wong-Staal is a woman who has made tremendous strides in the fight against AIDS. She is a Chinese-American virologist and molecular biologist. She was the first scientist to clone HIV and determine the function of its genes, a major step in proving that HIV is the cause of AIDS. From 1990 to 2002, she held the Florence Riford Chair in AIDS Research at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She was co-founder and, after retiring from UCSD, Chief Scientific Officer of Immusol, which was renamed iTherX Pharmaceuticals in 2007 when it transitioned to a drug development company focused on hepatitis C, and where she remains Chief Scientific Officer. Her early life Flossie Wong-Staal was born originally as Wong Yee Ching on August 27th, 1947 in Guangzhou, China. Wong-Staal was among many Chinese citizens to flee to Hong Kong after the Communist revolution in the late 1940s. During her…