It all started 10 years ago. My dad set off to climb Mount Rainier, a 14,411-foot volcano an hour's drive from Seattle. He did not make it to the top. My dad tried again in 1999, with the same result. He made his final try in 2006, this time with me, his 16-year-old son. So here I was at 5 a.m., with five hours of climbing behind me. Having started our climb at midnight to avoid melting snow, I st

When Andrew Kidd was 5, he fell from a piece of playground equipment and tore his lip and chin on a protruding bolt. His injuries were so bad that when he was taken to the hospital emergency room, the staff assumed he had been in a car accident. After 87 stitches and 15 plastic surgeries, Andrew, now 11, has recovered. But the incident was so severe that he and his mother, Judi Kidd, have joined t

When Camp Awareness was founded in 1998, autism was not nearly as well-known as it is today. "When my son was diagnosed, 1 in 10,000 (births) were the numbers," according to Sue Hansen, camp founder and director. Earlier that year, Hansen spent a frustrating few days at Cub Scout camp with son Sean, then 9, whose behavior was a source of bewilderment to the other boys and parents. "I spent my whol

Clark Elliott, 10, explains his perception of autism and the benefits he's received from Camp Awareness: "It's kind of like a disease, but you're born with it and it's not like something that can go away. It's not really bad. I mean, in some cases it's bad. In some cases it can even make you smart. I mean, I'm in Horizons -- that's a special program at my school if you're a really smart kid, and I

Children of different ages, shapes, colors and sizes huddle together in a warm cabin to pose for a picture on a cold winter's day. These children, although perfect strangers the week before, resemble a large family. Among this sea of smiles is former tennis pro Andrea Jaeger, whose Silver Lining Foundation is responsible for these smiles. A nonprofit organization, the Silver Lining Foundation help