In the late afternoon, fifteen-year-old Saanya Hasan Ali can often be found in the comfortable family room of her home. But she isn’t doing homework and she isn’t in front of a computer screen. She is cutting, drawing, measuring, gluing and folding. “I just love arts and crafts,” says Saanya. whose talent for designing and making greeting cards is matched by her dedication (奉献) to helping children and families in need. During the past six years, she has raised an astonishing $26,000 through the sale of her cards.

Saanya’s unexpected success began, when her family moved from Houston to Washington, DC. “My mother received an e-mail from friends who bad just founded the Pennies for Education and Health (PEH) organization. They were raising money for children in Gujarat, India to be able to go to school.” explains Saanya, who was nine at the time. Her mother, Salma, offered to donate $75 in Saanya’s name, a sum that would pay for one child’s schooling for a year. But Saanya decided she wanted to raise the money herself. “I was in the third grade then and I couldn’t even wrap my mind around the fact that kids couldn’t go to school over there” she says. Saanya and her mum unpacked one of the moving boxes filled with Saanya’s crafts supplies, and she made cards to sell at a family wedding that summer. To her surprise, she earned $600 — enough to send eight children to school for the year. “I kept on making cards and the following summer I was able to help support the kids for another year,” explains Saanya, who by then had established her own non-profit organization called Children Helping Children. One of her goals now, she says, is to support the schooling of these first eight children until they graduate from college.

“I would love to continue making cards,” says Saanya. “Now that I am in high school, I would also like to start giving talks in inner-city schools to try to inspire other kids to do their own projects. No matter who you are, there is always an opportunity to make a difference.”

As far as I could tell, there was only one problem with this year’s Super Bowl. The Green Bay Packers weren't green. They were blue. And even though I had never before seen a professional football game live and in living color, I had read enough from my subscription to Sports Illustrated to know that the dark jerseys (运动衫) worn by the Green Bay Packers were green, not blue.

“Maybe it's something special they're doing for the Super Bowl,” my dad suggested.

“The colors aren't right, Dad,” I said. “I’m sure of it.”

Eventually Dad agreed. “I'll get a repairman tomorrow,” he said. It was a minor annoyance, but it somehow cast a pall over our enjoyment of the pre-game festivities. This was highly anticipated Super Bowl, and we were watching it on our super new color TV. It was supposed to be super.

Just a few minutes before kickoff, my big brother Bud arrived with Craig, a college friend. Craig looked at the TV for a moment. “I think your tint (色调) is off a little,” he said. He reached behind the set and began feeling around for buttons. Suddenly our color TV was black and white. He reached behind the TV again. He must have found the right button, because a moment later color was restored — and perfected. The Green Bay Packers were in their traditional green and gold uniforms. The field was green, the sky was blue and it was a Super Sunday, indeed.

It amazed me then — and often has since — what a major difference a minor adjustment can make. A well-placed nail or a tweak (拧) of a button from someone who knows what they’re doing can change everything. The same principle holds true in interpersonal matters. While there are some hurts that cannot be easily repaired, it's amazing how often a simple smile, a kind word, or a gentle touch can change our way of thinking, improve our mood, and make everything seem, you know, super.

For new students at Binghamton University, the first few weeks can be an exciting time. Their focus is largely on finding a sense of community. For Antoinette “Toni” Stefanakos, now a senior majoring in (主修) marketing, her sense of belonging (归属感) started with a flyer from Off Campus College Transport (OCCT).

“One day I was leaving the classroom and there was a flyer advertising (征聘) for student drivers,” Stefanakos said. “I had no idea that the buses on campus were run by students. So I called my dad, and said, ‘I’m going to be a bus driver.’”

OCCT is Binghamton University’s student-run bus service. The blue buses are a hallmark of the campus, and they are all driven in the lane (车道) by students.

“I interviewed, and it went really well,” Stefanakos said.

Stefanakos’s interest in public transportation continued to grow after she saw a job flyer for Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS). “I knew that TAPS was advertising for a marketing student,” she said. “And I thought that was great for me as a marketing major and someone who works with buses.”

Stefanakos began working with TAPS. Because of this job, Stefanakos found a new path. Now, she deals with public relations and trains new drivers for OCCT. “I can share my knowledge and experience as someone who is a driver,” she said.

The people make the job all the more worthwhile for Stefanakos. “One day, a passenger came up to me and told me I was her driver every Tuesday morning. And she told me that every time she was on my bus, she knew it was going to be a good day. I didn’t even realize that a simple ‘good morning’ could make someone’s day like that,” she said.

Stefanakos will surely miss the blue buses when she graduates, but she’ll always have unforgettable memories (回忆) to look back on.