The next three

"When I saw kids who were like me, I couldn't walk away."

That comment is from the founder of Campus Clubs, the first ministry we profile in this issue. He grew up in poverty with a drug-abusing mom

Crucially, he saw. Now the kids he helps look at him and see someone who offers real change, not just spare change.

In chapter 3 of Acts, a beggar asks Peter and John for spare change. They could have walked by without truly seeing him as many of us habitually do, but Peter looked at him and said, "Look at us." The beggar "fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, 'I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!'"

It's relatively easy for legislators to appropriate money or individuals to write checks. The harder part is looking and acting. If instead of walking away we make eye contact with others and urge them to fix their attention on Christ, He can and will change lives.

We present in this issue our second set of three finalists for the Hope Award for Effective Compassion. These three, like the three we profiled in the last issue and the three more we plan to profile in the next, are candidates to receive a total of $20,000 in awards put up by the American Bible Society in three categories: reconciliation, restoration, and critical care. These finalists creatively aid the needy and help them to follow through. • I Am a Treasure | by Emily Belz in Los Angeles • Northern Youth Programs | by Jill Lacey near the Arctic Circle • Campus Clubs | by Jamie Dean in Macon, Ga. For more information on this year's Hope Award for Effective Compassion and to read profiles of other nominated organizations from this year and previous years, click here.