DIFFERENCE MAKERS GLOBAL COMMUNITY
A purpose-driven community that celebrates innovative and inspiring charity work and empowers people to make a difference through the Difference Makers Podcast, Adventures for Charity, and difference-making books
Difference Makers
Individuals who make a difference through innovative and inspiring charity work
DIFFERENCE MAKERS PODCAST
Profound and enlightening conversations with remarkable people who make a difference through innovative and inspiring charity work. Hear the incredible stories of real-life Difference Makers, learn about the worthy causes and charities they support, and discover how charity work changes lives for the better.
ADVENTURES FOR CHARITY
Difference Makers Global Community hosts exhilarating and challenging Adventures for Charity in some of the most spectacular locations in the world. Participants use the adventure to raise funds and awareness for a charity near and dear to their heart and have the experience of a lifetime while doing it.
DIFFERENCE MAKING BOOKS
Powerful nonfiction books that educate, entertain, and inspire readers to make a difference. Told with humor and warmth, Al DeCesaris’ books are uplifting accounts of his extraordinary journeys of love and hope in honor of his niece, which will have you cycling and running across America with him and leave you inspired.
VALUES AND PRINCIPLES
FOUNDER
Al DeCesaris is the founder of Difference Makers Global Community and an advocate for charity work. His passion for charity work developed over a decade ago when he and his sister started organizing events to raise awareness and funds for the research and treatment of Sturge-Weber syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that afflicts his niece Jenna.
Following the ground-breaking discovery of the cause of Sturge-Weber syndrome in 2013, Al created a series of challenging charity adventures in honor of his niece. The first was a solo coast-to-coast bike ride from Santa Monica, California, through 14 states and over 3,000 miles, to Ocean City, Maryland. The following year, without a support team and with no marathon experience, Al covered 22.5 miles per day for three consecutive months as he ran from Lubec, Maine down the entire East Coast to Key Largo, Florida –1,935 miles in all!
In 2017, Al returned to the road for an exciting adventure, which had him hiking the historic Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) across Spain. Each day of his 31-day, 555-mile journey was dedicated to a different person living with Sturge-Weber Syndrome.
Through his charity adventures, Al has created awareness about Sturge-Weber Syndrome in both the United States and Spain, raised critical funds for medical research, and brought hope to his niece Jenna and countless others living with this devastating disorder. Al also wrote about his experiences on the road and shared those inspirational accounts in his books entitled, Crossing America For A Cure and Running The Coast For A Cure. To further the efforts to find a cure for Sturge-Weber syndrome, Al donates all profits from the sale of his “For A Cure” books to medical research.
Al is also a public speaker who is always willing to share his story of advocacy and service with others. Referencing his inspirational adventures and work with Difference Makers Global Community, Al delivers an uplifting message of inspiration and hope, and demonstrates how we all have the power to make a difference through charity work.
