Human Service

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Individual acts of service can spawn global results, says UN's Ban Ki-moon

When Ban Ki-moon was 18, he traveled from rural Korea to the U.S. as part of a delegation, numbering 112 teenagers from 42 countries, organized by the American Red Cross. "As soon as I stepped off the plane, I was overwhelmed by the warmth of the people ... But what moved me most was the spirit of helping others I witnessed from small-town America to the capital," writes the United Nations chief, who said an audience with President John F. Kennedy prompted him to devote his life to public service. The "I Was Here" campaign dedicated to World Humanitarian Day is a reminder, he writes, that "[e]ngaging in the world is the best path to a better future." - USA TODAY 8/22.