Celebrating Hope will feature three amazing women; Daryn Kagan, the "Good News Guru" and our emcee for the evening; Nonjabulo Zuma, the resident of Nzinga who  agreed to host Miranda and Tom on their first trip to the village and has become the on-site manager for our programs there; Miranda Lynch, the now-15-year-old co-founder of Isipho and the driving force behind it all.

Daryn Kagan is creator and host of the award-winning DarynKagan.com, a media company that provides inspirational and motivational stories across numerous platforms.  Described by the Times Picayune as a "Web of Hope,” the site has become a daily destination for thousands of people from more than 120 countries who seek hopeful news stories that inspire.

Daryn’s stories fit the theme, “Show the World What’s Possible,” and FOX Business recently hailed Daryn for “putting her mark on something unique in news coverage,” while The Boston Globe described DarynKagan.com as "bucking the media tide with its emphasis on stories that illustrate the triumph of the human spirit." Martha Stewart’s Body + Soul magazine recognized Daryn as “the Good News Guru,” and in this capacity, she served as an Oprah Radio host, providing daily news updates and inspiring stories on Oprah Radio on Sirius XM Radio, which included stories from DarynKagan.com.

Daryn’s brand of inspiring news has been extended to outlets beyond radio and online, including television and print.  PBS aired Daryn’s first television documentary, Breaking the Curse, which received the 2008 Gracie Award for Outstanding Documentary; her next TV film, Solar Town USA, about a Wisconsin town that made a commitment to solar power in the 1970s, will air later this year.  In 2008, Meredith Books published Daryn’s first book, What's Possible! 50 True Stories of People Who Dared to Dream They Could Make a Difference and Guidepost Books will release her next book in 2011.

Before launching DarynKagan.com, Daryn served as a CNN news anchor, covering both news and sports for 12 years. Described by the Los Angeles Times as a "CNN mainstay," Daryn most recently served as the network’s mid-morning news anchor. She traveled the world to report on news stories and events, including live from the Middle East during the war in Iraq; across Africa with rock band U2’s lead singer Bono to report on AIDS and famine; and live from numerous red carpet events at the Academy Awards. Daryn was on the air live during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and was the first to report to tens of millions of viewers around the world that the attacks were an act of terrorism. Additionally, Daryn served as the host of People in the News, a weekly biography series by CNN and People magazine that highlighted key personalities in such sectors as politics, sports, and entertainment. Before joining the CNN news team, Daryn served as a CNN sports anchor and covered such major events as the Super Bowl, the NBA playoffs, and international figure skating from Russia.

Daryn is a Los Angeles native, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication and American studies from Stanford University.

Nonjabulo Zuma is a life-long resident of the small, remote village of Nzinga, South Africa. It was Nonjabulo who decided it would be a great idea to host a father and daughter from America who wanted to live and work in her village for a week (Tom and Miranda). Since then she has worked tirelessly in her village to make Isipho’s vegetable gardens and educational support programs a success.  

You will hear firsthand what life is like in Nzinga, what it was like to welcome strangers into her home, the work she does every day on behalf of Isipho, and of the struggles, triumphs, and hopes of the people in Nzinga. You will hear, in very personal terms, just what your support of Isipho means to her village.

Miranda Lynch was 13 years old when she spent part of her South African vacation volunteering in Nzinga. The experience opened her eyes to how different the lives of very similar people can be, just because of where they happen to be born. She wanted to do something to make every child's opportunities more equal, and so started Isipho to try to make that happen in one village.