Erika Schneider
Wagner, South Dakota
Full-time mother and volunteer, 31

Her dream:
Schneider lives on the Yankton Sioux Indian reservation, where artistic opportunities for children are "slim to none," she says. "The Native American community has a rich cultural life, but the expression of this beauty is thwarted by poverty and a sense of hopelessness." Determined to make a change, she founded a community theater. But with no budget, the group planned to use stage lights made of coffee cans and a karaoke machine as a sound system.