welcome to the beautiful u.s. botanic garden in washington, d.c. where each year volunteers offer so much of their time to help with things like the lovely holiday displays. and that makes it a fitting place for our program "giving in focus". i'm tom foreman. and once again the fine photojournalists here at cnn have spread out across the country to capture stories of generosity not just during the holidays but throughout the year. and let's begin right here in

the nation's capitol with a tale from our own photojournalist oliver jan janney. about a young boy with a terrible illness, a wish upon the stars and the folks who made it come true. >> where we are right now is in gold vein, virginia. population about 200. i think we're going to double that population today. >> we are making magic! >> today is all about lane. >> lane's 11 years old. he has duchenne muscular dystrophy. >> my son made a wish with the make-a-wish foundation. they approved to build him a star wars fort. >> the attention to detail is incredible. >> and they are making that happened to. >> just flip it.

it will be fine. >> we will -- >> what do you think? >> i think it's pretty cool. i mean, there's a lot of people with storm trooper scout armor but i don't know too many kids that got an indoor bunker in their backyard. that's pretty cool. i'm a little jealous. he has no idea. it's super exciting that so many people came together to do something for someone they don't know. >> am i in heaven? am i dead? >> make way! >> i'm pretty sure this is going to be the only house on the block with star wars. [ cheers and applause ] >> so heart-warming. everybody is like an angel to us who has done. this and it's just so much goodwill. >> sometimes what people need in the way of help is not so extraordinary. they just need an opportunity. that's what d.c. central kitchen is all about. photojournalist jeremy moorhead has that story.

>> i shall return. >> this should be enough. >> born and raised in washington, d.c. early on in my life, robbing banks. that was a thrill. running from the feds. just rob whatever bank we could. finally they caught up with us. they gave me 20 years. but when i did get out, things were different. i just didn't feel as though i was a part of society. thanks to d.c. kitchen opportunities that they gave me, they actually changed my life. so began my transformation. >> the thing that's unique about d.c. central kitchen, it is a community kitchen. we make 5,000 meals every day. and they go out to breakfast meals on the street.

all the city shelters. >> all right. we're in business. >> and with that meal goes the message that back at home in our kitchen there's a 14-week program that will get men and women back on their feet with a culinary job-training program. and they leave with jobs. >> this is where i begin the day. i come in and i get my route sheet. >> healthy corners is an interesting program. i think since the last five years have been a big focus on healthier meals for us. >> i'm making a significant difference in the community by providing these items. >> there's been an interest in getting this healthy product into the corner stores that are in the food desert all around d.c. food desert is an area where they do not have access to good local product. >> instead of going into stores always getting chips and cookies and things of that nature, we're trying to provide them with alternative ways of eating.

>> bo's been a friend of mine for a long time. i remember him coming through as a student. he's been through every aspect of the kitchen. he worked in catering, production line. we thought he was the perfect candidate to take on healthy corners because he knows the community. >> when you're around somebody changing their life and you're seeing that change and making them a better person it makes you want to do the same in your life. >> when we return, gift that is reach far beyond the lives of the givers. kindness that flows like wine. and a dog's life. how it has filled the air with hope. when "giving in focus" continues.

many families with a loved one facing the end of life come to learn about hospice care, about people who specialize in helping them deal with the hard realities of dying and the emotional struggles along the way, especially of holiday time. it is difficult, delicate work. but many hospice volunteers say they can think of no better way of giving. as photojournalist barry slagle found when he traveled with a hospice worker in maryland.

>> it's me. hi. >> i do more inpatient care where you go into people's homes and usually give the caregiver a break. >> it's too early for your pills. >> with each patient it's different. you just have to find out what they're comfortable with. >> what do you want to do today? how about your nails? >> she's not alone in this journey that she's on. >> give me your hand. which one should we start on? >> people are there for her and care about her and want to make her life easier. >> good afternoon. montgomery hospice. can i help you? >> i'm looking for volunteers who don't look for fame, who don't look for being important, who don't look for wanting to be loved. we're looking for somebody who is truly wanting to give back

and understand that the person they meet will die. >> i need the oxygen. i need oxygen. >> okay. >> for many patients it's a last friend they make in their life. >> it's people like bonnie that will bend over backwards to do things for me. >> right now, look at death differently as being a part of the whole life process. and i don't think i understood that until i started doing hospice work. >> it's been a wonderful relationship. >> life is a journey, and death is the end of that journey. >> what we're doing is trying to as we say in hospice, gentle the journey. >> when the holidays are upon us, many people swear by the quality of wine to warm the body as well as the heart. but one winery in northern california has a unique claim on that front. it is helping fund heart

research, saving lives one glass at a time. and how that came to be is quite a story from photojournalist jeff king. >> the state is a special place because of the land first and foremost. this is right in the heart of napa valley just north of saint helene that. some of the very, very best primo, aaa quality cabernet land anywhere. the land here has been in grapes for 125 years. jean la duke was a pretty amazing businessman. build huge businesses in france, came to america, did the same thing. jean la duke's father and grandfather both died in their 50s from heart disease. jean la duke had a little problem with his own ticker and had what was at the time very cutting-edge heart bypass surgery at the mayo clinic. and so he wanted to give something back. so he created the foundation.

the la duke foundation funds international cardiovascular, neurovascular research. they fund it to the tune of $200 million over the last 11 years. >> when i was hired here at eller's estate my marching orders were to make great wine, take care of the property, take care of the brand, take care of the personnel and send the check back to the foundation. >> the money is substantial. and it really allows a significant amount of research to be performed. >> the ultimate goal is to treat newborns that are born with the most devastating type of congenital heart disease and improve their lives dramatically. the goal is ultimately that these children that 20 years ago had absolutely no prognosis go on and live long, fruitful lives. >> i didn't come here to be a do gooder. i came here because i knew i could make world-class wine from

this land. on top of all that, to be owned by this foundation and return all of our profits back to support international cardiovascular research is just astounding. if you look carefully and turn that e sideways you see there's a little heart in the e. it's first and foremost about the wine. but we love that little heart in there. >> in just a moment we'll be back with one high school student who is teaching his own lesson about changing lives. "giving in focus" continues. dinner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a mace, a sword, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. i wonder what it could be?! what's in your wallet?

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sometimes even in the holiday season things don't go quite as we plan. but before you get frustrated with that, think about this next story. the tale of a young man, a high school student, facing a severe disability with which many of us could not even cope. yet he is not only coping, he's also helping others in a very positive way to deal with their challenges. it's a story from photojournalist eddie gross. >> it's not my fault. i was born this way. >> when he was nine, he was diagnosed with epilepsy.

when he was ten he was diagnosed with intellectual disability called asperger's syndrome. and he had a connective tissue disorder called erloh ser serkz darlos. >> there's very few kids in my school that know my disability. as you may know, my disabilities are hidden. since i'm slightly autistic i find myself being slightly challenged when i'm having conversations with my peers. they'll just say, oh, he's just a normal weird guy. he doesn't have any disabilities. look at him. he's not in a wheelchair or anything. >> seizures are abnormal electrical surges in the brain. >> my nonprofit organization is called hip kids. hip stands for hidden inspiration project. it gives back to the kids in many ways. one of the main way it does it is a scholarship that me and mom have been funding from our nonprofit organization. we give to people that normally won't get scholarships.

they're people that don't have the highest of g.p.a.s. and yet they go through this with disabilities. i really wanted to go to engineering school and become a biomedical engineer that specializes in prosthetics. when i got something in the mail from the university of pittsburgh i'm like, what could they want? so i opened it up. and they're give meeg a full tuition scholarship. that shows me that there are some schools that really value what i do. >> the more we found out that he was different, the more he's been able to bridge a gap in so many people's lives and especially my life. >> it makes me feel like all that work and all that struggling and crying all alone at home finally equal success. >> there may be no gift that anyone can give to another more meaningful than the gift of life itself. that is the thought that drives millions of organ donors. and yet most of us never get to see the direct impact of such selfless giving. that's what makes the story in

california so moving from photojournalist john torigoe. >> he was a very happy boy. a simple soul. i cry when i speak about him. >> translator: herman died on february 14th in an accident while sledding in the snow. >> the snow was too hard, this ice. the doctor told me my son was brain-dead. if somebody came to ask me about organ and tissue donation. >> they saw the opportunity to leave a legacy of life where they could see herman's gift grow into other people. >> translator: herman donate four organs, his heart, his liver and both kidneys.

>> my liver was shrinking so i was pretty sick. >> in the case of meghan, it was wonderful they were actually able to meet her face-to-face. >> it's so good to see you all here this morning. >> today we are very happy to meet the liver recipient, meghan, and to know my son is still living in her. >> this is our ninth year in the rose parade. >> back in 2008, her man's portrait was on our float. >> i call this petals. >> this year arnold will be a float rider. >> i see especially in meghan that it's something that gives her a boost and a spark in life. >> it means the world to me. i'm thankful to have my donor family in my life >> translator: we met meghan seven years after her herman died. she brought a light into our life. she was living proof what organ donation actually brings. >> thank you.

>> say thank you for taking care of my son. >> don't go away, we have one last tale to tell. and it is full of tails. wagging tails. when "giving in focus" comes back. you never take an upgrade for granted. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i deserve this. [ male announcer ] you do, business pro. you do. go national. go like a pro. never took life too seriously. 'til our son was born... that day, he bought life insurance. now, there's no way i could send our boy to college without it. if there was one thing i could say to hank,

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our final story comes from,

well, the air up there where one man who lost his dog found countless others and a way to give that few would even imagine. it comes from photojournalist burke buckhorn and cassie spodak. >> my dog's name was conan. he was a german shepherd. we paid good money to have the cancer treated. he responded well to the chemo but his kidneys failed. that's ultimately why we had to put him to sleep. now i'm on pilot and paws which is a web site that people have dogs that have to be transported. these are rescuers. we pull them from high kill shelters. post on this web site that they have dogs to move from point a to point b. and pilots like me get e-mails saying another request has been

posted. and i scan through them to see if there's any rescue flights that are within my area that i can do. >> how's life treating you this fine day? >> we're doing good. save some more dogs. >> it's okay, beau. it's okay. >> they actually look like they know that they're about to be saved. this is different. there's people loving them. there's other dogs around them. and they almost know that going to be going to their forever home. >> all right, beau seems to want to be in the backseat. he just managed to the get to the front! >> transporting dogs is one of the most important steps in saving dogs. you have to move them from rural areas, typically, to more urban areas where there's a higher probability that we're going to get rescued. >> come on, girl.

>> here you go. >> beautiful. >> hi, sweetie! >> hi! >> what do you guys think of your new addition to your family? >> she's absolutely beautiful! we love her! >> when you look into the new owners' eyes, for the first time they're going to get to hold their dog. >> you want to hold him, honey? >> and they just hold their dog like they just had it forever and they were waiting forever for this dog. you know that dog's going to have a good life. >> thank you, sir. oh, have a merry christmas and a happy new year. and thank you. you actually made our christmas. >> so how can i not spend my time and money giving to these dogs? giving the owners of these new dogs the opportunity to have the love that i have for these dogs? and really that's what it's all about. >> our thanks to the u.s. botanic garden and to all of you for watching. on behalf of all the excellent photojournalists at cnn who give their gifts all year long, i'm

tom foreman. and we leave you with one final piece of the beauty of the season from effie nidam up in new york. ♪ or triumph? at genworth, we believe in taking small steps every day to keep your promises, protect what matters, and prepare for a secure financial future. no matter where you want to go, one step at a time is the only way to get there. go to genworth.com/promises.

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