Don Yaeger, Wealth - Written by Don Yaeger on Wednesday, June 6, 2012 10:54 - 14 Comments
Changing the World, One Pencil at a Time
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One of the greatest parts of my work as a speaker is getting to watch other presenters at events share their amazing stories. A couple of weeks ago, at a celebration of one company’s top performers, I met Pencils of Promise founder Adam Braun and it was a jaw-dropper. I couldn’t wait to join in the standing ovation.
I can’t do it justice, but here is a synopsis of his story: A basketball player at Brown University, Adam saw a movie that included a scene from India that inspired him to go abroad for a semester of learning. He signed up for a “semester at sea” program that met with near-Titanic results when the ship was hit by a 60-foot wave in the North Pacific. He described the moment “not as one of near-death, but certain death.”
Rescued from the ship along with his classmates, Adam continued on with a different sense of purpose and while studying in India he met a young boy. There he asked a question he would ask many children on his journey: What do you want most in the world? The boy’s answer: a pencil.
Most would have simply handed over a pencil. Adam Braun decided to build a school. (He gave the boy his pencil, too.)
He discovered that 67 million children in the world have no access to ANY school. Adam decided to change that and on his 25th birthday hosted a party asking guests to show up with $20 instead of a gift. Four hundred friends showed and he had $8,000 toward the building of a school. Working for Bain & Co, Adam took a sabbatical and traveled to Indonesia, where he identified the village for his project. As the school was built, he shared pictures and video with his burgeoning network. More contributions flooded in and, fast-forward a bit, Adam left his job to found Pencils of Promise. The organization was built on several powerful principles, including transparency and a vision that it is “For Purpose” rather than just “Non-Profit.”
To date, Pencils has built more than 50 schools in developing nations and Adam has an aggressive goal to build another 50 this year.
Adam wrapped his speech with two quotes that I’ll hold onto forever.
The first: “Big dreams start with small unreasonable acts.” Adam describes himself as an impossible-ist, a person who believes in the impossible.
The second was: “Make small decisions with your mind, but make big ones with your heart.”
Children all over the world are grateful for Adam’s heart.
Have you seen a speaker or learned of an organization that tugged on a heartstring? Join the discussion now.
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14 Responses to “Changing the World, One Pencil at a Time”
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great!!! i love him
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This story really reminds me of Craig Kielburger, who did a very similar thing, although Craig was only 12 when he started his charity!
They are both remarkable stories though and really show what people can do if they put their minds to it.
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Adam such a wonderful and great person..
Thank you for sharing this inspiring story
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I'm pleased to become a reader of such awesome article. I like changing and changing the world to a new vision is my target as well. So glad to meet with Adam and I'll keep coming here to learn more about this topic. Thanks.
change quotes
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Great article, and prefect story.. thanx..
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Incredible and inspiring story.
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Hi Don!__This was an incredible story and one that also touched my heart! "For Purpose" rather than "Non Profit". I loved this article, thank you for sharing Adam's story.
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Adam is an inspiration, and he was a firsthand source of information as we laid the foundation for CauseTee. Now we are thrilled to be holding a fundraising campaign for Pencils of Promise until June 25th – go check it out!
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Inspiration in every day acts!
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This is an awesome and inspiring story. One person can make a big difference in the lives of others and Adam Braun has truly done that. Thanks for sharing his story.
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What a great article, this is exactly the kind of thing we like to share with our community. Let us know if you’re interested in guest blogging for Elexu (a network to empower people!)…info@elexu.com
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Fantastic story – a living example of "from little things, big things grow". Congratulations to Adam, a fine example to everyone.
Sheryl Burns
James' Home Services Master Franchise
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One of the main lessons of this story to me is the power of symbolism. The pencil seems like a small thing. But what it represents is enormous, one of the biggest problems in the world. Never underestimate the power of symbols.
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Beautiful story. Adam is awesome!
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