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| Vol.3.51 | |
One Woman, Two Books, Three Cheersby Vince PoscenteAuthor of The Ant and the Elephant, Invinceable Principles and The Age of Speed The beauty of a book is it can immerse you in another world. I've never quite gotten over scratch and sniff or pop-up books but that's nothing a little therapy couldn't fix. In many cases, books will occupy your thought long after you read them. They can nudge feelings into action. It's easy to think of problems beyond our borders as over there. In a heartbeat it becomes impossible to think of problems as "over there" if they become "here and now." Many books can do that. Two of them deserve three cheers. Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood and Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Relin. Each book is about men who take their adventurous ways and explore the far reaches of the Himalayas. By default, both experience a desperate need for schools in impoverished and remote mountain locales. Each promise to make a difference to one small village and good old physics takes over. Things in motion tend to stay in motion. For my part, this started when a friend, Crystal Flaman, sent me Leaving Microsoft to Change the World with "Read this" on a sticky note. I did and was moved. By chance I read Three Cups of Tea soon after. In both cases I was transported to a world where one person makes a difference in the lives of others. And isn't that what we all want to do? Don't you have a part of yourself, eager to leave the campsite better than you found it? On the flip side, it's daunting to see what Wood and Mortenson accomplished. This is where an extraordinary middle-woman can speed things up. Crystal Flaman! Crystal donates 20% of every dollar she makes as a corporate speaker to build schools and provide scholarships for Room to Read. Her clients suddenly become partners in making a difference "over there." It takes approximately $20,000 to build a school in far away places. Educate youth and we directly impact our future. Develop young citizens who will create and build and the campsite starts to sparkle. Or, we ignore them. This can lead to angry victims who might take a darker path.
To be a partner with Crystal and Room to Read, click www.inspiredtogivenow.com. Crystal Flaman is an amazing woman, alongside life changing books that deserve our support. Together lets speed past "over there" and help "here and now." Until next week it’s full speed ahead,
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© 2010 Vince Poscente. All Rights Reserved. |
Crystal will compete in the arduous Ironman competition in Hawaii on October 11, 2008. Meanwhile her fundraising climbs to a new level. She's the first, non-disabled woman in a charity slot invited by the Ford Ironman World Championship. She was selected because of her goal to raise $500,000 for Room to Read. Not only is she going to push the limits of her physical abilities, she will leverage her strength to bolster the lives of children she has never met.