Evening with Greg Mortenson

Many of you may be familiar with Greg Mortenson. Maybe you've read his books or seen him on the "Pass It On" billboard. I read Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote peace... One School at a Time over a year ago and loved it! Again a few months ago, when I read Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afganistan and Pakistan, I raved about Greg Mortenson and all the good he was doing.For those of you who haven't read his books, Greg was a mountain climber who was climbing K2. He lost his way on the way down and stumbled into a tiny village called Korphe, Pakistan. He was very sick and they nursed him back to health. He wanted to find a way to repay them for their kindness. When he asked what he could do, they said what they most wanted was a school. The village children gathered to study five days a week, but they could only pay the teacher to come three days a week. It was very cold there at so high an altitude, but the children would study in the dirt or snow. Greg promised to do what he could to build a school. He returned to the United States and tried to raise funds. He sent letters to celebrities, but without much luck. He was asked to come to an elementary school to tell about his experiences. When he did, the kids wanted to help. Even though they were young and didn't have much money, together they donated more than he had collected from all of the rich celebrities. Anyway, finally he found a generous donor and was able to fulfull his promise to build a school in Korphe.

By the end of 2009, he had built over 131 schools that taught over 58,000 students in Pakistan and Afganistan. His organization, the Central Asia Institute, works differently than many charities. Instead of just giving away money, they help people help themselves. They go to the village elders and discuss the needs of the community. If the village wants a school, they will need to provide the land, the labor and make sure that the students, especially the girls, will attend. Because of that, there is a sense of ownership in each school. The villagers helped build it so they don't just feel like a charity project. There are a few things I LOVE about what Greg Mortenson is doing. On the front cover of his first book is a quote from Tom Brokaw, "Proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world." Greg Mortenson really is one of those Mother Teresa-kind of people. I love that ONE PERSON REALLY CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. I also love that those school children showed that WE CAN ACCOMPLISH SO MUCH GOOD WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER EVEN IF WE EACH CONTRIBUTE ONLY A LITTLE. The third thing I love about his work is that he HELPS PEOPLE HELP THEMSELVES. He allows them the satisfaction that comes from sacrificing and working hard for something worthwhile. You can't get that if things are just given to you.On Friday night Brad's parents came up to watch the kids and we headed out to his MBA gala to listen to Greg Mortenson speak. In spite of my ranting and raving about Greg Mortenson and his books, Brad hadn't felt like it was worth his time to read the books for himself. That is, until he heard him speak. Now he is anxious to read our newly signed copy of Three Cups of Tea. Yes, after the presentation I waited in line to have our book signed. Luckily I was near the front and waited only about 30 minutes. The line was super-long behind me. I bet he was there past midnight signing. Despite the long line, he was very personable and talked to me while he signed. He asked if we had children and when I said three, he gave us Listen to the Wind as well as the juvenile version of his book signed to Parker, Jason and Liesel.

While I was waiting in line, one of the Weber State journalists interviewed Brad about Greg Mortenson and also about his MBA experience. He was quoted in Monday's edition of The Signpost, Weber's Student Newspaper. Brad said, "I've been really inspired. I think maybe my choices as far as electives in the MBA program might change a bit about what he said about making a difference. It feels good to make a difference. if you can't do anything to make a difference in this world, with your skills or whatever you're doing, then it really seems like there's not much purpose to just living to die without having done something for someone else." Here's a copy of the article with Brad's quotes highlighted:

Anyway, if you haven't yet read his books, I highly recommend them. They're inspirational and fascinating reading. Now I've just got to figure out how best to make a difference in the lives of others.