Touching Lives
This week I was able to meet some of the smartest and most talented young change makers in the world. I am so lucky to have found a community that is engaged in changing the world through building businesses for social change. This is so much in my wheelhouse and I am so excited to be a mentor and guide to a select few while finding ways to accelerate the entire industry. During my time in Mexico this week I met three young women that truly moved me.
The first one that I met was Katie O (Orenstein) from the OpEd Project in NYC (www.theopedproject.org). I landed in Mexico City at 5 AM after a red-eye from LA last Sunday and ran into Boris from Educate! (www.experienceeducate.org), a company that teaches entrepreneurship to kids in Uganda, and he was walking with Katie. We started talking and it never stopped for the entire week. She was engaging and smart and is changing the world through her leadership programs based on workshops to create thought leaders. Katie’s organization focuses on increasing thought leadership from women and I am excited about the opportunity to attend one of her workshops in San Diego in December. I am sure Katie and I will stay connected for many years to come.
The second young woman that I met was Carrie Rich. Carrie is the founder of The Greater Good Fund (www.thegreatergoodfund.org) and is wicked smart and at 27 has a chance to impact so many young people with her project. Here story is amazing, as she received an anonymous donation for $1 million when she was looking to raise $6,000 from friends and family to support 6 charities around the globe. Then her boss matched to money providing her with $2 million to get her project started. This money has put Carrie on a path to create an organization that will provide coaching and mentoring to social entrepreneurs and non-profit leaders around the globe. Talk about an amazing project that is so close to my heart, this is one I will surely look to do everything I can to help achieve her dreams.
The last young lady that I met touched my heart last year. Her name is Katie Meyler and she has been working in Liberia for a while looking to help child prostitutes get an education and become future leaders of their country. Katie is a force of nature with a passion and a drive that I do not often see. She has a gift that can change the world. My background in entrepreneurship and technology has made me focus my efforts in this sector on project that could use those skills, but human trafficing? That wasn’t in the plan, but Katie has changed all of that. Katie Meyler and her organization called More than Me (www.morethanme.org) can change the world one person at a time.
Ilise and I hope that make all three of these amazing individuals an extended part of our family. They are incredibly special and I am honored to know each of them.
I could write about so many more amazing people, and I will, but for now I look forward to helping these amazing people fulfill their purpose and change the world in any way I can!
“til next time …..
This entry was posted in Social Change.
Larry Kesslin 