“Some countries are blessed with beautiful scenery and history. But not with other important resources. Poverty is the norm, and children are impacted the most. In these countries, education is often a dream. But not something to expect, or even to hope for.”
In 1998, these observations led John to find a way to help.
John believed that the key to ending the cycle of poverty, and to giving control over their lives to the world’s most disadvantaged, was education.
John was a man of insight, whose career to that point had been one that provided a unique perspective on how to address a challenge of such significant scale.
Instead of teaching individual children to read and write, John decided to partner with communities, helping them to teach many.
Instead of perpetuating cultural biases, he decided to promote young girls’ education, providing them with long-term scholarships.
And instead of choosing to change a life, John Wood decided to change the world.
Today, some eight years after he founded Room to Read, John’s organization has built more than 140 schools; established more than 2,230 new libraries; donated more than 1.2 million local language and English children’s books; and impacted the lives of more than 755,000 children.
And this month, Room to Read is featured as a repeat winner of Fast Company Magazine’s Social Capitalist Awards.
What are you making room for?
In our work with some of Canada’s leading brands, we are continually reminded of three simple truths:
1. As leaders of your organizations, it is your responsibility to find the unique talents in each of your people, and to find the room to let them flourish.
2. The culture of an organization must be nurtured carefully if there is to be room for excellence.
3. The most magnificent lives are lived by those who make room to listen to their hearts.
As the business community accelerates again to its typically frantic pace, we propose pausing to take note of this year’s Social Capitalist Award winners—25 organizations that are changing the world for the better.
Do you or your organization make room to help organizations like these? If so, we can make room for you to see Coldplay in Vancouver’s GM Place.
Send us evidence of a contribution made since January 1, 2006 to any charitable society (Social Capitalist Award winner or not) and we’ll enter you into a random draw for a pair of tickets to see Coldplay, January 26 (a $180 CDN value).
Octopus Strategies will get things started: We’re pleased to announce our $20,000 in-kind donation to the BC Epilepsy Society for their current fiscal year, and we’ll be writing cheques for $100 each to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, which feeds more than 9,000 of our less fortunate neighbours each year, and Family Services of the North Shore.
Every $100 you donate by January 19 earns an entry—just let us know before the draw takes place January 20.
Learn more about Room to Read and the 24 other winners by clicking on the links to the right.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Aristotle.
Make 2006 the year excellence becomes habitual for you.
Octopus Strategies Vancouver | London