Thursday, February 24, 2011

When I Was 10: Colby Dennison

* All it takes is a little bit of energy and love from a lot of amazing people to create a movement *

10 Weeks
10 Friends
10 Stories
$10
for
$10K
ONE Mission:
To build a school in Laos


Over the next ten weeks, ten amazing people will share meaningful stories about when they were 10-years-old, illustrating the important role that education has played in each of their lives. I hope that these stories encourage you to become part of this $10 for $10K campaign- and inspire you to start a campaign of your own for a cause that is really close to your heart.

As promised, the first story comes this week from my good friend, Colby Dennison. Colby is one of the most innovative people I know. When you meet him, you cannot help but feel his entrepreneurial spirit- which, as you'll see from his story, began to take form at a very young age. In fact, so many of us cultivate our personal strengths as kids, with the help of our family, friends and a great education.

By participating in $10 for $10K, know that you are supporting the cultivation of other children's strengths, which will positively impact their lives for years to come.

Enjoy this first of 10 inspiring stories!

Much Love,
Melissa

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


* When I was 10 *

By: Colby Dennison








When I was 10 years old, I was a budding 5th grade entrepreneur. For as long as I can remember, I have always been looking to start different businesses and searching for the next big idea. It is a passion that continues to inspire me today. The desire to work for myself and to find innovation was first instilled by my mom, and my education played a role in further developing my love for entrepreneurship.

One of the most memorable and valuable school assignments I’ve ever participated in was the Invention Convention.

My first Invention Convention was in 3rd grade, followed by another one in 5th grade. For my project, I built a washing machine divider made of plastic mesh to keep my laundry separated from my brother’s. Having a brother that was the same size led to lots of fights around clothing. He would constantly end up wearing my favorite clothes and his excuse was always, “It was in my laundry!” I wanted to make sure my parents could keep our apparel separate without needing to do multiple loads of laundry.

While I didn’t win any prizes for my creation, what I learned from the invention and development process was invaluable. The projects I worked on for the Invention Convention changed the way I thought about innovation and design, and even pushed me to start my own lawn mowing business at the age of twelve.

I have been blessed with amazing academic opportunities in my life, and parents that always fought for and supported my education. Unfortunately, many children around the world do not have this luxury and do not have a place to learn and develop their own curiosities. By becoming part of the $10 for $10K campaign, you are giving the gift of inspiration and direction to another student.

Please help support our mission to provide children in Laos with an education- with an opportunity to be inspired.

Become part of the $10 for $10K Campaign: Donate Here

Learn more about Pencils of Promise

Monday, February 14, 2011

$10 for $10K

10 Weeks
10 Friends
10 Stories
$10
for
$10K
ONE Mission



If you are receiving this email, it is because you've personally touched my life at some point, or touched the life of another person working on this campaign with me.

...What campaign?

Last year, I began raising $20,000 to build a school in Laos. Partnering with the non-profit organization Pencils of Promise, this has gradually become a reality. To date, more than $12,000 has been raised. This would not have been possible without the amazing family, friends and strangers who have supported this cause along the way.

The 10-week "$10 for $10K" campaign that officially launches with this email is an effort to raise (and exceed) the last portion of the $20,000 goal amount in order to fully support the building and initial sustainability of this school in Laos.

Over the next ten weeks, ten amazing people will share meaningful stories about when they were 10-years-old. The purpose of these stories is to illustrate the important role that education has played in each of their lives. These stories are inspiring, uplifting, funny, thought-provoking and heart-warming. I know that each of you will thoroughly enjoy reading them, and my hope is that they will move you as much as they have moved me.

The biggest lesson I have learned in my fundraising efforts thus far is that true and lasting change doesn't happen in a big burst, or by one person, or with one big check. Rather, change occurs when a single individual decides to act on a passion or belief. That one person turns into two people, which turns into four people, and so on.

If every single person receiving this email contributes even just $10 to the cause and gets one other person to do the same, this school will get built.

This shows that truly, all it takes is a little bit of energy and love from a lot of amazing people to create a movement. And I hope with all of my heart that you will become part of this one...

10 Weeks
10 Friends
10 Stories
$10
for
$10K
ONE Mission


...To build an amazing school in Laos.


Much Love & More to Come,

Melissa