Meeting with Mike and Julie

Met with Mike Weiss of Nordstrom Co last Thursday morning for breakfast to discuss the future direction of the school.... Mike's very excited to get on board and stay involved in this project long term. One thing that excites him is the VAST POTENTIAL to do good in the world... Called the potential "A beacon of hope amidst a sea of despair."

If you look at Africa as a continent, much of this is true. So many lives are being torn apart as we speak by war, aids, starvation, lack of sanitation... the list goes on and on.

The beacon of hope is the POTENTIAL. So often we let others solve problems for us. What is exciting about this school is that it will be providing Ethiopia with the next generation of PROBLEM SOLVERS equipped with the education to solve Ethiopia's problems, and put an end to the cycle of misery and poverty.

Mike pointed out several key points to consider over the next few months.

1. We need to create a strong branding that shows what we stand for. Our integrity model that will last with us from the first cornerstone that's laid down to the graduate of our school that goes off to a university 50 years from now. What kind of wages will we pay our construction workers and why? What kind of counseling will we offer our university-bound graduates

2. Strong alumni association! The idea is that the students will continue to contribute to the school long after they graduate to continue to have a positive impact on the country. As a national sales director for Nordstrom, Mike has travelled all over the country and around the world. He has 25+ years of leadership under his belt, and knows how to run a team effectively. He pointed out that this is, not simply a charity, but a COMPANY. And we must run it such.

Next steps:

1. Meet with Ellen Tussig. In case you don't know who she is, she is one of our more recent additions to our board of directors and the founder of the Northwest School, a successful private high school in the Pacific Northwest.

2. Outline with two other founders a list of tasks for the next few months and prioritize these tasks and assign roles to different volunteers.

Related: I will be travelling to Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) this summer to network with the local educational community, and familiarize myself with the site. My buddy Julie will be taking me (she's a local educator with many ties in the Ethiopian community). My stay will include introductions to several local educators as well as professors from Addis Ababa University, as well as a tour of a combined orphanage/school.

Clothing: The only clothing I will bring will be the clothing I will wear on the plane.

Toothbrush, toothpaste, etc- Can be bought in Addis Ababa.

Leaving me.... TWO LOVELY EMPTY SUITCASES AND A CARRY-ON for...

1. School supplies: Children in Addis need the following- Pencils, erasers, notebooks, books, rulers, clipboards (some schools in Ethiopia lack desks and the kids use each others' backs to write on). There is a project that a friend of a colleague of mine is working on called "Ethiopia Reads," one of the first public libraries in Ethiopia. Problem is, they're short on books (children's books especially!). If you have any spare children's books, please let me know; I know somebody who would desperately love them.

2. Medical supplies: I'm going to see what I can do to get some first aid kits down there. One of the most poignant stories that I've heard yet is from my friend Julie, who visited a government school down the hills where there was a young boy who fell from the third story of an open stairwell of his school. Miraculously, he wasn't killed, but he hurt his leg... very badly. He was screaming in the principal's office with his leg immersed in blood when my friend Julie came to visit. She was horrified, and demanded to know why the boy wasn't being treated. The principal burst into tears and said to her, "Treatment? Treatment? We don't even have a first aid kit!"

Six months later, Julie returns with a 40 dollar Costco first aid kit. The principal again burst into tears, saying again and again, "Thank you, thank you.... You are the third American that has come by and seen our need... You are the ONLY ONE that has come back to help us...."

I wonder what ever happened to that young boy. I wonder what would happen to hundreds of other young boys and girls if we don't help them now....

I am starting a "Send Laura to Ethiopia Summer 2008" fund very soon. Details to come.