Haiti Bound
Can you feel it? The light coming back after my favorite day of winter--the Solstice?
I can, I can already sense that the days are growing longer and the darkness is receding. Even more than the external darkness receding, I can feel my inner light flaring brighter. More energy, more creativity, more ideas flowing. More friends made.
I'm Writing a Book on Haiti
Tomorrow I leave for Haiti to begin researching a tri-lingual (Creole, French and English middle school book and its companion art activity book--the former, My Country: Haiti and the latter, Draw on Culture: Haiti.
These books will be part of the Culture series of Thimble Berry Press.
This trip parallels the earlier China trip I made, and the 2 books that resulted from that journey.
The "Dragon's Daughters Return" was a chronicle of that heartfelt journey of 21 adoptee families.
Our "Draw on Culture: (China)" book is enjoying early success. It is an activity book designed to introduce children to Chinese history, cultural ideas and images. It pairs ready-to-color artwork with explanatory text, a stroke guide for practice writing the simplified Chinese characters. Order here:
And here is a video about that China trip: Video
Serendipitous Events
Much of the future success of these two books for kids will come from the tremendous help I have already received from many people -- suggesting people to interview, places to visit, organizations to see. Folks networking with me via email and making contacts. It has been really wonderful. My vision for these books is that Thimble Berry Press will be able to raise enough money to give upwards of 25,000 copies of each book to school children across Haiti. And then afterward distribute them in the US, France and Canada.
In addition to all the help that has been already given, there are the happy unexpected Haiti connections --such as the chimney guy who came to clean mine out last week and ended up telling me about his friend whose dad is a close friend of former President Aristide. Another of those unexpected Haiti connections came from an press release about three books written by Frank McKinney http://www.frank-mckinney.com/--whose styles himself a real estate maverick. Frank is the author this year of The Tap, Burst This! Frank McKinney's Bubble Proof Real Estate Strategies and Dead Fred: Flying Lunchboxes and the Good Luck Circle.
Sustainability in Haiti
And in addition to being a great dad, and husband, a wild real estate visionary, a cool guy to chat with... Frank is doing something really wonderful in Haiti. He is building self-sustaining villages--with clean water, nice houses, facilities for kids with no parents, health facilities, economic development and more. The organization that manages these projects is http://frank-mckinney.com/and as Frank says on the site--we are not in the charity business, we are in the self-sustainability business. In Haiti alone over that last 10 years 11 villages have been built. I'm visiting one this coming week and will report back. How enlightened is this? When I talked with Frank a few weeks ago, I said, well yeah, how many cars can you drive (he drives a purple Hundai ) and how many houses can you live in, and how many clothes can you wear. Exactly he said--this man who has made millions and builds exotic houses for the wealthiest. That's why I needed to reengergize my spirit by dovetailing my professional highest calling with my spiritual highest calling. Well, I think he's done a great job of it.
And by the way, I have a copy each of Frank's new books to giveway. Get inspired by him.
