civic
Much of Greg's life has been dedicated to Civic & Philanthropic efforts. After graduating college, he became an educator. Two months later, he founded The Brunch Bunch Mentoring Program. He coordinated & attended the weekly outings for 243 consecutive weeks. More than 700 students & adult volunteers joined him along the way. At 25, he launched The 11-10-02 Foundation. Named after his 30th birthday & his belief young people can make a difference, the organization has funded hundreds of educational grants & scholarships around the country. Since the organization's inception in 1998, Greg has waived his salary in full, every year. SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE
Driven by his close bond with his Grandma and his childhood dog, Greg has also devoted a great deal of time to helping older adults and helping dogs. His other civic efforts have revolved around issues like autism, literacy & cancer. Greg's interest in volunteerism & philanthropy traces back to his time as a student. In grade school, he participated in a reading program for kids that raised funds to support those impacted by Multiple Sclerosis - sparking a lifelong interest in Reading, Volunteerism & Philanthropy. As a teen, he was named Student Chairman of Community Service at his college & completed an internship on Capitol Hill. For his efforts to give back at a young age, he has received honors like the Jefferson Award for Public Service. On separate days, he and the Foundation have both been named America's Daily Point of Light. His efforts have been featured by media like NonProfit Times, Volunteer Leadership & Good Morning America.. SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE
On the professional side, Greg has served as Scholar-in-Residence for different programs (i.e. a civic engagement program in South Africa). He has spoken at civic-related events for educators, volunteers, philanthropic leaders & business executives (i.e. Conference on NonProfit Excellence, National Service-Learning Conference, event for United Way supporters in Canada, Mayors' annual Youth First Breakfast in Minnesota). In some instances, he has been one of multiple speakers at an event or in a series (i.e. at a day long event, Greg & Nobel Peace Prize honoree Elie Wiesel were the two guest speakers; a middle school had Greg & Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams appear in alternating weeks; at a nonpartisan event recognizing people for service & volunteerism at a hospital, Michelle Obama and Greg were guest speakers - and organizers also ordered copies of Greg's books for 200 attendees). SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE
He has spoken or participated in other ways at civic-themed events for students of different ages (i.e. an elementary school in Maryland had him do readings of The Milkshake Man - the picture book edition of The First Thirty - as part of their kindness initiative, a middle school in Washington had him speak at their annual Service Day, a high school in Georgia had him take part in their character development lecture series, a university in Canada had him keynote their event where people are honored for making a difference). In some cases, students have participated in civic-related art or essay projects in conjunction with his visit. SCROLL DOWN
Greg's books (& related posters) have been used extensively by schools (elementary, middle, high, college & graduate) focused on kindness & civic engagement. The books also have been used repeatedly with students who are part of youth engagement, youth giving or teen philanthropy programs (ie Youth Against MS, Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads and Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro‘s Teen Grantmaking Council). The books also have been used by many civic & philanthropic organizations (i.e. KU Endowment, Boston Cares, Texas Children’s Hospital, Arbor Hospice, Sand Springs Community Services Inc) &/or individual chapters of national organizations (ie AmeriCorps, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, YMCA) -- getting copies for their Board Members, staff members, volunteers, donors and/or for local students. In some cases, individual civic leaders have utilized the books in meaningful ways -- personally ordering copies for their own staff and/or local students To order copies, click here