Most of us are involved in for-profit corporations, however there has been a quick shift over the past few years in the not-for-profit world with more individuals wanting to do social good along with providing a viable business entity. Many of you would have heard of the bigger names in this space such as TOMS Shoes where founder Blake Mycoskie decided after travelling through Argentina that kids there should have shoes to protect their feet. He then started a company that now gives away one pair of new shoes for every pair they sell. The first year in business they delivered 10,000 shoes to Argentina and now had to expand the number of countries they extend to. One for One is their slogan and they have now extended it to eye wear. Check out this YouTube video and see if this makes you want to buy their shoes (sorry for those on company servers who are not able to view).
When one views successes such as this it always seems like it is somebody else who does it, somebody more skilled, more removed and perhaps lucky. We forget that we are surrounded by individuals who have followed this same path even if has not produced a company that will sell 300,000 shoes next year. I have been involved with YMCA's in various capacities in several of the cities I have lived in and this organization is a great example of social enterprise. I was very involved with the Brockville YMCA as a member of their board of directors and was always impressed with this organization's ability to mix financial prudence while filling an important social gap in the community. This is social enterprise on your local level.
I have also been fortunate to live and work in many different cities in Ontario. Along with this geographic movement has given me the good fortune to meet some great people. When I think of social purpose with an expanding reach, I think of two families in particular. The first is Christian and Christine Fortin in North Bay who started the Patrick 4 Life organization a group dedicated to educating youth about HIV and AIDS. They do this through a combination of fund raising, building awareness and education. As with all great social enterprises, Patrick 4 Life was formed for personal reasons. I could explain it here, however Patrick's Story is best told on their website.
More recently I have had the pleasure of getting to know Gayle, Jessica and Michael Grass and their company Iris The Dragon Inc., a company dedicated to educating people on mental health issues through the creation of children's books. I should also let you know that I am a director of the company and therefore do have a personal bias on the importance of their message. This is another great example of how social enterprise can positively impact change. Through Gayle's passion for research, writing and mental health issues, they have created a company that is helping to both remove the stigma of mental health and educate children and their parents on solutions. The book series has been tremendously successful with each new edition being both a wealth of knowledge and a joy to read, our family looks forward to each of Iris's next adventures. Iris is now moving into the classroom with a classroom Units of Study option available for teachers. Mental health is an important social issue that is largely vacant from the classroom and Iris hopes to change this.
Today I am asking you to use the power of social media to help these social enterprises. In particular Iris The Dragon is looking for teachers and schools who will use the classroom units to help educate their students about children's mental health. Please help spread the word through tweeting, sharing on Facebook, Linkedin or Google+. This is a way we can each use our social network to increase the visibility and reach of a few individuals who are doing a great deal of good for their community.
Happy Holidays.
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