Brady, 17, USA
Basic need(s):
Education
Project:
My Own Book
Brady knows how important reading is. "When children are exposed to books they are more educated and thus, less likely to resort to violence." It is with this sentiment that he and his brother founded "My Own Book", an organization dedicated to providing books for underprivileged Americans from kindergarten through third grade. Since its inception “My Own Book” is directly responsible for distributing almost 28,000 books, each with its own nameplate because as Brady says, "It is magical when the kids put their names in their very own books. The looks on their faces are beyond inspirational." This number far surpasses the original goal of 750. The foundation does not only aid the children; its benefits are two-fold: arranging his teenaged peers into groups and giving them opportunities to speak about the local public library as well as read books to the children and instilling the values of teamwork, public speaking and leadership. A simple and sobering fact: On average, children who live in low income housing have no more than two books in their possession; while kids who come from a stable financial background own somewhere in the vicinity of 200 books. Brady has changed this reality for thousands and has no intention of stopping until this data is obsolete. He invites you to read up on his cause and donate a book at www.myownbook.net.
