More Than 85 Broads

Giving means getting beyond yourself, beyond your own focus and priorities, beyond your own challenges and perceived barriers. Giving can take on many forms philanthropy, healing, co mentoring, parenting, and even entrepreneurship as we'll see in the stories of the exceptional 'givers' profiled in this chapter.

Sara M. Green

Sara is a former professional dancer and the founder of Art for Refugees in Transition (ART). ART is a not-for-profit organization that develops programs enabling long-term refugee populations to preserve their traditional art forms and transmit them to younger generations. Revitalizing indigenous arts provides a catalyst for rebuilding displaced communities and helping to heal the wounds of war, famine, flight, and other trauma. Sara founded ART after graduating in 2001 with a degree in finance and economics from Columbia Business School.

When I doubted myself, I remembered the words of a Columbia professor who insisted, 'How could you have a dream and not make that dream come true?'

Judith Aidoo

Judith was born in the United States and moved to Ghana, West Africa, when she was 12. She gained interest and confidence in the world of business through the independent, entrepreneurial women in her family. With degrees in Business Administration and French from Rutgers and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School, Judith started her career at Goldman Sachs and is currently an independent investor, specializing in media and entertainment in the United States and Africa.

You never know who you will meet next, or how that person will affect your life. From some you receive and to others you give.

Kendall Webb

Kendall graduated from Harvard College in 1986 and began her career at Goldman Sachs. From there, she worked for the World Bank as a way to merge her financial background with her desire to make a positive social impact on the world. Kendall went on to work in small African villages and then to an orphanage in Poland for three years. Upon her return to the United States, Kendall worked on the founding team of a company called More.com, a health and wellness Internet drugstore. Kendall has since started her own nonprofit organization, JustGive.org, which connects contributors with their chosen charities by leveraging the efficiencies of an online Web site.

"I am convinced that I am finally at the place where I am meant to be. Simply put: Each and every skill and passion that I have acquired in the course of my education and career is now being engaged."