I'm excited to share that Global Playground, a new nonprofit I helped to start in 2006, is featured in its first article by the W&M News this week. As four of the five of us on the board are graduates from William and Mary (Russ went to Duke, but we'll let that slide), they wanted to feature our efforts to start a nonprofit.

It also helps that our first project also has ties back to the College community. George Srour (Class of 2005) started Building Tomorrow and made some big headlines in the past year: from delivering Christmas presents to kids in Kampala and opening their first school, to meetings with Bono and (now honorary chair) Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Many thanks to W&M News Editor David Williard for helping us out with an outstanding article. It's not the first time I've had the opportunity to speak with David: he ran a profile on my new job at the American Museum of Natural History back in 2002. (I'm attempting to unearth the article, as it's no longer online.) Nevertheless, I think this new article will be a huge boost for Global Playgound. We want to take the next step to encourage alumni to make a difference on a world stage! An brief excerpt:

"Booker recalled the 2003 commencement ceremony at which Queen Noor of Jordan expressed her confidence that the graduates recognized 'the link between education, service and human welfare.' She cited as evidence the fact that 75 percent of the Class of 2003 was active in community service and that the College sends proportionally more volunteers to the Peace Corps than any other university.

Booker found the numbers staggering. 'I think William and Mary instilled in me the desire to be a part of that,' he said. Even today he regrets that he did not take advantage of opportunities to study abroad as an undergraduate. “In a way, I feel Global Playground is kind of my semester abroad,” he said."

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