Cool Ideas by Cool People: The Grady Grossman School

"Adoption feels like a genetic connection because it links you directly, not only to your own gene pool, but to the genes of all humanity, all the way to the roots from which we all originated...

Adoption carries the added dimension of connection not only to your own tribe but beyond, widening the scope of what constitutes love, ties, and family.
It is a large embrace."
-- Isabella Rossellini, adoptive parent

So begins Kari Grady Grossman's book, Bones That Float: A Story of Adopting Cambodia. It had me at hello.

Kari's story starts with infertility experienced by her and her husband, George. Kari and George eventually adopt their son, Grady, from Cambodia and their daughter, Shanti, from India.

Kari expertly weaves together her personal narrative with well-researched lessons in history, geography and politics. Adopting and loving a new son develops into adopting and loving a village, a people, a nearly broken country.

I don't want to fawn too much, so trust me. Read it. Click on over and order a copy. Or read excerpts. I'll wait.

The fact that it's a great read is just the start. What you really get out of purchasing this book is empowerment for people on the other side of the world who so desperately need it. Kari and George self-published this book so that a large portion of the proceeds -- 25% of the cover price -- goes to self-sustaining projects at the Grady Grossman School for young children in Chrauk Tiek, Cambodia.

In short, you get a good book AND you get to teach a village to fish.

With the adoption of their son, Cambodia's history -- the ancient and proud as well as the recent and devastating -- becomes part of the Grossmans' DNA. Have you ever read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? Well, adopting their son leads to building a school. Building a school leads to brainstorming ways to keep it running. Keeping it running means teaching their Cambodian friends to fish rather than giving them fish.

Educating the children of Chauk Tiek was the first ambition. But the ensuing goals are even more crucial.

• Support teachers: Bricks and mortar were the easy part; harder is the ongoing need for teacher salaries and supplies (it's common practice to pay for student supplies out of teacher salaries). Teachers are barely above subsistence living, meaning a day in the classroom is a day not finding food for the family.
  
• Increase attendance: it is hoped that nearly 500 children served by the school complete their primary education. Again, a day in school must be more necessary than a day planting or gathering food.
• Ensure sustainability: besides the effects of genocide and the lingering horrors of land mines, Cambodia's latest struggle is an environmental one. Ancient forests are being destroyed for subsistence living. The Grady Grossman School is looking at alternative fuel sources (biomass briquettes) that villagers can produce and sell, thereby saving the forests and providing a sustainable income.

Very cool. For nearly eight years, Kari and George have dedicated their creativity and their energy to this village in their adopted country. You can follow the challenges and defeats of their most current trip (from which they just returned) on their blog, Be The Change Network.

More coolness:

• Need a reason to organize a Bones that Float book discussion? Once 100 book discussions have taken place (and Kari is eager to participate), the 100 hosts will have a chance to win a free trip to Cambodia. Current count is 26.
  
• Watch Kari and George's 11 minute documentary that further illustrates their efforts.
  
• If you're moved by Kari's work, you can get code for her book for your own sidebar.
• More ideas on how you can Be The Change for Cambodia.
  

I'm inspired. How about you?

With such a spirit of creativity and dedication, Kari and George and the Grady Grossman School are awarded my first Cool Ideas by Cool People Award.

Image from bigfoto.com

Please consider who in your sphere inspires you, and pass this award along. Let's recognize and share the Cool!