On Thursday, Greg spoke and signed books at an event for senior citizens. Following the event, he joined the seniors for ice cream.

In the afternoon, he headed over to a public library to get some work done and prepare for the next day's speeches. 

That evening, he went to dinner with a friend - who happens to live in the area - and who serves with Greg on The 11-10-02 Foundation Board of Directors.

On Friday, Greg began a two-day stint as Artist-in-Residence at Waubonsie Valley High School. On the first day (Friday), he spoke at a series of assemblies and classes. The first was an assembly for freshman - highlighting some of the people he had drawn and the lessons we can learn from them.

He then spoke to a series of smaller groups for 45 minutes to an hour each. One group was the members of the school's SOAR program. They discussed diversity.

A couple of  friends came as my guests.  Great to have you two there!

Later in the day, he led a workshop for Academy Literacy students - in which he worked with them on a goal-setting project which involved their creativity and imagination.

In advance of the visit, WVHS ordered copies of The First Thirty and companion workbook A Place To Sit.  

Prescillia, student: "I really enjoyed the [event]. Now, every time when I think of a plan when I have to do a specific positive thing, I especially think about consistency and sustainability...I will always think of his definition of DIVERSITY and will incorporate it in my life because I have never and doubt I will ever deal with someone just like me."

That evening, Greg drove to another town to attend a Freedom Day Celebration.

The event was hosted by the (really funny, down-to-Earth) Consul General of the Republic of South Africa, Yusuf Omar, and his wife.

The evening included some guest speakers and a performance by the (incredible!) Mosaic Ensemble

At the event, Greg and his guest had a chance to meet some really interesting people from Africa - like Andy far right  (and ironically, some who turned out to be from my own neighborhood, too - like Andrea, second from right).

After the event, it was raining - so Greg offered a ride to two of the other guests. As they were driving, the trio decided to take a detour and go to a local club for a while.

The next morning, Greg returned to WVHS to take part in a cultural, arts, and literacy fair. The day-long event included, among other things, African-themed food, fashion, art and music.  

Greg's art collection, My Sleepless Nights, features portraits of historical, contemporary and cinematic figures who inspire us to think, to act, to give, to serve and to lead - including Nelson Mandela.

To inquire about having My Sleepless Nights on exhibit at your school, company or event, send an email here.

During his speech, Greg spoke to the audience about the benefits of getting to know the people who sometimes get overlooked - citing some of the interesting people he had met over the previous 24 hours (as well as the ones he met, which led to the invitation to appear at the Fair).

He also talked about the impact that a book fair -- and the people we read about in books -- can have on our lives. As a reflection of that, he showed the audience his copy of the children's biography of Harriet Tubman -- which was the first book he ever purchased with his own money (at a school book fair when he was a boy) and which he still has to this day.  (Still has the school stamp and fifteen cents sales price on the inside) :)

A number of students and adults helped with the art exhibit and book signing. (Thanks for the help. You all were great!)

During the book signing, some people ordered more than one.

That evening, Greg and two friends attended a concert at WVHS featuring an iconic musician and activist from Africa, Vusi Mahlasela. In the past, Vusi has performed with the likes of Dave Matthews and Paul Simon.

Concert was amazing.  Some of Vusi's songs are about very serious things he has seen or personally endured -- like racial injustice.  Other times, his songs are incredibly uplifting -- songs about hope and inspiration. If you ever have the chance, see him live.

Vusi and his band performed one song during the concert with the (incredible!) Mosaic Ensemble.

Following the concert, Greg and one of his friends headed to another town to attend a Freedom Day Celebration at the home of a new friend he met a night earlier at the other Freedom Day Celebration.

During this trip, two special copies of The First Thirty were given away as part of the ongoing "The First Thirty Elevator Project." On this trip, one recipient was a man who worked at a local FedEx Kinko's. Another was a really nice guy who worked at a restaurant.

To learn more about The First Thirty Elevator Project, go to www.TheFirstThirty.com. and click Elevator Project

As always, Greg's trip was filled with unexpected meetings and adventures...and a chance to 'connect the dots' (introducing people he meets to each other) Here are pictures of some of the people and places who crossed his path - and some of the 'dots connected' during the trip

Mary, parent: "I just read The First Thirty. My daughter had it and I asked her if I could read it. I was curious...It is so true that people have lost the enjoyment of the simple connections we make daily as we live our lives. People are too busy to smile at the Deli lady or thank the parking attendants...I also like the message about the milkshakes. People have lost the ability to enjoy simple cake and ice cream socials...The book's message is wonderful."   

(Along those lines, here's a picture of some of the really fun people I met while gettting a smoothie on Saturday morning.)

For more information on Greg, visit www.GregForbes.com

One of the fun parts about taking the time to learn people's names....you discover some ironic things.  Like a woman named Ms. McCain who is rooting for her namesake's opponents.

...and you find out that a student taking particular interest in your Nelson Mandela portrait...was named after him.

"..I truly enjoyed what Greg had to say...he sees things through a different lens which helps students and adults recognize there are always different paths and options...!" - Jim Schmid, Principal

To inquire about booking Greg for an event with your school, organization or company, email Events@GregForbes.com

It was a busy 48 hours!Thanks to everyone who showed me kindness and hospitality during the trip. 

After most of Greg's trips, there are usually some fun Ripple Effects in the days, weeks, months to follow.  This section does/will include a sample of the ones that come out of this trip:

Exactly two weeks after they met at the Consul General's event, Greg and Andy and Andrea decided to go out to dinner together...

....and bring 25 friends with them.

They went to a really fun restaurant in Chicago called Emilo's Tapas.

One of the people who attended the dinner was the doctor  involved in the elevator meeting that helped inspire Greg to create The First Thirty Elevator Project. 

As is always the case, each of the nearly 30 people at the dinner at Emilio's brought their own interesting connection or story to the table. One of the people, for instance, was leaving for China in a few days. It turned out a guy sitting two seats over had once lived there.

For Greg, bringing complete strangers of different ages, races, cultures and backgrounds together for a meal is a tradition now going back more than ten years. -- nearly 300 brunches and dinners in all.

One thing I learned over that time - it's probably going to be a fun one when you can only fit the half of the table in a picture :)

For more on the brunches and dinners, visit www.ShakingUpAmerica.com , click Enter Here

After attending the Vusi concert, Greg began drawing a portrait of him.  -- To see the portrait in progress, click Here.

Two days after the dinner at Emilio's Tapas, Greg went to a local tea shop to sit and work on the portrait some more.  As fate would have it, one of the people who works at Emilio's spotted him in the window and recognized him from the dinner - and came inside the tea shop to say hello.

It turned out she was on her way to the restaurant for another night of work -- but wanted to find a place to iron her work uniform first.  So....

...Greg packed up his drawing and walked around the neighborhood with her, visiting some of his friends, until they found one who could lend her an iron and ironing board :)

RIPPLE EFFECTS: TO BE CONTINUED

To inquire about booking Greg to speak at your school, organization, company, or event, email us here