The Lannons receive Hero Goody Awards for Free The Children Support

To help every voice be heard, Lisa, Josh and Haley and Jake Lannon assisted in funding a school and bringing clean water in the Barind Community of India through Free The Children. To recognize this powerful way to give back, the Goody Awards presented Lisa and Haley Lannon (11-yr-old) with Hero Goody necklaces that honor global citizens making a difference at Free The Children’s We Day Minnesota.

When we got the Free The Children update on the Barind community that the Lannons supported, it brought tears of joy to our eyes about how their school is reducing the cycle of poverty. Watch this Barind video and try not to cry! 

Free The Children’s We Day honors youth making a difference through community service in Canada, US and UK. You can’t buy a ticket to We Day; you earn it through one global and one local community service activity. You can watch our video interview with Haley Lannon here: We Day MN Recap.

After We Day Minnesota, Haley Lannon was so inspired that she led a food drive through her school. Haley asked her Principal if she could start a food drive for a local food bank that tailors to families (Vista del Camino). She then supplied all the boxes for each classroom, designed posters and worked with the student government to get the food drive going. They also had a contest that the homeroom for each grade who donated the most food received a root beer float party. With the support of her school and peers, Haley collected almost 600 cans of food!  Lisa, Haley and Jake took the food to the Vista del Camino food bank. Afterwards, Lisa Lannon reflected, “It’s amazing to watch what one person, one child can create!”

In March 2014, Lisa and Haley invited Josh and Jake to join them at the first We Day California in Oakland, California. During this event, we heard inspirational and entertainment industry speakers (Selena Gomez, Seth Rogen, Orlando Bloom, Magic Johnson, Laila Ali, and Martin Luther King III and more) encourage youth to make a difference at any age.

Free The Children is a charity that works domestically and internationally to empower and enable youth to be agents of change. The Lannons and the Goody Awards believe strongly in the Free the Children mission to empower children from around the world to “Be the Change”. And here is why it’s so important to build schools:

• 57 Million Children around the world are NOT in school
• Approximately 215 Million Children are engaged in Child Labour

And in India, there is an even greater need for education

• The overall literacy rate is 80%.
• 29% of the population lives below the poverty line.
• 21% of children under the age of 5 are malnourished.
• 12% of Indian children are labourers.

Free The Children has now launched their “Year of Education” with the goal to build 200 schools and additional schoolrooms. Outfitting students with the necessary books, resources and supplies is now the priority in Barind, along with engaging families in conversations about the importance of education for their children in breaking the cycle of poverty.

The Lannons are also donating a portion of their book proceeds from “The Social Capitalist” to Free The Children, the charity partner of Me to We. Lisa and Josh Lannon are Social Entrepreneurs, Authors and Founders of Journey Healing Centers. Josh and Lisa have been together since 1995. This Rich Dad Advisors book tells the story of how the Lannons built a social enterprise focused on giving back to the community by taking a social problem and providing solutions.

Based on the Lannons influence, the Goody Awards have also adopted Free The Children. Along with promoting this cause, the Goody Awards donates 50% of profits for Hero Goody necklaces to Free The Children. Since 1995, Free The Children has built 650 schools/classrooms, and we believe strongly in the power of global education.

Thank you Josh, Lisa, Haley and Jake Lannon for making a BIG difference in so many lives. You are our heroes! And yes, it’s amazing to watch what one person, and one FAMILY can create!

© Goody Awards 2014