Common book author encourages students to be solution to poverty
Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 8:38AM By David Thackham
thackhamd@thejohnsonian.com
The freshman class of 2014 was assigned summer reading: “Making the Impossible Possible,” penned by Vince Rause on the experiences and life story of CEO and social activist Bill Strickland.
Fans of Strickland’s life and book got even more from the author on Oct. 7 during his visit to Winthrop University.
The Pittsburgh native spoke in front of the freshman class at 7:45 p.m. in Byrnes Auditorium to a nearly packed audience. A large roar of approval met Strickland as he made his way to the podium. Using his trademark PowerPoint presentation, he proceeded to tell what he describes as his “life story.”
Quoting his book several times, he recounted important moments of his career, including a meeting with the heir of the Heinz Ketchup fortune, his introduction to pottery and a fortuitous encounter with an Episcopal priest.
The author told students they were very lucky to be in an environment that cares about them.
“Regardless of background, what your parents make and what you’ve done before, you have been given the gift of life,” he said.
In his presentation, he introduced and explained many views of his Manchester Bidwell Training Center, a jobs training field for underprivileged people. He explained that the motivation for building his center was to “change the perception of the inner city” by allowing individuals from poorer backgrounds to train and work in a “beautiful place, because environment drives behavior.”
Examples of the Manchester Bidwell culinary program, pharmaceutical division, literacy division, library and arts program appeared before the students in the auditorium.
Students found themselves transfixed by both the images and the speech. Freshman music education major Ben Surber said he was struck by the thought that “anything less than amazing just simply isn’t good enough.”
Strickland has spread his message of social activism beyond the city limits of Pittsburgh, adding training centers in Cincinatti, Grand Rapids, San Francisco as well as four different locations abroad, including Jamaica and South Africa.
In the end, he implored his audience to “be part of the solution in solving poverty.”
“I am betting my life that you all are the answer,” Strickland said.
