#FineFellasFriday: Mr. Optimism & Jeff Byrd Part 2

#FINEFELLASFRIDAY: Hampton Roads Man Gives the Gift of Education

It is a desolate, poor community. Kids are running around with torn clothes, empty stomachs, and broken hearts. A soft song plays in the background, and a narrator prompts you to give as little as 19 cents a day to help a starving child in a third world country. It tugs at your heart. Maybe you feel charitable and give in. For a lot of people the charity would end there. Not for motivational speaker and business coach, Jeff Byrd. His generous spirit lead him to start a school from a small struggling orphanage in Pakistan.

While perusing Facebook one day, Jeff got a message from an old friend about a small orphanage in Pakistan needing funds. Byrd’s friend Nagash had started the orphanage and daycare for the children in Toba Tek Singh Pakistan. The orphans and all children in this area are prime targets for slave labor brick kiln owners. Bricks are made by hand from mud and mold, then fired in brick kilns. The owners use children for cheap labor where they are often subjected to violence, sexual harassment, and abuse. Hearing these stories made Jeff want to help, but he did way more than just cut a check.

Jeff raffled off a photoshoot online to raise money, and others donated, to build a classroom for the orphans in Pakistan. The raffle raised enough money to build a room onto an existing home to host a school called the Byrd Young Leaders School. The school provides a basic education and teach English, an invaluable resource that

provides children a chance to work in the global market later on. Kids are also are able to play sports and participate in creative arts like music and theater. At the end of the year the kids are to sent to a government certified school were they are able to take exams and get diplomas. As a believer in the value God places on each of us, it was also important to Jeff that the children were taught faith and compassion.

“We also teach character development through examples from the Bible, placing a high emphasis on valuing other people and living a life that makes a positive difference for others," Jeff said.

The mission of educating these children is not without its dangers. There is a lot of opposition in the community. Brick

kiln owners are opposed to the school because children in this area are used for extremely inexpensive labor. Even getting to the school can be challenging. One child was killed in a hit and run accident while crossing the street to get to the school, after somehow managing to get by the crossing guard. There was no investigation and no one came forward. Some wonder if the hit and run was done to intimidate school leaders and students.

Out of pressure from the brick kiln owners, the homeowner hosting the school stopped the classes. For two years Jeff with the help of others raised enough money to buy a small property and structure to convert into a school. The school is operational, but is in constant needing of funding.

“We also need supplies, teacher’s salaries, utilities, and more space to accommodate the education of more children,” said Jeff. He also wants to provide the children clothing, food and become a government certified school.

How a motivational speaker from Virginia was able to reach the hearts and minds of children thousands of miles away is a feat in itself. Jeff has never actually visited the school (although he and his wife, Angie, plan to do so as soon as financially feasible), but has pictures and stories to fill many scrap books. Making this school become a reality has taught Jeff more about the power of unity.

“I could never have done this alone. As Mother Teresa said ‘You can do what I cannot do and I can do what you cannot do, but together we can do great things.’”

His job as a motivational speaker allows him to inspire people to be their best selves. Perhaps Jeff’s greatest gift is caring about kids he’s never seen in a place he’s never been. The change that has been made is not lost on him.  It’s only strengthening his desire to give even more.

“There is nothing to compare to the amazing realization that I can make a difference in lives on the other side of the world. Likely there is nothing they can do to ever repay any of us who contribute, but that is the richest reward of all. Whenever I get discouraged I think on the lives that have been changed because I am here. It gives me motivation to keep going and to keep adding value to as many lives possible. Talk about the meaning to life.”

To learn more about Jeff’s school and ways you can help go to byrdyoungleadersschool.com or their Facebook page . The school is always seeking donations to reach more children.

A man who cares more about others than himself…. that’s one #finefella

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How I know Jeff: I met Jeff Byrd at a networking event last year. I don’t remember what drew us to each other or what we even talked about, but I will never forget his smile. It is radiant, pure, and genuine. It’s the kind of smile that makes you feel at home in his presence. After months of getting to know him and his business I can see it’s this same energy that makes him so magnetic as a public speaker. (Byrd learns from the John Maxwell program, based on the prolific and super famous speaker and author John Maxwell.) He coaches and motivates businesses to reach their potential. Which is not as easy as one might think. Being a motivational speaker takes heart, and grit. There has to be something about you and your energy that makes a person want to be better. Change is hard for any man so a man who inspire others to live differently has a powerful gift. Jeff has that. But if you ask him what his proudest professional accomplishment is it will most likely lead you to a small school in Pakistan.