Local author raising money to fund children’s book series

Carson City author and entrepreneur, Jeff Glass, launched a crowdfunding campaign via Indiegogo this week to raise funds for publishing his new children’s book series on social entrepreneurship. The campaign can be found at http://bit.ly/childrensbookseries.

Glass, who describes himself as a “serial entrepreneur,” is known in Northern Nevada for teaching social entrepreneurship to local youth through the Carson City Juvenile Probation Office and formerly through the Hop and Mae Adams Foundation. He’s currently the executive director for the Youth Entrepreneur Syndicate in Reno.

“Modeling and showing behavior is entrepreneurship in its truest form,” he said. “The goal isn’t to win; the goal is to have hundreds of people doing it better than I did.”

It’s this theory that informs Glass’ website, breakingbannister.com, which is named in honor of the story of Roger Bannister, the first human to break the 4-minute mile.

“Bannister didn’t do this alone,” Glass said. “He had a team of friends who ran beside him to pace him. And then hundreds of people immediately broke his record. He didn’t run so he could say ‘I did it’, he believed mankind could do it, and he modeled the behavior.”

The books are a series of stories designed to appeal to children, parents and educators based on what Glass considers to be the building blocks of entrepreneurship: generosity, courage, teamwork, leadership, stewardship over time and money, innovation and honor. And, he said, in the true spirit of entrepreneurship, he’s modeling the behavior behind the concept.

“The first book on generosity is about giving back, and leaving a place better when you leave it,” he said. “We are donating 51 percent of the profits for the first book, ‘Jesse and the Lion Share,’ to establish scholarships for kids who successfully make it through the social care system.”

Ali Banister, deputy chief of Carson City Juvenile Probation Services who has worked with Glass to provide social entrepreneurship classes to juveniles in the system, said the lessons make a big impact on participants.

“I have witnessed several success stories,” she said. “I’ve seen kids obtain jobs within the community, graduate from school and attend college. Many have learned skills, like how to build resumes, and interview for jobs. One graduate even claimed the program ‘changed his life.’ I’m not surprised Jeff is modeling generosity, it’s in his nature.”

For information on how to make a contribution toward publishing the book series, visit http://bit.ly/childrensbookseries.