One person, one passion

Mike Leonard shows the results of his library in Honduras.

By Sidney Kornegay

Cub@TheColumbiaStar.com

Mike Leonard, a former carpenter, knows that a little creativity and hard work can transform a wooden block into a masterpiece. Recently, though, he's been using those same skills to build something even more meaningful, an organization called "Leer es Poder" (Reading is Power). In his Friday presentation to the Greater Piedmont Chapter of the Explorer's Club, Leonard described the vision, passion, and commitment that led to the creation of this non- profit organization.

The project had its beginnings in July 1999 when Leonard agreed to go on a church mission trip to Honduras. The country was still staggering under the effects of Hurricane Mitch, a five- day storm that left 14,000 dead and countless families without homes. Leonard, tired of his stressful job in a high- tech company, hoped the trip would provide him with some meaning and balance.

"The trip changed my life," he said.

After arriving in Honduras, Leonard's group helped build cinder block houses for underprivileged families in the village of Las Lejas. While the 115 degree days made work challenging, it didn't keep the experience from impacting the group members. Leonard was especially struck by the poverty and lack of access to education that plagued Honduras. When he returned home, Leonard pledged to do something more for the country.

After several brainstorming sessions, Leonard decided to create an organization that would provide books for the community they had served. The resulting organization, Leer es Poder, would provide small libraries of 200- 1200 books to help community members learn to read.

Through local fundraising, Leonard was able to obtain over 1,000 books to send back to Las Lejas. Leonard hand built shipping containers that doubled as bookshelves, and personally helped deliver the library to Honduras. He said it was one of the most emotionally significant moments in his life.

Leonard's program, however, faced several unforeseen problems. In a place where books were uncommon, a library of 1,200 books was a valuable commodity. Over the next year, there were disputes in Las Lejas as to who should own the books, and, consequently, a local pastor confiscated the library, and the books were kept from the community.

Leonard learned from the mistake, however, and since that time, the organization has continued to grow in the US and abroad. Today, local school and church groups help raise money for the books, place library cards inside, and label them. Leer es Poder currently sends libraries to communities, churches, and families with about 175 books in each library. This eliminates many of the disputes caused by the larger collections of books.

The organization has even become involved in the local community. Leer es Poder recently provided books to schools in South Carolina that were under - funded and in need of reading material.

Throughout the process, Leonard learned what it takes to build an organization like Leer es Poder. He believes you have to start big and then narrow down your mission until you've found a niche where no one else is serving. Most of all, he's found that it takes just one person and one passion to make a difference.

For information about the Explorers Club, contact Nina Powell Rice at 777-8170 or nrice@sc.rr.com.