Devin D. Thorpe:  Championing Social Good

Devin D. Thorpe thinks he is the luckiest person alive. After being “let go” from the best job he’d ever had—as the Chief Financial Officer of the multinational food and beverage company MonaVie—he and his wife ended up living in China for a year where he wrote Your Mark On The World and embarked on the career he’d always wanted yet hadn’t dared dream.

Now, as an author, a popular guest speaker and Forbes contributor, Devin is devoted full time to championing social good. His current life isn’t much like his past.

As an entrepreneur, Devin ran—at separate times—a boutique investment banking firm and a small mortgage company. He served as the Treasurer for the multinational vitamin manufacturer USANA Health Sciences years before becoming CFO for MonaVie. Over his career he led or advised on the successful completion of $500 million in transactions.
Devin squeezed in two brief stints in government, including two years working for Jake Garn on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee Staff and another year working for an independent state agency called USTAR, where he helped foster technology entrepreneurship during Governor Jon Huntsman’s administration.

Devin is proud to have graduated from the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business, which recognized him as a Distinguished Alum in 2006. He also earned an MBA at Cornell University where he ran the student newspaper, Cornell Business.

Today, Devin channels the idealism of his youth with the loving support of his wife, Gail. Their son Dayton is a PhD candidate in Physics at UC Berkeley (and Devin rarely misses an opportunity to mention that).

UBELONG in Laos

Ryan may not know what he’s doing tomorrow in Laos, but he knows why he’s there.

Several months ago, fellow Cornellian, Ryan Anthony, introduced me to UBELONG (which is led by yet two more Cornellians).  You can read my past posts about UBELONG here.

Ryan is volunteering in Laos for an organization called Equal Education for All, teaching English and basic computer skills.  He also helps out with the organic garden they keep.  Ryan also helped to build their new website.  Ryan adds, “I’ve given farm tours, milked goats, planted trees, harvested mulberries, waited tables at the restaurant on the farm, helped guests check in and out, and painted a new sign for reception.”

Ryan’s (at left in the photo above) desire to serve in Laos grew out of his relationship with his wife, Poukhan (next to Ryan), and her family as they are from Laos.  

Ryan and Poukhan’s service in Laos was interrupted by her mother’s cancer diagnosis.  It is informative to prospective volunteers, that both UBELONG and Equal Education for All agreed to work with them so that they could complete their volunteer service at a later time—which they are now doing.

Motivated by a desire to leave their mark on the world and get to know Laos before they settled down and had children, Ryan and Poukhan both quit their jobs, packed up their belongings in New York and shipped them off to Ryan’s dad’s home in Minnesota to do some good in the world.

Ryan explained, “This has been a magnificent way to immerse ourselves in the culture that surrounds my wife and I when we are with her extended family in Minnesota.  We have picked up on the language more and seen some of her family that remained in Laos as well.”

He noted that volunteering in Laos did not represent the beginning of their interest in helping others, “We have both volunteered throughout our lives.  She taught and helped out at many organizations her whole life, and I had done so much more when I was a student in high school and college.  We both wanted an opportunity to do a little more, and when we saw UBelong advertising itself and offering an opportunity to volunteer in Laos in an affordable way, we decided that it would be a great experience for us.”

If you would like more information about UBELONG, visit their website at UBELONG.org.

Don’t forget, you can still contribute to the Funding Your Mark on the World Campaign at StartSomeGood.com.

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Your Mark On The World: Raul Roman, UBELONG Co-Founder Interview

ymotwarchive:

Raul Roman was kind enough to spend the better part of an hour with my by Skype yesterday, sharing the history of UBELONG.

Raul was a PhD candidate at Cornell and was teaching a course where he met Cedric Hodgeman, an undergraduate who ultimately aced the course, earning an A+. More than…

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UBELONG, a great way to serve!

ymotwarchive:

UBELONG is an exciting example of social entrepreneurship that provides volunteers with service-oriented immersion and expedition opportunities.  Some extraordinary guys, Cedric Hodgeman and Raul Roman, have created programs that epitomize “your mark on the world” thinking.

One of the keys for leaving a mark on the world is to devote time and energy to a cause. They match people for immersion opportunities from one week to six months where their passions and skills can be put to best use making a difference, allowing people an on the ground opportunity in Latin America or Asia to advance their cause.

Some great employers now provide people with sabbatical breaks every five to ten years just for this sort of service.  What a difference it makes in the world and in the lives of those who take advantage of it!

Have you done anything like this?  What was your experience?

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