Social entrepreneur and decorated veteran Jake Harriman brings his message of overcoming failure to find success to a two-part leadership program, the Greater Good Project, at Gorton Community Center on April 20-21. The goal of the Greater Good Project is to inspire, educate, and empower civic and nonprofit leaders.
Harriman, a former U.S. Marine and social entrepreneur, will share his unlikely journey from growing up in rural Appalachia to founding an award-winning nonprofit in East Africa—Nuru—that has helped more than 85,000 people permanently lift themselves out of extreme poverty. From his own failures and successes in building a nonprofit, Harriman developed the belief that “if we fail, we become better.” He will share his practical advice and real life stories for how he learned to take responsible risks to uncover innovative, breakthrough solutions.
Harriman’s keynote will take place on Wednesday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. at the John & Nancy Hughes Theater. “All of us at Nuru believe we must continuously learn and adapt,” Harriman says. “In the fight against extreme poverty, there is no room for egos. We systematically challenge our own philosophies, methodologies, and biases to identify ways we can improve, and we try to learn from everyone with whom we come into contact.”
The Greater Good Project is an example of the continuing evolution of Gorton Community Center’s programming.
“This is a unique opportunity for nonprofit organizations and interested individuals to participate in an innovative, forward thinking
project with a national thought leader,” says Mark Ventling, the current chairman of Gorton’s Board of Directors.
“We’re excited to offer this at Gorton.” The Greater Good Project is generously supported by The Grainger Foundation of Lake Forest. Tickets for Harriman’s keynote address are $15. The evening begins with a networking reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by the keynote address at 7:15 p.m. Then the next morning, local nonprofit leaders will be invited to Harriman’s hands-on forum to network, share success stories, discuss challenges, and plan for systems that enhance their mission-based work.
For information and tickets, contact Gorton Community Center at 847-234-6060 or visit gortoncenter.org.
