I first met Al Andrews when I was in kindergarten. He went to college with my dad and so I grew up knowing him as a hilarious family friend. Then, last year when we moved to Franklin, TN I met him again. He runs a non-profit counseling center called “Porter’s Call” for musicians and their families because Nashville tends to chew those people up. He and I meet every two or three weeks right now to talk about art and life and how you can get successful without wrecking both.
Recently he launched something called “Improbable Philanthropy.” Basically Al decided he wanted to be a philanthropist and give away a ton of money. Then he realized that required having a ton of money, which he doesn’t have. So, after learning Eric Carle sold 29 million copies of the Hungry Caterpillar, he came up with a 6-step plan:
1. Write a children’s book.
2. Find an illustrator.
3. Self publish.
4. Get on Ellen and other talk shows.
5. Sell a truckload of books.
6. Become a philanthropist.
And he’s actually doing it! “The Boy, The Kite & The Wind” released last week and it is beautiful. The funny thing is that people keep asking Al, “What’s your angle?” But there’s not
one. He’s giving 100% of the net profits away. He’s using the money to give scholarships to Ugandan school children and build child survival centers in India and a lot of other cool things.
I bought 11 copies of the book. I’ve never bought that many copies of a book. Why did I do it? Because I love what Al is doing and I love when people find creative ways to change the world.
You can buy a book right here.
