Everyone please give me one meal a day I can do I guess. Georgism thank you to the two I want to thank you all for that warm welcome and thank you. Salvador for that introduction. I thought he did an excellent job with even a short and sweet. So I do appreciate him doing that. I'm going to be talking to you today about some of the secrets of success in building strong organizations and this is true if it's not for profit. It's true in the profit arena as well. In fact business experience some of it includes doing three turnarounds and one startup. So this will play out whether it's a new company or applies whether it's a failing company. First they promised me I could do a little commercial for the first foundation. So I'm going to talk to you a little bit about what we do it first. This isn't Georgia literacy facts. That think you'll find very interesting sixty one percent of all low income families do not have a single piece of reading material that is suitable for a child. And we wonder why we have illiteracy in our communities. A third of our children come to school unprepared to learn. Seventy one percent of Georgia's fourth graders read below grade level. Georgia consistently scores low on the S.A.T.'s scoring. One out of four adults in Georgia Georgia operates at a low literacy level and high school completion enjoy your cost the state eight hundred billion dollars per year in lost a foregone income. I think I went past this law so give you a little bit about the word disparities in early vote a cavalier growth. And it gives you a real illustration of why children get. To the first grade and they're not able to read in the queue. They're not ready to learn. The important thing is for kids to be ready to learn when they hit kindergarten. If they're ready to learn and almost show you some scores in a moment that is going to blow you away. That's the results from what the first foundation did in Morgan County and several of the surrounding candidates about fourteen where we've got a penetration right of forty percent better in Morgan County it's between seventy and eighty percent they've maintained that consistently and they're scoring very very high. A lot of folks that know this seven out of ten prisoners operate at low literacy levels. Eighty five percent of all juvenile offenders have reading problems in Georgia spins a little fifty two dollars a day to house a prisoner we can provide a book full free one a month for three dollars a book. And I'd rather buy books than have to build prisons. Economic development is another place where it really really cost us. What people are interested in when they bring a look in at a study to locate their company they want people that are ready to be trained they don't expect them to know the job but they've got to be ready to be trained. So if they come out illiterate. They cannot be trying. I got interested in literacy actually back in the one nine hundred eighty S. because we were doing great economic development and in can we brought in companies like Boeing Northrop a lot of others to companies and those employers were kind of back to me saying you didn't tell me your literacy right was illiteracy right was like thirty percent in my case. So we got a group together we raised about five hundred thousand dollars with grants from the Knight Foundation grants from I.B.M.. We then put a program to go call learning to read a reading or. The reduction remember the name of the program but a great program and it work. In fact there are two folks I wish that you could meet them. One was a very successful insurance agent. He was in the casual an insurance business had a very large office very large organization. And then when he talks he talked about how he would go around with a pipe under his own to fool everybody to think he could read he take his is mail and tell a secretary my azz up my glasses read this to me. So he was one that actually came out of the closet. I can't read and he began to go through the training program and then could read. It is the greatest barrier for economic development in any community. The absence of a literate workforce. I will now Robin first Robin would you please stand. Robin is our founder and was our president until I hardly. And I block house they asked the rest of the board of the first foundation to stand with Robin thank you. And he thanked the two. But this is who we are at the first foundation we're five A one c three organization supporting childhood literacy efforts. We mailed books in two thousand started and we mail over two point nine million books to over one hundred fifty nine thousand children and those numbers are all there actually larger than that. The goal is to go statewide we currently operate in eighty. Georgia's hundred fifty nine counties and our purpose is to go statewide. We hope in two thousand and twelve to really get a program started here in the Atlanta area so we can really begin to penetrate some of those inner city schools and parents with that seed into those schools so we can make some difference up here and I think you saw from the Tesco. Yours and what Errol Davis is trying to clean up. Public schools is something this badly badly they did. This is what we do are actually two programs that are put together. Dolly Parton's library is our partner in Tennessee. That's where we get the books at leap into books reading every day and that equals the first foundation. What we do this a little bit different in other states is we do a newsletter which is targeted to make sure we get the message out to parents about how they need to read. When they need to read what kind of questions do you ask a child how to make sure the child is grasping the story. Dolly Parton Labradors the book selection. We do the communication P. which is I say it had that parents got information this is where we are today. What counties who are in we do have some if you notice in Fulton County. We're just not getting the penetration in Fulton County that we need to get in the Atlanta metro area there are over three hundred fifty thousand children under the age of five. And our purpose in the state of Georgia. There are over seven hundred fifty thousand children under the age of five. And that's why we use that imagine the possibilities a magic that every child was being read to in this state. Once a day. Imagine the difference we could make an economic development. Imagine the difference we could make in reducing crime writes. I mean it absolutely will work and we've got the numbers to know it does. Why so many Georgia communities are going to partner with us. In child religious because it works and look at these numbers. Eighty five percent of the total sample of families receiving the book from the lab report reading through their child. Almost every day all more. You put the book in the hands of a child and the child will be at that parents be saying read to me mama read to me Daddy and they'll. Do it. It also concluded parents overwhelm of the report that the program is effective. Increasing the increases the time and they spend with the chow. The bonding between the child and the parent. It increases a parent's awareness of their children's reading levels and their deficiencies. Here are the results this is in Morgan County and these are all the grades. This is our first first class eighth graders. They just took the C.R.C. test last spring and look at these numbers ninety nine point six percent in reading. They Tad The third and Morgan County is not a rich community folks. They've got it's a cross-section a cosmos of of all of Georgia. But look at these numbers across the board the state had only ninety six the difference three point six percent. Canny in English Language Arts ninety six point seven The state of Georgia average only ninety two point eight. More you can eighty one percent the state only seventy seven percent in math. Three point nine percent difference. SAAT candidate seventy eight point six the state averages almost celeb want six percent difference. And these a very dramatic numbers we also can show you. We've looked in other counties these are the counties we've been in before two thousand and four another couple be put in here because they've got the penetration. But what we've looked at is those counties that have gotten a penetration of forty percent Reuter and are tracking them to see what difference is made on the C.R. cities coort and down here you can see the state average is and how much improvement is occurring. Well that's it on the first foundation and I thank you for adults because we believe in what we do it for the E.Q.. Now want to talk about why. Makes an old innovation successful and really it's a combination of things I call it the three P.'s people production and profits. The people side is the most important. Reason for that is because people all what make a business successful. It is not the point it's not the equipment. It's not the materials. It's not the raw resources it go into the process is its people. It's the people that supply the ingenuity the creativity their education their experience it can be born and brought to bear on the process is. As I mentioned in my experience I've done a number of turnarounds and start up some companies in the most important thing is the job description. And I hate to see Job descriptions of the seven or eight pages long. Nice to be one page just one. And you need to ask basically several questions. The first one is and I don't care what position it is what is the major outcome or object. Objectives supposedly objectives objectives to be accomplished by the person in this particular row. Number two what are the most frequent and essential work activities. What's essential are the most essential work activities. The reason we're asking these questions you're saying a moment. Is because we're going to take a behavioral instrument. And apply so that we understand that the person has the behavioral vectors to actually do the job. What people and how many all managed and how many or direct reports. What other problem or people contests. Acts with whom for what purpose and how often. What behavioral traits attitude skills are required to perform this task. I've been using behavioral instruments really go about it when I was mayor and that was one thousand nine hundred eighty and the reason I did it was one of the hires I made who had a double masters from Cornell University did not have the behavior to do the job and it was an absolute disaster after hiring him and bringing him to make and I had then had to bring him into the office to say. Ron you're not making it here. And you're going to need to go back home. I'm sorry. Horrible thing amisse are is a horrible thing. The first this hour. I had was actually back when I was in my twenties when I had a secretary. She was all full cute. I was single. I still saw our form and boarded up play the price because at the end of that week I realised she could not spell C A T. I got already do when I'm about my manager Tom James and I said Tom. Pay is not working and he said I knew it he said you harder. You don't have to let her go. So I got up my courage that Friday went into my office. I told us that I need to see you for a moment before you leave today. She said I need to talk to you too and she came in sat down and she said I was ready to go. She said I found a new job and I hate to do this to you but it just play so much moss it really really I hate to hear that. But behavioral traits and attitude skill to propose a form the work a really important. One of the toughest parts of this job day to day. There are things in every job that are just absolutely tough. And you've got to have the behavior to do it day in day out week in week out month in month that year is. In year out. Let's take a salesman because I want to show you a behavioral profile on a salesman in just a moment. The toughest thing for a salesman is prospect. That's hard work you may not think it is but it's hard work and the second thing is making the calls and I don't care if they're on the phone call and all they go call in person is they have a little bit of color left there a little bit fearful. It's going to take it run their batteries down to get the courage up to go in there and ask for the sale. So you've got to have strong batteries if you're a salesperson. The prerequisite for important education training and experience. All of that comes into bear along with the behavior as to whether or not they get the job done. And then the compensation package but folks you can get this done one sheet a pipe. It doesn't halfway you lift all the responsibilities as if you're trying to make sure if I fire you. I know you've Vaal a good one of these job descriptions keep it simple. It needs to be simple because they also need to understand what they're facing in that job. The other thing is the strict adherence to a minimum. Three interview system. And recruit and select We haven't talked about how do you get out there and actually find them the best way to find it destroy cruet somebody. It's not to put an ad in the paper you put in the paper who search in the warning ads people don't employ. I could tell you that the big chance is that whoever answers that ad is out of work for reason. And they won't come and try to said you on hiring them because that makes sense. So the best way is to have a network of people bankers a lot of others who do you know it fits this particular profile. Who. You know that might make a success in this war. Who do you know that could really. Who do you know that probably should have a. In be in another position because they're smart they're capable their breasts if they're sociable they're they always if you start asking in that way they'll give you names. Interview. Number one the purpose as one purpose get to know when you're going to do it for interview system. You explain to them. This is a three interview system. Don't expect to come in the first interview and to get the job because we're going to go through a process here. The other thing is to get them to agree to take the behavioral assessment. This is the result of the behavioral assessment and I know that's hard to read and I figured it would be when we got it up on the screen but this one right here is the sales manager this woman here is a sales person you don't want this person as a sales person. Why does this work. Yet. Look at the fearless factor. I told you about that they are very very cautious. They're not going to make a good sales part. This actually is done by a Dr Frank Merritt and I think I think he was I think he went to take them on just like him but Dr Merritt developed this cult talent quest. They do it for almost all of the banking industry. Almost all of them on the all in Georgia. They do want. What they've done is they've gone in and taken every position that you can. Usually have in a bank and they have tested those that were successful. They tested those that did not really perform that well but average and they've tested those that did not make it. So when they put this profile together the green. In range right here. What's the green range which is right here is the peak performance range. And if you notice on this one for the sales manager they only made it in one two three four five areas out of thirty two behavioral vectors. And we're all different out to explain how this works. This works on a bell curve this portion right here is where eighty percent of the people will fall. Eighty percent. Another reason the sales manager is not going to work at this solitary not people oriented in how is he going to be able to manage people if he's not oriented towards people. He's going to be one that goes in his office and close the door and you know up and say I'm the six o'clock when he gets ready to go home. The other thing I look at this right here has a negative view of others. And this is an extreme but you get some back like this and this is why it's always important to do that interview and keep it on a three interview system. But if it works and it's very successful interview number two. You've got one purpose. Take that assessment study it. And validate it. You want to validate it you want to zero in on the weaknesses and ask probing questions open ended. That encourage them. Courage is them to tall and you've got to have done your homework. You've got to know the position to know how to do that and every position is going to be a little bit different. At the end of the assessment. You know whether you're going to proceed. It's going to end if it had been this man right here. I would have simply just say well I want to thank you for the opportunity to nature. To have you in. But I'm going to say we stop. I will keep you about your behavioral assessment. If I found something that I think you're going to be equipped and behaviorally to do. Do you mind if I share that with someone else that I know and they always say you know that they'll call back sight. Have you get somebody yet get a follow up. Interview number three. If someone comes back for that third interview the purpose you got is do we have a deal. You will of zeroed in on what their behaviors were whether we're good or bad. You would have asked them questions you now have gotten a satisfactory answer. This is a person. Do they fit into our culture here. Do they fit into the company is somebody we won't representing the company the organization and if it isn't the third interview your purpose is one thing. Do we have a deal. Welcome to the company. After someone's hired a lot of companies do not really get into the training like I like to see done. I'm one who has a training for you. I love to have people properly trained it makes all the difference in the world you want to try them on the organization. And training them on Logan ization What's the vision what's the mission. What's the tactical strategic plan the tactical plans. What are we doing this helps an employee every employee in an organization ought to be able to answer that if they get on an elevator with a guest of somebody come in at the guest ask them what's the vision of your company. I will every employee to be able to answer. I think that is very important. It's also important for them to understand that because the other thing. You're going to want to do is the leader and we will talk about leadership is you've got to let employer always know where the company is relative to the vision relative to the strategy. Relative to the goals for that year. Job specific training is important. Everybody needs to understand their job in fact everywhere I've ever been as the president we have a job description manual that shows every day. What a person should do every single solitary day. And I'll tell you what that does. If you got that job description manual that really goes through it. Everything. How to do it by the numbers I don't care if it's a C.P.A. or a C.F.O. or whoever you know what they're going to be doing and what they've got to do and it's much easier to know what their activities are and where their frustrations are but it also means if they have a leave. You've got the manual. You've got the blueprint. You can replace that person. The other is training as a leader in managing themselves. It's important. Within an organization everybody that is in a position of responsibility and supervision to be a leader and we're going to talk a minute about how leaders are they born all the mate I tell you their mate decision making and problem solved. Everywhere I go I teach every person in the organization on how to make decisions and how to solve problems. And we use classic methods Harvard. Matrix and other things but we go all the way through it use an actual example so they understand how to make decisions. I learned that when I was mayor I had a guy who was probably fifty years old I was only thirty one came to my office and he had a problem out at the airport and he left that monkey right on my desk and I said wait a minute. He's been running airports the twenty five years which he needs to be doing this. One thing I learned is he had not did not know how to go through a formal process. So the first time a we went through it was I brought some folks in from Harvard and we trained our managers on how to make decisions and how to solve problems. Everybody in the organization. If you do that you have less problems coming up to the top. People will then also you in power. And they can make those decisions and problems of any bills or confidence. Manager Motiva first thing is hard to find criteria. What's important to you about your business career. What do you want your epitaph to read about your career at the end of your life. What do you want people who have worked with you to think about you when you get to the end of your career or your business life. If you do this and do it in their personal life their family life and in their business life and you'll see why in a moment. Why it is so important to have that understanding. So many bosses in this world do not get the highest affine criteria they do not know what their people do even all time they don't show that personal interest in them as people. And if you don't show the interest as people what people are going to see a person who doesn't show that interest is a person who is self centered in only interested in me. And as a leader if they say that's what's coming out of you you're not going to get them motivated and they're excited about get your goals accomplished. Goal setting this needs to happen every year. Go setting an air of what are your business goals. What are your personal goals. It may be somebody who did not go back to school and you realize how smart they are why don't you set a goal of going back to school and you go and get your back. Lawyer. Go back to college their their continuing education they have a little everywhere in the state use it. Goal setting what they want here in this it also is what they need at home. You need to have an idea what are their goals. I had one. Lady that was when I was sick and Walker then going to the goal setting. She told me that she and her husband Chris had already picked out a boat they wanted to back. And I will tell you something. Every one on one that I had with her. I would ask that start to question how close are we are to how close are we to get the boat and is a big boat is like one hundred ten thousand dollars. But that's what they wanted they wanted to boat they had a place at the Inn at the Gulf but they wanted that boat and you use it in the one on one but you're also helping them to keep their goals in front of them and using that to help them stay motivated and we figured it out. I said Art if you do this and we grow the property management division to this point I can pay you X.. Whereas right now I'm limited get out there and get us and she when she saw to acquiring property management. Companies around the state of Georgia. We grew from four thousand units we managed to over nine thousand units that we manage. OK. Let's talk about leadership. Because if you have the people trying to. You manage to motivate them things are going you hope good. You now need to really a placid leadership skills leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective. Good leaders are made they are not born in how many of your picked up books and read history books about George Washington about how you stood so tall he was so handsome and doesn't. Where it was just a natural president. No George Washington worked at it. Why do you think you or generals. Of uniform to the Continental Congress. He was way ahead of everybody else he want to be the general and he was the commander in chief of continental forces. But it was because he was born that what leadership is a process by which a person I'm going there always cute me I'll. Know it's in there twice. Let's talk about the types of leadership because as I mentioned before. If somebody is born that way. We're talking about the theory of leadership. Now it does help a lot of surveys that have done it helps to have heights. It does help but also there was a little French general. That I think stood about five to. That was probably one of the greatest generals of all time which this proves. The height theory is that intelligence. It does help if you've got above average intelligence if you're a leader. Extroversion is another one of those that put into the trait theory of leadership fluency the ability to speak in articulate the language and express yourself. And then of the traits. But there's another one over here which is called interaction it is a process theory of leadership. It is a process where there is interaction that is constant. But when the fatherless and the leader. It can be observed. This one just resides in people his magic. And the four factors of leadership a code of the U.S. Army and their nine hundred eighty three manual is theirs leaders their followers this communication and this situation and we're going to talk about each one of these. The Leader. In the Army they do a lot in developing leadership. It's a very cold war. It's the reason the army is organized the way it is. What's the span of influence seven. So that's why you've got in every squad you've got a squad leader and you've got a system squad leader that twelve people in that squad. That's control six. That's how they organise that what. Followers. You've got to have followers if you've got a leader or leader doesn't exist. Very well without followers. And the Army of course as automatic you've got your troops and you're good. Later or you're a bad leader. Communication is that magic that occurs between the leader and the followers. In fact I was watching AMC this weekend and if you remember the movie We Were Soldiers. The guy that played it was a guy that played Braveheart was this one. Who. Mel Gibson Mel Gibson plays the part but it's amazing the communication the goes on between him and his men in that firefight absolutely amazing situation every situation is different. There will be some employees that may be the brand new they're going to take a lot of close as a vision. You have others that may not be that easily motivated maybe that they don't have motivation that leaders are going to have to look at the situation see what's required there's going to he's going to supply some of the motivation. They inspiration. The resilient leader birth's it's false. If you're a ball. Your leadership has meant a sand by your superior. He's taken you and said you are to be the supervisor you are to be the manager. But does that mean they're going to be an inspiring boss an inspirational balsa or you've got an emergent later leadership that makes his followers want to achieve high goals and that's published in two thousand and seven. All that put together provides that framework for total leadership. It's important to concentrate and in the army they teach you concentrate up on big what do their. Hell. What about it. When we have people going. OK it's important to concentrate upon the BE NO and do. What is be. What we are it's important for a leader to know who he or she is. Know what you're willing to do and what you're not willing to do know your likes know your dislikes know your strengths know your weaknesses because I tell you this all of us have got all of those. And where a leader has weaknesses. They must surround. Themselves with people that compliment to give that strength. That's why you see like when Nortel it came to Home Depot when they hired him he brought a whole team with him. He had worked with them. He knew him. It worked with them a G.E. He brought his team because that team was to compliment. Bob Nardelli to make him all successful leader. No Know what you know and know what you don't know. It's also important to apply this to the follows. Follow be as are who are your folks know them. Know them well and the army one's life depends upon knowing those troops knowing their strengths knowing their weaknesses and it's also true in business. If you're going to really thrive and succeed you must know your people. Now going back to that instrument. Do you see why that gives you a picture of what a person is because it. It covers everything from Dell self disclosing to on revealing unsure. So confident. Independent team oriented. If you got a job. This requires a team in the team or in it you don't put them on the tank. They're not going to make of the team player. The easygoing restless solitary what is their abilities. Is it low or aptitude. I always like how are people smarter than me because I know. Then when problems get solved they do a lot better job than I. So Laure the disco asked Dick ability in aptitude is also measured by this all the emotional or even feel all of this goes into you knowing your people act keep that in every person's follow sometimes things go want to say why not why not. Why do they do that job. Back here and then you will find the answer. It's going to be right there in your file right on that assessment. So I did it again. Now I think it's good. We're going to go in the me just close out. Again I thank you all so much. I'm just overwhelmed that many of you would come in here to listen to little ole me because. I'm just really appreciate your tension. But leadership is again something that is a sonce leaders all made they are not born. And I hope all of you look at leadership and there's so much out there there's written leadership and whorl been it's. Really model I mean I read everything more minutes is put out. Probably the most prolific writer all leadership of anybody. Has been in demand for speaking for thirty years has great quotes one of his quotes and I'm just going to share with you he said I used to think leading a company was like being a conductor and conducting an orchestra but he says I've come to learn. It's more like jazz. There's a lot of improvisation. Thank you. Let me come at it with tim so you started off in making what made you decide that you wanted to go into you an intern in the international space. It just it just happened. I mean that one by design. It wasn't something that when I was twenty years old. I had no idea you want to the mayor. And that kind of built the kind of things big things happen and then it just built. That's what I meant. Jazz improvisation you take what comes at you and you make it work. Try to make it pretty make it sound good. And Afghan it done that. I mean if whatever I've done though I've tried to do with all my heart. All my might. And I think that's how we approach everything. I tell that my son all the time I said remember. You know first impressions last impression. Do the best you can every where you are in the position you're in. OK. I thank you and I was just curious about how logistically the foundation gets all the books to the kids like how does that work is that a question. I'm delayed or it's a good question. We're a little bit different than other partners of the dollar part imagination labrat We of course raise the money five A one c three we do it through foundations we do it through individuals we do it through companies contributing. We then buy the books. The books cost three dollars apiece they are drop shipped to the Tommy nobis center. Here in the metro area. We write the parents piece the newsletter the newsletter serves as the address label because it has the label on there. We didn't get those they're printed we buy those that are printing them. You know but they're printed up here in Atlanta. By then I've taken over the farm and I was some of the put in to go try to wrap it and then their mail by mail. The biggest expense we have is the shipping and postage and handling. Which is about to us about a half million dollars a year we're always trying to find ways to cut that down but logistically that's kind of How We Do It Now another piece of logistics is registering kits. And. The way we're organized is we have. Community Action Teams and Robin. Invented all of this we have Community Action Teams we call cats and the communities in which we operate. And those cats Rice money locally. We act as their fiscal agent. That way they don't have to go through eighty audits and pay full eighty C.P.A.'s to get an audit because you can't receive money from any five A one c three or any foundation. Unless you've got that as a Unless you've got an out. And if you don't just like the United William County has cut off the cat down there because they didn't have an audit. And so United Way's not going to keep putting money into an effort. No matter how good it is if it doesn't have an audit. So the cats are responsible for raising money and they're also responsible for publicity and responsible for registration. And registration is done a lot of different ways here in Atlanta we're looking at trying to use three of the hospitals Piedmont. What used to be Georgia Baptist and. There are sixteen thousand births every year and the plan that we kind of got put together is the first year is to have sixteen thousand registered in Greece exponentially. After that but there are seven hundred fifty thousand children under age five in Georgia. Also been talking trying to get the governor's office to look at maybe them put up a third open up a half. And then we'll go out and try to raise the money to match it. And then maybe we could come closer worried about a word about eighty thousand kids we just lost. About forty thousand because of the Department of Human Resources funding changed. Not that they did it in the department. It happened over in the house and. In the General Assembly. They put it in a hit slot hit starts laws which love it. Start but I'd rather have positively impact. Forty thousand kids rather than four hundred at star positions. But that's kind of how all the moving parts at the Robben we had a lot of moving parts we do. One minute of the lot about leadership. What is the one trait you look for in emerging leaders. I think interaction with the followers is the listening is so important. It's so important that a lot a leader. Listen to the followers. If you don't listen you can have problems not that you can always do followers want you to do but you listen. I think the lack of listening means I'm not interested in you. I'm not interested in what you think I'm not interested in what your opinion is a minute just skim in a case so much and that part about communication piece where there were four factors a lot of that communication is the communication the leader receives. Because part of the communication all communication some communication is it's not all verbal. A lot of it is non verbal and non-verbal says so much to the followers about who you are. Whether you listen interesting with the interesting look on your face. So you roll your eyes. I mean all of that communicates something of who you are as a leader and you're not going to get into excited. If the if their negative. Nonverbal communication is going on. You know sitting in the stated goal. Economy obviously first the nation is looking to address long term systemic issues how do you do you a childhood literacy right. And I guess my question is kind of speaking back towards the door you Chamber of Commerce has kind of curious you know some of the short term initiate is to attract business leaders in international interest into the state and the kind of hearing your experience about that. OK One Georgia has an excellent reputation outside we've been a fast growing state. Our heritage occasion institutions mean so much in the economic development arena can't tell you how much tech means and fact I was telling somebody little while ago one of my buddies on the red carpet to what we have done to attract industry a red carpet tour. We're just done the fiftieth year. And we'll invite fifty C.E.O.'s from around the state at the time of the Masters and we show them parts of Georgia. Well which I took home to Savannah Matecumbe to make I'm not going to Columbus and let them see some of the opt in or does of the fire but the one thing that happened on this particular one. This was a double Ph D. who had and then it A in stage liver disease perfusion machine that would take somebody all flat and let their liver. He'll and the machine would completely clean out their blood which is nothing short of amazing. And he's looked at Georgia and he was in Wisconsin. The reason existed in Georgia is Georgia Tech and some of the man-O. technology research was going on here. He was interested in Emory and Georgia because of the live science research going on there and the proximity to the Medical College of Georgia and the screw at Emory Medical School at Emory So that was the reason he looked at Georgia the place he picked which was. Unusual it was Dublin torture. So I just give you an idea of how people view it. I mean so ga is viewed very positively about most C.E.O.'s as far as addressing education. The Georgia chamber I think. When I was on the board back in the one nine hundred ninety S.. Education at that time was decide we decide it was the number one issue for business. And I know Margaret Jones who is also on the board the Georgia chamber. Knows of efforts in fact. Melvin Kruger and several other folks actually form the Georgia porch effects and education they reside in the chamber and their separate companies seventy five and one c three but. We knew we needed to do something in education in the Georgia chamber Georgia partnership excellence in education is what we did that was our answer. But I think this answer what we're trying to do in reading and that's why I love that. Whoever came up with it. Robin what imagine the possible. I mean you stop and think about what this could do to the site of Georgia and economic development is amazing is the next what they should do with your consistently writes at the bottom on these standardized most of those in the focus what number of years in terms of improvement which is in our. Is it our demographics is it the income levels in the state is that the Walton education system. What you would get are right when we really do and I think we have a cycle of illiteracy and a cycle of poverty that goes hand in hand. I think it's. Some of it is social economic. But when you add to that. A lack of literacy in parents. I think you've got to answer. A parent who reads to their child that child is going to comprehend. Some much more and that's what those test shows show. I mean Morgan County tats all third out of all school systems in the study Georgia. But it also spills over into language arts it spills over into social studies it spills over into science a child who's grown up that can't read how they're going to understand a biology book how they're going to understand a chemistry book the chemistry might be slow but close to being like math but it still is understanding principles and concepts and until you understand that you can't learn. So I think the reading does more to do that than anything and I wish our faith based community would really get involved in that is because I think they could like so much difference on. The. What do you think impact it has been about this period as opposed to other programs that are out there that are really in the OR I know in my county we would send high schoolers to primary or elementary schools to reading it. I think the reason I'm so passionate about it because I have always believed and. Stay Dahlan to who is it the Georgia partnership used to say a parent ought to be a child's first best teacher. And I really believe that. We. I think these numbers show here too that as a society we point at the teacher. We point at the school system. When the truth is it ought to be us. It ought to be parents. It's the home life. It's how much time they spend studying rather than front of a television. And to me the consistency of this program. Is and it starts so early. I mean this thing starts want to. Child was born. And a child should be read to at two weeks. They hear the into an ocean they hear a lot of clues cues a child an infant will pick up all. And I just saw it even with my own children. My daughter's favorite book was of a bitterest Potter book aptly that plea. Aptly damp little brown mouse goes to the cupboard and somebody else who is there covers everything nice Kate G.'s damage this could all charming. I've read this. So many times I got it memorized but that was her favorite book and she now is an avid reader. She did does them well all the way through school. With my son finished as a landscape Arctic. I mean the reading I've seen it in my own family my mother read to me. She read all four of us. And I just see the difference. But this one is consistent they will get a book every month that child when they go to kindergarten at the age of five is going to have a library of sixty books. How many of you all got a lab or sixty books good feel. But imagine every child in the state of Georgia have an elaborate of sixty books before they've ever been discovered. That's what this program of that's why I'm so enthusiastic about it. I M J With these three and I had a question about how do you motivate to actually read to the students. I mean it's one thing to be able to buy books to do to the parents but how do you get the parents actually reading to do their kids. I think the book arriving. Robyn make an answer is a magic the book arriving and the child getting their first book or getting a book they will meet the mailman at the mailbox that books on be that shrank reps will be torn off. They will be back at the parent the kids will make it happen. Now I'm sure they. In some instances where you've got illiteracy. We've seen key parents though him we Robin that could not read that have come out and said I need to learn to read. So it's it works both ways. So I just that's why I believe so in. Now I'm sure there's some that maybe we know this child abuse and son abuse that goes on and I'm sure in some small percentages that happens. But you know God help us. It doesn't. But all we can do is try to get that book there and I think that naturally that's just going to it's going to take off in that what you would think probably. Yeah. It's all that so important. Yeah. That bonding becomes so critical. This is sort of a follow up to that question. Have you seen instances where parents are kind of taking the cue and saying Why stop at just one book a month and sort of taking taking steps on their own to go get more books for their kids seeing the value seeing the present often We've got me empirical data of all that we certainly have it. I'm sure you know after get one child gets interested books they don't gravitate towards books and to me it was a five and I've read Golden Book I'll probably only know what Golda books were. I always envied my cousin who had a labrat Golden Books. I mean I had a number of life but hers came from her grandfather every time he came every time. Dr Ware came like a daughter a brawl a golden book and that's how she got her to lecture the Golden Books. Yep. Yes. Yes yes. Yes. And I say well that's well put. We have to speak. My name is Bill Murray cager and I serve in the ministry of seven bridges to recovery is a street out reach ministry that goes out. Under the bridges and in the streets of Atlanta. People are living under the bridges. Children under the bridges also around the bluff area of vines it is so drug neighborhood. And in Morgan County and maybe this is one reason why they were so successful with this they are the T.V.. Courts fish for kids fair. They feed two thousand meals a day. During the summer and two students. Around Morgan County. When children are hungry when their parents are hungry. That's the last thing that they're thinking about it's not in skills but when they can't find where the next meal may be or if the parents are not with them with relatives is just so much that is going on and gone under the bridges and in this actual street is just unimaginable I'm never seen in. Thinglike it. So until we can get into that said In tried to help the parents and guardians to help children. I don't know what else we can do you know how I only got knows but I do know that not making excuses because you don't need a lot of money to learn how to read to get an education you do not need a lot of money money is good. Don't get me wrong but it is is so much that we need to try to get to the root of actually under the bridges and in those drug infected areas in it the key is an immense and then some time. The parents are they don't have no where to go or where to turn. But in Martin County I was really I am press with fish for kids and they fed the two thousand a day not a week. Two thousand. Lunches and delivered those lunches. And also now on weekends they send home. Much pads for Saturday and Sunday lunches. So that's I mean there are a lot of good things affect her bloom and I were talking about the numbers and what do they indicate in. One of the a longitudinal study that had happened. And there are a lot of good things that go on and more county not only do they have they've had a very good superintendent they've got a new good superintendent a great board of education self great teachers great principals. There are a lot of good things that complement that but I think it has but what Robert says a lot of times we find the cap becomes a catalyst for a lot of the things that happen that the that it's not ours. But it just happens. I saw on the map that where you should count is it Joe are involved in and it's kind of scattered all over the state of Georgia. What's the biggest hurdles when you're trying to get this program implemented in the new new counties. Well one is you've got to have a good cap. I think we've seen the stronger cats have people that are action oriented that a very engaged lot of energy they want to make it happen. They're passionate about it. Secondly is there ability to fundraise locally. Will help them do what they can do. But I'd say that's it. There are plenty kids out there. Some can is a different one of the difficulties in Morgan County is they don't have a birthing ospital So how do you find the kids if they do it for daycare. But apparently in a way you've got birthing ospital if you. It's a natural to do it through the auxiliary of the hospitals or something. And so on as a child is born a sign your child up for a free book a month for the next five years. The other thing I took out stand a joint who is the superintendent they are written. They did do some surveys of teachers and his number was it. At one time that we get on a sixty percent arriving at kindergarten ready to larn. After the program was in effect that first class came through they saw that go up to think is over ninety percent when it Robin over ninety percent came to kids Guard ready to learn what would helmet rated alarm. Understanding concepts you don't understand how over under colors numbers. I mean the concepts of down up a lot of kids don't have that. They don't understand it's never been but they get this through rating effect going through the book she saw you. How the rider. In the way they selected it. It's it's teaching some concepts that they're going to be able to apply that knowledge when they get to kindergarten one of the most incredible periods two hundred years ago in that band of rebels they came from all sectors of work large human there were business people there were transportation folks and they got in that room at that Continental Congress and they created this country. The thing that's amazing about every one of them is they cared and thank of let me come and I hope you care to to.