GIVING in Chicago

President Clinton received a warm welcome from the Windy City on September 7, as 1,000 people lined up to meet the author and former president. The line started forming outside the Border’s Books & Music on Michigan Ave. in the middle of the night – and one of the first in line had just flown in from North Dakota for the event.

The signing was infused with the spirit of giving, with many patrons discussing donating their signed books to raise money for their favorite charities. Another compelling moment occurred when a woman and her mother approached the booksigning table nearly in tears. When they met President Clinton, the young woman shared that they had just lost their father/husband to brain cancer. Mr. Clinton warmly embraced the widow and her daughter saying that ‘time will heal,’ and he wished them the best. He did not let go of the woman’s hand while talking with them. Both of the ladies left the table smiling with tears running down their faces.

The most memorable question, as also reported in the Chicago Tribune, was asked by a college student from DePaul who wanted to know if college students had a role in changing the world. It was as if this were the question President Clinton had been waiting all day to answer – he lit up and talked for two minutes about today’s world allows college students a prime opportunity to start NGOs and make change happen.

The event which was scheduled to last only 90 minutes was expanded to three hours to give everyone inside a chance to have their moment with President Clinton.

Stay tuned for more updates from the GIVING tour.