W&L Alum Did Something
When the devastating tornado tore apart his hometown of Joplin, Mo. in May, Washington and Lee alumnus Brent Beshore, of the Class of 2005, felt helpless. He was miles away in Columbia, Mo., but he wanted to do something.
And he did.
Brent created a Facebook page, Joplin, MO Tornado Recovery, that was designed, in part, to raise funds for the Heart of Missouri United Way. That page attracted 170,000 fans and helped raise $1.7 million, which, Brent told the Columbia Daily Tribune, all goes to Joplin with no overhead or fees removed.
Now Brent’s decision to do something has been recognized by DoSomething.org, a website that offers a variety of causes that people can join. The Joplin Facebook page is one of five such efforts that have been nominated for the 2011 Do Something Facebook award. He’s already received a $10,000 grant but voting is currently underway on the Do Something Awards page. The contest is sponsored by VH1, and the grand prize winner will receive a $100,000 prize, to be presented at a ceremony on Aug. 18 on VH1.
Brent’s business, AdVentures, provides equity investments, marketing resources, strategic planning, and operations management for communications companies. According to the AdVentures website, it has founded seven companies, acquired two and exited from two since 2007.
Remember to vote for Brent’s Joplin Facebook page in the Do Something Awards.
If you know any W&L alumni who would be great profile subjects, tell us about them! Nominate them for a web profile.
