We asked ONE members for submissions to The Big Read book — a collection of stories from people around the world supporting education for everyone. Although only one member story will be published in the book, the runner-up submissions, including the one below from Mary Kenny of Brooklyn, New York, were so good that we wanted to share them with you.

You can show your support for The Big Read and help ensure a pathway out of poverty for children around the world. Endorse the book by adding your signature here.

Thanks for reading!

-Emily Stivers

A Message of Hope

By Mary Kenny
Brooklyn, NY

I work as an administrative assistant in an inner-city Brooklyn high school that is struggling to get kids to graduate. We struggle to keep them out of gangs and away from violence. Lots of them are foster kids with no adult guidance. Yet amazingly, many come ready and eager to learn, eager to share their laughter with others. These students form bonds with the adults who serve them that last a lifetime.

Their lives are tougher than most of us can imagine and recently, we had one young man from a rough neighborhood lose his battle with bone cancer. Throughout his struggle, this student was a light in this school that inspired all of us. He attended his classes daily while walking on crutches and kept a smile on his face. He knew the importance of his education. He was determined to graduate and shake off his poverty, and the other students saw this fierce determination. They all came away from this experience with the same message of hope.

As a ONE member, I know I can make a difference in the world, similar to the difference the life of this student made to his peers here, inspiring them to keep a positive attitude to overcome any obstacle. Education is the tool for creating a better life and I experience that every day at work.

Some students are immigrants with poor language skills. I worry that if they can’t graduate, what kind of a future will they have here? And, if they can’t succeed, how can society succeed?

As a mother of four boys, I know I want a better life for my sons than I had. My parents had no education and were laborers in sweatshop factories. I can remember my mother coming home from work in the summer, literally wringing the sweat out from her dress in the sink. She would encourage me to go to college and give myself the opportunities that she never had. I thank God for her words of wisdom every day.

She wanted a better life for her children, as I do for mine. All mothers around the world want that for their children, and ONE is helping give mothers a chance at that dream.

I am honored to do all I can for ONE.