Something to 'belieb' in - Greenwich

At the time singer hair shaggy Justin bieber became a sensation in the pop, Greenwich native Adam Braun was leaving his consulting work bargain to build a non-profit of his apartment in New York.

Two of their careers have seen a similar increase.

Now Braun, whose brother more Scott "Scooter" Braun helped launch Bieber to worldwide stardom after discovering it on YouTube, it has built nearly 40 schools in the developing countries in the world through his organization, pencils for promise. Expected, with the help of Bieber, to generate more than one dozen, and at the same time make some adolescent dreams reality.

In a great campaign which ends Thursday at midnight, Braun is asking individuals or groups to collect donations, with the higher winning fundraiser Bieber visits the school.

Braun - who said that the pop star is like a little brother, escape Bieber mania at Greenwich House parents and even taking vacation with your family - said Bieber is genuinely committed to the success of the organization.

"Justin is one of the most talented and special have met in my life", said Braun, 27, graduated from Greenwich high school in 2002. "What many people don't realize is that it is not part of pencils for promise because he is a celebrity." "He is part of pencils for promise because it believed in the creation of good."

The story behind the creation of the Organization of Braun-centered education is almost as legendary as Bieber rise to fame through YouTube and likewise owes much to the power of the Web.

When Braun was a junior at Brown University, he traveled around the world. Braun said he had the habit of asking children knew what they wanted most in the world. Expected children to say they wanted a Xbox or iPhone and was surprised when a child in the India responded that he wanted simply to "a pen".

Braun, who said their parents always talked about the value of education, decided that he wanted to find a way to give back. He opened an account at the branch of the Bank of America at the Greenwich Avenue with $25, created a Facebook page and began fundraising parties.

Braun took a leave of absence from nine months of its work at consulting firm Bain & Company to open its first school, a pre-school in Pha Theung, Laos. Shortly thereafter, resigned from his job to concentrate fully on the non-profit. Its goal is to build 100 schools by 2012.

Pencils for promise has staff working in Laos, Nicaragua and Guatemala, and Braun said that the roots of your organization are actually communities there.

Although it is headquartered in New York, pencils for promise also has some other links of Greenwich. Brad Haugen, who graduated from Sam in 2000, is director of the marketing organization, and Tom casazzone, which he graduated in 1999, he is the director of legal and finance.

Haugen, who quit his job in the BBH advertising agency in April, said he was attracted to the Organization's mission and the enthusiasm of Braun.

"The beauty of it is started with a great heart," said Haugen, who was a friend of Braun while they are growing up, playing basketball, and I found out about the NGOs through Facebook. "From Greenwich ¦ education is something that many people take for granted".

While providing the opportunity to learn about Bieber is an incentive for great fundraising, Haugen said young people had expressed their desire to help even before the campaign.

"What we want to be is the next generation of nonprofit", said Haugen. "Realistically, my feeling is that children are looking for something believe in, and try to give them and Justin is the way to open the door."

Even before he became a celebrity, Bieber was one of the first people to get involved with pencils for promise, said Braun. When Braun told Bieber coming out of his work on time complete to work in the Organization, Bieber told was the correct movement.

"Said," I'd love to be able to do that one day ' ", recalled Braun."

He was a recent holiday familiar to Africa that Braun and Bieber had the idea for the contest of schools all 4. That, of course, publish a YouTube video to promote it and Twitter has also played a role.

The campaign has already raised more than $200,000, Braun said that he could build 11 schools.

While approaching the date limit, Braun said that he should not get involved in www.schools4all.org. The current leader has raised far more than $20,800.

Bieber was discovered recently in the garden of Catering in sound Beach Avenue, holding a "special high school" with the Braun family. Perhaps the next Bieber sighting will be at a school in Greenwich.

-Staff writer Lisa chamoff can be reached at lisa.chamoff@scni.com or 203-625-4439.

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