Pencils make a mark

hole schools can be built with nothing but pencils. Thats what Pencils of Promise founder Adam Braun wants to demonstrate with the nonprofits Made With Pencils campaign. Last month Pencils of Promise, which was founded on the premise that a pencil can unlock a world full of education and promise for an underserved child, began auctioning off celeb-created pencil-drawn works on its website, with all proceeds going to build schools around the world to give children the education they crave. Artwork, including NBA star Shaquille ONeals traced hand, rapper Lil Jons handwritten lyrics and designer Jonathan Adlers owl made of pencil shavings, has already been auctioned off. And theres more to come from the likes of actors Hugh Jackman and Olivia Wilde, Mariah Carey, members of Coldplay, as well as Katie Couric and

Chelsea Clinton. Made With Pencils will soon be open to art made by the public and is just one of the ways Pencils of Promise fund-raises. The Gotham-based org has opened the online Pencil Shop to sell pencils that each serve a distinct purpose. The $25 black pencil will educate a child for one year, while the $25,000 yellow pencil will build an entire school. PoP has already built 40 schools in Asia and Latin America and is expanding into Africa next summer. On a recent visit to a PoP school in Laos, Braun says he discovered even more inspiration. The most powerful thing I saw was a young girl using a pencil whittled down to about an inch. They say a pencil holds 45,000 words, and she had clearly learned thousands. It was such a small but powerful reminder of how impactful our work really is, he says. Shelby Hill

Auctions of artworks created by celebs helps Pencils of Promise fund its school-building initiatives in Guatemala and other countries.