MINNESOTA, ILLINOIS, NEW YORK, NEW HAMPSHIRE  In late April 2005, Greg spoke about service and diversity with students at College of St. Catherine (Minnesota), followed by a book signing with The First Thirty.  That evening, he spoke to a group of student leaders and athletes about teamwork, leadership and perseverance.  The next day, he traveled to Illinois, then one day later, he headed to New York en route to New Hampshire.

That evening, he keynoted the Opening Night of KUA's Global Fair, attended by their student body and staff, followed by a book signing. The next morning, Greg did an interview with the paper there over breakfast, then took part in a workshop on media, labels and stereotypes for about 40 students. Then, Greg headed to NY en route back to Chicago.

As usual, Greg's trips were marked by a few memorable moments:   The woman who drove the shuttle to get Greg back to the airport in MN got a book right there on the spot. Another passenger (an attorney) bought a copy of the book as they were leaving the airport.  On the flight from IL to NY, a passenger (a mother of two from Arkansas) bought copies for both of her daughters.

The campus in NH was so beautiful that Greg, who was wearing a suit and tie, literally took off his dress shoes and socks and starting walking around barefoot. When Greg returned to NY after the event -- he caught a ride to the plane, and of all the shuttles in NY, it turned to be one driven by the exact same driver (Keith) whose shuttle Greg got on when he was in NY 24 hours earlier.

On three separate occasions, Greg spotted a bookstore (twice in MN, once in NH), walked in unannounced and within 10 minutes, the store had ordered as many as 15 copies of the books to stock on its shelves :)

And then, on the flight home from NY to IL, four passengers (one from Ecuador, one from Iowa and two from NY) and a flight attendant got copies right there on the spot.  One of the people on the plane who bought the book liked it so much that she sent Greg a bottle of wine! Here's some photos from the trip and feedback from the speeches:

"In my first year of high school, I must say -- wait no, in my whole life -- Greg is probably the best speaker that I have had the pleasure of hearing." - Maddy, High school student (NH) "...I was wondering, if things work out, if Greg would like to speak at Graduation next year.  I know I speak for all juniors when I say that it would be an honor to have him speak to us [again].  I thank him so much for inspiring us all." - Dylan, High school student (NH)

"I just wanted to say I was really moved by Greg's speech. He made me think about a lot of things I have never really thought about before. I  believe he has opened a door for me. He is probably the most hard-working, not-so-smart person I have ever met. The whole thing with going outside your comfort zone really inspired me to try new things and meet new people..." - Megan, High school student (NH)

"Shortly before the event, I noticed Greg, in a suit and tie, walking around barefoot.  and I thought, oh boy, this is going to be an interesting night.  And you know what?  It was -- and then some."  - No name given (NH) ** "I attended both Greg's speech on Thursday night and his workshop on Friday. I thought both were so interesting and i got a lot from each of them...I really learned a lot about stereotyping and how all over the world [the concept of a] privilege is different to different people...I think that Greg influenced a lot of other students besides me here."  - Maddy (Madison), High school student (NH)

"I want to thank Greg for being so wonderful. It was a pleasure working with him and I wish him the best...[the only problem was that] the minute he left, I realized I had forgotten to ask him to sign my book!!!" - Babina, Student Coordinator of the event, College St. Catherine (MN) ** "Excellent speech...Keep inspiring and being inspired." -Kevin, High school instructor  (NH)

"I want to thank Greg because while listening to him, he reminded me of a person who has helped me so much and would speak to me for so long about doing the little things and about making right decissions. I havent spoken to that person for so long....I wrote him an email saying I was sorry for losing connection with him and I just wanted to say hi and make sure he was ok .... he was really thrilled about that. I thank Greg for reminding me of him and [reminding me that] connection is important .. p.s. The book is really good." - Ivy, High school student (NH) "I really loved the speech that Greg gave yesterday..." - Kitty, High school student (NH)

"I really just want to stress to Greg that he should continue to give speeches.  I think he's a VERY intelligent person and can do even more for communities, making the scale larger and larger as he progresses.  The world needs people like him and the world--maybe even the United Nations, needs his input and ideas." - Quinby, High school student (NH)

"I will try to contact [another school where I know people] and tell them about Greg...I really think his speech would change a lot of people there..." - William, High school student (NH)

"I thank Greg so much for being such a great speaker.  I really felt that he inspired many people last night, as well as me....I can't wait to read the book, I bought it last night along with the workbook...One of the really valuable things in life is the chance to get to go to college, so I  am glad that I will get to do that someday." -- Eliza, High school student (NH) ** "...absolutely amazing. Greg's inspired me so much to get out in the world and try and make a difference..." -- Colby, High school student (NH)

"I really enjoyed Greg's speech. It was truly inspirational. It has taught me that it is really the little things that matter to make a difference in people's lives.   For the longest time, I have been thinking of how I can actually make a difference and now I know that whatever I do, I just have to start small...I thank him for helping me to realize that!!...Now, for the past few days I have been thinking about the speech, and...how I could get involved in community service projects or just ways that I can make a difference. Also, I am now hoping to sign up for the Public Speaking class next year." -Liana, High school student (NH)

"What an amazing story!...I have a classmate who went to Harvard Business School with me, who works [in the public school system].  What a perfect story for her and her peers!" - Marla, business executive who read The First Thirty cover-to-cover during the flight from NY to IL

"The event was good. What struck me most was, after the event, that line for the book signing went all the way up the aisle and into the hallway." - No name given (NH) "I enjoyed Greg's talk last night.  To capture the attention of my 9 year old son for an hour in an impressive feat!  Greg was able to peak my son's interest in additional speakers [who would be speaking later on during the festivities]..." - Joe, high school administrator (NH)

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