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May 2004 Marines Use Frisbees As Icebreakers
In the first two weeks of January, Jim Hake of Pacific Palisades, Calif., bought two tons of Frisbees with the word "friendship" emblazoned on them in English and Arabic. He is the founder of Spirit of America, an Internet-based nonprofit that provides U.S. military and civilian personnel with items they can give to aid peace and friendship in hot spots abroad. Hake, MBA '83, was inspired by an Army Special Forces unit that made friends with villagers in a remote area of Afghanistan after giving baseball gloves and bats to local children. When Hake met with Marines at Camp Pendleton last year, they suggested Frisbees were an ideal gift to use on their tours of duty in Iraq. "When you first throw a Frisbee, it can go anywhere, which also generates a few smiles and enables the Marines to have the kind of interaction that builds trust," said Hake, who also has raised funds for dental supplies, soccer jerseys, and musical instruments for Kurdish villages in Northern Iraq where music had been outlawed. Spirit of America's infrastructure is financed by Hake from funds from the sale of Global Information Infrastructure, a business that produced Internet content for businesses in the Internet's early days. Using the Internet now, Hake matches requests that come mostly from military personnel with Americans willing to donate cash or supplies. GSB alums should have no trouble believing Hake can build a lasting organization: He is the founder of Friends of Arjay Miller (FOAM for short and possibly also for beer), one of the longest-lived student clubs at the School. |
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