Isle entrepreneur aims to reach world leaders

The question is simple: “If you had three minutes to speak to all of the world’s leaders, what would your message to them be?” And the collected answers — provided by prominent thinkers and activists as well as everyday people — will form the centerpiece of the first campaign by the Messages to Leaders program.

“Our primary goal is to feature these messages in books, and to get these books into the hands of the world’s leaders,” explains program co-founder Olin Lagon.

Lagon, who recently served two years with the Peace Corps in Russia, now works as a loan officer and business development specialist for the Hawaii Community Loan Fund. He founded the Messages to Leaders program with Michael Hannum, founder and CEO of California-based PeopleCapital Inc..

The non-profit organization is focused on promoting a more equitable, sustainable and peaceful vision of the world. Already, Messages to Leaders has specifically invited 388 recognized men and women of conscience from 32 countries to participate. Now, they are hoping to hear from everyone else.

“We are making good progress on collecting messages from well-known peace leaders,” Lagon notes. “However, we want the bulk of what we publish to come from the general population.”

Messages are now being accepted at the Messages to Leaders website.