Courtesy of www.robertegger.orgOprah Winfrey calls him one of the 50 real sexiest men alive, and no, he’s not Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt or George Clooney.
The man is Robert Egger, twice named to the list of 50 most powerful and influential leaders by the NonProfit Times, who is well known for his philanthropic work and speaking skills.
“He’s just so incredibly down to earth and he really appeals to our generation,” said junior Tiffany Chung, co-president of Feed St. Louis.
Egger will visit Washington University on Feb. 13 to participate in various activities sponsored by Feed St. Louis, the Alliance of Students Against Poverty (ASAP) and the Social Justice Center.
From 12 to 1:30 p.m., he is scheduled to host a brown bag lunch and discussion in the Greek Life Office where anyone can stop by to ask a question.
Egger will sign books at 4:30 p.m. in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge, followed by an hour-long lecture entitled “Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation: How to Use Love to Change the World,” which is scheduled for 5 p.m. in the Formal Lounge.
“Students should come to this event because we keep hearing about helping people,” said sophomore David Weisshaar, chair of ASAP. “Desire is great but desire is empty without means of implementing it.”
Junior Jodi Smith, a member of ASAP, said she heard Egger speak last summer and was so inspired by his message that she suggested that her group bring Egger to campus.
“He has this way of connecting with students,” said Smith. “I think he really exudes a sense of excitement about change. He’ll talk about how we can use our dreams, aspirations and our goals to affect real change in our home community.”
Chung said she has heard him speak before.
“He tries to look for real solutions to the problems and not put a Band-Aid over them,” said Chung.
According to Chung, Egger was a nightclub owner who had participated in charity work but felt that he wasn’t doing enough. He left his club life behind and founded the D.C. Central Kitchen, which collects over one ton of surplus food every day to make 4,000 meals for homeless people in the Washington, D.C. area.
Egger has met many influential people and even took the leftover food from President George H.W. Bush’s inaugural dinner for the D.C. Central Kitchen, according to Chung.
D.C. Central Kitchen is not a soup kitchen since it employs homeless people and teaches them valuable skills that they can take into the labor force.
According to the Kitchen’s Web site, “Since opening in 1989, the Kitchen has distributed 17.4 million meals and helped over 605 men and women gain full-time employment.”
“He’s one of those people who can show you how one person can make a difference,” said freshman Karin Underwood, a member of Feed St. Louis, who helped plan the event.
The groups said they hope that students who come to any of the events come away feeling inspired to make a difference on campus.
“It’s person to person and taking that to an organizational level,” said Smith. “We can really make a difference in the world.”