When we sat down with Congressman Dave Reichert a few days ago, the conversation wasn’t at all what we expected. As accomplished as Reichert is – now in his fourth term representing Washington State’s 8^th Congressional District – it’s been anything but an easy path to public service from his childhood growing up in Renton.  For us, it makes him the ideal candidate for one of our newest client projects.

We recently took on Summer Search as a pro bono client. If you’re not familiar with them yet, Summer Search is a remarkable organization that works with low-income students at schools all over the Seattle area. Through private funding and donor support, they provide year-round mentoring, college advising, academic tutoring, opportunities to participate in life-changing summer experiences, and a support network that lasts well beyond their graduation from the program.

To help support Summer Search's important work, we’ve created The Change Begins Project, a video series in which Summer Search students interview influential leaders about the key changing points in their lives. The goal with each interview is to reveal the spark that ignited change and growth in the life of the person they interview, and to inspire students to set high goals and strive for excellence. Congressman Reichert’s interview marks the first installment in this series, and we could not have hoped for a better debut.

Reichert understands the importance of opportunity and giving kids a chance to succeed, and he generously shared his own life-changing events with Malisha, a student who has been involved with Summer Search for over two years. (You can watch the video here.)

The sparks of change he describes in the interview are exactly what we intend to highlight through The Change Begins Project. And in case you’re wondering who is on the other end of the flint and steel, it’s organizations like Summer Search. That’s why we are volunteering our services to them, and why we recommend you take a look at the amazing work they do.

Do you know someone with a great story for this project? Email us and tell us about them. Whether it’s a CEO, athlete, coach, politician or community leader, we’d love to connect a Summer Search student with them and hear their story of change.