Lessons From the Least of These: The Woodson Principles

Robert L. Woodson Sr.

Dec 2020 · Bombardier Books

About this ebook

This book is about "the least among us," and the extraordinary power of grassroots leaders who are transforming the lives of forgotten men and women in the most toxic neighborhoods. The strategies they applied in healing the most desperate communities also hold the key to healing our divided and empty nation today. From the lessons he has learned from witnessing the work of committed neighborhood leaders, Robert Woodson has gleaned ten fundamental principles that should be applied to uplift not only those who are at the bottom rung of society, but also people of means who experience the emptiness of life without meaning and purpose. Bob walks the reader through his discovery of each of these life-changing precepts and, along the way, we discover how each of us can experience new value in our lives and be empowered to contribute to our world.

In reading, you will understand what it takes to overcome adversity and transform people from the inside out. You will feel inspired to adopt these longstanding, proven values that have generated astonishing long-term results in reshaping lives and homes. Equipped with the information, you will discover a whole new way of approaching revitalization of the world you serve as well as your own life.

God does not choose the capable; He chooses the called and then makes them capable.

About the author

With trailblazing strategies gleaned from firsthand experience and a keen perception of what approaches are effective and why, Robert L. "Bob" Woodson has devoted his career to helping low-income people transcend their impoverished conditions and the obstacles that they confront. His life journey included a period as a social worker, service with the Urban League, and research with the American Enterprise Institute. With a desire to move beyond theory to action, in 1981, he created the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise (now the Woodson Center), a grassroots research and demonstration program that emphasizes the importance of empowerment and self-management as effective approaches for ending poverty. Throughout nearly forty years, he has brought recognition and support to more than 2,500 grassroots community-based programs across the nation that have transformed lives and neighborhoods with meager budgets, but with massive resolve and commitment.

For his innovative approach, Woodson was awarded a prestigious "Genius Grant" from the MacArthur Foundation in 1990. He has written extensively on issues of poverty and empowerment and his works include The Triumphs of Joseph: How Today's Community Healers are Reviving Our Streets and Neighborhoods. Woodson and his wife, Ellen, live in Silver Spring, Maryland. They have three children.