The Story Behind My Tree

The story of My Tree began more than twenty years ago.

I originally wrote the book while I was in college, nearly 24 years ago. At the time it was simply a creative project—a fun story built around rhyme, repetition, and playful illustrations meant to help young readers enjoy learning to read.

A classmate, Joe Foland, illustrated the book, and even back then I loved the way the artwork brought the story to life. The images felt simple, genuine, and full of character.

After college, the book went into storage.

Over the years it resurfaced from time to time. Christine and I would talk about it occasionally and wonder if I should try to publish it someday. But for a long time I never had the courage to actually take that step.

Eventually, I decided that if the book was ever going to be shared, I wanted it to be shared exactly as it was created. I didn’t want to change the illustrations or replace the work of the friend who helped bring the story to life. Publishing companies often want new artwork or major changes, and I felt strongly that the original illustrations deserved to be seen and credited.

So I chose to self-publish the book.

That decision finally happened because of Christine. She continued encouraging me to take the step and put the story out into the world.

But something else happened along the way that changed the direction of the project.

I began hearing wealthy public figures talk about important missions they cared about—missions they said could only move forward if enough people donated money. What struck me was that many of these individuals already had the resources to fully fund those missions themselves and still have more than enough left.

That raised a question in my mind:

How much is enough?

That question eventually became the foundation for My Tree Your Impact.

Instead of simply selling a book, Christine and I decided to create a model where the more the book grows, the more is given away. Together we developed a progressive giving model where the percentage of profits donated increases as book sales increase—eventually reaching a point where 100% of profits go to organizations fighting child trafficking and exploitation.

What began as a small college project eventually became something much bigger than a book.

My Tree is the story.

Your Impact is the mission.