As the founder of Manchester Bidwell—a revolutionary center which gives the poor and underprivileged youth access to careers—Bill Strickland is a widely-recognized leader in the world of  philanthropy. He was recently invited by fellow philanthropic leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, to discuss  compassion, resiliency, and the radically transformative power of helping those who need it most. 

Bill Strickland originally met His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in 2007 while sitting on a panel discussion in Austria. A few years later, the Dalai Lama sent his emissary to Pittsburgh to tour the Bidwell Training Center, a facility Strickland founded to give back to underserved communities through career training and youth education. Following the tour, plans were discussed to create another center in India. Strickland has been seeking global partners to expand his empowerment model for at-risk-youths. 

Most recently, Strickland and met with the the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, India, a meeting that was arranged by the spiritual leader’s physician Barry Kerzin. Alongside Bill Peduto, the Mayor 

of Pittsburgh, Strickland is exploring the option of offering mindfulness training to city youth and seniors with Dr. Kerzin’s assistance.

 Kerzin also traveled to Pittsburgh to conduct a workshop with staff at Manchester Bidwell, covering issues such as self-love, managing anger, and practicing meditation. “Compassion, mindfulness, resilience—these things influence many of the systems in the body to create better health,” Kerzin explained. “They [...] help you with better physical health and, of course, they help in many ways to improve mental health.”

To learn more about Bill Strickland or other Humanitarian speakers, contact The Lavin Agency.