Brad Tewksbury, a Bay Area resident, has been a supporter of buildOn since the very beginning. When buildOn opened its Bay Area office in 2001, Brad started spreading the word about buildOn to his friends and colleagues and joined the committee to host the annual Bay Area Gala. In 2007, Brad decided to extend beyond his normal fundraising efforts and raise money to build a school in Mali, Africa. Through a successful house party and letter campaign, he reached his fundraising goal and set off for Mali in February 2008.

Brad broke ground on his school in the village of Dougounikoro and spent a week working & living amongst the villagers. He spoke to many people in the community including a woman named Sanata Diakité who told him, "For me, education means any good thing that can help a human being to develop and to enjoy a good life. For an illiterate village like ours, it means light, knowledge, success, development, and understanding." Since returning from Mali, Brad's involvement has reached a new level and he can often be seen bringing new people to Bay Area buildOn events and volunteering alongside our students at service projects.