AUTHOR | Noble humanitarian

A guy who’s climbed mountains literally and figuratively to improve the world, and on top of that carries unbelievably interesting tales about how he got there and what he’s gone through, is humanitarian and New York Times bestselling author Greg Mortenson. He speaks at Sangamon Auditorium March 3. Don’t miss it -- one such story involves being kidnapped by the Taliban. Also, learn about his nonprofit Central Asia Institute that strives to “promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.” Mortenson co-founded the group and founded its learning program for schoolchildren, Pennies for Peace. In coordination, they have established hundreds of schools in those two countries. If you can’t trek the few miles to UIS (and you’ll be missing something important if you don’t or can’t), some of the details are carved out in Mortenson’s books, Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books Not Bombs, In Pakistan and Afghanistan.