Ambitious, kind-hearted, and humble are just a few of the many positive words used to describe Erik Williams.
Williams is the director of the non-profit organization Living Our Real Dreams.
Living Our Real Dreams was founded by Williams in 2001.
For Williams the best thing about the holiday season is giving back to others.
Living Our Real Dreams has teamed up with Pierce’s Associated Student Organization for their annual toy and book drive.
Living Our Real Dreams doesn’t just collect toys and books either, said Williams, “we not only give toys, but we actually go in the hospitals and read books to the children.”
Williams’s involvement in the ASO goes back to 2004, when he was the student body president of Pierce.
Giving to those in need is what Williams has been doing for the past 6 years.
Said Williams, “I wanted to do stuff in the community and I chose to do the toy and book drive.”
His inspiration for his charitable work is something he refers to as both an “accident and blessing.”
In 1997 Williams was involved in a car accident in Salt Lake City, UT. that would change his life forever.
He sustained injuries from the accident that left him with a broken neck and paralyzed from the chest down.
“I was in the hospital for like, a year, after I broke my neck, and they put me in the Pediatrics unit. I don’t know why because I was 26 years old,” said Williams.
He continued, “being there showed me that the kids there had a lot of strength, they were going through some hard issues. Me, being 26, I got to live life pretty much able-bodied.”
Right then and there is when he realized he wanted to give back and help others in need.
To continue his recovery Williams flew out to Los Angeles and entered the Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center.
It was in Los Angeles that Williams decided to continue his education and chose to enroll at Pierce.
During his time at Pierce, Williams became a member of the ASO and he eventually got his degree in Business.
Now, at 39 and the father of two girls, Williams has created a respectable charity and a television show called, “The Beautiful World.”
He sites his daughters as a major influence for wanting to create such a show.
Said Williams, “I wanted to create a show to educate my daughters. The show focuses on character education.”
Williams is currently in the process of finding a production company to pick up “The Beautiful World.”
In addition to his television show, Williams is training four days a week for the hand cycling marathon that he is going to participate in, come Sept. 11, 2010.
Titled, “Project Love”, this is yet another charitable event that Williams is behind.
Said Williams, “I’m going to hand cycle across America 3,000 miles. We are going to raise money for children who lost their parents in the war. Also, we are raising money for 2 scholarships.”
Williams has already accomplished so much this far in his life and he knows the importance of not taking anything for granted.
Said Williams, “I’m just living my life, because God gave me a second chance.”
And it seems that Williams is, in fact, living his real dream.
To make a donation to any one of Williams’s charities, visit his site at livingourrealdreams.com