Those of you who know me are aware that I’ve been a lifelong fan of LEGO. It’s one of the few things that’s held a grip on my heart from childhood—and for good reason. I think building LEGO sets is the last part of my adolescence where I can recall a distinct demarcation between being a kid and becoming a young man. Suddenly it was time to hang up playing with toys, I started dating girls, got my driver’s license, graduated high school, began working full-time, and quickly entered adulthood. Just like that—with a snap of the fingers—the innocence of playful dreaming, imagination, creativity, and the stillness of sitting in a quiet room building plastic bricks with little worry or care was gone.
As years passed, new responsibilities arose just like anyone else. Between working for a living and paying bills, my child-self often wondered what ever happened to that brick-building sanctuary. Sometimes I’d be in a retail store and accidentally walk by the toy aisle with new LEGO sets on display and find myself stopping to reflect on days past. I’d quietly pick up a box and admire it, only to place it back on the shelf and walk away.
Recently, I became aware of the Hershey Public Library hosting an event called “Bricks and Brew” where adults gathered at Tröegs to drink beer and build LEGO bricks. How cool is that? “Little Lee” ignited with fervency. I told myself I’d stop by and check it out but other adult commitments always managed to pull me away. Then I noticed on the library website that the event no longer existed. I called the library to find out that due to space limitations, Tröegs was unable to continue hosting the event until next year. To my disappointment, I thought I might find another similar group in the area, but it seemed that none existed.
Then the gears started turning… what if I started my own group? I told myself, “I’m already super busy, ain’t nobody got time for that!” But as I gave it more thought, I came to realize there is a greater need here. Our community doesn’t have a known LEGO group and there are a bunch of kids (and adults) out there right now sitting in the same quiet room that I once occupied. And what about the kids sitting in that room without any LEGO bricks? What if we made this group a charitable function with meaning and purpose? Hmmm… what if we called it Bricks for Good?
I grabbed a pen and paper and started writing down ideas. If I don’t do this, who will? I felt called to take action. I started talking to friends about it. Everyone I mentioned it to made their eyes light up with joy. And then I decided that this isn’t just a cool idea—it’s necessary.
I began pouring myself into building out concepts and formalizing the structure of how the organization would operate. I carefully hand-selected a Board of Directors from people I know and trust to champion the initiative with passion and zeal. When prompted for their participation, there was no hesitation. I was consistently met with an immediate “Yes, I’m in. Thanks for including me.”
After speaking with some attorneys, drafting bylaws, and filling out paperwork, I summarized the reason for our efforts as such:
1️⃣ donating LEGO sets to underprivileged children in need
2️⃣ promoting learning through play by hosting community workshops
3️⃣ providing merit-based scholarship funds for deserving students to attend college
I hired an agent who submitted my proposal to Pennsylvania for consideration as an incorporated non-profit organization. Within hours, I got a phone call—“Hi, I just reviewed your documents and I wanted to say that I love what you’re doing here. I think this is great.” What would’ve normally taken weeks to process was returned to me in 2 days. The State approved it.
What followed were other logistics such as setting up a tax ID, acquiring a bank account, and creating social media pages to help spread awareness. One week later, @bricksforgood has just over 30 followers on Instagram. We’ve got a lot of work to do…
I contacted the LEGO Group directly and was advised that while they have their own charity called the LEGO Foundation, their efforts are focused on serving their local communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut where their US-based home office is located. In addition, they have limited ability to support or contribute to independent organizations such as Bricks for Good outside of their region, which further implied the need for this in our own community. Depending on the response from donors, it’s possible we may be able to expand our efforts beyond central Pennsylvania in the future, but for now, we’re focusing on our kids right here at home.
I’m gratefully thanking my source and praising God for blessing me with the skills and ability to build this organization from the ground up so that I may be of service to others. But having a cool idea is one thing, the greater blessing will occur when generosity starts pouring in and directly affects our kids in need.
⭐️ Do you have some extra time on your hands and want to join us while we wrap gifts?
⭐️ Are you a business owner who can allow us to set up a toy drive donation box in your office?
⭐️ Are you a teacher and have some students in mind that would be good candidates for receiving donations?
⭐️ Do you have new LEGO sets you don’t want or need that we can provide as gifts?
⭐️ Do you have used LEGO sets or pieces that we can use for our building workshops?
If you have ideas to share or would like to get involved in some other capacity, feel free to send me an email! I’d love it if we could collaborate together: lee@bricksforgood.org
The fun thing about this venture is that I don’t have to sell anyone anything. The purpose behind my vision seems to speak for itself and LEGO is one of the most recognized brands in the world. I love telling people about what I’m trying to accomplish and seeing their excitement. I can’t wait to see how this grows! (Think: Oprah style, “You get a LEGO set! You get a LEGO set! You get a LEGO set!”). Mechanicsburg, Carlisle, Camp Hill, Enola, Harrisburg, Middletown, Lancaster, Palmyra, Hershey, York, and every neighborhood in between!
This has little to do with me and everything to do with these kids who deserve our love and attention. For our first round of donations this year, I’ve set a goal to gift 250 LEGO sets to families for Christmas. I’d like to have everything wrapped and ready to go by Thanksgiving so that Santa has time to round up his sleigh and reindeer. That means we have about 3 months to get this done. The clock starts now! Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Lee Barber
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Bricks for Good