One Tree Hill star, Sophia Bush, has deep feelings far beyond those for former on-screen beau Julian Baker. The actress got teary eyed on a recent HuffPost Live interview about her work with Pencils of Promise, a nonprofit that builds schools in needy areas worldwide.
“Children in the developing world are generally treated like nothing. Nobody cares. We are changing that,” Bush said, tearing up around the 3-minute mark.
She has traveled with the organization to vet future school builds, including one on her birthday in Guatemala, she said.
Pencils of Promise has surpassed its initial goal. “We plan to raise $1,000,000 to build and sponsor 40 new schools in the developing world,” PoP founder and Huffington Post blogger, Adam Braun wrote in a blog post last year. To date the organization has built 70 schools, has 33 in the works, and has partnered with other organizations like Warby Parker to extend their reach.
“We are looking at children and saying your life matters, your purpose matters, your heart matters and you having a life that you dream about is not impossible, and that to me, is worth laying down dying for,“ Bush said. “I have that connection with PoP and I have not found that anywhere else.”