Hey Trader,

I’ll be out with my normal VIX write up tomorrow along with a Video,  but today,  on Giving Tuesday I want to tell you a story.

As you may or may not know I am heavily involved with a charity called the Greenwood Project.

I became inspired to get involved because of a specific individual I met.

For a year, I came in and out of my office at 190 S LaSalle and was impressed by how good the security guard was.

On top of doing his job in security,  he was welcoming,  bright,  friendly,  and interesting to talk to.  While being a security guard is a great job,  I kept thinking to myself…

‘This guy is so smart and friendly …why isn’t he in sales or in management somewhere?’

Rather than just keep thinking to myself about this question,  I decided to find the answer.  So I took him to lunch.

Long story short,  growing up on the south side of Chicago he had never had any guidance on how to get into the business community and did not have the connection to anyone that worked in the financial district or business community in Chicago…this despite spending his whole life there.

It was then I realized how valuable my upbringing was.  I was raised USED to understanding the business world.  And because all of my high school and college friends had a similar upbringing…I had connections.

While I believe talent separates us in the end,   having a basic structure around me was a huge advantage…it was about who I knew not what i knew.

It was then that I decided to get involved…rather than just ignore the problem.  I began asking if there were any organizations that introduced young people from the south and west sides of Chicago to the business community…

That is how I found the greenwood project….

The Greenwood Project finds smart,  motivated college students that don’t have connections to the business community.

We go to the schools they attend to recruit,  colleges that do not get recruited by Wall Street firms.

We train them to work in the business community…then we provide them with contacts and connections to get paid internships in industries that are likely to not recruit at their colleges.

Here at Option Pit we have had Greenwood Interns for the last 6 years. They are consistently the best interns that I have working for me.  My interns have gone on to get jobs at JP Morgan,  Accenture,  Lockhead Martin,  to name a few.

Seeing smart intelligent young people from underprivileged backgrounds get a great paying job out of college that will lead to a career is so rewarding.  I maintain relationships with many of my former interns and love the relationships that we develop.

Today on givingTuesday,  we have a group of individuals that are matching donations.  If you have any interest in helping out,  please join me in supporting this great organization.

Your Only Option,

Mark Sebastian