Alumnus’ ‘Because I Said I Would’ aims to change the world through promises made, kept

Alex Sheen, founder of “Because I Said I Would,” is all smiles as he poses with Rufus at an Ohio University basketball game.

As we enter the time of year when many contemplate New Year’s resolutions, Ohio University alumnus Alex Sheen, BBA ’08, is advancing a resolution he made six years ago in a moment of grief that has sparked a social movement and impacted countless lives around the world.

Sheen is the founder of “Because I Said I Would,” an international social movement and nonprofit that bears the name of the eulogy Sheen delivered at his father’s funeral in September 2012. The eulogy paid tribute to his father, Al Sheen, as a man of his word who always kept his promises.

Seizing on that theme, Sheen distributed “promise cards” to those at the funeral, encouraging each cardholder to write down a promise and then give that card to someone else, perhaps the person to whom the promise was being made. That person would then return the card to the promise-maker once the promise had been fulfilled.

“Keeping promises just seems like something we should do, but it actually has a very strong rippling effect,” Sheen said.

Alex Sheen, founder of “Because I Said I Would,” is pictured with his father at Ohio University’s 2008 Commencement ceremony.

Following his father’s funeral, Sheen went online, offering promise cards to anyone who wanted them. So began that “rippling effect.”

Six years later, “Because I Said I Would” is fulfilling its mission to better humanity though promises made and kept, distributing more than 10.3 million promise cards—by request only and at no cost—to individuals in 153 countries.

The organization has given birth to a movement, inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds to make and keep promises that have bettered themselves, those they love and their communities and launching Sheen and his vision into the national and international spotlight. A four-time TEDx speaker, Sheen has been featured on media outlets that include “The Today Show,” CNN and BuzzFeed. His speaking engagements, the fees from which go entirely to the charity, have been attended by nearly 390,000 people, including members of the OHIO and Athens communities who heard Sheen deliver the keynote address during Ohio University’s 2016 International Week.

“Sometimes people like the phrase ‘Because I Said I Would’ because it’s straightforward,” Sheen said, “but if it was so simple, then everyone would do it. Keeping promises is difficult; it comes with a certain skillset that needs to be developed.”

In an effort to advance the organization’s mission, Sheen and his colleagues have started chapter programs in schools and prisons, focusing on character education and personal development workshops designed to teach the skills needed to keep promises. More than 155,000 K-12 students have attended “Because I Said I Would” character education programs.

“It’s ironic that the title is ‘Because I Said I Would’ and it focuses on what you say,” Sheen said. “What you say doesn’t matter; it’s what you do.”

The movement has inspired thousands to share their stories of their promises made and kept and their intentions turned into action.

In January, “Because I Said I Would” will launch its first podcast series, hosted and narrated by Sheen, and release its first book, sharing some of those real-life stories of promises made, kept and even broken.

“These stories, they come with these different life lessons about ways to keep promises, what to do when people break promises with you…,” Sheen said. “My hope is that this book can not only hopefully be something people can get a strong takeaway from, but also can be a centerpiece for character education and leadership development initiatives through schools and other organizations.”

Sheen credits many of his professional accomplishments to Ohio University, the College of Business and the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs, a student organization he participated in as an OHIO undergraduate.

“The skillset that I learned in the College of Business absolutely was essential, mandatory for the success of ‘Because I said I Would,’” Sheen said. “It taught me the skills that I needed to understand how to write a budget and how to market and how to manage people.”

Sheen also noted the skills he acquired playing eight seasons on OHIO’s lacrosse team.

“I felt that I had a level of commitment to that as well that taught me what it meant to be a team member,” he said.

The lasting impact of OHIO and his father have followed Sheen throughout his life, providing him encouragement during every speech made, every interaction with “Because I Said I Would” supporters, and every promise made and kept.

“(Keeping promises) is not really an original concept,” Sheen said of his cause. “It’s really that it was just something that people care about.”