Author Biography for
BRAD FORMSMA
It all started with a news story, a handful of bikes and an act of generosity that would spark a movement. WhenBrad Formsma heard about a family who had their bikes stolen, he decided to talk to his family and do something about it. His oldest son suggested buying bikes for them, so the Formsmas cancelled their plans to the water park, bought bikes and, not knowing exactly where the other family lived, set out to find them. After hours of searching and waiting for the family to come home, they finally were able to give them the new bikes. While the family spoke broken English, they managed to tell them, “I like Bike! I like Bike!”
This one act of generosity led to the I Like Giving movement and Formsma’s new book, I Like Giving:The Transforming Power of a Generous Life(WaterBrook Press/ February 2014). ILikeGiving.com launched in 2011 with short “I Like _____” videos featuring everyday people on mission to live generous lives. Since then the I Like Giving movement has impacted millions in over 165 countries, challenging the way people view generosity, encouraging others to give from what they have and teaching it’s better to give than receive. Through the art of story, Formsma demonstrates that even the smallest act of kindness can have the greatest of impacts, both for the giver and receiver.
In I Like Giving, Formsma walks readers through the changing impact giving has had on his life and how others can experience the same transformation. Drawing from ILikeGiving.com, stories from others and his personal experiences, he shows how the simple act of giving can change not only the world for the better but can also give those doing the giving a more joyful life.
Formsma graduated from Spring Arbor University with a bachelor’s degree in management and started a successful landscaping and construction firm, Meadow Green Landscapes. In 2007, he sold his business to work full time in the generosity space.
When not looking for new ways to live generously and inspire others to do the same, Formsma enjoys running and reading. He and his wife, Laura, live with their three children, Daniel, Drew and Gracie, in Ada, Mich. For more information, please visit
WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group
12265 Oracle Blvd., Ste 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80921