A CAN DO Family

Quoted from the Mill Valley Herald:

There are lots of family businesses, but Mill Valley residents Robert and Deborah Luster, and their three kids, have gone into the business of being a family.

With their new "Can Do" book series and Web site, the Lusters, with themselves as Exhibit A, are promoting their philosophy of the successful family life. The main tenet and mantra of a happy home - and the title of the Lusters' first in a projected series of books - is profound in its simplicity: "I Can Do Anything!"

On Nov. 18 all five Lusters will be among the featured authors at the Edna Maguire School Book Fair, appearing from 6 to 8 p.m. for a book signing. On Monday, Nov. 15, the first day of the event, Deborah and her two daughters will read their book to lower-school classes.

The Lusters are accustomed to taking on challenges. Both spouses are successful entrepreneurs. Deborah, a woman of infectious effervescence, grew up in the Oakland hills and majored in business economics at UC Santa Barbara. After college, and a false start or two, she went into banking, moved to Marin, and by the mid-'80s was a finance-company branch manager in Napa. A few years later she switched careers to become operational president of a start-up venture called Annie's Homegrown. Annie's, a progressive company that made all-natural pasta products, became a winner, and today produces the second-best-selling macaroni-and-cheese mixes in the world (behind Kraft).

In the course of writing the fledgling enterprise's business plan and seeking investors, Deborah sounded out representatives of other philanthropically inclined companies. Particularly helpful to her with their suggestions and insights were actor Paul Newman's daughter Nell, who runs Newman's Own Organics, and Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.

Deborah met her husband in 1993 at a businesses-for-social-responsibility symposium, and they were married in '95.

Robert Luster was raised in San Francisco and studied engineering at West Point. He is the CEO of Luster National Inc., which provides management, planning and consulting services to local and federal government agencies and private-sector organizations. His company played a major role in the recent San Francisco Airport expansion. Working under an eight-year, $34 million contract, Luster fielded a team that provided administrative construction management services on the airport's $2.4 billion Master Plan program.

In 1994 Robert established the Luster Fund, a nonprofit that assists in creating partnerships between businesses, community-based organizations and educational institutions for the purpose of stimulating the economy of communities and providing opportunities for the creation of personal wealth in low- and moderate-income communities.

For two people to have each achieved at such a high level is certainly rare and gratifying, but Deborah cites George Lucas, who once told her over breakfast at the Dipsea Café that it was his kids, not "Star Wars" or his movie empire, that he considered his ultimate achievement and greatest happiness.

The Lusters' writing career was launched in 2003 with "The Little Black Book for Guys," which dealt with the male-female communication gap, and how to bridge it. With that under their belt, they turned their attention to families coping with life in the 21st century. Deborah, with ample input from Robert and the kids, handles the actual writing. She sees the family's new project as living proof that their "Can Do" concept works: "The best we can do," says Deborah, "is taking an idea and saying we can do this - and then doing it."

The Lusters feel that families suffer when there is too much negativity and self-doubt. They have designed a logo: the word "can't" in a red circle and diagonal bisecting line - the international symbol for "no" or "not allowed." The company motto is, "It's not about age; it's about attitude." "That means," says Deborah, "that you and I are Can Do Kids too.

"We want kids to have 'positive exposure.' We want the first words kids read to be 'I can.' We feel affirmations like 'I Can Do Anything!' really work for kids, and help in getting them to stop saying 'I can't' all the time."

The book and the Web site feature examples of Can Do Kids, a rainbow coalition of boys and girls, ages 4-8, each with a personal "brief" - a short list of things like age, accomplishments, pets and food preferences. The kids have names like Linda Gonzalez; Dominick DeLucca; Keisha Williams, who made a calendar to raise money for sick kids; Virginia Kamoto, who organized her school's Earth Day project. Curiously, Can Do siblings John, Sarah and Emily's last name is never mentioned (though on further inspection, this is because their parents seem to be Robert and Deborah Luster!). There are occasional hints of family upheavals: Samantha Kudrow has a stepfather. But the net effect is bright and optimistic. These are real kids who are feeling the glow that striving brings.

This might be the dawning of the "Can Do" age. The Luster family's follow-up tome is "I Am Perfect Just the Way I Am," which will help kids deal with their imperfections. And Robert's 83-year-old mother, a remarkable woman who was a "Rosie the Riveter" during World War II and married Robert's father, an African-American man, in the 1940s, has written a book called "Fiesta Parade" for the series.

"We have products we're working on now," says Deborah, "like Can Do Kid nutrition bars, cereals, snacks, temporary tattoos, magnets and a clothing line. We want to do older kids and Can Do teens too. We want to create a culture out of this."

"In many ways, gardens symbolize creativity, achievement and the power of a positive attitude. We believe the Harvest Festival is the perfect setting to encourage children of all ages to explore, create and invent their way into achieving their goals and dreams. For children, and adults, 80% of achievement is attitude and "I can" are the two most powerful words in their vocabulary," says Luster.

Readers of all ages will identify with the Can Do Kid. The illustrated book depicts can do kids of all ages, colors and sizes. Their personal stories are as familiar, and yet unique, as those of all American families.

But inspiring kids of all ages to live by the Can Do credo is the heart of the message that will be spread through the launch of Can Do Kids products and projects. Many of the products will be available for sale at the Festival. For more information on Can Do Kid books, products and ideas for teachers, kids and parents, please visit the Can Do Kid website.

CAN DO KID - Its not about age, its about attitude

^ to top