If someone asked you to give away half of all your possessions, what would you do? Most of us would conjure up every excuse or justification as to why we needed or deserved all of our stuff. Right?  Well living with “half” was the best decision the Salwen family ever made.

Three years ago, a fourteen-year-old Hannah Salwen, overwhelmed by the growing disparity between the world’s have and have-nots, challenged her family to “make a difference- even if it’s a small difference.”

In response, Hannah’s mother decided to sell their 6,500-square-foot Ansley Park mansion, move into a house half the size, and donate the $800,000 in profit.  The Salwen family is no stranger to community service. Father Kevin Salwen is on the development board for Habitat for Humanity. Mother Joan has worked with organizations serving seniors and as a mentor with Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Hannah started volunteering in the 5th grade, working at Cafe 458, and younger brother, Joseph began working at the Atlanta Food Bank when he was just eight-years-old.

But the family wanted to move beyond Atlanta with their good will. After six months of Sunday morning roundtables, the Salwens decided to partner with the Hunger Project, a U.S.-based nonprofit that works with villagers in Africa, Asia, and South America to develop self-reliance.

The Salwens’ funds were used to build two epicenters -- each containing a meeting place, a bank for microloans, a food-storage facility, and a health clinic, serving more than 20 villages in eastern Ghana. Lately, the Salwens have received tons of national press over their family’s great concession.

But if you ask Kevin about the family’s sacrifice he will merely smile and say, “Sacrifice? What sacrifice?”  The way Kevin sees it, deciding to live with half was simply a choice to trade one set of riches for another. The family has never been so close and Kevin has never been prouder.

On February 3, Kevin and Hannah’s book, The Power of Half: One family’s decision to stop talking and start giving back, hits the shelves. Join the family at 7 p.m. in the Buckhead Barnes & Noble to celebrate the release.