The Give Blog

Nestle's Chairman Takes Stand Against Company Philanthropy

Bloomberg Businessweek--Nestle Chairman Opposes Company Philanthropy as Misuse of Funds By Tom Mulier and Judith Bogner

Nestle SA Chairman Peter Brabeck- Letmathe said he opposes corporate philanthropy because it misuses shareholders’ money and said government, business and civic groups should team up to tackle society’s problems. “I’m personally very much against corporate philanthropy,” Brabeck said in a television interview in London. “You shouldn’t do good with money which doesn’t belong to you. What you do with your own money, this is absolutely fine.”  Read the entire story.

 

Record Number on Food Stamps

Reuters--Food-stamp tally nears 40 million, sets record

Nearly 40 million Americans received food stamps -- the latest in an ever-higher string of record enrollment that dates from December 2008 and the U.S. recession, according to a government update. Food stamps are the primary federal anti-hunger program, helping poor people buy food. Enrollment is highest during times of economic distress. The jobless rate was 9.9 percent, the government said on Friday.  Read the entire story.

 

Philanthropy in Film: After the Wedding and Please Give

Filmwell-- Philanthropy Philms: After The Wedding, Please Give  By Ron Reed

. . . If you haven’t seen Wedding, you ought to. Screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen seems to be Denmark’s most prolific: he’s got Dogme credits, and his outrageous Adam’s Apples (”Adams æbler” 2005) is an all-time favourite. A frequent collaborator with director Susanne Bier and actor Mads Mikkelsen, both of whose work on the picture in question is marvellous. All of which is a long way of getting to the point of this post. The essential concern of After The Wedding – or at least its point of departure – was philanthropy. (How many charity flicks can you name? It’s something I think about a great deal, but it doesn’t show up in a lot of fiction. Odd. I guess people find car chases more relevant to their personal lives.) Please Give takes up similar themes, if on a smaller scale.  Read the entire story.

On the Ground: A Nonprofit for High-School Dropouts

Amy Higdon was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal along with others who have chosen new paths for their lives. Here's an excerpt from the article about Higdon and her organization Improved Solutions for Urban Systems.

Wall Street Journal--Second Acts  By Kristi Essick

Ann Higdon runs a nonprofit that helps high-school dropouts earn their diplomas and train for jobs. She understands how easy it is to start down the wrong path in life. Ms. Higdon, 70, is president and "resident visionary" of Improved Solutions for Urban Systems in Dayton, Ohio. She founded the organization, which today has 55 employees and runs three trade-focused charter schools. In one project, students are helping to build houses in dilapidated neighborhoods. The young people learn construction skills and help revitalize communities at the same time. Read the entire story.

 

Our Conscious Living: Toenails

When I first met Suj, I really liked her pretty red toenails.  I was taken aback when she told me that she paid $15-$30 every three weeks or so during the spring, summer and fall to have someone paint her nails.  Everyone I had known in the past who had painted nails had painted their own nails.  Now, I paint her nails.  I really like doing it and loving on my Suj.

 

Jennifer Garner and Save the Children

We have previously blogged on Save the Children.  This story about Jennifer Garner, a mother, is a good post-Mother’s Day story.

CBS News--Jennifer Garner Works to Save the Children

Besides being an award-winning leading lady and one of Hollywood's favorite stars, Jennifer Garner is a busy mother of two who still finds time to help those in need.  Garner is the artistic ambassador for Save the Children . . . Garner says her children . . . are part of why she wanted to help out with the cause. . . . In her role for Save the Children, Garner meets youngsters and sees the impact the organization has.  . . . She notes that one-in-five kids is growing up in poverty in the U.S., "And that means kids in poverty, by the time they're four years old, they are 18 months behind, developmentally, where your children will be. And that is just -- how do you ever come back from that? It's so unfair. Ninety percent of your brain growth happens by the time you're six. So, Save the Children gets in there early, gets in there strong. . . . The program also provides healthy snacks for kids. "Make Time for Snack Time," is a partnership between Save the Children and Frigidaire.  "If you go to Frigidaire.com ," she says, "you can be part of their donation to Save the Children . . .. Read the entire story.

 

An Alternative to Giving Your Money to Your Chidren

Forbes.com--Azim Premji: India's Bill Gates  By Anita Raghavan

"Even if I was to give my children a small part of my wealth, it would be more than they can digest in many lifetimes,'' says billionaire software czar Azim Premji, explaining why he, much like Microsoft founder Bill Gates, plans to give away most of his money during his lifetime. . . . For Premji, philanthropy boils down to a simple philosophy: "To those to whom much is given, much has to be given back."  If the Indian software billionaire, who ranks No. 28 among the richest people in the world with $17 billion to his name, winds up giving away most of his money to charity, he would be a rare breed among Asian entrepreneurs who have tended to pass their wealth onto their children rather than putting it to philanthropic use.  In Asia "there is a huge cultural need that wealth has to be given from generation to generation," says Premji who thinks the tradition of philanthropy that is so prevalent in the West will come to India eventually. . . . "Parents realize their wealth should be used for social good rather than children's good," he says.  Read the entire story.

 

Radios for the World

Wall Street Journal--Tuning In: Ears to Our World  By David Goren

“This is the sound of renewable education!” says Thomas Witherspoon, 37, founder of Ears to Our World, as he picks up a small portable radio and quickly cranks its handle, producing a high-pitched, wobbly whine. Inside, a dynamo charges the radio’s battery. Witherspoon has taken his love of shortwave radio and filtered it through his experience in the corporate world, devising a strategy to help the most people for the least money. ETOW distributes wind-up radios to isolated villages across Africa and into Belize and Romania, providing listeners with vital information. His radios are also proving to be disaster-relief heroes in earthquake-devastated Haiti. “We give them to schools, and teachers use them to enhance the classroom experience,” Witherspoon says. “It’s not dependent on power. It’s not dependent on Internet or any other infrastructures.” . . . “I’ve heard stories coming back from some of our partners that when someone’s listening to a radio, you can guarantee there’s going to be 10, 20 people listening at the same time,” Witherspoon says.  Read the entire story.

  

On the Ground: Jesuit Volunteer Corps

Suja’s sister Betty volunteered for a year in Alabama in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps many years ago.  Since then, the work of JVC has continued to be needed and to thrive.  Here’s some information about this fantastic organization from its website.

Each year, men and women across the country and around the world begin their commitment as a Jesuit Volunteer. This commitment is lived out in a variety of ways— the most important is how the volunteers live out the interconnected values of social justice, spirituality, simple lifestyle and community. 

Also, here’s some information from the JVC website about one volunteer.

Maria Toretto 



Before I began my JVC Experience, I thought I led a pretty simple lifestyle.  Even at orientation I found myself thinking about how simple living would be one of the “easiest” out of the four values to live.  And then my JV year began…  I never knew my perception of what it meant to live simply would change so drastically.  My motivation to live simply is because of my clients, the men and women of Raleigh, North Carolina, who continue to humble and teach me everyday  They live simply because they have no other choice. My journey to live a more simple lifestyle is a continual process and one that I struggle with.  My community members and I did an electricity fast one week.  We use cloth towels and napkins.  We limit our shower time and try to only use three squares of toilet paper.  We have long discussions about whether the thermostat should be at a constant 64 or 65 degrees.  We use the same cup all week.   The fact that my community members and I don’t watch TV has helped us to find true joy in the company of each other.

 

Our Conscious Living: Water

Recently, I went to Chicago for work.  After my walk from the train station, I was thirsty when I arrived at the hotel.  In my room, I was stunned to see a bottle of water offered for $6.95.  I had seen a lot of high prices in hotels in the past but this was more than excessive if there is such a thing.  Anyway, there was no way that I was going to spend $6.95 for a bottle of water.  I remembered that Trader Joes was nearby, and I also needed dinner.  I headed over there and found 17 cent bottled water—yes, 17 cents.  For about a week I thought I had gotten the deal of the century and was very clever.  Then, Scott asked me whether we should buy bottled water for a backpacking trip.  I replied are you kidding.  We’ll use water from the faucet.  It dawned on me that I had forgotten about the good ol’ faucet when I was in the hotel room, and I also realized that I had not been so clever nor received the deal of the century.