The Daily Tell

Summer traditionally kicks off Memorial Day weekend, when families pull out the gas grill, fire up the dogs and finally get the swimming pool open for the season.

On this long holiday weekend, child safety advocacy groups are urging parents to take some extra precautions to ensure that summer starts off on a good note.

For children aged 1-14, drowning is the second-most common cause of accidental death. Safe Kids USA, a nonprofit child safety group, reports that 280 children under 5 drown every year in swimming pools across the country.

The Pool Safety Council (PSC), a national organization dedicated to the prevention of child drowning, encourages owners and operators of public and private pools to follow some easy steps to avert tragedy.

Nothing is more important to the safety of a swimming child than the eyes of attentive parents. PSC says parents should keep a landline phone near the pool, so that if there is an emergency parents can call 911 and the operator will be able to instantly trace the call to the home and send help.

Pool owners should keep pools secure with four-sided fencing and a gate that locks. Children can enter unsecured pools unattended – children should never be left unattended in or near the pool. Drowning takes only a few seconds.

Even when there is a group of adults present, one adult should be the designated watcher. Giving one person that responsibility makes it far more likely potential problems are noticed right away.

Pools should also be inspected to make sure they are equipped with approved safety drain covers and an anti-entrapment device to prevent drain entrapment, the often deadly tragedy of a swimmer becoming trapped by a pool drain’s suction.

Finally, pool owners – or any parent – should learn CPR so drowning victims do not have to wait for paramedics to arrive.

Energy company PSEG has announced a $1.5 million commitment to New Jersey nonprofits that are working to keep kids safe and positively engaged in the critical after-school hours, including New Jersey After 3, Boys & Girls Clubs and United Way, and support initiatives championed by the Boys Scouts, Girls Scouts and the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers.

PSEG was the first corporation to provide significant funding last year to support the Strategy for Safe Streets & Neighborhoods, giving the Boys & Girls Clubs $50,000 for gang prevention programs in three cities.

This year, the company is giving an additional $75,000 to sustain and expand the effort and committed $450,000 to New Jersey After 3 in a challenge grant that will expand afterschool programming in New Jersey.

"It is important that young people have a safe and positive place to go after school," said Ed Selover, PSEG’s executive vice president and general counsel. "We’re proud of our work to help kids and support working families, and to align our giving priorities with the governor’s crime prevention plan."

New Jersey attorney general Anne Milgram thanked PSEG for its corporate stewardship at an event in Perth Amboy this week, applauding the company for committing significant funding for programs that leverage the state’s support for gang and crime prevention.

"PSEG’s commitment to prevention programs serves as a model for a community-business partnership," Milgram said. "The company’s contribution significantly leverages funding from the state and will enable us, collectively, to reach more than 3,500 young people in positive and meaningful ways."

The Council of New Jersey Grantmakers will receive $25,000 for the High School Graduation Campaign, a two day summit to create a statewide plan to reduce the growing number of high school drop-outs in New Jersey.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced today more than $1.3 million in grants for City University of New York (CUNY) and the Seattle-King County Workforce Education Collaborative in Washington, which will develop new models of college programs that help low-income students complete degrees that can immediately lead to jobs.

A college degree is increasingly a prerequisite for economic success and the current economic climate has only reinforced this fact; yet fewer than half of all American adults have a college degree, and it’s not because they are not starting college.

At four-year colleges, just over half of full-time students completed their degree within six years and only about 20 percent of full-time community college students earn a degree three years after entering, the foundation said.

"Millions of low-income young adults in America have the capability and desire to go to college but not the means, the time, or the support they need to earn a degree," said Hilary Pennington, director of U.S. special initiatives at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

CUNY received $560,000 to support the development of a new community college that takes nontraditional approaches to boost graduation rates, including: intensive pre-college support to prepare students for the college experience; a merging of remedial and credit coursework to help students maintain momentum through their course of study; and focused course options that carefully guide students toward graduation and employment.

According to the foundation, CUNY officials will finalize planning for the new college this year with the school slated to open its doors to an initial class of 500 students in 2011, growing to 3,000 students by 2014.

The Gates Foundation provided $350,000 to the Seattle-King County Workforce Education Collaborative to design and pilot six innovative postsecondary programs to create a county-wide system of postsecondary education for working adults.

The economic crisis and the resulting drop-off in funding for nonprofits is forcing many in Massachusetts to merge or form alliances to stay viable, according to a report published last week by the Boston Foundation.

And as nonprofits slash funding, freeze hiring and cut programs, the ripple effects are felt throughout the state – Massachusetts nonprofits collectively generate $87 billion in revenues annually and employ close to 450,000 workers, the report says.

"The report raises a very serious alarm and issues a strong call to organizations that make up this exceedingly important sector to consider bold and innovative strategies to protect vital missions," said Paul S. Grogan, president and CEO of the Boston Foundation. "It is crucial in these challenging times that nonprofit organizations and their leaders take stock of their mission and impact and determine how they can best meet their goals."

According to the report, 40 percent of nonprofits lose money every year, with those having budgets between $250,000 and $1 million in greatest distress. In response to conditions, 42 percent of Massachusetts nonprofits to have reduced staff or staff salaries.

The report identifies state budget cuts as the most significant threat to the fiscal health of the sector. Massachusetts currently faces a budget gap of more than $3.5 billion and climbing. Meanwhile, the cost of providing a steady level of services is expected to climb $1.5 billion because of inflation and increases in case loads.

Leaders in the nonprofit community have urged the field to consider consolidation and reorganization, seizing this difficult time as an opportunity to make changes that could have a positive impact in the future.

Consolidation has been pursued by a number of high-profile organizations in the region, notably the AIDS Action Committee, which merged with JRI Health and Cambridge Cares About AIDS.

The American population relies on the innovation of biotechnologists and researchers everyday – but may not realize it. Now, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is going to great lengths to reward the scientists developing life-saving technology.

BIO has established the Biotech Humanitarian Award as a way to commend "everyday heroes within the biotechnology community" for their help in healing people around the globe.

Its first-ever award winner is Jay Keasling, the CEO of the Joint BioEnergy Institute as well as a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, among other distinguished positions.

The committee selecting the winner considered each candidate’s impact on contemporary society, future generations and the magnitude of their contributions to the biotechnology field.

Keasling stood out to the judging panel for his professional resume and accomplishments as well as the potential impact his research on a synthetic biology technique could have in revolutionizing the treatment of malaria.

Jim Greenwood, president and CEO of BIO, had high praise for Keasling and the success of his research thus far.

"Dr. Keasling’s work has the potential to save the lives of millions of people in the developing world who suffer from malaria, and also to address the global need for clean, renewable energy. We are thrilled to honor his work and present him as our inaugural Biotech Humanitarian honoree," said Greenwood.

Keasling’s efforts are likely to have positive impact on the environment as well as on the patients that could ultimately receive the treatment. He is an advocate of clean, renewable energy and one outcome of his research could be used in production of the next generation of biofuels.

Although it’s been almost four years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and surrounding communities, donors from around the country are still supporting the rebuilding efforts in the hurricane zones.

A couple from New York, Leonard and Louise Riggio established a nonprofit organization – Project Home Again (PHA) – after witnessing the damage caused by the storm on television.

PHA has already built 20 homes in the New Orleans neighborhood of Gentilly and has announced that 12 more houses will be built on lots that have remained vacant since the hurricane.

"Rebuilding a city is something that cannot only be done by the government. It also requires the help of citizens and organizations," said Leonard Riggio, who is also the founder and chairman of Barnes & Noble Booksellers.

"As a New Yorker, I’ve seen neighborhoods in my own city that had been written off 20 years ago become vibrant areas. We can do the same for New Orleans. We know that New Orleans will come back, stronger than ever," he added.

With support from the Riggio’s foundation, New Orleans may also emerge as a more eco-friendly city.

According to PHA, the 12 additional homes are planned to be energy-efficient, single-family residences and are set to be occupied by families in September 2009.

The homes already constructed are also energy-efficient structures. PHA says that the craftsman-style homes have low-e windows and insulation techniques that help reduce the energy used in the home by 40 percent compared to others in the area.

Councilmember Cynthia Hedge-Morrell praised the efforts by the Riggios to re-establish the sense of community in Gentilly and believes the neighborhood will set an example for the rest of the city.

Busy women including entrepreneurs, executives, moms, teachers and doctors are adding one more item to their growing to-do lists – decide how much to give to charitable organizations.

A new study from the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund has revealed that women are emerging as the key influential voices about how dollars tagged for donation are being spent within households and broader communities.

"Our research indicates that, in many ways, women are shaping the future of philanthropy," said Sarah C. Libbey, president of the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund.

"Women have always had a hand in their household’s charitable outreach. But that role is evolving as women increasingly create their own wealth and become the beneficiaries of wealth transfers because they live longer. As a result, women are stepping up to take on more philanthropic leadership roles," she added.

In addition to finding out that women have influence over their husbands – 92 percent said their spouse sways them on how much and where to donate money – the study showed that women draw on a number of sources before making giving decisions.

Fidelity found that women look to the opinions of extended family, co-workers as well as spouses before making donations.

Women, as individuals, also revealed some donating patterns, according to the study.

Those women with annual household incomes of over $150,000 are likely to use securities for donations and to seek counseling from financial advisers before giving money to charitable groups. They are also more likely than other groups studied to donate to health and science causes.

Approximately 35 percent of women in this income bracket are likely to give to philanthropic groups despite the tough economic times, compared to 27 percent of all donors surveyed.

In the grocery store, at the mall and when accepting a home delivery many consumers don’t think twice about the packaging used to wrap, ship or transport a specific product.

But, as consumers become more educated about the impact of everyday habits on the environment, they are taking a stand supporting eco-friendly initiatives – including sustainable packaging.

Pike Research reports in a new study that sustainable packaging is expected to encompass 32 percent of the global packaging market by 2014 – up from 21 percent this year.

"A tremendous amount of innovation is going into reducing energy requirements to manufacture packaging and using more recyclable and compostable materials, but there is still a long way to go," said Pike Research managing director Clint Wheelock of the $429 billion global packaging industry.

Pike is anticipating plastic-based packaging to be the fastest-growing sector in the next five years.

However, the debate over sustainable packaging has not been in the spotlight much compared to say the outlook for the climate.

This week President Obama made a landmark statement about the nation’s goals on climate change and what the auto industry could do to help.

Obama unveiled a program to reduce oil consumption and emissions pollution by requiring more fuel efficient cars be produced.

"As a result of this agreement, we will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles sold in the next five years," Obama said of his plan to require an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 mpg by 2016.

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said the president brought together all parties involved including automakers, environmentalists, and state governments to devise a plan that would be beneficial across the board.

The vision for a new performing arts center in Orange Country, California may come to fruition thanks to a large scale, but anonymous donation.

Chapman University announced last week that it had received a $25 million gift tagged for a new performing arts center on campus. Although the donors wish to remain anonymous, their gift does come with a few strings attached.

The university has been challenged by the donors to raise a matching $25 million – together the funds raised will support the planned $50 million center that would host not only university productions, concerts and galas but could also accommodate professional touring attractions and shows.

"We are very grateful that in the midst of this economy, there are visionary supporters of higher education who are making Chapman and the future of our students their priority," said Chapman president James L. Doti.

Since the financial crisis has really taken hold, donations and giving across the country has plummeted as many private citizens have experienced a rapid deterioration in wealth. However, at the same time, many philanthropic organizations need funding more than ever – to assist those in need and to replenish their own funds that may have been depleted as the market tumbled.

The plans for the performing arts center are already underway, although construction has not yet begun and the university has not yet completed its own half of the fundraising.

But should the project progress, it will be built under the watchful eye of Pfeiffer Partners – a design firm lauded for its ability to create new structures that fit "seamlessly" into existing and historic parts of a city.

Although thieves are becoming increasingly high tech in the ability to carry of heists, it is somewhat surprising that multiple solar panels from the roof of an observatory could be stolen.

But that is just what happened in Chico, California, according to a report from the Chico Enterprise Record, which says three of six panels on the roof of the Kiwanis Chico Community Observatory were stolen in late March. One of the remaining panels was damaged.

The newspaper does report that the observatory is up and running and ready to meet the expected crowds coming to check out the starry skies.

A Kiwanis board member told the Enterprise Record that an anonymous donation was received to repair and repurchase new panels. A grand re-opening of the community observatory, which works to educate and entertain citizens of all ages, will happen in June.

However, the observatory in Chico is not the only solar panel project to make headlines.

The Arizona Public Service (APS) is helping one of the nation’s greatest natural wonders – the Grand Canyon National Park – to "go solar."

The APS has installed solar panels on the visitor center roof and also on ground-mounted platforms next to the building which will provide enough electricity to offset 30 percent of the building’s current use.

"This project is symbolic of the commitment we have at APS to environmental protection, sustainability and to make Arizona the solar capital of the world," said APS president and chief operating officer Don Robinson.

Robinson added that the millions of visitors to the park on an annual basis will now have the added benefit of learning about renewable energy.