The Daily Tell

The Ross Institute for Advanced Study and Innovation in Education, a New York-based not-for-profit school, is doing good things by teaching its students about cultures from all across the world.

The Sag Harbor Express reports that staff from the Ross Institute for Advanced Study and Innovation in Education, founded by Courtney Sale Ross in 1996, were visited by the Bhutanese government to be part of its Educating for Gross National Happiness conference.

As the only U.S. K-12 school invited to the conference held in Bhutan’s capital city of Thimphu, Sally Booth, associate direct at the Ross Institute Academy, told the paper that the Ross model of teaching was highly regarded by the Asian kingdom.

"The Bhutanese government was especially interested in the way the Ross curriculum values the history of traditional cultures," she said, according to the paper. "They especially valued the integrated perspectives and the importance placed on both eastern and western wellness traditions."

Courtney Sale Ross founded the Ross School in East Hampton, New York with her late husband Steven J. Ross in 1991. Since that time, the Ross Institute has gone global with the Tensta Gymnasium in Stockholm, Sweden partnering with the institute to use its curriculum.

According to its website, the Ross Institute takes a very different approach from traditional education systems with what might be best described as a holistic approach to teaching. According to its vision statement, the institute tries to prepare students for an "increasingly globalized world" by incorporating technology and research into its curriculum.

A growing number of businesses are attempting to give back to the communities around them with many donating money to organizations or entities close to their heart. But enterprise cloud computing company Salesforce.com is trying to get companies to give not just money, but time and effort.

With its 1/1/1 model, the Salesforce.com Foundation is encouraging other firms to give 1 percent of their time, 1 percent of their product and 1 percent of their equity back to their communities. It’s an effort that Suzanne DiBianca, executive director of the foundation, says has been a decade in the making.

"Ten years ago, Salesforce.com set out to change the way companies think about philanthropy, and today more than ever it continues to define our focus," she said. "The hundreds of other companies that have joined us in giving their resources forward to empower nonprofits to realize their missions are truly exemplary of the power that business has to affect positive change."

The foundation says the 1/1/1 model allows a company to not only share its financial wealth but its "intellectual wealth of its employees, technology or products and financial resources to improve communities and promote compassionate capitalism."

But Salesforce.com isn’t just persuading others, its practicing what it preaches. The company currently gives employees six paid days to volunteer their time each year, with employees donating 178,000 hours over the course of the program.

Similarly, the foundation has donated its Salesforce.com CRM license to 8,000 nonprofits in 70 countries and, by donating its equity, has given almost $20 million in grants to nonprofits.

If recent news is any indication, it seems that giving back is also good for business. The company reported this week that its fourth quarter profits increased 48 percent over the same period a year earlier.

As donations to nonprofit organizations have fallen in recent months, despite the overwhelming response to the earthquake in Haiti, many cultural organizations have reported increasing funding.

Many towns and universities have redirected funds that normally help maintain and update libraries and museums as endowments and available monies have plummeted. The benefits of strong library systems to encourage overall public literacy and academic excellence has resulted in increased support to these institutions.

The Daily Pennsylvanian, the student newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania, reported Thursday that its Rare Book and Manuscript Library received a $4.25 million gift from an anonymous donor. The money will be used to update a floor of the library to make the materials more easily accessible to the university community.

"The Rare Book and Manuscript Library contains some of the most critical material we own. There are incredible riches in terms of manuscripts and books in this library dating from the Middle Ages and beyond," Joseph Zucca, spokesman for Penn libraries, told the news provider.

In Nevada, the threat of public library services being outsourced to a private firm resulted in donations of more than $60,000 in recent months, according to The Union, a newspaper that began "Save Our Libraries," a campaign aimed at raising money for the state’s libraries.

The Oregon Cultural Trust, an organization that aids artistic, historical and cultural nonprofits, announced earlier this month that 2009 donations rose 10 percent over 2008. The average donation to the organization also rose from $479 in 2008 to more than $500 in 2009.

For the most part, though, nonprofit organizations have struggled recently. The Arizona Republic reported Tuesday that 60 percent of the state’s nonprofits reported revenue reductions in 2009.

The Eli and Elythe Broad Foundation announced February 23 that it will donate $1.5 million to the National Center on Time and Learning, an organization striving to help public schools throughout the United States expand school days and calendars.

The money will help schools as they adopt calendars similar to nationally recognized charter schools. The NCTL believes it is not enough to lengthen school calendars; the time must be used effectively to ensure that American children receive education on par with the rest of the world, according to the organization.

"We must stop shortchanging our children. American students receive only a fraction of the academic time of many of their international counterparts. As a nation, we cannot afford to allow our children to be at a competitive disadvantage in the 21st century global economy," said Eli Broad, founder of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. "We are encouraged that a growing number of states and districts are choosing to modernize their school calendars, thanks to the Obama administration, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and the founders of NCTL, Jennifer Davis and Chris Gabrieli."

Similar organizations have began the initiative to expand the length of school days and provide enrichment activities for students after school and in the summer. Massachusetts 2020, founded by former gubernatorial candidate Chris Gabrielli and former deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education Jennifer Davis, spearheaded the After-School for All Partnership, which provided public and private donations to fund after-school programs for public schools.

In his State of the Union Address on January 27, President Barack Obama remarked that massive education reforms are needed to increase standards at American schools as math and science expectations have fallen drastically in the U.S.

Indiana University, the second-largest public university in the state, announced February 21 that its athletic department received a $15 million donation from the Cook Group, a medical device research group based in Bloomington, Indiana.

"This extremely generous gift from Bill and Gayle Cook will leverage many benefits for our athletic programs and for the entire Bloomington community," said IU president Michael A. McRobbie. "Their tremendous support will help ensure that we continue to build upon our proud and longstanding traditions of academic and athletic excellence. All of us at Indiana University are grateful for the Cooks’ steadfast dedication to the university and community."

The money was directed toward the For the Glory of Old IU campaign and will immediately be utilized to build new basketball center for the men’s and women’s teams. The building will house team offices, locker rooms, several practice courts and meeting rooms.

The payments will come in $1 million increments over the next 15 years. The university received the first installment on January 25 of this year.

In the past, the Cook Group has donated to academic branches of the university, including the schools of music and medicine.

IU has struggled to rebuild the reputation of its men’s basketball program in recent years following the resignation of head coach Kelvin Sampson in February 2008. Sampson made more than 100 unsanctioned phone calls to recruits prior to the 2007-08 season. The university self-imposed several sanctions against itself to avoid a postseason tournament ban from the NCAA. Still, IU is regarded as one of the premier men’s basketball programs in the country.

The university also sees the gift as an opportunity to build it women’s basketball program, which has not achieved the same level of success as the men’s program.

Many companies continually try to improve their relationships with the public with a number of firms implementing social responsibility efforts to give back to their communities. To highlight these efforts by companies all over the globe, one group has declared February 22 Corporate Philanthropy Day and will host a number of events in New York City to increase giving among companies.

CPD is the brainchild of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, an organization founded by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman. According to the organization, there are 175 members in the CECP who attempt to raise philanthropy and sustained corporate giving among businesses.

Members of companies like Alcoa, Capital One and Intel will be involved in the day’s activities and started off Corporate Philanthropy Day by ringing the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange today to highlight their corporate giving.

The power of giving is not something lost on President Barack Obama, who sent a letter to the organization last month pointing out that it’s more important than ever for the private sector to get involved in what’s going on in their communities.

"Today’s challenges demand solutions that come not only from government, but also from entrepreneurs and business leaders around the world," wrote the president in the letter. "Through their skills, ingenuity, financial support, and dedication, corporate philanthropists and their employees have answered the call to serve, giving back in meaningful ways that help those in need and improve our communities."

A report released in November 2009 from the CECP points out that corporate giving is on the rise, even as the economy is falling. According to the Giving in Numbers report from the organization, most companies increased giving between 2007 and 2008 even while 68 percent of them say profit declined.

Payless ShoeSource is celebrating Black History Month for the second year with its Payless Inspiring Possibilities Scholarship program.

The shoe retailers said it is joining with its shoppers and the National Urban League to raise money to support the future of African-American and other minority youth by selling a limited edition I Believe necklace for $4 in more than 800 stores nationwide and on Payless.com, it said. Additionally, Payless will donate 100 percent of the net profits of necklace sales, with a minimum donation of $35,000.

First launched last year, Payless said it expects National Urban League (NUL) to distribute scholarships ranging from $350-$5,000 to African American and other minority youth through its signature education program, Project Ready, for the 2010-2011 academic season.

Composed of three components to address the academic, personal, and social needs of African-American students, Project Ready provides enhanced academic and social support to high school students as they embark on post-secondary education through an individualized and monitored development plan.

LuAnn Via, president and CEO of Payless said that "youth and education are critical to the future of our nation. We were thrilled with the success of the program last year, and pleased to have given out more than a dozen scholarships to deserving youth through our partner NUL."

The necklaces are available now on Payless.com and from retail outlets. Their silver loop-link "Rolo" chain and three dangling charms are complemented by a round red medallion, the company said.

"To be eligible for a 2010-2011 Payless Inspiring Possibilities Scholarship, students must be a registered Project Ready participant, and submit materials by the scholarship deadline of March 31, 2010," the company said.

Many public libraries around the country have been struggling to stay afloat. Just last year the Philadelphia Public Library announced it would be closing all of its branches and laying off 3,000 city employees before state legislators voted to keep the library system open. But in St. Louis, a recent $4 million gift to the city’s public library will help in the refurbishment of its main branch.

The funds, which were donated by technology company Emerson, are part of an effort to revitalize the city’s downtown region and bring the almost 100-year-old building into shape. David N. Farr, CEO and president of Emerson, said the donation isn’t just about refurbishing a building, but reviving the entire area – with the library at its center.

"A reinvigorated Central Library also will play an important role in the renaissance of downtown St. Louis," said Farr. "The success of this project is vital to the entire St. Louis region and we are pleased to be able to play a major role in making it a reality."

The donation will be part of a larger $20 million fundraising effort to help pay for the $74 million project which is slated to begin later this year. The library plans to double the amount of public space available in the building and hopes to have the grand re-opening of the main library in 2012.

If anything, the Central Library seems to be bucking trends at a time when many people seem to be ditching print for online publications. But, according to the library, they have seen a consistent rise in the amount of citizens taking advantage of the library. In just the last three years, circulation at the Central Library has increased 18 percent.

According to figures from the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, about 1 million people across the U.S. struggle with the disease with another 60,000 diagnosed each year. But funding from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research recently donated $3.5 million to research projects which hope to better understand the disease.

The foundation, started by actor Michael J. Fox in 2000, announced this month that it was awarding $3.5 million to nine research organizations who we are studying the LRRK2 gene – which is thought to be "the most common genetic contributor to the disease," according to the MJFF.

In addition to receiving funding, the nine research groups will share results of their testing and create a consortium to get a better understanding of LRRK2 with the hope of creating therapy for those suffering from the disease.

The MJFF has targeting LRRK2 as a high priority and has allocated almost $17 million to studies and initiatives focused on LRRK2.

Earlier this month the foundation awarded $1 million to seven other research projects developing research tools and technologies to help fight the disorder.

Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 and made a public announcement of his ailment in 1998. To date, his organization has donated close to $175 million to organizations researching the disease.

It would appear that the fundraising done by the MJFF pales in comparison to the costs associated with Parkinson’s each year. According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, the disorder costs nearly $25 billion each year in the U.S. alone – which includes direct and indirect costs associated with the disease.

For almost four decades, students at Pennsylvania State University have given their time to raise millions of dollars for children with cancer.

On Friday, students at Penn State gathered at the school’s Bryce Jordan Centre to begin the 37th annual IFC/Panehellenic Dance Marathon – more commonly known as THON – a 46-hour dance marathon which raises money for pediatric cancer research organization the Four Diamonds Fund.

Participants in THON are not allowed to sit or sleep for the almost two-day event, which ends Sunday February 21, at 4 p.m.

In 2009 THON raised $7.49 million for the fund, meaning the dance marathon has raised more than $61 million since 1973 – making the annual fundraising event the largest student-run philanthropic effort in the world.

This year’s effort will consist of more than 700 dancers, 300 organizations and 15,000 student volunteers who will give their time and effort for the event. THON Chair Caitlin Zankowski said that while the event lasts 46 hours, much more time goes into making the event a success each year.

"I couldn’t even tell you how many man hours that goes into making this weekend possible," Zankowski told WJAC-TV. "There are hundreds, if not thousands of students that have been working year round to make this possible."

While THON is often recognized for its philanthropy, Penn State might be best known for its athletic achievements. But this event is not lost on Penn State athletes who are actively participating in this year’s event.