The Daily Tell

Science educators will be getting a major leg-up thanks to a world-renowned institute.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute recently announced a grant worth $79 million that will help universities improve college and precollege science education. The funds are aimed at helping faculty members pursue new ideas and pique student interest in science and research.

"HHMI is committed to funding education programs that excite students’ interest in science," says HHMI President Robert Tjian. "We hope that these programs will shape the way students look at the world – whether those students ultimately choose to pursue a career in science or not."

Many schools from around the country will benefit from the newly allocated funds. Some 50 research universities in 30 different states and the District of Columbia will be awarded $70 million to give students hands-on experience in lab training.

In addition to the schools receiving funds, 13 professors will receive $9 million over the next four years to improve how students are taught in science courses.

"By funding both initiatives, we are assured that both research universities and individual professors will make important contributions to science education," said Peter J. Bruns, HHMI’s vice president for grants and special programs says. "We want to inspire scientists to think as hard about improving science education as they do about their research."

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is one of the most generous funds when it comes to science education. Since 1985 the fund has spent nearly $1.6 billion to totally revamp the way life science is taught throughout the United States.

The Medical Institute invited 197 research-focused universities to apply for grants and of those that applied, 50 were selected.

"By selecting these 50 grantees, we highlight areas and approaches that we think are particularly powerful," says David Asai, director of HHMI’s precollege and undergraduate programs.

Almost 2,000 Charles Schwab employees are spending this week out of the office volunteering their time and expertise to benefit 92 different nonprofit organizations nationwide as part of the seventh annual Schwab Volunteer Week.

"Extending our energy, expertise and time outside of Schwab and into the lives of the underserved during this special week is something we look forward to with great enthusiasm," said Walt Bettinger, president and CEO of Charles Schwab.

Projects are scheduled in 11 cities across the country, with a focus on helping people improve their financial well-being.

In Denver, Colorado, employees will team up Junior Achievement to speak at three of the city’s middle and elementary schools. The workshops will reach 750 students and give them an introduction to smart money management.

In addition to leading financial education workshops, employees are also volunteering their time to other nonprofits by helping them to remodel shelters, serve food and work on various cleanup projects.

One of the benefiting organizations is Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco. Earlier this week, employees sorted through piles of donations and helped organize the basement clothes closet. The organization provides housing, medical care, education and job training to homeless and runaway teens.

"Whether it’s leading workshops on financial basics at local schools or serving food to people who otherwise would not have a meal, our goal is to make a difference in as many people’s lives as we can," said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president of Charles Schwab Foundation.

Each of the nonprofits involved also receives a minimum $500 grant. In total, roughly $50,000 in grants will be distributed during the week.

Since its founding in 1993, the Charles Schwab Foundation has donated an average of $4 million to more than 2,300 nonprofit organizations. Last year the company also contributed nearly $1 million through its matching gift program.

Economic opportunities can be few and far between for those living in financially depressed cities across the country.

The Ford Foundation announced recently that it will donate $200 million in the next five years to help metropolitan communities improve housing, transportation and land-use policies. Ford Foundation president Luis A. Ubinas announced the new fund in a meeting with 300 local, state and federal leaders who came together to discuss how best to re-energize communities that relied on the manufacturing industry for jobs.

"Economic growth requires that cities and suburbs work together," Ubinas said. "The notion that suburbs can thrive while city centers atrophy has proved damaging to our nation. We now know that metropolitan areas share a common economic destiny. Metropolitan areas that manage to interweave urban and suburban development, everything from transportation to arts and culture, attract more people, and more investment."

The fund will attempt to germinate a partnership between the public and private sector, which often compete for funding when it comes to new project.

The donation has its sights set on specific goals. One of them will be to improve transportation in areas including the M1 rail in Detroit, the renovation of the Claiborne corridor in New Orleans, and the creation of 25 transit villages along BART in San Francisco.

The fund will also create areas of affordable housing in New Orleans and the San Francisco Bay area through an approach known as "shared equity" ownership. Under the program homeowners receive a subsidy on the condition they share any equity earned with a government fund dedicated to subsidizing others trying to achieve home ownership.

Many cities have been hurt in recent years with the loss of manufacturing to those overseas. Funds provided by the Ford Foundation and others seek to improve the lives of people hurt by the loss of these opportunities.

Bank of America recently launched its 2010 grassroots philanthropic initiative, the Neighborhood Excellence Initiative (NEI), which honors and awards nonprofits and community leaders that are producing positive change through service, helping to revitalize their communities and tackling critical social issues ranging from hunger and housing to workforce development. In 2010 alone, this initiative will allocate a total of $20 million in 45 markets across the U.S. and in London, and has already awarded $110 million globally. Nonprofits and individual community leaders are urged to apply.

Applications are available online at www.bankofamerica.com/neighborhoodexcellence. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2010 for Neighborhood Builders and Local Heroes.

WHAT: The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has issued a call for applications for the Neighborhood Builders and Local Heroes categories of its Neighborhood Excellence Initiative (NEI), the Foundation’s signature philanthropic program. Now in its seventh year, NEI recognizes and rewards service and leadership by organizations, individuals and students in 44 U.S. cities and in London. Applications for the Neighborhood Builders (nonprofit organizations) and Local Heroes (community leaders) awards are due by June 1, 2010* and can be submitted online at www.bankofamerica.com/neighborhoodexcellence
.

WHO: Through NEI, Bank of America will award two Neighborhood Builders in each participating market who work to promote vibrant neighborhoods. Each will receive $200,000 in unrestricted grant funding and will participate in a strategic leadership training program. Additionally, NEI will recognize in each market five Local Heroes whose achievements and leadership on local issues contribute significantly to neighborhood vitality. Recipients direct a $5,000 contribution from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to an eligible nonprofit of their choice.

HOW: Award recipients are chosen by local selection committees comprised of private, public and nonprofit sector leaders and chaired by local Bank of America executives in the 45 NEI communities.

*Applications for the Student Leaders(r) category of NEI, which honors five exemplary high school students with a passion for improving their neighborhoods in each market, were due in February 2010. Student Leaders
will be announced in the summer; Neighborhood Builders and Local Heroes will be announced in the fall.

Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy

Building on a long-standing tradition of investing in the communities it serves, last year Bank of America embarked on a ten-year goal to donate $2 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the health
and vitality of their neighborhoods. Bank of America approaches giving through a national strategy called “neighborhood excellence” under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities. Bank associate volunteers contributed more than 800,000 hours in 2009 to enhance the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.

Applicants in the following markets are encouraged to apply:

Arizona
Phoenix

California
East Bay/Oakland
Inland Empire
Los Angeles
Orange County
Sacramento
San Diego
San Francisco
Silicon Valley

Connecticut
Hartford
Stamford/Bridgeport/Norwalk

Delaware
Kent, New Castle & Sussex Counties

Florida
Broward County
Jacksonville
Miami
Orlando
Palm Beach County
Tampa Bay area (Pinellas and Hillsborough counties)

Georgia
Atlanta

Illinois
Chicago

Massachusetts
Boston

Maryland
Baltimore

Michigan
Detroit

Missouri
Kansas City
St. Louis

Nevada
Las Vegas

New Jersey

New York
Long Island
New York City

North Carolina
Charlotte

Oregon
Portland

Pennsylvania
Philadelphia

Rhode Island
Providence

Tennessee
Nashville

Texas
Austin
Dallas

Ft. Worth
Houston
San Antonio

Virginia
Hampton Roads
Richmond

Washington
Seattle

Washington, D.C.
Metropolitan Washington, DC

U.K.
London, England

For more information, contact:
Nicole Nastacie
Bank of America
1.980.388.7252
nicole.nastacie@bankofamerica.com

Morgan’s Wonderland, a theme park devoted to people with special needs, has opened in San Antonio after a $1 million dollar investment by the Gordon Hartman Family Foundation and three years of fundraising.

The handicap-accessible park features more than 25 attractions including rides, gardens and playgrounds. It was inspired by Gordon Hartman, the president and CEO of the foundation, who is also the father of a daughter with special needs.

After the foundation’s initial donation in 2007, additional contributions from City of San Antonio, the State of Texas and other foundations, organizations and individuals helped raise enough money for the foundation to break ground on the park last spring.

"We’ve taken an abandoned rock quarry in Northeast San Antonio and transformed it into an outdoor recreation oasis for those who suffer from cognitive and physical challenges," said Hartman.

The park also uses technology to keep track of guests once they’re inside the park. RFID-enabled bracelets given to guests can help visitors keep track of everyone in their party and make sure no children leaves the park without an adult from their group.

The bracelets can even indicate to park officials if visitors – many of whom may be nonverbal – have any food allergies or are diabetic.

Park officials say the extra security from the bracelets helps put families at ease.

"These kids are enjoying themselves in the park, and parents are able to relax without worrying about their child," Peter Albarian, the director of the park, told the RFID Journal.

Those with special needs are admitted to the park free of charge, and their family members pay just $5. General admission is $15.

The park requires advance reservations so it can prevent overcrowding, and this also gives staff time to set up the RFID bracelet system.

Since it was founded in 2005, the Gordon Hartman Family Foundation has helped hundreds of local programs serving people with special needs through monetary grants, consulting services, and public relations.

Disney has earmarked $1.2 million to support 57 children’s charities throughout Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake and Polk counties through its Helping Kids Shine Grants.

This year’s grants expand on the $700,000 donated by the Walt Disney World Resort in 2009.

Disney says the various recipients most closely meet the company’s goals of helping to improve children’s lives by fostering connections with adults, character development, the constructive use of free time and compassion for others.

"We continue to strengthen our focus on helping children thrive in Central Florida and look to invest in community partners who share our vision," says Eugene Campbell, vice president of Community Relations and Minority Business Development for Walt Disney World Resort.

Among the grant recipients, Disney is continuing its support of Boys & Girls Clubs, A Gift for Music, Coalition for the Homeless and Big Brothers Big Sisters for their history of making sustainable improvements in children’s lives.

A total of $132,000 will support programs that help enrich care for the well-being of kids in the area, like the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Second Harvest Food Bank and the Urban League Youth Summit.

Public school districts and learning coalitions in the area counties will also receive a total of $290,000 to enhance student performance from preschool through grade schools.

The remaining $500,00 will go to 31 other nonprofits who applied for grants to support various children’s programs and youth outreach efforts.

In addition to the grants, the company will also honor hundreds of area elementary, middle and high school students as part of its ongoing Disney Dreamers and Doers program for their civic-minded efforts in their everyday lives. Fifteen of those children will also be named Shining Stars, the award’s top distinction.

Over the past 26 years, more than 11,000 Central Florida students have been recognized as Disney Dreamers and Doers.

The recession has hit many hit around Baltimore especially hard, but help is on the way.

The Open Society Institute-Baltimore announced that it was awarding $1.5 million to four local nonprofit organizations to help residents with below-average income and that have difficulties getting employed. The grants will provide job training and help those with criminal records find work.

It can be difficult for those who have been convicted of a crime – they often do not have many options when returning into society and the lack of options can often lead them back into a life of crime. The contribution will provide 141 ex-convicts with training in fields such as nursing and geriatrics, advanced Microsoft Office certification, lead abatement and mold remediation, weatherization retrofitting, construction, culinary arts, construction and mechanical engineering. For those who hire the newly released workers, they will receive a six-month wage subsidy.

“People with prior convictions have an extremely difficult time re-entering the workforce. During a recession, the odds are stacked even higher against them," said Diana Morris, director of OSI-Baltimore. “These grants will help people who are working hard to get their lives on track. And local employers will benefit from a trained and highly motivated workforce.”

The Open Society Institute-Baltimore was founded by George Soros in 1998 and since that time has donated more than $60 million to the area. The latest $1.5-million contribution comes as the most recent installment of Soros’ $6 million grant awarded to the Special Fund for Poverty Alleviation, an initiative created by George Soros in response to the recession. The fund goes to helping those in low-income neighborhoods achieve opportunities not otherwise available.

Socks for Happy People has partnered with the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation to start a Buy One, Give One Free initiative to help give warm socks to children living in Mongolia.

Socks for Happy people says that it’s not uncommon for children living in Mongolia to lose many of their toes due to frostbite. Temperatures can reach 40 degrees below zero, and many families lack shelter to protect them from the elements.

For each pair of socks that is bought, the organization will donate a pair of soft, locally-made camel hair socks to a child living in the area. Socks for Happy people says the thick camel hair is ideally suited to Mongolia’s cold temperatures.

Socks for Happy People makes their socks from organic cotton and produces a variety of designs. They cost roughly $21 a pair, or customers can buy the entire 13 pair collection for about $245.

The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation was started by children’s rights activist Christina Noble more than 20 years ago, and it has been awarded numerous humanitarian awards by the Red Cross and other organizations. Since its start, the foundation has funded more than 100 life-saving programs in Vietnam. The program expanded to Mongolia in 1997 and has pursued similar programs there.

The foundation has focused its efforts on programs in education, preventative healthcare and community and development projects. Child sponsorship teams are currently working with more than 2,700 children and their families in Vietnam and Mongolia.

The Buy One, Give One Free initiative is also partnering with the international Buy1Give1 organization, which works to help bring companies, charities and consumers together to help raise contributions to nonprofits around the world.

Buy1Give1 has partnered with a number of organizations, including Amazon.com, to work on more than 600 charitable projects around the world.

The Division of Life Sciences in the UCLA College of Letters and Science is about to get a $50 million boost, thanks to one of its most successful alumni.

Paul Terasaki, the UCLA professor who gained worldwide attention in 1964 after developing a test for tissue typing, recently announced the gift – the largest gift ever received by a UCLA College.

"I owe my whole career to UCLA," Terasaki said. "UCLA gave me the opportunity to do the research that led to the development of tissue typing. At many other universities, I would not have had that kind of freedom in the lab."

As a result of his donation, UCLA’s new Life Sciences building will be named the Terasaki Life Sciences Building. In addition, Terasaki’s gift includes $2 million to establish a Paul I. Terasaki Chair in Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine.

"Dr. Terasaki is an inspirational role model and a great scientist who has had a nearly lifelong relationship with UCLA, as a student, professor, donor and father of UCLA alumni," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said. "The Life Sciences under Dean Victoria Sork are at the core of UCLA’s excellence, and I am absolutely delighted that our new Life Sciences building will be named for Dr. Terasaki. I am extremely grateful for his visionary philanthropy."

Terasaki overcame great odds in order to achieve success in his field. Born to a poor immigrant family in Los Angeles, the government forced his father to close his shop in Little Tokyo and was forced along with his family and thousands of others to be relocated to Japanese internment camps.

The College of Letters and Science is not the only UCLA school getting major funding as of late. The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science was recently awarded $5.5 million from the U.S. Defense Department’s central research and development agency to advance micro-electro-mechanical systems technology for use in defense systems, according to R&D Magazine.

Toy industry comes together to help kids in need

Employees and executives from across the toy industry joined volunteers to help commemorate National Foster Care Month and help children in need at the second annual Toy Industry Foundation and My Stuff Bags Foundation’s "Do Good Stuff-a-Thon.

More than 125 volunteers from Disney, Educational Insights, Funrise, Jakks Pacific, Mattel, Pacific Play Tents and The Piggy Story came together to fill 5,000 duffel bags with toys, toiletries and handmade blankets. The bags that will go to various agencies across the country that rescue abused and neglected children.

Other companies that couldn’t attend, like Hasbro, iToys and Schoenhut Piano Company, donated various items for the bags.

"So many children rescued from terrible environments enter shelters with absolutely nothing: no special blanket or stuffed animal to distract them from their pain," said Janeen Holmes, president and CEO of My Stuff Bags.

Organizations like Florida’s Kids Central and Texas’ A World for Children are already scheduled to receive donated bags, which will be distributed by the My Stuff Bags Foundation.

"Toymakers love to bring the joy of play into children’s lives, and it’s even more fulfilling when we see smiles and hear laughter coming from kids who are entering foster care or are in similarly difficult situations," said Jean Butler, executive director of the Toy Industry Foundation.

The Toy Industry Foundation has committed to give $400,000 and donate 50,000 new toys to My Stuff Bags over the next two years, and it has also developed partnerships with the Boys and Girls Clubs and Easter Seals.

Earlier this month members of the TIF visited the Murphy Canyon Youth Center in San Diego, California to give toys to more than 2,000 military family members stationed in the area. Since 2003, the industry has donated more than $50 million in new toys for children’s charities.