The Daily Tell

The National Football League has announced that the 2010-2011 season kickoff will include a charity event to raise money for Gulf Coast relief efforts.

Proceeds from the "Back to Football 2010 Kickoff Charity Auction" will go to support the New Orleans Saints Gulf Coast Renewal Fund. The Saints were Superbowl XLIV champions earlier this year, defeating the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 31-17 in the highest-rated television program, sports or otherwise, in history. The victory, which was watched by more than 45 million viewers, was seen by many as symbolic of the resilience and determination of the Gulf Coast, which had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and is now suffering the effects of the BP oil spill.

The Kickoff Charity Auction will offer unique experiences and autographed memorabilia from some of the NFL’s most famous faces, including Super Bowl XLIV MVP and Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, whose teams will face off on September 9 for the start of the 2010 season.

The auction will last through September 12 and offer more than 150 items and experiences for purchase.

Some items that sports fans can bid on include a Superbowl XLIV helmet signed by Drew Brees, game-worn jerseys from NFL stars Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Eli and Peyton Manning, Randy Moss, Tony Romo and Mark Sanchez, a day on the set of HBO’s Emmy-nominated series "Treme," set in post-Katrina New Orleans, and a VIP trip for two to Super Bowl XLV in North Texas on February 6, 2011.

In addition to the auction, a significant portion of the funds will be raised from the raffle of an official Super Bowl XLIV Championship Ring – identical to the one that was awarded to the Saints on February 7, 2010. More than $800,000 has been raised through this raffle so far, all of it to be donated to the Gulf Coast’s clean-up and economic relief effort.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has partnered with pharmaceutical company Merck to provide $60 million over the next five years to fight HIV/AIDS in Botswana.

The country, located just above South Africa, has the second-highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the world, second only to nearby Swaziland. An estimated 23.9 percent of the adult population has the disease, and 11,000 of the country’s citizens will die from it every year. These figures reflect only what is officially reported; thousands of others many be infected or dying from HIV/AIDS but are unaware that they are affected and may not be recorded because they cannot reach treatment centers.

Merck, along with the Gates Foundation, is now building on its initial investment of $56.5 million, donated in 2001 to the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships. The two donors will add a $60-million gift to the investment, to be spent over the next five years on care and treatment, as well as on second-phase initiatives to meet the current treatment needs of the 137,000 Batswana – the name for the country’s citizens – living with HIV.

The second phase initiatives include the prevention of HIV, the critical need to treat people living with HIV for tuberculosis and other common infectious diseases and the sustainability of the program to allow Botswana to successfully address HIV/AIDS within its own borders.

"For nearly 10 years, Merck has been a partner in helping the Government of Botswana save the lives of thousands of people living with HIV and AIDS and we are confident our new funding will continue to contribute to the well-being of the country," said Richard T. Clark, chairman and CEO of Merck. "This collaboration is a great success story on many levels, and has become a model for many countries both on and off the African continent."

Thanks to donations like those from Merck and the Gates Foundation, the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships have established 32 ARV treatment sites and more than 170 clinics throughout Botswana – allowing 90 percent of Batswana in need to receive treatment.

While many Boston-based high school students are kicking back this summer and enjoying their long vacations away from teachers and assignments, some choose to explore the working world. A couple dozen in particular signed up to hone new skills and expand their creative minds by diving into a week-long marketing bootcamp called Eternship.

Digitas, a leading integrated brand agency, hosted its 11th annual Eternship program from June 28-July 1 at its Boston headquarters. Participating Eternship high school students learned how to create a client marketing campaign from start-to-finish. Led by Digitas employee volunteers, Eternship introduced new perspectives and unparalleled learning opportunities to students entering their junior year of high school.
For the 2010 program, 23 students from Lynn Classical High School and Cambridge Rindge and Latin, as well over 100 Digitas employees, spent the week teaching, learning and creating. To culminate the week, the students presented their campaigns to a panel of judges comprised of Digitas executives and Ad Club of Boston president, Kathy Kiely. Teams were awarded in the following categories: Most Creative, Most Strategic, Best Storytellers, and Most Brand Building.

Eternship continues to be a great way for Digitas to connect with aspiring young talent. Employees love the opportunity to educate and mentor students on the ins and outs of the advertising industry, and the energy and the ideas that the students provide are a testament to the program’s success.

The students who participated in the program walked away with a one-of-a-kind experience that helped prepare them for their futures. “The way this program prepared me for everything was remarkable,” said Victor Lopez, a former Eternship student. Lopez, a graduate of Fenway High School, participated in the program two years ago. “In a heartbeat, I would go back to that week to experience this life-changing opportunity all over again.”

Since its launch in 2000, over 275 students and 850 employee volunteers have participated in the Eternship program. It is one of many of Digitas Boston’s community outreach initiatives and comes on the heels of its Miami Ad School class, another program that focuses on educating and mentoring the young talent of tomorrow.

The Eternship Council: Jeff Trachsel, Melissa York, Joanna Zeman, Erica Quigley, Lindsay Goldstein, Ezra Englebardt and Rob Schipul.

Barbara Goose is the Executive Director at Digitas Boston and Detroit (www.digitas.com)

If you’ve ever dreamed about dressing like Don Draper or decorating your office like the Sterling Cooper headquarters, you may soon get a chance. Dozens of costumes and props from AMC’s popular television show Mad Men will be auctioned off on eBay for charity.

Mad Men, a drama set amid the changing professional landscape of the 1960s at a prestigious New York advertising agency, features smokers prominently. In fact, the agency Sterling Cooper’s main client is Lucky Strikes cigarettes, and many of the show’s main characters have been known to have a few puffs.

Now, the show is doing its part to remind viewers of the dangers of smoking by auctioning off furniture, props, clothing and other items from its vintage-inspired set. All proceeds from the auctions will benefit the City of Hope Hospital, located in Southern California, and the American Lung Association, which sponsors a number of campaigns against smoking. The hospital is also actively involved in the treatment and prevention of other diseases, such as diabetes and HIV/AIDS.

The auction, beginning this week, will last ten days and is expected to raise a significant sum of money for the charities. Mad Men fans will get a chance to own some of the couches and chairs that have been the site of more than a few steamy liaisons between characters, as well as the famously glamorous outfits worn by Betty Draper, Joan Holloway and others. In addition to vintage furniture and clothing, a walk-on guest role will be auctioned off for aspiring actors – or just especially devoted fans.

Mad Men, now in its fourth season, has won nine Emmy awards and four Golden Globes.

Twenty-eight-year-old Kirk Johnson went to Iraq as an aid worker for the United States Agency of International Development in 2005. While there, he worked alongside Iraqi citizens who were risking their lives to provide translation, cultural and other services to American troops, who in many cases spoke no Arabic, understood little of the local customs and struggled to achieve even the most basic connection with the citizens of the cities they occupied. There’s no doubt, Johnson says, that these brave men and women saved American lives – but many of them still can’t achieve American amnesty.

As the war effort winds down and nearly half of America’s 100,000 troops are set to be withdrawn from Iraq, Iraqi translators and other workers will be "cut loose," left to defend themselves and their families in a country where they are now considered foes. Hundreds of them, along with their families and children, have been kidnapped, tortured or murdered because of their connection to the United States. The List Project is based on the idea that America has an urgent moral obligation to help the thousands of Iraqis who aided our nation in the war effort by allowing them access to country’s resources.

Johnson is working to make that a reality. In 2007, deeply affected by what he’d seen overseas, he created the List Project – a report designed to compile the names of thousands of Iraqi citizens who assisted the American war effort and enlist the help of hundreds of lawyers in achieving United States amnesty for these heroes.

The project is made possible thanks to the generous aid provided by its partnering law firms, including Mayer Brown. Mayer Brown joined the team in 2008 and now has 70 lawyers participating pro bono in the effort around the United States. The firm is committed to more than just the List Project – it seeks to institutionalize pro bono law and work with some of the most disadvantaged clients and unpopular cases to do right by the people who deserve legal aid.

The efforts of Mayer Brown, along with other firms and nonprofit aid groups, have enabled the List Project to bring dozens of Iraqis to America.

One former refugee, interviewed on NBC’s Today Show, expressed her heartfelt gratitude toward the List Project.

"I’m safe, and my children are safe," she said from her new home in suburban Washington, D.C. "I can send them to school. I can let them play in the playground, with no fear that they’re going to get shot."

The Harley-Davidson Foundation has announced a gift of $1 million toward America’s disabled veterans.

The grant is Harley-Davidson’s second to the nonprofit organization Disabled American Veterans – in 2006, the motorcycle company made its first contribution of $1 million to the DAV.

Gail Leone, president of the Harley-Davidson Foundation, said her organization is "proud" to carry on its relationship with the DAV.

"Veterans have always been important members of the Harley-Davidson family, and partnering with the DAV is an ideal way to support them and recognize their contributions to our country," Leone said.

The DAV was formed in 1920 by soldiers returning from World War I. For nearly a century, the 1.2 million members of the organization have been helping provide support for the men and women who bear both the emotional and physical scars of battle. The DAV operates out of 110 national service offices and 10 mobile service offices, through which DAV volunteers visited 300 Harley-Davidson dealerships on the Harley’s Heroes tour – a program that delivers free benefits assistance to disabled veterans and their families.

"It’s hard to put into words just how much the Harley’s Heroes program has meant to thousands of sick and wounded heroes," said DAV CEO Arthur H. Wilson.

"Harley-Davidson not only represents freedom and patriotism, the Company backs up its brand and generously supports those brave men and women whose sacrifices protect our nation," he added.

The DAV represents more than a quarter of a million disabled veterans and their families in their quests to claim Veterans Affairs benefits, and in 2009 the organization managed to secure more than $4.5 billion in new and retroactive benefits for soldiers.

The DAV isn’t the only way that Harley-Davidson is involved in the lives of America’s veterans. The company’s website includes a "Salute to Veterans" page, which details the unique relationship the motorcycle manufacturer has had with soldiers and presents several veterans’ stories concerning how they came to know and love a Harley-Davidson bike.

One veteran, Sergeant James Pruitt of Perkin, Illinois, writes that buying a Harley-Davidson has provided him with a new level of freedom. The motorcycle ensures that he can continue "living free as an American. Staying free as a military veteran. Riding free on my first Harley."

Sales team provider Cydcor has kicked off its new Cydcor Cares program in Thousand Oaks, California.

Cydcor, which provides outsourced, face-to-face sales teams, designed the event to help kids at local Boys and Girls Clubs become more interested in reading. Cydcor team members dressed up as favorite fictional characters while reading to children in kindergarten through fourth grade. Eight Cydcor employees participated in the event, performing as readers, scene reenactors and coordinators.

The event was also made possible by The Bookaneer, a local used bookstore that donated dozens of children’s fiction titles. Some of the books were read aloud by Cydcor volunteers, while others were displayed for children to browse at their leisure.

Both the Bookaneer and the Boys and Girls Clubs expressed gratitude for Cydcor’s time and dedication to the cause.

"I think it’s wonderful that a local company has made it a priority to give back to their local community and provide such a great program to children," said Tracey Benedict, who owns The Bookaneer.

"We’re thrilled that Cydcor selected the Boys and Girls Club for their event," added Boys and Girls Club of Thousand Oaks director Georgi Harden.

Gary Polson, CEO of Cydcor, emphasized the importance of service to his company’s vision, as well as his commitment to the company’s core values of integrity, collaboration, respect and communication.

"We believe that community involvement is a collaborative effort," Polson said. "The vision of this program is to create real service opportunities for individuals as well as group team member participation."

Cydcor also recently launched the Neighborhood Leader Program, which allows Cydcor employees to volunteer in their local communities. Since the program began, Cydcor workers have donated nearly 300 hours to 28 different organizations.

Cydcor, which began as a small start-up in Canada, became an independent corporation in 1994. Today, Cydcor’s network of sales offices is based all across Canada and the United States.

On July 14, East Harlem got a makeover as more than 600 New York-based Digitas employees gathered to renovate and refurbish 10 community and child care centers run by the Union Settlement Association, East Harlem’s largest and longest-serving nonprofit social services organization.

Community Service Day (CSD), as we refer to the annual outing, is an integral part of our agency culture at Digitas. Over the years, we’ve contributed to a variety of local organizations. This year, we chose to work with Union Settlement, in great part because their good work extends throughout the community – from child care to senior care to adult education.

600 Digitas employees, 300 gallons of paint, 277 plants, 40 garden boxes, 25 carpet tiles and eight hours later, Union Settlement’s high-traffic facilities were completely renovated and revamped to benefit the thousands of people who use the buildings every day. The labor, donations and fundraising services provided by Digitas enabled a year’s worth of renovation, decoration and outdoor installation projects.

David Nocenti, Executive Director of Union Settlement Association, attested to the renovations. “The transformation of our facilities in just an eight-hour period was simply amazing. From the freshly-painted rooms, to the beautiful new murals, to the new playground equipment, to the stunning new plantings in the two gardens, to the new stage and tool shed and staff lounge furniture and art room lockers, to the entire day of activities in Jefferson Park, we feel like the very lucky recipients of our own ‘Extreme Makeover’ (except that we did not have to move out for a week while it happened!”

CSD is a powerful example of what can be accomplished when a company’s employees work together for a common cause. Digitas holds CSDs throughout its North American offices, and I’m excited for our upcoming projects in both our Stamford and Atlanta regions.

The dedicated and giving Digitas NY CSD leadership team included Stephanie Dodd, Jesse Gustafson, Meghan Rose, Ashley Swartz, Evan Tessler and Natalie Torres.

Joanne Zaiac is the President of the New York, Stamford, Atlanta region at Digitas.

Five London students awarded a place at Washington D.C. Leadership Summit and eight-week internship as part of Bank of America Student Leaders program

LONDON – Five young people from London have been selected as 2010 Bank of America Student Leaders in recognition of their leadership skills and passion for improving their local communities. This unique programme offers London-based sixth form and college students the opportunity to spend the summer learning key social and business leadership skills, to further inspire them in serving their communities and effecting positive changes in their local areas.

As part of the award, this month the selected students will be travelling to Washington D.C. for the Bank of America Charitable Foundation’s week-long Student Leadership summit. In addition to attending the summit, the Student Leaders will participate in eight-week non-profit internships, paid for by Bank of America, at organisations in their local communities. Students gain hands-on experience and learn the finer points of nonprofits management and leadership while the non-profit organisations benefit from the additional resources and support.

This year’s London Student Leaders are:

Merlain Makiadi, Southfields Community College
Sami Ali, Drayton Manor High School
Verdzhiniya Ivanova, New Vic Sixth Form College
Rebecca Duncan, Newsted Wood School for Girls
Olorunfemi Bolarinwa Situ-Amoo, Pimlico Academy

“At Bank of America, we strongly believe that an investment in future leaders plays a pivotal role in revitalising our communities,” said Jonathan Moulds, President of EMEA, Bank of America Merrill Lynch. “By providing opportunities for our youth to be leaders in their communities today is important not only to our long-term success in London but also as a nation and world. Through our Neighbourhood Excellence Initiative and our larger corporate social responsibility efforts, we’re helping to create a culture of global service – one that benefits individuals, families, non-profit organisations and the neighbourhoods they serve.”

At the week-long leadership summit, students will learn how service benefits communities economically; how corporate, non-profit and government collaboration is instrumental in community revitalisation;and the important role that non-profit organisations play as community anchors, particularly during times of economic difficulty.

Through a series of interactive workshops and hands-on activities, the summit will include educational seminars and the participation of several special guests. Highlights include:

Meetings on Capitol Hill to discuss important issues that impact young people such as lack of financial education in secondary schools and affordable opportunities for a post secondary education.
Leadership sessions that introduce business etiquette, identify personal strengths, develop future goals and identify opportunities for giving back to the community wherever they land.

The Student Leaders programme is one component of Bank of America’s signature philanthropic programme, the Neighbourhood Excellence Initiative(r). Since the programme’s inception in 2004, it has recognised and awarded more than 1,200 Student Leaders in the US and the UK, many of whom have gone on to leadership positions at colleges and universities while continuing to lead civic engagement efforts.

About the Neighbourhood Excellence Initiative

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation’s Neighbourhood Excellence Initiative annually recognises organisations, individuals and students who have shown a commitment to improving their communities. Since the programme’s inception in 2004, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation has committed more than $110 million globally to the NEI programme and will invest over $20 million in 2010 alone.

This fall, as part of the Neighbourhood Excellence Initiative, Bank of America will also announce Neighbourhood Builders, two local nonprofits in each of the 45 participating markets that will be awarded $200,000 each in unrestricted funding for their commitment to improving and revitalizing their communities, and Local Heroes, five individuals in each market with proven dedication to improving their communities through community service who will be able to direct a $5,000 contribution from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to an eligible non-profit of their choice.

Bandana Spettigue is from Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.

Online video pioneer YouTube, a subsidiary of the multimedia giant Google, has announced a $5-million program designed to help amateur video-makers get noticed and bring more traffic to the website.

Many YouTube video creators have been able to generate substantial views – in some cases reaching numbers that rival those of broadcast networks – while mainting creative control over every aspect of their video production process. However, even the most popular of YouTube stars lacks the financial funding and resources available to major television studios.

"Ultimately the game has changed, and people are throwing the rules out the window," George Strompolos, partner development manager at YouTube, told the New York Times. "Folks who ten years ago couldn’t even get their content shared to friends across the street are now connecting with audiences around the world."

YouTube doesn’t want financial difficulty to be the reason its most successful stars can’t continue to produce content that the website’s visitors love. To that end, the company has established the Partner Grants program to support the efforts of a select group of video content creators who are at the forefront of innovation. The grants, which will allow the video creators to invest in professional camera equipment and editing software, hire staff members and expand their marketing, will serve as an advance against their future revenue share. The goal of the program is to raise the standard for online video creation, allowing it to rival traditional media creation by major studios.

In forging this direct relationship with its content creators, YouTube follows in the footsteps of many other online companies, such as Amazon. The popular bookseller now has a platform that allows aspiring authors to self-publish on its electronic reader, the Kindle.

YouTube, which was founded in 2005, is the most popular video sharing and creation platform in the world. The company has struck partnership deals with many major television production studios, including CBS, the BBC and the Sundance Channel.