Fraser Nelson
SADS Foundation Guest Blog: Where is Flat Bob?
You hear about it every day in the news – the sudden death of a young athlete or the unexplained passing of a young person. Did you know that each year, almost 4,000 US kids and young people die suddenly – seemingly for no reason? These are young people who were perfectly healthy one second, and gone the next. These deaths are almost always preventable if the underlying genetic heart condition is identified and treated. The SADS (Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes) Foundation, founded in Utah in 1992, exists to save these lives.
One of the most important things the SADS Foundation does is raise awareness of the warning signs of these conditions. If you or someone you know has any of these warning signs, contact the SADS Foundation for a physician referral. Once diagnosed, SADS conditions are treatable, and deaths can be prevented.
Warning signs:
- Fainting when exercising or startled
- History of young, unexplained death in the family
- Consistent chest pain or pressure during exercise
The SADS Foundation has come up with a unique awareness campaign, based on a wonderful man who lost his wife to a SADS condition. It is the "Flat Bob" campaign. Meet Bob DeVries, a regular guy from the Midwest and an avid baseball fan. On September 10, 2008, Bob came home after work to find his beloved wife, Shawn, dead on the couch. Shawn had been an active and fit 35 year old woman with no history of health problems. Her unexpected and tragic death left Bob stunned and devastated.
In time, it was discovered that Shawn had died from a genetic heart problem called Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia (ARVD), a SADS condition. In 2009, as part of Bob's recovery process and as a way to acknowledge his and Shawn's shared love for baseball, he started a quest to attend one game at each of the 30 US major league baseball parks in one season. It was during this quest that his path first crossed with the SADS Foundation and he began to help other families find answers about the unexplained passing of loved ones.
This campaign became known as 'Where's Bob?' Families affected by SADS flocked to MLB parks to meet the 'real' Bob and awareness of these conditions started to spread. The quest has now stretched beyond 'Where's Bob?' into a global sensation known as 'Flat Bob'. Families affected by SADS conditions around the world download their print-at-home paper cut out of 'FlatBob' based on the real Bob DeVries. Photos of 'Flat Bob' at soccer fields, swim lessons, even doctor's offices flood into the SADS Foundation every day –raising awareness of these little known and potentially fatal heart conditions .'Flat Bob' is now rapidly traveling across the world from Norway to France and from the US to Australia. FlatBob even made an appearances at the season finale of the hit TV show 'The Voice Season 2′ and on the fairway of the 2012 Memorial Golf Tournament with Tiger Woods!
'Who would have thought that me, just some guy who was looking for a way to cope with losing a loved one by going to all the MLB park sin one season, would have spawned the "Where's Bob?" and the 'Flat Bob' campaigns? It is very humbling for me to see my name linked to a T-shirt and aFlat Bob cartoon caricature. Wonder what's next? – a "Where's 'Bob' blehead?"asks Bob DeVries.
'Flat Bob' encourages you to be a heart hero. Know the warning signs of SADS: 1) sudden fainting when exercising or startled, 2) a history of young, unexplained death in the family and 3) consistent chest pain or pressure during exercise. He encourages you to contact the SADS Foundation for help before another young life is lost.
As Bob traveled the country raising awareness of SADS, here connected with his childhood sweetheart. Last July, Bob and Charlie got married with a pre-wedding celebration at Wrigley Field!
Please support the work of the SADS Foundation. You can visit our website here: www.StopSADS.orgor call us at 1-800-STOP SAD. Working together, we can save young lives.
Yoga for People Guest Blog: Downward Dogs for the Homeless
It's an unlikely marriage to see homeless people doing downward-dogs, but it's the sort of arrangement that Yoga For People founder Santosh Maknikar believes in strongly. When he moved to the U.S. from India in 2006, he was surprised that more people doing yoga here than in his home country, but that access to the therapeutic meditation-in-movement is limited to people with the ways-and-means for studio or gym memberships. There also lingers the stigma that yoga is a religious activity. Nonsense, Santosh says. He's as kind and warm a person you're likely to meet, and his organization started offering free yoga classes in homeless shelters, prisons, schools and local libraries last year. Classes are currently offered in Salt Lake City, Park City, and Provo, and outside of Utah in Boston, Newport Beach, Milwaukee, and a few in India, Switzerland, Thailand, Indonesia and Germany. Yoga For People has taught 300 classes so far. Most clients have non-disclosure agreements.
Voices for Utah Children Guest Blog: What’s Eating Utah’s General Fund?
Any organization that provides services to vulnerable Utahns can attest to the difficulties posed by the Great Recession on the one hand, and state budget cutbacks on the other. But you may not know that the economic crisis was not the only reason for state revenue shortfalls. Our recent report, “What’s Eating Utah’s General Fund?” identifies nearly $1 billion in state resources that escape scrutiny each year thanks to exceptions written into the tax code for certain economic activities. These exceptions are known as tax expenditures, because the decision to grant them is the fiscal equivalent of spending on a state program.
Our report also finds a massive increase—900% since 2005—in the amount of state revenue that is restricted to specific purposes. These “earmarks” drain away resources from elsewhere in the budget, no matter what other problems the state may be facing.
Many other states nationwide are becoming conscious of the need to identify limitations like tax expenditures and earmarks on state revenue. Annual tax expenditure reports, mandatory “sunset” dates, and systematic evaluation of the costs and benefits of existing legislation, are just some of the techniques used. The objective is to ensure greater transparency, so that lawmakers have all the information required to carefully weigh each tax expenditure and earmark against other pressing budget needs. These techniques also help voters hold lawmakers accountable for their decisions.
You can learn more about these issues by downloading the full report “What’s Eating Utah’s General Fund?” at www.utahchildren.org.
Allison Rowland is director of research and budget at Voices for Utah Children.
Who made the Rockefeller 2012 Innovation winners?
The Rockefeller Foundation has announced the winners of its 2012 Innovation Challenges, a competition designed to surface solutions to pressing global challenges such as access to fresh water, food insecurity, and rapid urbanization.
Winners include:
- Mali's Mobido Coulibaly, who came up with the idea for FarmQuest, a reality radio program featuring six to eight young people who compete over a nine- to twelve-month period to create the best new farm
- Amos Winter of the United States, who submitted a product idea for a novel drip emitter that promises to reduce the cost of one-acre drip irrigation systems by 90 percent, putting them within the reach of small-scale subsistence farmers without access to electricity;
- Pedro Markun, who submitted an idea for a data platform that helps Sao Paulo residents get official information regarding their neighborhoods and topics of interest in a timely fashion.
Higher Standards - The Council on Foundations National Standards
The National Standards Seal by our name indicates official confirmation from the Community Foundations National Standards Board that we have met the most rigorous standards in philanthropy. It affirms our commitment to financial security, transparency and accountability. It says our grantmaking includes an open, competitive process designed to address the changing needs of our community. The National Standards Seal also confirms our history of honoring donors’ wishes—to support the arts, cultivate gardens, expand literacy, feed children—and support countless other important causes.
The National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations were created in 2000 in cooperation with the Council on Foundations. National Standards guide community foundations in establishing legal, ethical and effective operational practices that serve as blueprints for internal development and benchmarks for external assessment. The 41 National Standards require The Community Foundation of Utah to document its policies in donor services, investment management, grantmaking and administration. To receive confirmation of National Standards compliance, The Community Foundation of Utah submitted its organizational and financial policies and procedures to the Community Foundations National Standards Board for a rigorous peer review.
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Higher Standards
The Community Foundation of Utah meets National Standards for operational quality, donor service and accountability in the community foundation sector.
The National Standards Seal by our name indicates official confirmation from the Community Foundations National Standards Board that we have met the most rigorous standards in philanthropy. It affirms our commitment to financial security, transparency and accountability. It says our grantmaking includes an open, competitive process designed to address the changing needs of our community. The National Standards Seal also confirms our history of honoring donors’ wishes—to support the arts, cultivate gardens, save endangered species, cure illness, expand literacy, feed children—and support countless other important causes.
The National Standards for U.S. Community FoundationsÔ were created in 2000 in cooperation with the Council on Foundations. National Standards guide community foundations in establishing legal, ethical and effective operational practices that serve as blueprints for internal development and benchmarks for external assessment. The 41 National Standards require The Community Foundation of Utah to document its policies in donor services, investment management, grantmaking and administration. To receive confirmation of National Standards compliance, The Community Foundation of Utah submitted its organizational and financial policies and procedures to the Community Foundations National Standards Board for a rigorous peer review.
Head Start Guest Blog: Let’s Get Them Ready!
Approximately 12% of Utah’s children are living at or below the federal poverty guideline.
The mission of Salt Lake Head Start is to provide health, education, and self-sufficiency to young children and families facing adversity. Salt Lake Head Start serves more than 2,300 infants, toddlers, preschoolers and pregnant mothers each year. At any given moment, Salt Lake Head Start has more than 1,200 low-income children awaiting services on our wait-list.
Salt Lake Head Start leads the early childhood field with a strong, clear, and comprehensive focus on all aspects of healthy development, including physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development, all of which are essential to prepare children for success in school. Salt Lake Head Start also provides health, comprehensive case management, mental health and nutritional services to vulnerable families throughout Salt Lake and Tooele counties. Head Start strives to serve the WHOLE CHILD and the WHOLE FAMILY, shaping children and families for school readiness, parental engagement, and long-term success.
Anyone with children knows the worry over decisions that steer the course of your child’s life. No parent should have to worry whether or not their children have access to quality early childhood education. The 12% of Utah’s children living at or below the federal poverty guideline should not be at an educational disadvantage starting school. Help us get them ready - volunteer, donate, promote!
Join us for our 8th annual Head Start gala, BLOOM 2012– an evening of great food and great company for a great cause.
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Volunteer today. Call Katie at 801-977-1122 for opportunities in and out of the classroom.
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Donate online: www.saltlakeheadstart.org.
Time to apply for your spot at the U's Nonprofit Academy
Created to inspire excellence in nonprofit management and governance, increase dialogue and cooperation among nonprofits and enhance organizational capacity across the intermountain region.
“The classes are very informative, the instructors excellent, and the networking with other non-profit professionals is helpful (you learn that everyone deals with similar problems in their organizations—you are not alone and can help one another).” - Lindsie Smith, Development and Marketing Director, Discovery Gateway
“Honestly, this is the best affordable, locally available practical training
for working adults in the world of nonprofit training to truly enhance their
management knowledge and skills; no excuses even scholarships are available!” – Ghulam Hasnain, ED, SALAAM
Applications taken online now until August 24th, 2012 for Fall term. Financial assistance available. To apply, visit nonprofitacademy.utah.edu. For more information, contact us at 801.585.1780.
Sumner Redstone gives $100,000 to stem bullying through the Foundation
The Sumner Redstone Charitable Foundation has donated $100,000 to the Safe to Talk Fund to place the anonymous texting service SchoolTipline in schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. A leading figure in the media industry, Mr. Redstone is Executive Chairman of Viacom Inc. and CBS Corporation.
The Safe to Talk Fund is committed to decreasing bullying, violence, crime and suicide in schools through education, programs and services. One such product is a technological solution called SchoolTipline. SchoolTipline is an anonymous texting platform that allows students to submit tips of violent or dangerous behavior to administrators, without fearing retribution from peers. In connection with the Safe to Talk Fund and Friends of Safe Schools Los Angeles (FOSSLA), the LA Unified School District is slated to implement SchoolTipline to help increase safety across its schools.
Mr. Redstone said: “I have always believed that a quality education is one of the most important contributors to success in life. That is why I am very pleased to support SchoolTipline and the LA Unified Schools District in their mission to foster a safe schools, and give young people the chance to get the education they deserve, in a supportive environment, free of bullying and violence. I hope others will support the important work of the Safe to Talk Fund.”
"As a detective for the Los Angeles School Police Department and co-founder of the Friends of Safe Schools Los Angeles charity, I believe it is of the utmost importance to have programs that provide avenues of prevention against violence, weapons on school campuses, bullying, and drug abuse, across our nation’s schools.” Said Rudy Perez Executive Director, of FOSSLA. “We are really grateful to Mr. Redstone for his donation to the schools of LA Unified"
The Los Angeles Unified Schools District has more than 900,000 enrolled students, attending more than 1,200 total schools and centers. This generous donation will provide these students and their faculty members with a safe, convenient resource to report bullying, concerns of suicide, presence of drugs and alcohol and other threatening behavior.
“The LA Unified School District represents the thousands of school districts spread across the United States, plagued by bullying, aggressive behavior and students struggling with how to respond,” said SchoolTipline CEO Kevin Santiago. “We are excited to team with The Safe to Talk Fund and FOSSLA in this great project made possible through Mr. Redstone’s contribution. Using our technology we are able to provide a solution to students and administrators giving them a response channel that acts quickly and effectively. Our goal is to be able to provide the same opportunity, the same channel, to every other school district in the nation.”
According to the National Education Association, 160,000 students skip classes each day because they fear physical harm, and nearly as many of their classmates are bringing guns to school. Sumner Redstone has joined forces with The Safe to Talk Fund and SchoolTipline to aggressively decrease these numbers in the Los Angeles area. For more information on the Safe to Talk Fund at the Community Foundation of Utah, please contact Fraser Nelson at (801) 559-3005. For information on SchoolTipline, please contact Todd Kirk, at 1-800-847-5104.
Sumner M. Redstone
In addition to his well know success in the media industry, Mr. Redstone has devoted himself to a wide variety of civic and community affairs efforts, contributing over $130 million to worthy charities around the world over the last several years. He has donated $1.5 million to the Global Poverty Project towards eradicating polio and funded the establishment of the Cambodian Children’s Fund child rescue center along with research and patient care advancements in cancer, burn recovery and mental health at several major non-profit healthcare organizations. Many of his major gifts have been focused on encouraging the acceleration of basic research into clinical trials and, ultimately, to individuals and their families. Mr. Redstone has supported such internationally recognized programs as A Place Called Home, Autism Speaks, FasterCures/The Center for Accelerating Medical Solutions, based in Washington D.C.; the prostate cancer research of Dr. David Agus at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine; the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts; the Cedars-Sinai Women’s Heart Center; Boston Latin School and Harvard University and Harvard Law School.
Mr. Redstone began his career as Law Secretary with the U.S. Court of Appeals, and then served as a Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney General. Subsequently, he was a partner with the law firm of Ford, Bergson, Adams, Borkland and Redstone in Washington, D.C. In 1954, he joined National Amusements, Inc., which he then organized into the successful company it is today. Based in Dedham, Massachusetts, National Amusements is one of the largest motion picture circuits in the United States.
Mr. Redstone served in the Military Intelligence Division during World War II. While a student at Harvard, he was selected by Japanese history professor Edwin Reischauer (later Ambassador to Japan) to join a special intelligence group whose mission was to break Japan's high-level military and diplomatic codes. In connection with these activities, Mr. Redstone received, among other honors, two commendations from the Military Intelligence Division in recognition of his service, contribution and devotion to duty. He is also a recipient of the Army Commendation Award.
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