When I grow up, I want to be Bill and Melinda Gates, not because they have a lot of money because they have a lot of heart. Giving is probably the greatest experience we can have as human beings. I watched one of our pastors at a conference this summer run up the aisle throwing fifty $1 bills as she walked to the stage, giggling as she skipped. When she reached the mic she said, “I always wanted to do that! It felt so good. In fact, GIVE stands for Giving Is Very Exciting.” Giving is the reason I was attracted to becoming debt free through Dave Ramsey’s Baby Step Program. The 7th and final step is – Build Wealth and Give! Bill and Melinda Gates have stepped out of the box and have introduced a way of giving that is admirable. If you get a chance, check out their guiding principles. They describe themselves as guiders and shapers, risk takers and advocates, ethical and mission focused. This “tuesdays” is dedicated to how technology have driven this incredible philanthropic foundation.
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All lives have equal value. This powerful statement is the introduction to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Foundation is totally a family foundation driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family. It’s hard to imagine any other single family that has reached more lives than the Gates. They have chosen to take on some of the toughest problems in the world. Fixing New York City schools is huge. The Foundation supported the “It’s Time to Fix Our Schools” problem in New York City. Large failing high schools were phased out and replaced with smaller high school academies with purpose. Graduation rates increased from 30% graduation rates to 78%. Grants have been given on all six continents: providing libraries and internet access in Chile; medical grants to find vaccines for major infectious diseases in Geneva, Switzerland; major grant to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) in the South Pacific using anti-vector approaches that will impact dengue transmission and work on other mosquito-borne diseases; support for the International Rice Institute in Africa and support for the Bloomberg Initiative to reduce tobacco use in Asia. Closer to home, the Foundation will invest $100 million to support the Hillsborough County Schools, FL implemented groundbreaking approaches to ensure that all students have access to effective teachers in every classroom. Wow! That’s huge.
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“I absolutely believe in the power of tithing and giving back. My own experience about all the blessings I've had in my life is that the more I give away, the more that comes back. That is the way life works, and that is the way energy works.”
Ken Blanchard
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Be a giver. Be involved. Giving is not always monetary, you know. Teachers are some of the most incredible givers of time and energy. Teachers spend more time with students than their own parents in many cases. Giving extra energy and time to that struggling student is as huge as changing the New York City School System. On those days when you are totally exhausted, look back at the times you were a giver. It takes your mind off your issues and allows you to pour into another human being: a student, a colleague, a parent. If any group of professionals understand the Foundation’s vision (All lives have equal value) – it is teachers. We live it each day. Who else is responsible for every child that passes through their doors no matter what their background may be? Teachers are the greatest givers. Let’s just be a little more deliberate about our giving and encouraging.
How do you do that?
How do you get involved in something so large? Just start viewing videos available on their site, reading vignettes of success stories and give them credit for their amazingly bold efforts. One way you can learn more is to join the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at TEDxChange: The Future We Make. This event is co-hosted by The Gates Foundation and TED on the 10th anniversary of the Millennium Development Goals. The TEDxChange are satellite events happening all over the world that can be viewed as webcasts. You can even RSVP by Facebook. You really can get involved with your students too! Discuss the Millennium Development Goals with the students, download and print the sign – In our Future, and personalize the message. Take pictures of your students with their signs and joint the conversation on their community page. (Disclaimer: do not add your student pictures to the foundation’s Flickr page without your district’s approval!) Use the pictures, instead to create a sense of purpose and proof that one person truly can make a difference. Thank you Bill and Melinda Gates for your giving power.
As always, I am
Ubiquitously yours,
K
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