ELIZABETH CADY STANTON: March 2008

Don't let the bonnet and motherly demeanor fool you. Powerhouse Elizabeth Cady Stanton managed to birth and raise seven children all while serving as the driving force behind the women's rights movement.

The U.S. Women's Rights Movement was officially set in motion in 1848 when Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. Seventy-one years later, in 1920, the tireless efforts of Stanton, Mott, Susan B. Anthony, and many other women, resulted in the ratification of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. Before 1970 only one or two scholars would have identified themselves as women historians, women's history wasn't seen as the subject of serious study. Today there's nary a college or university in the nation that doesn't offer women's history course, and most offer doctoral degrees in the field.

Women have a long way to go, but as we move into the future it's important to appreciate how far we've come. So this month, let's salute Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and all the courageous, multitasking women of our past and present, in the U.S. and around the world, for their work in helping half of of the world's population gain equality with the other half.

Here are a couple of interesting lists to share with your teens, male and female:
History Channel's Women's Hall of Fame List
Firsts for Women in U.S. Politics

CARTER G. WOODSON: February 2008

February is Black History Month and it occurred to us that, like so many of the national holidays and special focus months we collectively acknowledge, we knew little about how this celebration came about. So, we did a little research, the result being that this month we celebrate the amazing Carter G. Woodson, the Father of the Black History Month.

The son of former slaves, Woodson was born in 1850 and spent his childhood working in Kentucky coal mines. He didn't begin his formal education until he was 20, but within a few years he had not only received his high school diploma but went on to the University of Chicago to earn a bachelor's degree and then a master's degree. In 1912 he became the second African American (after W.E.B. DuBois) to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard.

Disturbed to find black Americans so little represented in history, and when they were, they were represented in stereotypes of the day, Dr. Woodson used his education and ambition to educate all Americans, first in 1915 by founding the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, then in February 1926 by launching Negro History Week. He chose the month of February as it's the birth month of two men who influenced tremendously the lives of black Americans and the views of white Americans: Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Negro History Week became Black History Month during our bicentennial celebration in1976.

Dr. Woodson passed on in 1950, but he would be proud to know that this February black history is taking another stride forward as we watch a black American become a major contender in a presidential race. That's something to celebrate.

For more information, including a list of some of our most influential African American citizens, visit the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.

ANONYMOUS: January 2008

Anonymous is at it again. This time, it’s a BIG one—$130 million. Anonymous reportedly donated the money to help rebuild hundreds of schools and storm shelters destroyed by a cyclone along Bangladesh's southwest coast.

HEVILLE, N.C. --Last month Anonymous donated $2 million to the high schools in Buncombe County, North Carolina. And the month before that, Anonymous was all over the world, making donations in amounts ranging from pocket change to multi-millions of dollars.

We don’t know Anonymous’s name, race, religion, or even if he’s a he or she’s a she or some variation of both. What we do know is that we all benefit from Anonymous.

When your generous neighbor makes a large donation to her favorite charity and the local newspaper features her good deed, it sets a fine example for the rest of us. When that movie star we all admire uses his influence and time to create positive change, it gives us yet another reason to find him positively dreamy. It also inspires us to get involved.

Public charity and volunteering are important, no denying it. But there’s something intriguing and special about the generous deeds of Anonymous, the mysterious donor who doesn’t need our thanks to make the act of giving worthwhile.

This month we salute you, Anonymous, and thank you. You make the world a better place for us all.

CHARLIE JERKE: December 2007

That mall Santa you saw last weekend, don’t believe it for a minute. The real Santa is in Montana and he’s been very busy these past few weeks. With the help of a few of his best elves, he’s presented 2,600 books to children in 10 elementary schools throughout the state.

When we spoke to him this week, Santa, aka Charlie Jerke (as in beef, not annoying guy), was getting ready to head off to the last of the 10 schools on his list. “About 60 percent of the area is pretty wealthy,” he said, “and the other 40 percent is living below the poverty level. For some of these kids, the book I give them is their only possession. I’ve had kids ask me, ‘Is this really for me?’ as I hand them their book. ‘Can I keep this?’ They can’t believe it.”

Jerke told us of going to a special-needs class. “One little girl, she’s in very tough shape. She’d never spoken and is in the fetal position, but the teachers got her straightened around so she could see me. She looked right at me and said, ‘Santa.’ We were all crying.”

Three years ago Jerke approached Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, Montana, and asked them to choose and order 900 books appropriate for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade.

The fine folks at Chapter One were happy to help. They carefully chose the best contemporary and classic titles and sold them to Santa at a considerable discount. The Greater Ravalli Foundation of Montana funds the project.

With books sorted and wrapped, Santa suited up—that white beard’s for real, by the way—and headed off to deliver the books to K-5 children in the local school system. The project was so successful those first years, this year Jerke expanded his book-giving territory to include all of the Bitterroot Valley.

“I wish you could come with me today and see what happens when I show up at a school,” Jerke said. We wish we could, too. By all accounts, he WOWs the kids. After making an appearance at Grantsdale Elementary School, principal Kathleen Dent phoned Shawn Wathen at Chapter One. “She said Santa’s appearance was a monstrous success,” Wathen says. “The kids were so excited about it and amazed to see Santa handing out books. Even the fifth graders, trying to look cool, couldn’t hide their excitement.”

“I see a child and I’m in that red suit and I get down and talk to them,” Jerke says. “They talk differently to Santa than they do to their parents. Yesterday one boy asked me for one pair of socks. Not a toy, one pair of socks.”

“These little people are our future,” he says. If it’s true that books open up worlds, then Santa is giving the world to the children of Montana.

So, we salute Charlie Jerke of Montana, for reminding us—tis better to give than receive.

NICHOLAS NEGROPONTE: November 2007

"Children learning—that's the goal," says One Laptop Per Child founder, Nicholas Negroponte. "For every single child in the world to have the opportunity to learn."

This month we salute MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte for spearheading the development of the amazing XO laptop, a computer specifically designed for the children of third-world countries, and for founding the organization that's putting the XO into the hands of children around the world.

Until now Negroponte has been best known for founding and directing the MIT Media Lab, which has been a driving force in the multimedia revolution. In founding One Laptop Per Child, he teamed with educators, developers, and technologists dedicated to educating children in developing countries. (To read our full headline story about the XO and view a 2-minute video about how this amazing laptop works, click here.)

"Children are very good at learning and teaching," Negroponte told Riz Khan of Al Jazeera (October 4, 2007). "When people ask me how are we going to teach the teachers to teach the children how to use a laptop, I wonder what planet they're on, because every adult that I know, if they want help using their laptop or a cell phone they ask a child. Children are almost genetically capable of doing this. So the point now is to take that skill and let them learn and play with information and work in school and out of school."

Listen to the full (17-minute) Al Jazeera interview:


The XO isn't available for retail sale, but for this month, from November 12 to 26 only, you can Give 1 and Get 1. By donating $400 dollars, you'll receive and XO (delivered to you in time for Christmas) and another XO will be delivered to a child somewhere in the world who will really appreciate it.

Nicholas Negroponte and the One Laptop Per Child project are another vivid example of what can happen when generous individuals get together and use their passion, knowledge, and creativity for the larger good. Imagine the possibilities.

JUMPSTART & PEARSON: October 2007

The 2007 Read for the Record event broke its own record thanks to a beautiful collaboration between a nonprofit organization and a large for-profit corporation.

(At left, San Francisco's treasurer, Jose Cisneros, reads to a couple of his young friends.)

Preliminary Results of the 2007 Read for the Record

Jumpstart broke the record for the greatest shared reading experience ever—the tally so far (and still counting) shows that over 258,000 children participated at 1,900 events nationwide

So far, the three states with the most participants are Texas, California, and Louisiana; the three cities with the greatest number of participants are San Antonio, TX; Naucalpan, Mexico; and Mesa, AZ

More than 100,000 copies of the official campaign book, The Story of Ferdinand, were donated to children in low-income communities

Jumpstart’s Mission and Pearson’s Support

“It’s amazing how powerful the collaboration between Jumpstart and Pearson is turning out to be,” says James Cleveland, Jumpstart’s new president. “As a team, we’re making huge strides.”

Event team members: (left to right) Chance Patterson (XM Satellite Radio), Jenny Raymond (The Pearson Foundation), James Cleveland (President, Jumpstart), Michelle Rhee (Chancellor, DC Schools)

Jumpstart is working toward the day when every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. The Jumpstart model is designed to enhance the educational efforts of Head Start and other early learning programs. By connecting with children early, through caring one-to-one relationships, Jumpstart promotes the crucial brain development and primary skill building that leads to success not only in school, but also in life.

Pearson, the international publishing and media group, began its partnership with Jumpstart in 2001 with a multi-million dollar commitment to create the Pearson Teacher Fellowship, which encourages—via financial support, training, and mentoring—high-achieving college students to enter the early education field by becoming preschool teachers in Head Start or other early learning centers.

Pearson is also a founding sponsor of Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign. Pearson's Penguin Young Readers division published a special edition of The Little Engine That Could for the inaugural campaign in 2006 and The Story of Ferdinand for this year’s event. The books include information about Jumpstart and important tips for making the most of reading time with young children. And, 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these books goes directly to Jumpstart.

“Pearson played a significant role in the success of this year’s Read for the Record,” says Cleveland. “Pearson Foundation’s president, Mark Nieker, has a team of Pearson employees, a core group involved in Jumpstart. The company as a whole gets involved, too, publishing the book, organizing events, doing service days, participating in the various reading events. They’re really hands on.”

This year Pearson hired a firm to put on a big celebration two nights before the event, to rally volunteers and get the media’s attention, and helped land the event on the Today show, which gave Read for the Record a huge national audience. The result of all this is that more and more people are beginning to see the importance and impact of Jumpstart’s program and they’re getting involved.

“It’s not just rhetoric,” Cleveland says about Jumpstart and its mission, “people are seeing that there really is something happening and it’s making a difference. At this year’s Read for the Record we saw commitments. We saw excitement. It created a new level of participation for next year’s event. We’re very excited.”

The Bottom Line

The Jumpstart/Pearson partnership helps Jumpstart achieve its mission in a way it couldn’t manage financially or logistically on its own, while it helps Pearson promote a positive company image and create the young readers who will become its consumer market of tomorrow. It’s a win-win situation for all involved, including the American public.

And so, we at And Now for the Good News give a big Good News pat on the back to the Jumpstart/Pearson team.

How You Can Get Involved

Whether you’re interested in donating money or your time and effort, these sites will get you started:

Jumpstart

Read for the Record

The Pearson Foundation

Click here to hear Jumpstart president James Cleveland talk about the 2007 record-breaking Read for the Record event and how you can get involved. He also reveals next year’s Read for the Record book—drum roll, please.

Click here for a public service announcement from Edward Asner

Click here to read the And Now for the Good News headline story

MARSHA WALLACE: September 2007

Marsha Wallace has started a conspiracy that can't be stopped. In average homes across America, in cities and suburbs alike, more and more women are gathering together and—eating potluck dinners. Sure, it sounds innocent enough, but don’t be fooled. These women are up to something big.

In 2003, Marsha Wallace, wife, mother, and registered nurse from Greenville, South Carolina, gathered a group of women friends and acquaintances together for a potluck dinner. They pooled the money they would have spent going out to dine and sent the money to a charity. Thus was born Dining for Women, the name being a double entendre as the money collected is donated to organizations around the world that support women.

Marsha Wallace, center, with DFW treasurer, Kitty Croke, left, and
Carolyn Mayers, right, leader of the Eastern Shore (Virginia) DFW chapter

Since that first 2003 gathering, DFW has grown to 150 chapters throughout the US and the collective monthly donations are now ranging from $10,000 to $12,000 a month.

The concept of helping women help themselves is near and dear to Wallace who was once herself a single mother struggling to get a college education.

“When women become self-sufficient and independent, they change the world,” Wallace says. In addition to improving their own lot, they improve that of their children and their extended families, too. “It’s my goal to help them in some small way achieve for themselves what I at one time was attempting to achieve for myself: self respect, a sense of pride and accomplishment, and the security of knowing I could provide for my family.”

“We maintain close communication with the organizations we fund,” Wallace says. “DFW chapters receive regular updates about the impact our donations are making in the lives of the women and children.”

The DFW site provides a monthly schedule of which organization they’re supporting. In July 2007, for example, DFW donations went to the Freedom from Hunger organization. In August, they went to Growth Through Learning. In September, they’ll go to the Prevent Human Trafficking organization. Information and links to each group are provided on the DFW Web site, so the information can be shared with all 150 groups and the individual chapters are free to get involved as much or as little as suits them.

Chapters average from 5 to 15 women members. Wallace’s group, in Greenville, is the currently the largest group, with 20 to 25 women showing up for any given dinner, which rotates from house to house.

“But, size doesn’t matter,” Wallace says. “It can just be two or three women getting together once a month. I receive checks in amounts as small as $5.00. It all counts. It all adds up.” And that’s part of the beauty and simplicity of the idea. Women can keep it small, grow it large, whatever works for them.

To give you an idea of how much a bit of mainstream news media coverage could contribute to multiplying good in the world . . . At the beginning of April 2007, DFW had 48 chapters across the country. On April 28, 2007, Weekend Today (a Saturday morning show, not the largest audience) broadcast a short feature on DFW. It resulted in 35 new chapter applications and the momentum has continued. Between April and September 2007 the number of charters has more than tripled to 150 nationwide.

Imagine if the word really gets out. The conspiracy will grow. No neighborhood or city block will be safe from THE WOMEN WHO DINE.

So, kudos to Marsha Wallace, who had an idea and is nurturing it along, for the good of us all.

For more information, including a chapter application and everything you need to get your own DFW group started, including sample invitations and agendas, visit DiningForWomen.org.

Marsha Wallace, third from left, attends the Eastern Shore (Virginia) Chapter