athletes and entertainers giving back

Perspectives in PhilanthropyAthletes and Entertainers Giving Back

VOLUME 9

Cure, Care and Advocacy: The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

Every Mother Counts: Christy Turlington Burns

Garth Brooks Partners to Help Kids

John Ellis Makes a ‘Promise to God’

How Family Matters to Allan Houston

Rob Dyrdek Gives New Meaning to “Foundation”

Turning Tragedy into Hope: Amy Winehouse

Rachael Ray: A Successful Recipe for Philanthropy

Dr. Oz Creates a National Health Movement, One Student at a Time

A Mother’s Blueprint: The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation

Goldie Hawn’s Vision for Improving the Mental Health of School Children

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BY DOUGLAS J . KETTERER

PERSPECTIVES IN PHILANTHROPY

We are very pleased to bring you the latest edition of Perspectives in Philan-thropy, our quarterly journal featur-ing stories of generosity from valued clients. This issue focuses on athletes and entertainers who have captured our imagination with their presence on the playing field, stage and screen. These individuals have not only entertained us, they have excited and inspired us.

Each of the celebrities, or families close to them, highlighted in this is-sue share a passion for giving back. All of them have established nonprofits which bear their personal names or have names that capture the essence of the nonprofit’s mission. Fame unlocks the opportunity for collaborating with other nonprofits. Instant name recognition can drive charitable dollars and raise public awareness, but having a recog-nizable name can also be problematic. Potential supporters might doubt the sincerity of the celebrity’s charitable intentions. Some might join the board of a celebrity’s nonprofit for the sake of “rubbing elbows” and not out of a true

interest for the organization’s mission and work. This edition, by showcasing how celebrities have dealt with these situations, provides a roadmap for us all. For example, factors to consider when choosing effective board members, is one of the many topics addressed.

We hope you enjoy this edition as celebrities describe their experienc-es — the great, the good and the bad — of dealing with fame and philanthropy. We’re raising the curtain, turning on the spotlight, and letting them tell their own stories, in their own words.

We look forward to your comments on this issue and welcome ideas for future ones. Please email them to [email protected].

DOUGLAS J. KETTERERManaging Director Head of U.S. Field Management Head of U.S. Private Wealth Management

6 MORGAN STANLEY | 2012


Turning Tragedy Into Hope: Amy Winehouse

M itch Winehouse first conceived of the Amy Winehouse Founda-

tion on the most tragic day of his life. “While we were on the plane after we’d heard the news, I began to think of the Amy Winehouse Foundation. I was very upset, obviously, but right from the start, we knew we were going to create a foundation.”

At first, the Amy Winehouse Founda-tion operated in the U.K., with a plan to do work in the U.S. later. “Our idea was to focus on children. Amy loved children, and we thought there was so much we could do to help disadvan-taged young people who were dealing with all sorts of obstacles: economic strife, illness, homelessness, all sorts

of difficult situations. And that worked great in Britain, where we made con-tributions to lots of different groups that were doing great things. We just wanted to help everyone.”

“But of course, you can’t do that. So when it came time to expand into America and setting up a 501(c)(3) pub-lic charity, we thought it was important to focus on one area where we could make a real difference. And we decided to focus on music — and initially, on several music education programs in New Orleans.”

HONORING THE MEMORY OF AMY WINEHOUSE “I remember Amy telling me how upset she was about what hap-pened in New Orleans after Hurricane

Katrina, so I knew that was important to her. New Orleans is also the center of jazz in the United States, and Amy loved jazz. And Amy loved children too. So, New Orleans, music, children. All those things fit perfectly.”

Making these choices for Mitch is different than with some foundations, because his foundation was created to honor his daughter. “One thing that’s always with me — what would Amy have wanted? That’s always a strug-gle, because, you know, Amy didn’t know she was going to die. She was very young and we didn’t really talk about the sorts of things she would have wanted to do philanthropically. But, I’m a great believer in life after death, and I believe Amy is with me all the time … if she were unhappy with the choices that we are making, I believe I would know.”

Amy’s celebrity allowed Mitch to make connections with many people. “Our first initiative in New Orleans was the result of a meeting with Soledad O’Brien, who told us about projects with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Actually, there were two projects we supported that work with disadvantaged young people to provide free music edu-cation — Project Prodigy and Summer Saturdays — one after school and one for the summer. These projects are not really about finding the next Amy Wine-house or the next Louis Armstrong or talent of that level. It’s more about the

October Song by Amy Winehouse

Today my bird flew away Gone to find her big blue jay

Starlight before she took flight I sung a lullaby of bird land every night

I sang a lullaby every night Sang for my Ava every night

Ava was the morning, now she’s gone She’s reborn like Sarah Vaughan In the sanctuary she has found

Birds surround her sweet sound And Ava flies in paradise

7MORGAN STANLEY | 2012

ATHLETES AND ENTERTAINERS GIVING BACK

therapeutic effect of just playing music, whether a kid wants to blow a trumpet or bang on a drum. Many of these kids in New Orleans are extremely traumatized and giving them the chance to play, to express themselves, it’s just good for their soul. It also directs them away from other, more negative activities.”

“It’s not about how good they are. We just want to take care of them, give them a chance.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF FOCUS AND VISION The experiences in England and New Orleans helped Mitch learn a valuable lesson. “It’s important to focus on something particular. I don’t regret a single pound that we spent in

“’Cause what’s inside her, it never dies”

–Amy Winehouse, He Can Only Hold Her

Britain, but we’ve decided that, moving forward, it’s better for us to concen-trate our giving on specific efforts in an impactful way, rather than make many small gifts to a lot of charities.”

Along the way, Mitch also added key players to his Board of Directors. “In the U.K., the trustees are just me, Amy’s mom, Janis, our spouses, Amy’s manager, and the head of her record company. Everyone was connected with Amy and that was very important to us when we started. But in the U.S., I didn’t know people, so we added a dear friend named Alan Serrins, who is an attorney and very connected in the entertain-ment world. He helped us connect with

Mitch Winehouse and Amy Winehouse

Tony Bennett and his daughter — Amy and Tony did a record together, a very beautiful version of Body and Soul which won a Grammy. And also with Monte Lipman who’s the President & CEO of Universal Republic Records. So now we’ve got a great mix, younger people, more mature people, people in the industry, just a very strong team.”

In terms of raising money, a huge project for the Amy Winehouse Foun-dation USA began this past June. “I wrote a book about Amy, and the pro-ceeds from that will go to the Founda-tion. We made another decision, which is that all the money we raise for the Foundation will be spent in the coun-try where it’s raised, so all the dollars raised in the U.S. will stay in the U.S.”

“We have other projects that we’ve done and more that we are planning. Our fundraising model is mostly large events. Plus we’ve got royalties going to the estate which will help support the Foundation.”

“And the Foundation’s work won’t stop in New Orleans. Once we’ve got the blueprint, we can start thinking about other places. We’ve got problems throughout the U.S. where kids need help. And you know, we don’t want to just have a few successful years of help-ing people. We expect to keep going. Amy had much to give, and we want to keep her spirit alive.”

For more information about the Amy Wine-house Foundation USA, visit the website www.amywinehousefoundation.org/us.



Rachael Ray: A Successful Recipe for Philanthropy

“I was in the kitchen at an early age, watching my mother and learning

about food before I even picked up a spoon,” said television personality and best-selling author Rachael Ray. “She’d have me on her hip while she stirred a pot and carried on a conversation. Food plays an important part in our lives, and my family had a healthy relationship with food and cooking. That’s the driving force behind my Yum-o! orga-nization — empowering kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking.”

Rachael’s Yum-o! organization dovetails with her profound connec-tion to food in three distinct ways: 1) helping kids learn to cook and develop a healthy relationship with food, 2) focusing on the issue of hunger in America, and 3) supporting cooking education and scholarships to help kids pursue food-related careers. More simply, Yum-o!’s mission is “Cook, Feed and Fund.”

WORKING WITH OTHER ORGANIZA-TIONS Yum-o! has made a number of decisions that enable it to use Rachael’s media platform to achieve its goals. One of the first decisions was to look for, and work with, organizations that were already doing a great job in areas related to Yum-o!’s focus, rather than

reinventing the wheel or investing in redundant infrastructure. This is the approach Rachael takes with her busi-nesses — find a company that she and her team believe to be of the highest caliber in their industry and partner

with them to create innovative products that leverage her brand.

The first relationship Yum-o! formed was with President Clinton’s Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which was created as a project between the Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association, both teaming up to combat childhood obesity.

Another example of this approach is Yum-o!’s relationship with Share Our Strength. “Rachael already had a connection with Share Our Strength, and was donating proceeds from one of her cutlery lines to that group,” says Andrew Kaplan, the Yum-o! or-ganization’s Director. “Their motto is ‘No Kid Hungry,’ and their goal is to end childhood hunger in America by 2015. Since they already had an infrastructure in place, it made sense

to work with them.”With Yum-o!’s three-pronged mis-

sion of Cook, Feed and Fund, it made sense to find other partners as well — in addition to Share Our Strength, Yum-o! works with Feeding America on hun-ger relief.

They also partner with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, which helps the restaurant and food service industry recruit and retain a qualified and diverse work-force. Yum-o! created a scholarship initiative aimed at high school stu-dents who want to pursue a career in the food service industry. Just as it is for Rachael, food is such an important part of life for many young people. “I am so proud to be part of providing the means for kids to have the same opportunities as I did, to excel in this industry.” Rachael notes.

In May 2010, Mayor Michael R. Blo omb er g a nd t he Mayor’s Fund to Ad-vance New York City announced a partner-ship with Rachael Ray and Yum-o! to promote healthy eating and nu-trit ion in New York City. Yum-o! provided funding to:

•Help create 200 school gardens (reaching almost 50,000 students)• Establish a garden-to-café program in 80 schools, which connect school gardens to students’ plates by serving garden produce in cafeterias and at school events. • Pilot cooking and nutrition programs at eight New York City Housing Authority (public housing) sites

FUNDING THROUGH BUSINESS RE-LATIONSHIPS There are many ways the Yum-o! organization is funded, including through existing business relationships of Rachael and her brand.

“Rachael made a decision not to go to people and ask them to give incre-mentally, but rather to develop funding sources from existing consumer activi-ties and advertiser brand partnerships,”

“A big part of what we try to do is make cooking and eating something that makes

people happy, just like it makes me happy.”– Rachael Ray



said John Hall, President and COO at Rachael Ray / Watch Entertainment. “For example, we might associate one of our merchandise lines with Yum-o! and contribute a portion of our proceeds from its sales to the foundation. Or sometimes we will work with a cor-porate sponsor interested in funding one of our three pillars, then create a program with one of our partners specific to their needs.”

“One example comes from a con-sumer products company that wanted to undertake an initiative dealing with hunger in America,” explains Kaplan. “We put together three programs, one with Share Our Strength around school breakfast programs, another with Feed-ing America that involved getting fresh produce to food banks, and a third with Wholesome Wave. The Wholesome Wave program is especially creative — it is a double-value coupon program that

enables food stamps to have double the value when used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. Three different programs, three different approaches, but all under the sponsor’s strategy of focusing on hunger.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL COMMITMENT For Rachael, her ap-proach to philanthropy combines her deep commitment to the three pillars of Yum-o! with the knowledge that her own celebrity can be a powerful force.

“We don’t want to just give money to fund a program. We can be so much more effective using Rachael’s brand to get an important message out, and get people as committed to the goal as we are,” said Hall. “If we’re supporting something, we are passionate about it, and it comes across. That’s what people respond to.”

The name of the foundation, Yum-o!, ref lects this attitude. Rachael

coined “Yum-o!” because it is the sound someone makes when they eat something super delicious, like a com-bination of “yummy” and “oh, wow!”. “You can’t help but smile when you say it,” Rachael continues. “A big part of what we try to do is make cooking and eating something that makes people happy, just like it makes me happy. Food should be delicious, fun and put a smile on your face.”

“Kids gain confidence and self-es-teem by creating recipes and cooking in the kitchen — whatever it is — a snack, a meal, a dessert, you name it! And the bottom line is that whatever you make yourself — with good ingredients — is going to be better tasting, healthier, more affordable and more fun than most things you can buy.”

For more information about Yum-o!, visit the website www.yum-o.org.



Dr. Oz Creates a National Health Movement, One Student at a TimeBY MICHELLE BOUCHARD

The idea for HealthCorps started nearly a decade ago, when my

friend and the organization’s co-founder, cardiac surgeon Dr. Mehm-et Oz, was checking on a patient. He had performed open-heart surgery on a young woman — in her 20s. The surgery had gone well, but when he walked into the recovery room, he saw that she and her family were celebrat-ing that recovery with a fried food feast! It was at that moment a light bulb went off — this woman and too many like her were not aware of the impact their habits had on their bodies. He decided it was time to give teens the information they needed to take control of their health and wellness, AND help educate their families and communities.

We launched our first in-school program in 2003. It was a lunchtime program at a high school in New York City. We knew after that pilot, we were on to something. Students were hungry — not for food, they were hungry for knowledge about their health and how to take control of their wellness. We also learned that high school students had tremendous power to influence their parents and their communities and could serve as a catalyst for change.

Hea lt hCor ps ha r nessed t hat power, but also added the element of peer mentorship. Someone that those students would listen to and

emulate — a recent college graduate with a passion for health — we call them coordinators, and they are the heart of our program.

By 2005, HealthCorps had expanded all the way to New Jersey! By this fall, our high school-based program will be changing lives in 16 states and impacting over 135,000 students and members of their communities.

Dr. Oz and his wife, Lisa, created HealthCorps before he became an Emmy Award-winning television host, before he was on a first-name

basis with Oprah, and before his name was shouted out by passersby on the streets of every city we visit. He was a hands-on and active board chairman then — just as he is now.

There is no doubt that Dr. Oz’s celebrit y has opened doors for HealthCorps. Just as the involvement of his contacts and peers in the health field helped us create a cutting-edge in-school curriculum. His daily contacts with the biggest names in entertainment, sports and business have impacted our organization. Hugh

Michelle Bouchard, President of HealthCorps, and Dr. Oz



Jackman, Donna Karan, Diane Sawyer, Montel Williams, Quincy Jones, Rocco DiSpirito, Alejandro Chaban, Matthew Modine, Ben Vereen, Alonzo Mouring, John Mack and John Catsimatidis have all supported the organization as Ambassadors, Advisory Board Members or Gala Honorees. But if you ask Mehmet and Lisa Oz who the real stars of HealthCorps are, they’ll quickly reply — our coordinators.

The young women and men that join our effort defer medical school or graduate school for two years to work in high-need high schools across the country. I am often asked what Dr. Oz, Lisa Oz and I look for in our coordinators. The answer is simple — passion and energy! Like our founders, our coordinators WANT to make a difference. They lead our teens in experiential project-based lessons in mental resilience, nutrition and physical fitness, as well as a variety of before, during and after school programs — all designed to enable teens to take charge of their wellness.

HealthCorps has had so many

outstanding coordinators work in our schools. Dr. Oz, Lisa and I are constantly amazed at the caliber of individuals our program attracts. One of our early coordinators is a young man named Danny Cruz. Danny, a f irst generation Latin-American, wanted to become a doctor because from the time he was a young boy he always played the role of “translator” for his family whenever anyone had to go to the hospital. Although his

NYU undergraduate grades were not stellar, his passion for health and helping others was apparent. He became one of our most memorable and outstanding coordinators. He went on to medical school and in a few weeks, Danny will begin his residency in Cardiology at Johns Hopkins. He said the topic most discussed during

his interview at Johns Hopkins was his experience in the field as a member of the HealthCorps.

Jess Steele, who is about to complete her second year at Sac High in Sacramento, was set to accept a Fulbright Scholarship. She was literally about to board an international flight when HealthCorps called and offered her a Coordinator position. This fall, she’ll begin the Master’s program at Columbia University’s School of Public Health.

Through the vision of our founders, Mehmet and Lisa Oz, and coordinators, like Danny and Jess, HealthCorps is creating a movement to help improve the health and future of teens and their communities, because teens ARE capable of the

most profound change — both in their lives and the lives around them.

For more information about HealthCorps, visit the website www.healthcorps.org.

MICHELLE BOUCHARD President of HealthCorps.

“Through the vision of our founders, Mehmet and Lisa Oz, and our coordinators, like

Danny and Jess, HealthCorps is creating a movement to help improve the health and

future of teens and their communities.”– Michelle Bouchard



A Mother’s Blueprint: The Shawn Carter Scholarship FoundationBY TAMARA WARREN

Gloria Carter is the proud mother of four successful adult children — her

youngest, Shawn Carter, is the celebrat-ed recording artist and self-made entre-preneur widely known as JAY Z. JAY Z, a 14-time Grammy Award winner, has sold over 50 million albums and transformed popular culture. His success in business is indelible as CEO of RocNation and the apparel line Rocawear, co-owner of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team and former CEO of Def Jam Records. Gloria Carter is the woman who has given him the tools to grow into the suc-cessful man that he has become. She is also his partner in philanthropy.

JAY Z a nd Gloria Ca r ter fou nded t he Shawn Carter Scholar-ship Foundation in 2003, which was a grassroots effort that rapidly grew into a prominent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. “I sat down and talked to my son and I said listen, there are a lot of urban kids whose issues are not being ad-dressed. You have kids who do have a high GPA and a lot of them have a desire to continue their education. Let us be unique and do what no one else does. It is not just about getting into college; it is about getting through it. He said, ‘okay, let’s do it.’”

The organization provides sup-portive services and scholarships for

underprivileged students to complete college and enter the workforce. The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation has funded over $1.3 million dollars in scholarships to 700 students studying at over 100 universities and vocational institutions. What is distinct about the Shawn Carter Scholarship Founda-tion is the hands-on approach taken by Ms. Carter. She keeps close tabs on her growing pool of recipients and travels with the students on annual college tours of historical black colleges and

universities. The Foundation’s mission resonates with the record number of 3,600 applicants in 2012. More than 73 percent of the Foundation’s college tour applicants this year will be the first in their families to go to college. All seniors on the tour received at least one on-the-spot admission to a college on the tour. Part of what helps Ms. Carter and the Foundation staff drive home the message is the inspiration provided by JAY Z, who recently hosted two sold-

out concerts at Carnegie Hall to raise money for the Shawn Carter Scholar-ship Foundation and the United Way of New York City.

“You look at what we came from in an urban area — we came from struggle and now you have a person that you can connect with,” says Ms. Carter. “Here is a young man that came from the Marcy Projects that became a huge star, and I am just an ordinary mother that could be traveling around the world because of his success, but I chose to run an organization and he is willing to support it.”

Shawn Carter’s personal success story starts with his family’s roots in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, dating back to 1946 when his grandparents moved from South Carolina to New York. “As a kid my mother was always involved with the community, even if it meant just bringing people together to have a cook out,” Ms. Carter says. “With her grooming me to be the matriarch, I’ve learned how to bring people to-gether to get things done. My mother always told us you could have anything you want, but you have to work hard. She taught me that a closed fist can

never receive or give. She taught us that in order to receive, you have to give. You have to give with a pure heart. You give not looking for anything in return. That makes a dy-namic impact.”

In many ways, Ms. Carter’s personal growth has mirrored her success-ful son’s — she overcame

challenges and then focused on giving back to the community. “I had kids at a young age, but I was taught that I was always supposed to be responsible. I had four kids and I was married, and then suddenly, I had four kids to raise by myself. I worked security on the week-ends at the World Trade Center so that I could take care of my family. I used to work with the controller of the City of New York. I started out as a file clerk and I worked my way up, and when I

“My mother always told us you could have anything you want, but you have to work hard. She taught me that a closed fist can never receive or give. She taught us that

in order to receive, you have to give.”— Gloria Carter



retired, I was an investment analyst. During my time there, I mentored young people that came through the work-study program to emphasize that all you have to do is work hard and have determination.” As the years passed, Ms. Carter gravitated more and more toward volunteerism. She expanded her mentoring role to helping at-risk youth in the community, which sparked her interest in starting the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation. “I started the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation because I had been a mentor. I began to realize the effect that I had as a mentor on young people.”

She found herself sharing the advice

she had instilled in each of her children to overcome hardship and realize their potential. “There are two things I al-ways tell my children. If your mind can conceive it, you can achieve it. There is nothing in the world you cannot have. The other thing you also need to know at any job you do, you have to love it. You do have choices. Utilize your choices.”

The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foun-dation is partnering with organizations that foster both academic and social development, in order to better prepare students for college. The scholarship recipients are required to conduct com-munity service and are expected to come back and work as mentors with

JAY Z and his mother, Gloria Carter

the next pool of applicants. “You have to let them know it is not going to fall from the sky and you are not going to get it on the corner selling drugs. Yes, that may look appealing. That might be fast money, but also with that comes the fast life. And the majority of the drug dealers don’t make it to 25. Pov-erty is not having a lot of choices and financial support. It has a lot to do with not utilizing the systems that are avail-able to you.”

The bus tours are at the heart of Ms. Carter’s work. “You have kids who’ve never been out of the projects. It is like taking kids out of a box, opening them up to the world. You read their essays stating, ‘I never thought that I was college material. I never thought that I could be anybody, and you real-ize you have touched them and that they’re hungry for it.” By connecting with them on a one-on-one basis, the staff is able to help students identify where additional support can help — to pay for books or other essentials they may be lacking on campus.

While the Shawn Carter Scholar-ship Foundation is made up of staff and longtime volunteers, Ms. Carter intends to stay involved on a daily basis. She has countless stories of the youth she has impacted. “There is this one young man who is among my brightest scholars,” she says with considerable pride. “One day he looked at me when he was on the tour and he said, ‘I got it now.’ He graduates next year from Morgan State University.”

For more information about the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation, visit the website www.shawncartersf.com.

TAMARA WARREN Freelancer who writes for JAY Z’s lifestyle site, Life and Times.



Goldie Hawn’s Vision for Improving the Mental Health of School ChildrenBY GOLDIE HAWN

Goldie Hawn is an Academy Award- winning actress, film director, pro-

ducer and author of “A Lotus Grows in the Mud” and “Ten Mindful Minutes.” During her long, varied and extremely successful career in show business, she has won an Academy Award, nine Golden Globe Awards and appeared in more than 30 films.

In 2002, she started The Hawn Foun-dation, which created MindUp, an evi-dence-based program that is being used in the U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada to help school children thrive emotionally and socially. “By giving children the tools to manage their emotions and learn about their brain with mindful practices, we have changed the lives of tens of thousands of children.” She describes her work here.

For much of my adult life, I engaged in what might be called “quiet” philanthropy. I adopted children from all over the world and supported or-ganizations that cared for children in need. Giv-ing financial support is important, but it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to see first hand how the children were doing and if they were thriving.

Then came September 11, 2001.Like the rest of the country, I sat

glued to my chair, watching in shock and horror as our buildings tumbled, changing our world forever. Feeling

helpless, I found some red, white and blue yarn and began knitting the Ameri-can flag as I watched. The news showed the sickening images over and over again. I cried for us all and wondered, “What will happen to the children who witness this terror?”

Children’s minds are impressionable and still developing. They have not yet acquired the tools to understand and process images like these, which can be very frightening for them. I recall very clearly growing up with the ten-sion and stress of the Cold War. When I was 12, we saw a film school teaching us to “duck and cover.” I became increas-ingly anxiety-ridden, living with fear and uncertainty throughout my early years. I felt that I might never live to

have a family and I hadn’t even expe-rienced my first kiss. Under that threat of nuclear war, my life and my world as I knew it would never be the same.

Today, we live in a time when stress levels are rising, families are breaking up, and economic woes deeply affect children’s state of mind. We see nega-tive outcomes in the form of attention

deficit, obesity, aggression, depression (often leading to suicide, the third lead-ing cause of death among teenagers and adolescents according to the National Institute for Mental Health). All that coalesced in my mind on the morning of September 11th. I remember feeling that children would need help process-ing these horrible events, which led me to my interest in neurological develop-ment and the MindUp program.

I worked with neuroscientists, ed-ucators and other experts to create MindUp. MindUp is an evidence-based program that includes social, emotion-al, and self-regulatory strategies and skills to help pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students cultivate well-being and emotional balance. The pro-

gram is designed to be implemented in schools via The MindUP Curricu-lum, which aims to help children reduce stress and anxiety, improve concentration and aca-demic performance, gain greater self-awareness,

reduce peer-to-peer conflict (“bully-ing”), and secure greater happiness, optimism and resiliency.

The MindUp program, funded by The Hawn Foundation, consists of four pillars: learning about the brain; paying atten-tion to our senses (including listening!); regulating emotions; and taking mindful action. Taken together, MindUp seeks to

“By giving children the tools to manage their emotions and learn about their brain

with mindful practices, we have changed the lives of tens of thousands of children.”

— Goldie Hawn



help children learn strategies to boost their social and emotional competency. When deployed in schools, it also helps create optimism in the classroom — all while integrating with existing curricu-lum, which is crucial, because no school wants to add something to their already-overstuffed schedules.

Creating this program was a substan-tial challenge. We had some of the top thinkers in the field working on it, which was very valuable, but at the same time, we needed to focus on something that would actually be used with fidelity. The first draft of the program was 250 pages, which I knew would be overwhelming for the teachers. I wanted something they could hold in one hand. To make that happen, I knew I would have to be involved as a sort of filter for all the won-derful ideas we had developed. Working with a different team, we edited it down to 90 pages, then wrapped it around an existing curriculum.

The next challenge was implementa-tion. It’s difficult to scale, because every school district is different. We created some very innovative materials — apps, online tools and DVDs that allowed us to extend the reach of the program. We also created partnerships where that could help. Our focus was always on what would work, how we could adjust our model to ensure that the program was used, and that it remained effective.

Of course, celebrity is a dual-edged sword. Certainly, one’s celebrity status makes it easier to arrange a meeting. But people wonder, does she take this project seriously, will she stay with it, does it have real substance? For me, I would only get involved in something I care passionately about. And when I am deeply committed to something, I immerse myself in the project, diving in with both feet. I believe in this pro-gram with all my heart and am willing to do what it takes to make it succeed.

The Hawn Foundation itself is cur-rently funded through family founda-tions, personal events and appeals. We have a number of bold initiatives in the works: we are adapting a version of the program, called MindUp Medical, to help sick children in hospital settings; we are working on a version of the pro-gram for parents; and we are creating an after-school program working with Boys and Girls Clubs. It is now time to take the Foundation to the next level of growth and to expand our funding. Our mission is to make the Foundation sustainable for the long term — my vi-sion for its legacy extends far into the future. If we can work to raise confident, socially conscious and caring children, we will help create a more mindful, healthy world.

For more information about The Hawn Foun-dation, visit the website www.thehawnfoun-dation.org.



Cure, Care and Advocacy: The Christopher & Dana Reeve FoundationBY HENRY STIFEL

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foun-dation is right now experiencing

the most monumental time in its and the cause’s history. Decades of research have moved from the bench to the bed-side, and, for the first time, people who are disabled due to spinal cord injuries are getting out of their wheelchairs. We have a long way to go, but having been in a wheelchair for 30 years, it is truly one of the most inspiring times of my life. As we continue our quest, our motivation comes from the tremendous leadership of the past and the trials and tribulations that this Foundation has endured.

I have been on the Board of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Founda-tion since shortly after graduating college and joining Morgan Stanley in 1989. My interest in the cause of finding a cure for paralysis stems from a 1982 car accident that left me with a cervical spinal cord injury and in a wheelchair. Prior to Christopher Reeve’s 1995 horse riding accident, the organization had two dif-ferent names, first, the Stifel Paralysis Research Foundation followed by the American Paralysis Association. Let me tell you a little bit about the history of the organization prior to, during, and after Chris and Dana Reeve’s involve-ment, and how their legacy lives on.

The story of the founding of this organization is a typical one. It was born out of a community response to a crisis, and the desire of a family to create hope and support where it never existed before. The crisis was the 1982 car accident in my hometown of Short Hills, New Jersey, and the need for hope came from the fact that, at that time, spinal cord research was considered the graveyard of neurobiology. Every doctor was negative and my parents had nowhere to turn. Research was sparse and resources and support net-works were virtually nonexistent. From

that day in March, my family began an undesired journey with broken hearts and endless questions with no answers. During my nine-month hospital stay, my family and I were surrounded by the love of a community who wanted nothing more than to help. The com-bination of their desire paired with the inability of my family to accept the current state of this cause, resulted in

the founding of the Stifel Paralysis Re-search Foundation. My father’s reaction to his only son’s injury was to discredit the medical community, rally thought leaders within our community, and set out in a very methodical business way to change the direction of this cause. Our organization quickly became well-funded, and, in order to garner scale, became a national movement when we merged with the American Paralysis Association. It was in these early years, that inspiring micro research was dis-covered, and, through the leadership of our Research Advisory Board, we helped to fund seminal breakthroughs in the area of regeneration. These early successes proved to us that we could make a difference.

During these early years, we built a world-class research structure which included our Individual Grants Pro-gram and a Research Consortium. The Research Consortium was a novel idea because it required all the partnered investigators to share ideas, perform joint experiments, and have dedicated post-doctorates focused on the mis-sion. To the nonprofessional, this may not seem like a big deal but, within the research community where egos are more common than the light of

day, it took some time to get everyone on the same page.

By 1995, the research structure was in place but there was so much more we could do but could not afford. Support resources and informa-tion for newly injured families and their com-munities was sparse, so

we did what we could. In response to our inability to address the “care” side of the equation, we partnered with a number of local resource centers, fielded many calls from those in need, and did many hospital / rehabilitation visits to families who were facing chal-lenges for the first time. We were barely scratching the surface.

1995 was also the year when those

“I know Chris and Dana would be extremely proud of their family, the Foundation and

the current status of the cause. We are firing on many different cylinders and

playing a major role in research.”— Henry Stifel



who had no association with this afflic-tion were introduced to its challenges by Christopher Reeve’s horse riding ac-cident. By no choice of his own, Chris-topher Reeve became the recognizable face of this cause. His injury was the worst kind. Neurosurgeons refer to it as the hangman’s break. The highest level of the cervical spinal cord which, when injured, paralyzes an individual from the neck down and requires a ventila-tor to breathe. At the time, Chris and Dana had only been married for three years; they had a two-year-old son, Will; and Chris had two preadolescent children from a previous relationship. His physical condition could not have been worse and his mental challenges were just as great.

After stabilization surgery in Vir-ginia, Chris was transferred to the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey to be as close to home as possible, and this is where I met him for the first time. This came about when my doctor at Kessler asked me to visit a newly injured individual who was having a difficult time thinking how he could travel and how life could continue. I did not know who this indi-vidual was until I rolled into his room and saw the chiseled face and steely blue eyes that could only be the likes of Superman. Both he and Dana were lying in bed when I introduced myself and offered any help or advice I could. I was flying to Paris the next day with my family, and Chris and Dana were excited to learn that travel was even possible. Our meetings and conversa-tions always focused purely on how life will continue, and, after some time and having the opportunity to get to know his children and Dana, I thought if anyone could pull through, it would be him. Everyone in the world called on Chris during these early days. He realized that hope of a cure was possible and he became ingrained in the web of advocates, politicians and researchers. He and Dana formed their own family foundation, known as the Christopher Reeve Foundation, and set out to raise funds for this cause.

After a couple years, they came to the American Paralysis Association in New Jersey to consider a merger. They were attracted to our open architecture approach to research and we were at-tracted to the marquee name. For a year, we discussed our similarities, potential names and future directions, and even-tually merged in 1999. Much discussion was had around the name. Some wanted it to remain the American Paralysis Association with Chris being the Chair-man and some wanted the name to highlight Reeve. The concern came from many fronts. Chris had a proven track record of global advocacy and political positions. Prior to his injury, he successfully led protests in Chile on behalf of actors against the threats of

Pinochet; was president of The Creative Coalition; was on the board of Amnesty International; was very involved with environmental issues; and campaigned for many Democratic politicians. He was very outspoken and successful with his causes, but there was concern that his political views might alienate some potential donors. We also felt the need to address the “what if” scenarios and the most obvious one was what if some-thing happened to Chris. We eventually took the leap of faith and changed the name of the organization to the Chris-topher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. We all came to a common agreement and then were off to the races.

Under Chris’ leadership, we ac-complished so much. We went from



a pure research-focused organization to a multifaceted foundation with a focus on cure, care and advocacy. We secured a number of large supporters and attracted many new board mem-bers. Chris’ name opened doors and he went through every one of them. From countless visits to research labs around the world, including Israel and Australia, to lobbying senators, congressmen and local politicians, al-lowed us to provide, and accomplish goals we could only dream of. Dana represented the “care” side of the equa-tion and effectively lobbied the newly formed board to address this much-needed focus. Eventually, the organi-zation formed a partnership with the Center for Disease Control which also recognized this need and liked what we were already doing. With their funding help, we expanded our staff, launched a national Paralysis Resource Center, and increased our monetary support to other foundations that focused on qual-ity of life issues for those living with a disability. We truly were living up to our mission statement that states, “The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord inju-ries by funding innovative research and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy.”

Chris did not like to delegate and managed the board in a very controlling way but we were selling the Reeve name and we were successful. Our Resource

Center was bicoastal and multilingual. Legislation around care and cure was under consideration in Washington D.C., and a number of research focuses finally looked promising enough for potential human clinical trials. Under his leader-ship, we built an organization that was in motion and affecting change. Every-thing seemed to be going our way until October 2004. This was the beginning of our darkest days and a series of events no family should ever face, and it began with the death of Chris. Like any good for-profit or not-for-profit organization, thought had gone into a plan to imple-ment if we lost our “Key Man” but no thought had been given to an action plan if Chris, Dana and her mother all passed away over 1 1/2 years. This was unfair to the cause, the world, and their incredibly beautiful kids and extended family. They had already faced so much. It was truly unfair.

While he was with us, Chris was a man on the go. He never let anyone tell him he could not do something. In ad-dition to his Foundation leadership, he starred in a number of films, produced several others, and wrote two books. He was doing what he had been doing all of his life — advocating change and practicing his art. Though he was an unstoppable man, he was also a realist. With his input, after his passing, the organization launched a new website for memorials; staff and board mem-bers became spokespeople; Dana, after some time, graciously asked to be the

chairperson, and we adopted the motto that Chris coined when asked what he thought the Foundation would do if we ever lost our inspirational leader. His response was “Go forward.”

Peter Wilderrotter, the current CEO of the Reeve Foundation, describes the ideal board member as an indi-vidual who represents the 3T’s — tal-ent, time and treasure. Thankfully, Chris subscribed to this thought as well, and, at the time of Dana’s death in March of 2006 due to lung cancer, a commendable portion of our board practiced all three of these attributes. Days before her passing, Dana met with one of our board members and a close Reeve family friend, Peter Kier-nan, and asked him to lead the charge. Peter had been on our board since the merger and the chairmanship was not something he ever wanted, but, thankfully, he knew he did not have a choice. Peter truly emulated the 3T’s. His talent stemmed from an extremely successful investment-banking career at Goldman Sachs and years of non-profit leadership as Chairman of St. Vincent’s Hospital, a founding mem-ber and second chairperson of the Robin Hood Foundation, co-chair of World Team Sports, and leadership board roles on several educational institutions. His monetary support of the organization was substantial, and his time commitment became 24/7 after he took a leave of absence from Cyrus Capital.



We were in crisis mode. Despite the avalanche of mail that came in every day, donations to the Foundation slowed to a trickle. The public did not think we were going to survive. Peter quickly realized we had to reassure our donor base. In the past, we had been selling the brand more than the product so we needed to expand our messaging. Chris said we had the best research and Dana claimed we had world-class, quality-of-life initiatives, and now we had to prove them right. Like my father, Peter Kiernan put every ounce of business acumen he had towards the survival of this Foundation. He was a fearless leader, recruiting fabulous new board members, including Matthew and Al-exandra Reeve; created very successful fund-raising challenges; and lived on a plane traveling the world to reassure everyone that the cause and we were here to stay.

I know today Chris and Dana would be extremely proud of their family, the Foundation and the current status of the cause. We are firing on many dif-ferent cylinders and playing a major role in research. We are living up to our mission as well as a new set of core beliefs that state: (See box at right.)

Our Paralysis Resource Center has distributed more than 125,000 mul-tilingual resource guides and has fielded more than 50,000 inquiries. We’ve established a nationally based peer-to-peer network that to date has established more than 700 client

relationships and our quality-of-life initiatives have provided more than $15 million to over 2,000 grant recipi-ents, many of which are military- and veteran-related programs.

We have invested over $100 million to date into research, and, along with our research consortium, new initia-tives have been launched around trans-lational research and human clinical trials. In coordination with the Center for Disease Control, we established

We believe in the power of “We” not “Me.”

We believe in cures that improve and enhance

“Lives Well-Lived.”

We believe in empowering those affected with paralysis

with the best knowledge, resources, support,

and community.

We believe that every story is unique, and we invite you

to share yours.

We believe that people living with paralysis have the right

to life with dignity.

within 12 different rehab institutions our NeuroRecovery Network which is applying 20+ years of research to people who have been living with spinal cord injuries for several years. People are now beginning to get out of their chairs.

If you go to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation website and read about our epidural stimulation project, you will learn of the first human sub-ject with a complete spinal cord injury from the waist down to stand on his own and experience the return of the majority of his autonomic functions. This has never happened before and is being duplicated in several other chronically complete spinal cord in-jured individuals. Seeing this live for the first time has been one of the most inspiring experiences for me. The fruits of our labor are being realized, and it never would have happened without the Reeves and the coming together of our community after their passing. I love and miss them dearly and am indebted to their unwavering belief in this cause. We are truly blessed to have had them in our lives.

For information about the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, visit the website www.ChristopherReeve.org.

HENRY STIFEL Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.



Every Mother Counts: Christy Turlington BurnsBY CHRISTY TURLINGTON BURNS

In 2003, after the birth of my daughter, I experienced a complication. While

scary at the time, I never felt truly in danger because I had access to a team of skilled professionals who managed my situation seamlessly. However, I soon learned that each year hundreds of thousands of girls and women die from complications caused by pregnancy or childbirth. Had I been less fortunate, things could have turned out much different. My experience and what I learned afterward led me to further explore maternal health. The more I learned, the more outraged I became. My journey resulted in a documentary film called No Woman, No Cry that I directed, produced and financed, as well as, the creation of an advocacy organiza-tion called Every Moth-er Counts.

No Woman, No Cry premiered at The Tribe-ca Film Festival in the spring of 2010 and was later featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network in 2011. The film exam-ines some of the barri-ers women around the world face as they try to access critical care throughout their pregnancies. After many years, and with some re-luctance, I decided to register Every Mother Counts as a 501(c)(3) public charity. My apprehension was not really

based on the potential negative associa-tions that can come with being a “high profile philanthropist.” Rather, I truly wanted to be sure that I was adding value rather than duplicating efforts. Ultimately, I decided that establishing the organization was the best way to continue to make an impact, but it took several years of weighing the pros and cons before arriving at that conclusion.

I also knew that I could not do this on my own. I was fortunate in that I did not need to look far and wide for an incredible executive director. I had worked with Erin Thornton in her for-mer role as senior policy director at the ONE Campaign and we had many friends and colleagues in common. We

both agreed that Every Mother Counts should stay small and lean. However, at the same time, we also believed in partnering. We have made a couple of recent hires and have invited volun-teers with a wide range of talents and

interests to support our efforts.Every Mother Counts was initially

conceived as a five-year campaign that would drive support for Millennium Development Goal Number 5 — to improve maternal health and reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters by 2015. Our goal was to use the film and my voice as an advocacy platform to increase public awareness and sup-port for an underreported issue. The mission of Every Mother Counts is to increase education and support for global maternal mortality reduction. While seeking to engage new audiences to better understand the challenges and solutions, we also encourage them to take action to improve the lives of girls and women, worldwide.

We remain committed to helping more individuals in the U.S. learn about and understand maternal health through human storytelling. Even though Millennium Development Goal Number 5 continues to lag behind the other seven global goals that address the root causes of global poverty, it has recently seen some serious progress in a number of countries. We believe our work in engaging the public has played

a significant part in the growing momentum over the last five years.

Publicity has not been a challenge for my orga-nization, or any of my philanthropic efforts prior to founding Every Mother Counts. How-ever, rather than name or face recognition, I think the reason behind the success has more to

do with the consistency of my message, professional reputation and the level of knowledge I have gained on the issue after so many years advocating to the public. Name and face recognition may help to grab some attention initially, but

“The mission of Every Mother Counts is to increase education and support for

global maternal mortality reduction. While seeking to engage new audiences to better

understand the challenges and solutions, we also encourage them to take action to improve

the lives of girls and women worldwide.”— Christy Turlington Burns



it is certainly not a sustainable model. In fact, it more often invites criticism or cynicism than positive outreach or media coverage.

While we are still in the process of organizing a formal board for the newly established Every Mother Counts, we have benefitted from the guidance of an advisory council composed of ex-perts and academics in global health. Until recently, we have not emphasized proactive fundraising, though we have received support from a number of in-dividuals who share my commitment to improving global maternal health.

Before going down the road of cre-ating a nonprofit, I asked myself some hard questions. Would people put me in a box that did not reflect my inten-tions? Probably. Might I be a target for negative publicity or misinformed aggression? Maybe. But, at the end of the day, I honestly could not consider walking away once I had jumped in. Knowing how many lives are at stake and how important it is to share human stories of the most vulnerable with oth-ers who might be empowered to make a difference, I could not stop. My lifelong philanthropy has always been very organic and deeply personal. Where I am is really just an evolution that started many years ago. I am simply a human being who cares about others and I am very committed to doing all I can do to keep this issue and the people

behind the statistics at the forefront of the public’s hearts and minds.

I do not see myself as a “celebrity.” In fact, I would ask a celebrity the same questions I would pose to any-one who feels compelled to start their own foundation:• Do you need to create a new platform to do this work effectively or could you partner with an existing organi-zation that has an identical or very similar mission? •What do you hope to accomplish and over what period of time?• Are you willing to work with others to advance the issue?

I believe that it will take many indi-viduals, governments and non-govern-mental organizations to come together to make a lasting impact on girls’ and women’s lives, so we work closely with many others toward that end. There are too many silos in the area of maternal health and the lack of integration and collaboration is too often a barrier. It’s not only important to set goals, but to revisit them periodically to assess progress and determine whether the goals should be reset.

For more information about Every Mother Counts, visit the website www.everymother-counts.org.



Garth Brooks Partners to Help Kids

Everyone knows that Garth Brooks is a country music superstar. Ac-

cording to the Recording Industry Association of America, he is among America’s best selling solo artists of all time, regardless of genre. He has sold more than 128 million albums, and is the only solo artist ever to have six albums top the 10 million sales mark. In 2012, it was announced that he would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Fewer people know that Garth Brooks is also a gifted athlete, play-ing football, baseball and track and field in high school. He attend-ed Oklahoma State Uni-versity on a partial track scholarship, competing in the javelin. In 1998, he spent spring train-ing with the San Diego Padres, singling twice off major league pitch-ers. The following year, he founded the Teammates for Kids Foundation, which enlists professional athletes to donate a predetermined sum based on their game accomplishments. That money is distributed to various organizations that help children in three areas: Health, Education and Inner City Outreach.

WORKING WITH ATHLETES TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE More than 3,000 pro-fessional athletes have participated

in Teammates for Kids. “Professional athletes from every popular sport are involved or have been involved with the charity. It’s a team I feel lucky to be a part of,” Garth explains. “Teammates for Kids is based on turning sports sta-tistics into dollars for children in need around the world. All you have to do is hear one story, see one picture of a child, hug one mom with tears of joy to remember why you are doing what you do. What I love most about Teammates is that we are all PART of the process.”

“We feel our job is to level the playing

field for those children who seem to be fighting uphill. Needy children know no flags, disease is not prejudice, and knowledge should be available to all. We are now in over 60 countries and the foundation has far surpassed any dreams I had for it when we started.”

“And I am very proud to say,” Garth emphasizes, “that the initial rule that got us started is still the rule we live by today: 100% OF THE MONEY GEN-

ERATED ON THE PLAYING FIELD GOES TO THE KIDS.”

HOW TO BE SURE THE MONEY IS WELL-SPENT The Teammates for Kids Foundation accomplishes this “rule” in several ways, including choosing the right people to work with the founda-tion. What does the employee want out of working at the foundation?” says Garth. “If the staff has heard this say-ing once, they have heard it a million times — you’re NEVER going to get rich working at this foundation. I have also learned to separate from the people that increase the foundation’s overhead, and to hang on to people who work tirelessly to find ways to save the foundation un-needed expense.”

In addition, Garth makes sure that the Board members are engaged. “For us, the word ‘active’ is the key. In what way are you as a Board member going to contribute to this foundation? We have athletes on the board that provide insight into athletes, donors who are prepared to share relationships.”

Even an international star like Garth Brooks cautions that fame is not

enough. “I believe there is a difference between ‘name recognition’ and ‘name credibility,’” he explains. “Name recogni-tion” may raise eyebrows but “name credibility” creates trust and trust creates relationships. What I have found is, be thankful for any op-portunity no matter how

small because small successes lead to bigger opportunities and opportunity puts the future in your hands. The same goes for raising money, recruiting board members, and gaining publicity for your organization, your name may work once, but a nonprofit (in my opinion) should be about the long run and the sustainability of the foundation…and the only way sustainability is accom-plished is by repeated success.”

“All you have to do is hear one story, see one picture of a child, hug one mom with tears

of joy to remember why you are doing what you do. What I love most about Teammates

is that we are all PART of the process.”— Garth Brooks



Another key to the Foundation’s suc-cess is that, while Garth is intimately involved, every participant is part of the process. “We are all teammates. The 2008 economic crisis scared me to death, but our teammates contributed without fail and our corporate donor base remained steady. Truly a testament to those gifted athletes that just love playing their sport and helping children. These athletes make me want to be a better person, dad, and teammate and that makes us so strong.”

ADVICE AND LESSONS LEARNED How about advice for other celebrities who want to create and run a non-profit? Garth has learned quite a few lessons in the 13 years he’s been involved in his foundation. “Foundation work will be the one thing in your career you will be most proud of. I know it has been for me. I have been fortunate to be involved in some pretty cool things during my career, but nothing more important than being a member of Teammates for Kids. The one thing I would warn celebrities about is to remember: if your name is on it, then it is going to be a direct reflection on you. DON’T LET SOMEONE ELSE MAKE ALL THE DECISIONS! Roll your sleeves up, surround yourself with people who are willing to go in the ring with you and get up to your neck in it. One child can be the difference in the future of this world.”

It has been a journey of challenges and fulfillment. “My dad always said, ‘Everything that is a blessing is a curse and everything that is a curse is a blessing.’ I have learned that my celebrity status brings good things and bad things. The best things in life are the things you earn. In charity, you earn trust one day at a time. We are in our 13th year. I pray this foundation is around forever … I feel the work we are doing is THAT important.”

For more information about Teammates for Kids, visit the website www.teammates-forkids.com.



John Ellis Makes a ‘Promise to God’BY JOHN ELLIS

I played 13 years in the big leagues as a catcher / first baseman with the

Yankees, Indians and Rangers. Phil Rizzuto, the great Yankee shortstop and broadcaster said players would bounce off me if there were a collision at first base. Brad Corbett, the Rang-ers’ owner used to say that I was the “toughest guy who ever played for me.”

But then came the toughest years of all, years that would transform my life.

In 1981, my brother Richard, sister

Dolores and sister-in-law Molly Sokol all died of Hodgkin’s Disease. All of them cut down in their 30s by Lym-phatic Cancer. I watched as Richard’s life savings ran out — I saw for the first time the devastation that catastrophic illness causes.

Then it happened to me. I was diag-nosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s. Before cancer you think about your career and success. After cancer, your whole world changes. Lying in that hospital bed

thinking about Richard and Dolores, and my own mortality, I promised God that if I lived I would try to help every-one in Connecticut who needed help.

With memories of my brother’s fi-nancial devastation still fresh, I pledged to help cancer patients and their fami-lies whose savings had been wiped out. And, in honor of the physician who saved my life, I pledged to raise funds for cancer research.

As soon as I was able, I began put-ting a team together, the way a baseball manager would fill out a lineup card. I felt that it would take nine good people to start the Connecticut Sports Founda-tion. A lawyer friend prepared all the paperwork needed to set up a founda-tion, a bank president friend was the first Chairman, the local newspaper helped out too.

On any team some players will have more skills than others, but all can work together to achieve the goal. So even if you are an entertainer or an athlete don’t be afraid to use the lessons from your industry and apply them to non-profits. I learned the lessons already learned by others.

Next, I was able to persuade old Yan-kee teammates Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and Billy Martin to headline the first fund-raising dinner in 1987. Mantle captured the spirit of the night when he said of the Foundation: “I hope this goes on forever.”

Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra fol-lowed, and over the years many baseball greats have pitched in to help the foun-dation: Reggie Jackson, Hank Aaron, Carl Yastrzemski, Joe Torre, Roger Clemens, Jim Rice, Johnny Damon, Joe Girardi, Goose Gossage, Gaylord Perry, good friends Don Zimmer, Mel Stottlemyre and many more.

Promoting and growing the Con-necticut Sports Foundation has allowed us to assist cancer patients with more than $4 million in assistance since 1987, and we have contributed more than $1 million to cancer research.

What have I learned about starting a Foundation? I know I had an advantage being able to call Mickey and Whit-John Ellis, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and Billy Martin



ey — no question about it. They were two of the greatest ballplayers who ever lived. I also knew companies would buy tables at a celebrity dinner with such great players in attendance. Name rec-ognition helps big-time in raising money.

But we wouldn’t have had much suc-cess without three other qualities all thriving foundations need:• A compelling mission• Dedication to shared values• The belief in the benefits of change

To achieve the goal, you have to voice the mission and those values every day. You also have to realize if you’re leading the effort that you don’t know everything, and you’ll have to count on others to make up for your own limitations. Additionally, utilizing your notoriety among famous sports figures also creates some chal-lenges — I need to constantly look for new patrons who are truly interested in the mission and not just collecting autographs.

We have been fortu-nate enough to partner with successful compa-nies such as Pfizer, Roo-sevelt & Cross, Aetna, General Dynamics, the hospitals, the Yankees and Panera Bread DBA Howley Bread Group but you can have the smartest people in the world around you and not be successful if they don’t share your values.

Ten years ago, the annual celebrity dinner moved to the Mohegan Sun, a casino in southeastern Connecticut built by the Mohegan Tribe. This was our next great inflection point. The Tribe and our Foundation found that they had values in common: Putting families first / helping people in need. Now, more than 1,000 people attend

the celebrity dinners at the Mohegan Sun every February, with WFAN’s Mike Francesa as master of ceremonies. The net proceeds have averaged $650,000 a year for the last five years.

The Mohegan Sun also played a role in my succession plan. Always think about your succession plan. After 17 years as chairman, I stepped down in 2004 and replaced myself with Jeff Hartmann, the Sun’s chief executive officer. I believe that every organiza-tion needs turnover. Now, under Jeff’s direction the Foundation has set an endowment goal of more than $100 million by the year 2050. I intend to use my connections into the world of sports to continue to be the CSF’s larg-est fundraiser.

My wife, Jane Gregory Ellis, is president and executive director of the Foundation. Quite simply, without her there’d be no Foundation. The suc-

cession plan also includes my daughter Erika who the Board is expecting to eventually replace Jane.

For the past several years the Foun-dation has given between $300,000 and $400,000 a year in small gifts to help patients pay for necessities such as rent, mortgages, utilities, food and medications.

“The $1,000 to me is like a million,” wrote one recipient, a young woman with breast cancer. “I will never forget it.”

A typical recipient of help might be someone like a 29-year-old woman, a mother of four children ages 2 to 12, who was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer which has spread to her brain. She asked for help with rent, utilities and food. Or, a 59-year-old custodian with lung cancer who never wanted to take a handout, but was persuaded by his social worker to accept the Founda-tion’s help so he could ride the bus to work instead of his bicycle. These are good people who find themselves in need of some help. To them, my history on the Yankees only matters in that it helps me help them.

The Foundation also supports the research of Drs. Joachim Yahalom and Craig H. Moskowitz at Sloan-Kettering.

Dr. Yahalom saved my life. He told Jane not to worry. He declared that he wouldn’t let me die. He had the confi-dence and toughness of an Israeli tank

commander, which he was. Since their work is part of our story we have helped them continue to help people. Over the past 25 years, the Foundation has donated more than $1 million to Dr. Yahalom’s work at Sloan-Kettering.

Part of recovering, psychologically, was giving something back. Giving back is very important. It’s part of the process of being a better person. Helping others first and help-ing yourself second is my definition of being a better person. The Foundation is my mission and my credit line to life.

For more information about the Connecticut Sports Foundation, visit the website www.sportsfoundation.org.

“After cancer, your whole world changes. Lying in that hospital bed and thinking about Richard and Dolores, and my own mortality, I promised God that if I lived I would try to help

everyone in Connecticut who needed help.”— John Ellis



How Family Matters to Allan HoustonBY MARSHALL KAPLAN AND STEVEN T. HOWARD

Allan Houston, as a former Olympic Gold Medalist, two-time NBA All-

Star, team captain and current Assis-tant General Manager of the New York Knicks, knows a thing or two about being a winner. Pinpoint accuracy made Allan one of the purest shooters in bas-ketball history. Ask Allan to identify the single biggest factor to his success, and you’ll get a one-word answer, “Family.” There is no doubt that a strong support network at home helped propel him to great heights on the basketball court, but to Allan, the real challenges and achievements could only be measured after the buzzer sounded. “My parents raised me to not only understand the fun-damentals of basketball and to try to be a player with a high bas-ketball IQ, but they also wanted me to understand that there are certain fun-damentals to live by that are more important,” Al-lan reflects.

The tight bonds be-tween Allan and his family extend beyond the home — his father, Wade Houston, coached Allan at the Uni-versity of Tennessee and served as an ever-present mentor during his 11 years in the NBA. It was during one of their regular conversations back in 2004 where they came up with the idea to create an experience that fathers could share with their children, combining

relationship development activities with an intense weekend of basketball to strengthen the bonds between them. Long before he became an All-Star, Allan saw firsthand how challenging it was for some of his peers to grow up without a strong family founda-tion. Allan’s research supported the view, as 71% of the nation’s high school drop-outs, 90% of runaways, and 75% of adolescent drug abuse come from children in households without a father.

STRENGTHENING THE FAMILY UNIT To address these alarming statistics, Allan and his foundation developed the “Father Knows Best” Basketball Program — a safe place where fathers can engage with their children in a

stable and fun environment using basketball as the draw. Once in the program, participants receive an equal dose of sports and relationship development activ it ies, such as workshops, panel discussions, and talk sessions. As an extension of this experience, his FISLL Curriculum

further strengthens fatherhood and mentoring relationships over a seven-week period utilizing themes of Faith, Integrity, Sacrifice, Leadership & Legacy. In conjunction with partnering community based organizations, each week participants explore these themes together and at home through the speeches and example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “We’re helping train tomorrow’s leaders and to teach our youth responsibility, accountability, and giving back to the community,” says Allan. “The conversations we have in the program are the same topics my wife and I speak with our own children about.”

E M P O W E R M E N T T H R O U G H ENTREPRENEURSHIP No stranger to entrepreneurship, Allan watched his parents launch successful businesses as he was growing up in Louisville, KY. Mom, Alice, was a great partner to his dad, and together they once owned one of the largest trucking companies in the country. Understanding that financial stability is an important component to strong families, the Allan Houston Legacy Foundation created a Business Education and Development Program that provides young inner-city entrepreneurs with the training, mentoring and start-up support needed to launch their own businesses. Program participants undergo six months of intensive training, mentoring

a n d b u s i n e s s p l a n writing with eligibility for an additional year of start-up support. Upon course completion, two businesses identif ied a s “ l a u n c h - r e a d y ” through a business plan competition are selected to receive free office space, a team of advisors

to help launch their business, up to $20,000 in donor-advised start-up funds, and access to small business loans and grants for additional capital.

MAKING AN IMPACT A quick look at the numbers reveals the impact that these programs have had thus far in communities around the country:

“We’re helping to teach our youth responsibility, accountability, and giving back to the

community. The conversations we have in the program are the same topics my wife and

I speak with our own children about.” — Allan Houston



Fatherhood:• T h r o u g h “ F a t h e r K n o w s Best” — Over 2,500 participants served in 10 cities (including New York, De-troit, Atlanta and Dallas) over 8 years • Through FISLL — 95% of partici-pants gained valuable relationship tools; 97% gained a “great deal” or “good amount”; and 95% improved their relationships • Deeper issues affecting the parental relationship (such as substance abuse, domestic violence, and / or the need for job training) are being referred to local agencies for long-term social services

Entrepreneurship:• 137 young entrepreneurs trained in 2 cities (New York and New Orleans) over two years • 93 new business enterprises cre-ated by participants in a variety of in-dustries, including fashion, education, technology, entertainment, food, sports management, and more • 80% of participants have increased their income; 83% gained financial

independence; 91% im-proved their self esteem; and 92% improved their quality of life

Beyond these num-bers, perhaps the great-est measure can be found in the accounts of partici-pants who have been pos-itively impacted through these programs:

“I attended with my son and my daughter — it was a life changer for all of us, especially for me. I witnessed the spirit within Allan and his father and it challenged me to step up my game as a man and a father. We thank you and your organiza-tion for your service and making a real difference.” triumphs Brent McCollin of Hillside, NJ

Christopher Melen-dez, an aspiring entre-preneur from the Bronx,

NY said “This program means so much more than just to have the opportunity to write a business plan. I accomplished a task that I put a lot of effort into and for that I’m proud of myself. I’m extremely grateful for this program and blessed to actually be doing something towards my dream instead of just dreaming about it.”

GROWTH & EXPANSION With addi-tional funding, Allan’s foundation will continue to replicate its successful pro-gram models domestically and abroad by providing its program content, ma-terials, training, and promotional sup-port to partnering community based organizations. These organizations and local officials recognize the unique value of these programs and hope to see their expansion: “It has been a great privilege for the Norwalk YMCA to partner with the Allan Houston Legacy Foundation. We have found their F.I.S.L.L. Curriculum surrounding character-building both ‘in the classroom’ and ‘on the court’ have helped create exciting father-child rela-

tionship building opportunities here in Norwalk. We hope that other organiza-tions will be able to increasingly benefit from the important services they provide,” said Bill Tetreault of the Norwalk YMCA in Norwalk, CT.

Diana Beasley, former Executive Di-rector of “The New Orleans Journey Home Center” for Mayor Nagin, said, “The long-term benefits of this type of educational program are phenomenal and long overdue. Not only will it tre-mendously impact and develop the future leaders of New Orleans but it will also help revitalize the economic opportuni-ties in the New Orleans community by creating entrepreneurs while attracting large businesses back to the city.”

This growth strategy is expected to generate at least 10,000 more fa-therhood participants and 2,000 more entrepreneurship participants over the next three years, with the support of funders who can help Allan achieve these expansion goals.

When asked to look back on his illus-trious basketball career, Allan reflects for a moment and says, “It was a great run, a childhood dream fulfilled. But I was blessed. Not everyone had the build-ing blocks of a strong family in place, and the necessary tools to succeed.” Ask him about the road ahead, and he quickly moves off the subject of basketball and recites one of his favorite quotes, from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. “We may not be able to prepare the fu-ture for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future.” Now that’s something to shoot for.

For more information about the Allan Houston Legacy Foundation, visit the website www.AllanHoustonFoundation.org.

MARSHALL KAPLAN Managing Director, runs Fundamental Equity Advisors for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC and is also on the board of directors of the Allan Houston Legacy Foundation.

STEVEN T. HOWARDManaging Director, is co-portfolio manager for Fundamental Equity Advisors for Morgan Stanley Smtih Barney LLC.



Rob Dyrdek Gives New Meaning to “Foundation”

There are foundations in the phil-anthropic sense. And then there

are actual foundations made of poured concrete. For Rob Dyrdek, they are pretty much the same thing.

Rob is a professional skateboarder. His passion is to give the next gen-eration of skaters the opportunity to develop as skaters that he never had.

In his 20-plus years as a professional, Rob has set 21 world records, starred in several TV programs that showcase his impressive talent, and created ap-parel and equipment for lovers of his sport. From the time he was a child, he dreamed of being a professional skateboarder.

“Skateboarding is a very healthy and athletic alternative to organized team sports. For kids that don’t fit into the traditional mold, it’s a creative and ex-pressive way to live healthy. And yet, there are literally no places for kids to skate. In most urban spaces, it’s actu-ally illegal, because the plazas and such are owned by the private sector. So it’s incredibly important for the future of my sport, which I love and am very passionate about, that we create spaces for them to skate.”

Rob started the Rob Dyrdek Foun-dation with the mission of creating safe, legal, beautiful skating spaces for enthusiasts.

A VISION THAT REQUIRED NEW SKILLS “We built the first skate plaza in 2005, in my hometown of Kettering, Ohio.

And you’ve got to understand, when we built the first one, I didn’t hire someone to design and build it. I did it myself. I taught myself to draft in the 30:1 scale. I went all over Los Angeles, to all the places I’d skated, and took photos, made measurements, and then I personally drafted a 27,000 square foot urban skate plaza down to the millimeter. I poured concrete. I figured out how far the stair should be from the rail. I didn’t hire someone because I couldn’t — the only way to do it right was to have the thing designed by a skater, and it’s easier to teach a skater to draft than to teach an architect how to skate!”

From that initial skate plaza in Kettering, the Foundation has been able to create skate plazas around the country. “We can’t just raise money and hope that projects take off,” says Rob. “We are heavily involved with the municipality, helping them see why a plaza is a good idea, how it will help the community. We also work to or-ganize skaters to get the community on board. Even though we now work with a professional design team in San Diego, I stay closely involved so that we get what we ultimately want out of a project, which is a finished, beautiful space for people to skate. The future of my sport depends on it.”

SWEATING THE DETAILS, STAYING INVOLVED Rob insisted on bringing the same kind of hands-on passion to his foundation. “At first, the foundation

was attached to DC Shoes, which is one of my sponsors and an important partner. But I wanted the foundation to be focused on our core mission, not have it as a secondary thing. I worked with a group that helped me set up the foun-dation as its own entity. We brought in a director, Paul Vizcaino, a friend of mine who’s a political consultant with a lot of experience working with public / private partnerships, which is essential to our mission.”

As with every philanthropic founda-tion, fundraising is imperative. That is another area where Rob uses his fame and notoriety as a leading personality in skateboarding. “We raise money in all kinds of ways,” he explains. “There are products like shirts, shoes and that kind of thing. We have a big annual event at our headquarters, the “Fantasy Factory,” which raises a lot of money. I own a number of brands and television properties that we can leverage. And when we do a deal with a company like Chevy or Microsoft, I ask for a dona-tion to the foundation. Fundraising is one of the best ways to use your own celebrity to help your cause.”

A LIFELONG PASSION As his founda-tion continues to grow and create new spaces for skaters around the country, Rob thinks about some of the things he has learned. “I think the most im-portant thing is, if you’re considering a foundation, choose something that you’re really passionate about. I think it’s great that people respect philan-thropy, love philanthropy, support the idea of philanthropy, and want to give something back. But it’s really important to focus on something that really matters to you. It’s tough to get support from people if they can’t sense your passion.”

“Also, for me, it was important to focus on something we could actually accomplish, have a real goal, some-thing concrete (‘bad pun,’ quips the designer of skate plazas). I like to be really involved, I want to know about every detail. I could never just give money to someone and hope for the best. If it’s important to me, I want to



see every aspect of the project until it’s complete.”

“I am lucky in so many ways. Maybe the most important thing is that my sport and my passion are the same. I want to help my sport grow, to get more people to experience it, to discover their own athleticism and creativity. And my foundation helps people do that, while also being a really potent force for the acceptance of my sport. I see it as a win-win. The skaters get a safe, legal, well-designed place to skate. The community gets a beautiful space, while also giving young folks a healthy way to get outside. And everyone in the skating community wins, because skating becomes more integral in the lives of more people.”

“For me, that’s how a foundation should work.”

For more information about the Rob Dyrdek Foundation, visit the website www.rob-dyrdekfoundation.org.

Why “Skate Plaza?”“I prefer the term ‘skate plaza,’ because when people think of skate parks, they think of these grey eyesores with bowls, whereas what we build are architectural, beautiful spaces, not something to be stuck off in a corner somewhere.”



Final Comments from the EditorsWe hope you’ve enjoyed our ninth edition of Perspectives in Philanthropy focusing on Athletes and Entertainers. The multi-talented individuals featured have burnished their public personas by their extraordinary work on the stage, catwalk, skateboard park, screen and playing field. As we hope this issue reveals, these individuals are not only committed to their craft, but also to living lives of committed action.

In January, we’ll be coming out with our 2013 Gifts for Good Calendar which will feature twelve (12) exceptional nonprofits that are making a significant impact in our communities and the world. In early 2013, we’ll be releasing our eleventh edition of Perspectives in Philanthropy on education.

We look forward to receiving your comments, suggestions and ideas for future issue topics. Please send them to [email protected].

In gratitude,

Melanie Schnoll BegunManaging DirectorMorgan StanleyPhilanthropy Management

Steven RosandichVice PresidentMorgan StanleyPhilanthropy Management

© 2012 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. PS7355120 7355120 01/13

The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) or its affiliates. All opinions are subject to change without notice. Neither the information provided nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase of sale of any security. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

The references to the charities should in no way be considered a solicita-tion by Morgan Stanley for donations on behalf of the charities mentioned,

or an endorsement of those charities by Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors do not

provide tax or legal advice. To the extent that this material or any attachment concerns tax matters, it is not intended to be used and cannot be used by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law. Any such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayer’s particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.

Turning Tragedy into Hope: Amy Winehouse, CRC528366

Rachael Ray: A Successful Recipe for Philanthropy, CRC533966

Dr. Oz Creates a National Health Movement, One Student at a Time, CRC528007

A Mother’s Blueprint: The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation, CRC528009

Goldie Hawn’s Vision for Improving the Mental Health of School Children, CRC524251

Cure, Care and Advocacy: The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, CRC528008

Every Mother Counts: Christy Turlington Burns, CRC528006

GarthBrooks Partners to Help Kids, CRC528686

John Ellis Makes a ‘Promise to God’, CRC528005

How Family Matters to Allan Houston, CRC528004

Rob Dyrdek Gives New Meaning to “Foundation”, CRC532531

athletes and entertainers giving back

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