December 31, 2010
Mandel Family Focused on ‘Giving Back’ to Cleveland
While the Cleveland-based Mandel Foundation donates generously to causes in Israel, Florida, and New York, giving back to the founders’ hometown will always be a priority, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
After brothers Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel sold their auto parts distributorship, Premier Industrial Corp., in 1996, they poured most of the proceeds into their respective foundations, which collectively had assets totaling $346 million in 2008. But the brothers, through their philanthropies, have been investing in Cleveland for decades — investments that include Neighborhood Progress, Inc., which supports community development corporations, and MidTown Cleveland, which is dedicated to redeveloping the two-mile stretch between downtown Cleveland and University Circle.
(Read more via Philanthropy Digest News.)
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December 27, 2010
Nonprofits Angered Over Prospect of Fees
In a departure from long-standing practice, some states and local governments with budget shortfalls and a newfound aversion to taxes or debt are looking to nonprofits as a potential source of revenue, the Wall Street Journal reports.
In Houston, where some flood-prone roads are in such disrepair that signs have been erected warning drivers to turn around, taxpayers voted in November to impose “drainage fees” on property owners in order to raise $125 million a year toward the cost of improving roads and storm-water systems. The big news, however, is that traditionally tax exempt churches, schools, and nonprofits have not been exempted from the fee. “Everyone who contributes to drainage issues has to share in the cost of correcting those issues,” said Mayor Annise Parker. Indeed, similar fees have been adopted by other cities, including Richmond, Virginia, Lafayette, Indiana, and Verona, Wisconsin.
(Read more via Philanthropy News Digest.)
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December 22, 2010
Complaint Box | Charity Calls
There it was in my mailbox, a bulky envelope from a charity I’d never heard of, with headquarters in another state. Inside was a tote bag printed with the organization’s logo and an urgent appeal for funds. Three weeks later, it was a fleece blanket from a local charity and, again, an urgent plea.
Those are the big ones. Then there are the packs of greeting cards, the memo pads and the countless sheets of address labels. (Don’t try to get rid of those labels by shredding; one sheet will jam the shredder.) Perhaps the most annoying are the organizations that send a nickel to demonstrate the fact that every cent counts. They ask me to return the nickel even if I don’t wish to donate because “we need every cent.” If needless guilt causes the recipient to return the five cents, a 44-cent stamp is required.
(Read more via New York Times CityRoom blog.)
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December 20, 2010
New York Cares Coat Drive
90% of homeless adults need a new, warm coat each winter because they have no place to keep one over the summer months. But it’s not just homeless people who need our help; thousands of New Yorkers each year are forced to make a choice between buying a winter coat and putting food on the table, or meeting other basic survival needs.
(Read more via New York Cares.)
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December 17, 2010
World Bank Pledges $49.3 Billion to Assist World’s Poorest
Meeting in Brussels, officials of the World Bank Group have announced a $49.3 billion funding package for the International Development Association (IDA16), the bank’s fund for the world’s poorest countries and a key driver of progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
The allocation — an 18 percent increase over the previous funding round in 2007 — will support pro-growth and anti-poverty efforts in seventy-nine countries. Among other things, grants will be used to finance infrastructure, combat climate change, improve health services, and educate children, with a special focus on gender issues and assistance for conflict-affected countries in their quest for peace and development. As in the past, sub-Saharan Africa will remain a major beneficiary of IDA support.
(Read more via Philanthropy News Digest.)
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December 14, 2010
Best Friends Animal Society Lauds Winnick Family Foundation for Its Support of Navajo Nation Veterinary Care and Youth Education Programs
A humane education program worked with ninety teens who were interested in becoming veterinarians or veterinary-medicine technicians. The students were able to arrange a free spay-neuter day that saw twenty cats and dogs fixed and vaccinated, found permanent homes for 50 abandoned, free-roaming dogs and set up three runs into remote areas to rescue dogs in danger.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 13, 2010 – The Best Friends Animal Society of Kanab, Utah has lauded the Winnick Family Foundation for its support of the Society’s veterinary services and youth education programs within the Navaho Nation.
Anne Mejia, co-founder of Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, said: “We very much appreciate the support received for our work from the Winnick Foundation. Through your generous help, you have once again touched the lives of the animals and people of the Navaho Nation.”
The Best Friends Animal Society is dedicated to the humane treatment and medical care of small pets and stray animals. In 2010, the Society’s program, supported in part by a Winnick Family Foundation grant, has provided treatment for more than 200 at-risk animals and given more than 4,000 pounds of animal food and nourishment to pet-owning Navaho families in need.
A humane education program sponsored by the Society in 2010 worked with ninety teens at Monument Valley High School interested in becoming veterinarians or veterinary-medicine technicians. Working with the program, the young students arranged a free spay-neuter day that saw twenty cats and dogs fixed and vaccinated, found permanent homes for 50 abandoned, free-roaming dogs and set up three runs into remote areas to rescue dogs in danger.
Gary Winnick, founder and chairman of Pacific Capital Group, said: “The Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab is doing remarkable work and setting a standard for the humane treatment of small animals across the vast territory of the Navaho Nation. We are very proud to support Society’s work and delighted that it has been able to not only care for at-risk animals but to encourage young Navahos to enter veterinary medicine.”
About the Winnick Family Foundation
The Winnick Family Foundation encourages project-specific programs but also selectively supports capital campaigns and unrestricted gifts to grantee organizations. There is a preference for projects in Los Angeles and New York – or for those having an international component.
Foundation naming grants include:
- Winnick Family Clinical Research Institute at Cedars Sinai Hospital
- Winnick House at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University
- Arnold S. Winnick Student Center at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University
- Winnick International Conference Center at the Simon Wiesenthal Center / Jerusalem
- Winnick Children’s Zoo in Los Angeles
- Winnick Faculty Scholar at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University
- Winnick Hall at the Skirball Cultural Center
- Arnold & Blanche Winnick Popular Library and Karen Winnick Children’s Gallery at the Los Angeles Central Library
- Winnick Hillel House at Syracuse University
- Winnick Board Room at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City
- Winnick Winners Mentoring Program for the Los Angeles Unified School District
- Winnick Fellows at UCLA School of Medicine
- Winnick Gallery at Yeshiva University Museum, Center for Jewish History
Karen and Gary Winnick and the Foundation have endowed university and high school literacy and scholarship programs at Brown University, at Mrs. Winnick’s alma mater Syracuse University, and at Gary Winnick’s alma mater, Long Island University.
They have also funded the transformation of the on-campus C.W. Post mansion administrative center – renamed Winnick House – as well as the main cafeteria which is now named in honor of Mr. Winnick’s late father.
In California, the Foundation has supported educational programs at the California Science Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, KOREH L.A., the Los Angeles Zoo, L.A.’s Best Afterschool Program, the Wonder of Reading, the Fulfillment Fund and Noah’s Ark at the Skirball Center.
Among the many other Foundation grantees are the Special Olympics, The Center for Jewish History, Children’s Scholarship Fund, Partnership for Better Schools, Teach for America, The Gettysburg Foundation, The National Parks Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society, The Los Angeles Police Foundation, Shoah Foundation, and the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University.
The Foundation also supports charities operating outside the United States, including the International Medical Corps, Flora and Fauna, World Wildlife Fund, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, the Israel Museum, the Israel Philharmonic, the Jerusalem Zoo, Heifer International and the Bloomfield Science Museum at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. For more information on the Foundation and its work, visit http://www.winnickfamilyfoundation.com on the Web.
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December 10, 2010
Gary Winnick and Martin Granoff Chair at Columbia Business School Awarded to Daniel Paravisini
Dr. Paravisini’s breakthrough research work on economic shocks has won serious attention in financial and banking circles and been featured during lectures at prestigious university venues and the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia, New York, and San Francisco.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 10, 2010 — The Trustees of Columbia University have announced the appointment of Dr. Daniel Paravisini as the Gary Winnick and Martin Granoff Associate Professor of Business.
Dr. Paravisini earned a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2005. He had previously received an MBA from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración in Caracas, Venezuela in 1997 and a BS cum laude in mechanical engineering from the Univesidad Simón Bolívar in 1994. He joined Columbia Business School in 2005 as an assistant professor and has served as an associate professor since 2009.
Gary Winnick, Founder and Chairman of Pacific Capital Group, said: “Professor Paravisini is a wonderful choice. He is widely respected by his peers for his research on the relationship of reputation and credit. He is also one of the most extraordinary and popular teachers on the Columbia University campus, having taught corporate finance to student acclaim at Columbia Business School since 2006.”
In 2010, Dr. Paravisini received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching a Core Course and the Charles River Associates Award for Best Paper on Corporate Finance. Dr. Paravisini’s breakthrough research work on economic shocks has won serious attention in financial and banking circles and been featured during lectures at prestigious university venues and the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia, New York, and San Francisco. His articles appear regularly in the premier publications in his field.
Glenn Hubbard, Dean of Columbia Business School, said: “Our deepest thanks for the Winnick Family Foundation support of this professorship. Professor Paravisini’s exceptional accomplishments in research, writing and teaching, as well as his tremendous reputation in his field, are a credit to the School of Business and Columbia University.”
About the Winnick Family Foundation
The Winnick Family Foundation encourages project-specific programs but also selectively supports capital campaigns and unrestricted gifts to grantee organizations. There is a preference for projects in Los Angeles and New York – or those having an international component. Foundation naming grants include:
- Winnick Family Clinical Research Institute at Cedars Sinai Hospital
- Winnick House at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University
- Arnold S. Winnick Student Center at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University
- Winnick International Conference Center at the Simon Wiesenthal Center / Jerusalem
- Winnick Children’s Zoo in Los Angeles
- Winnick Faculty Scholar at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University
- Winnick Hall at the Skirball Cultural Center
- Arnold & Blanche Winnick Popular Library and Karen Winnick Children’s Gallery at the Los Angeles Central Library
- Winnick Hillel House at Syracuse University
- Winnick Board Room at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City
- Winnick Winners Mentoring Program for the Los Angeles Unified School District
- Winnick Fellows at UCLA School of Medicine
- Winnick Gallery at Yeshiva University Museum, Center for Jewish History
Karen and Gary Winnick and the Foundation have endowed university and high school literacy and scholarship programs at Brown University, at Mrs. Winnick’s alma mater Syracuse University, and at Gary Winnick’s alma mater, Long Island University.
They have also funded the transformation of the on-campus C.W. Post mansion administrative center – renamed Winnick House – as well as the main cafeteria which is now named in honor of Mr. Winnick’s late father.
In California, the Foundation has supported educational programs at the California Science Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, KOREH L.A., the Los Angeles Zoo, L.A.’s Best Afterschool Program, the Wonder of Reading, the Fulfillment Fund and Noah’s Ark at the Skirball Center.
Among the many other Foundation grantees are the Special Olympics, The Center for Jewish History, Children’s Scholarship Fund, Partnership for Better Schools, Teach for America, The Gettysburg Foundation, The National Parks Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society, The Los Angeles Police Foundation, Shoah Foundation, and the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University.
The Foundation also supports charities operating outside the United States, including the International Medical Corps, Flora and Fauna, World Wildlife Fund, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, the Israel Museum, the Israel Philharmonic, the Jerusalem Zoo, Heifer International and the Bloomfield Science Museum at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. For more information on the Foundation and its work, visit http://www.winnickfamilyfoundation.com on the Web.
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December 6, 2010
A New York Winter Full of ‘Roses’
Mid-winter months typically offer little in the way of flora in New York City, but Park Avenue will be in bloom this January thanks to an art project.
Sculptures of roses, some as tall as 25 feet, will be installed on the Park Avenue Mall between 57th and 67th Streets beginning Jan. 25. Designed by the artist Will Ryman, “The Roses” will include 38 blossom sculptures, as well as 20 individual rose-petal sculptures.
The blossoms will be grouped in clusters, and each cluster will be adorned with a brass ladybug, aphid, beetle or bee.
(Read more via Wall Street Journal Blog.)
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December 4, 2010
Long Island University deploys 6,000 iPads, may double that next year
Its endowment is tiny, and its students are mostly commuters looking for a cost-effective education without having to leave home. Yet Long Island University’s massive deployment of 6,000 iPads to students and faculty has made it the leader among universities in the U.S., and probably worldwide.
More than just some isolated technological fad-dism, LIU’s move towards iPads is part of the school’s broader embrace of cloud computing, according to LIU’s veteran CIO George Baroudi in an interview on Wednesday.
“We started to realize that the need for PCs is starting to die,” he said. Tablets like the iPad cost one-third the price of a laptop. And armed with Citrix remote access software, they can run the same Windows apps a laptop can, just off a server. “The mouse is dead. Long live the finger!”
(Read more via Forbes.)
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December 3, 2010
Times Square Businesses, Actors Launch Cancer Research Fundraiser
Businesses in Times Square were joined by actors on Tuesday to help raise money for cancer research.
It was the kickoff of a month-long fundraising drive, in which MasterCard will donate up to $1.5 million for cancer research, with the help of the organization Stand Up To Cancer.
Through January 1, the credit card company will donate one dollar every time someone uses their card at the more than 90 Times Square businesses that are participating in the effort.
(Read more via NY1 News.)
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