Posted on 05/06/2009 9:27:19 PM PDT by Cindy
Note: Includes a photo.
Note: The following text is a quote:
THE BRIEFING ROOM • THE BLOG Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 7:55 pm What Is the Social Innovation Fund?
Last night the First Lady discussed the Social Innovation Fund at the Time 100 Most Influential People Awards; we asked Michele Jolin, Senior Advisor for Social Innovation for the Domestic Policy Council, to tell us about it:
Yesterday, the President announced that he would ask Congress in the FY2010 budget to provide $50 million in seed capital for his Social Innovation Fund, fulfilling a campaign pledge. The Fund will identify the most promising, results-oriented non-profit programs and expand their reach throughout the country.
This is a dramatically different way for the government to do business – and it reflects the President’s new governing approach -- finding and scaling the best social innovations; partnering with those who are leading change in their communities; and creating a policy environment for all these innovations to thrive.
President Obama has said that this is an "all-hands-on-deck" moment and that government cannot solve our nation’s problems alone. He has said that it is critical to partner with citizens, nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, foundations and corporations to make progress on our nation’s great challenges. The President has also talked about finding new solutions to old problems, and this is where the social innovation can play a unique role.
As the First Lady said in her remarks on Tuesday to the TIME 100 Most Influential people:
The idea is simple: to find the most effective programs out there and then provide the capital needed to replicate their success in communities around the country that are facing similar challenges. By focusing on high-impact, result-oriented non-profits, we will ensure that government dollars are spent in a way that is effective, accountable and worthy of the public trust.
(First Lady Michelle Obama attended and gave remarks at the TIME 100 Annual Dinner at the Rose Jazz Center in New York City. She was greeted by (L to R) Jeffrey Bewkes, Chairman of Time Warner Inc., Rick Stengel, Managing Editor of TIME magazine, and John Huey, Editorial Director of TIME Inc.)
The First Lady also talked more broadly about the need help nurture a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs who will direct their skills and energy toward solving their community’s – and our nation’s – most serious social problems:
Careers focused on lifting up our communities – whether helping transform troubled schools or training workers for green jobs or helping low-income families access health care – are not always obvious. But, at a time when our nation is facing unprecedented challenges, encouraging careers in public service and social innovation are more important than ever.
The First Lady highlighted the work of a couple of young, new social entrepreneurs. One example was Rebecca Onie, a creative young woman who founded "Project Health" to help break the link between poverty and poor health. Rebecca organizes college students to staff Help Desks in urban medical centers, universities and community centers. Students then connect low-income families to other critical community and government resources – such as housing vouchers, supplemental nutrition assistance, and educational support.
This is just one example of the kind of social innovation and entrepreneurship that the Obama Administration wants to encourage and replicate in communities across the country.
The Social Innovation Fund will help do that. We recognize that there is no ready and available source of growth capital for programs and ideas that have demonstrated they work and are ready to spread. This gap in the social capital markets is a good niche for government action. The Social Innovation Fund will build a "pipeline" of programs that have demonstrated results and are ready to spread across the country to meet community needs. Now, more than ever, we need to invest in programs that work and find innovative, effective solutions to our nation’s most serious challenges.
Note: The following text is a quote:
THE BRIEFING ROOM
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the First Lady
___________________________________________________________________________
AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY EMBARGOED UNTIL 8:30 PM EST
REMARKS OF FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA AT
TIME 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE AWARDS
New York, NY
May 5, 2009
“Thank you Rick for that kind introduction and thank you for including me in tonight’s festivities.
“It is a pleasure to join you all.
“There are few times in history when the saying ‘we are all in this together’ would be more applicable than now.
“Events like this one show how truly connected our world is;
“how one person’s invention can create an entirely new economy;
“how one person can change how we see the world.
“The ability of one person to influence the outcome of someone else’s life inspires me.
“When I made the decision to leave my job to found Public Allies Chicago, an AmeriCorps program that prepares youth for public service, I realized right away that I had made the right decision.
“There are few things more rewarding than watching young people recognize that they have the power to enrich not only their lives, but the lives of others as well.
“But careers in public service are not always encouraged.
“We push our young people to strive for things, an advanced degree, a job title, a big salary.
“Rarely do we urge them to stop and think about what their passion is, what kind of life they want to live, what kind of neighbors and colleagues and parents they want to be.
“In doing so, we, as a society, often miss out on their creativity, their inventiveness, their resourcefulness– and some really good ideas!
“We also miss out on the opportunity to inspire a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs who will direct their energy and talent toward solving their community’s – and our nation’s – most serious social problems.
“Careers focused on lifting up our communities – whether helping transform troubled schools or training workers for green jobs or helping low-income families access health care – are not always obvious.
“But, at a time when our nation is facing unprecedented challenges, encouraging careers in public service and social innovation is more important than ever.
“Already, we are seeing young people leading the way with their entrepreneurial spirit, energy and commitment to serving their communities.
“For example, Charles Best, a former Bronx public school teacher, started an online philanthropic marketplace called Donors Choose to help teachers who were spending up to $500 a year out of their own pockets for basic classroom materials.
“Through Donors Choose, ordinary citizens can directly fund projects initiated by enterprising public school teachers.
“Online donations have helped students in San Jose become avid readers through the Dr. Seuss series.
“An art class in the Bronx had no paint brushes. Now every student has a set.
“Rebecca Onie is a social entrepreneur who founded “Project Health” to help break the link between poverty and poor health.
“I remember meeting Rebecca when I was at the University of Chicago and I was very impressed with her.
“Rebecca organizes college students to staff Help Desks in urban medical centers, universities and community centers.
“Students then connect low-income families to other critical community and government resources – such as housing vouchers, supplemental nutrition assistance, and educational support.
“This year, 600 college volunteers will dedicate 100,000 hours to connect over 15,000 low-income children and adults to the resources they need to be healthy.
“And then there is John Alford who grew up in a housing project in Brooklyn, attended college in North Carolina and then Harvard Business School.
“John recently launched NOLA 180 a ‘turn-around’ organization for failing public schools in New Orleans.
“NOLA 180 transforms these public schools into high-functioning charter schools that prepare every student for college.
“Langston Hughes Academy is the first school to benefit.
“Students spend 50 percent more time in their classrooms.
“Parents are given teacher’s cell phone numbers so they can call for help with homework.
“And, in honor of their namesake, Langston Hughes, students receive instruction in persuasive writing, public speaking, debate and poetry.
“In its first year, Langston Hughes students outperformed the city’s public school average in reading, writing and math.
“Charles, Rebecca and John. I know they are here somewhere. Congratulations and thanks for all of your hard work.
“This is exactly the kind of social innovation and entrepreneurship we should be encouraging all across this country.
“And that is why tonight, I am pleased to announce that as part of the new Serve America Act, the Administration is creating a Social Innovation Fund to help innovative nonprofit groups and social entrepreneurs, like the ones I just mentioned, expand their successful approaches to tackling our most pressing national challenges.
“The idea is simple: find the most effective programs out there and then provide the capital needed to replicate their success in communities around the country.
“By focusing on high-impact, results-oriented non-profits, we will ensure that government dollars are spent in a way that is effective, accountable and worthy of the public trust.
“In this room of Leaders and Revolutionaries, Builders and Titans, Artists and Entertainers, Scientists and Thinkers, Heroes and Pioneers, I think we can all agree, we did not get to where we are alone.
“Our success was made possible with the encouragement of a diligent parent or teacher, a grandparent who told us we had real talent, an older sibling who paved the way and set a good example, a scholarship or grant that created an unexpected opportunity, or a neighbor or community leader who told us to dream big.
“That’s certainly been the case in my own life.
“I stand here today because of people who loved me, and pushed me and believed in me.
“I stand here today because of scholarships and grants and experiences that gave me opportunities I was afraid to dream of.
“I never imagined that, as a result of all that support, I would be in a position to be a role model for girls around the globe.
“Girls who look at me and see something more for themselves, more than society expects of them.
“Girls who now think anything is possible.
“As global leaders, let’s not underestimate the power each of us has to change the world for someone – and let us not be afraid to try.”
Note: “Project Health” was a hypertext link in post no. 1 and referred to in Mrs. Obama’s speech.
#
Let’s see what “Project Health” is.
QUOTE:
www.projecthealth.org/
New Vision for America’s Healthcare
For low-income youth and families, traditional medical care is not sufficient to improve health outcomes. A prescription for antibiotics is not enough when there is no food at home. Poor health further entrenches families in poverty by jeopardizing educational attainment, economic stability, and life opportunities.
Founded in the Boston Medical Center Pediatrics Department in 1996, Project HEALTH works to break this link between poverty and poor health.
Our model is simple and effective: in clinics where we provide services, physicians can “prescribe” food or housing for their patients and their families. Our undergraduate volunteers then connect those families to local resources to meet these needs, enabling them to achieve the stability and opportunity that lead to better health for their children.
Our vision is to mobilize the nation’s first corps of student volunteers to connect low-income patients with the resources they need to be healthy and, in doing so, create the next generation of leaders committed to tackling this country’s greatest health challenges.
We invite you to join us in this movement.
_____________________________________________________________
Support Project HEALTH when you buy your books (or anything else)! Start your search here and Amazon donates up to 15% of your purchase to Project HEALTH!
If we hide all the paper, will they stop printing money?
“The ability of one person to influence the outcome of someone else’s life inspires me.
“When I made the decision to leave my job to found Public Allies Chicago, an AmeriCorps program that prepares youth for public service, I realized right away that I had made the right decision.
“There are few things more rewarding than watching young people recognize that they have the power to enrich not only their lives, but the lives of others as well.
“But careers in public service are not always encouraged.
“We push our young people to strive for things, an advanced degree, a job title, a big salary.
“Rarely do we urge them to stop and think about what their passion is, what kind of life they want to live, what kind of neighbors and colleagues and parents they want to be.
“In doing so, we, as a society, often miss out on their creativity, their inventiveness, their resourcefulness– and some really good ideas!
“We also miss out on the opportunity to inspire a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs who will direct their energy and talent toward solving their community’s – and our nation’s – most serious social problems.
“Careers focused on lifting up our communities – whether helping transform troubled schools or training workers for green jobs or helping low-income families access health care – are not always obvious.
“But, at a time when our nation is facing unprecedented challenges, encouraging careers in public service and social innovation is more important than ever."
OPINION:
Pretty soon there won’t be any paper for Monopoly money or toilet paper, or so it seems.
I thought the word “entrepreneur” somehow implied some sort of monetary profit. There they go, redefining terms again.
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