Pam Carpenter Chief Operating Officer Dallas, TX 214.676.6229 [email protected] |
J. Ben Casey Dallas, TX 214.616.2362 [email protected] |
Rod Brown Dallas, TX 412.418.7156 [email protected]et |
Dr. Raymond A. Craig Lake Wylie, SC
843.489.2010
|
Jane Jordan
Jacksonville, FL
904.434.1431
|
|
Dear Friend:
In this season of giving it is always good to contemplate that giving is one of the prime ways to find purpose in your life. To this end AARP honors each year individuals over 50 who are making a big difference in the lives of others through the $50,000 AARP Purpose Prizes.
Sixty years ago Ethel Percy Andrus founded AARP to underscore "A new image of aging, growth in self, and service for all mankind." In November of each year five fabulous people over 50 are awarded the Purpose Prize because they in their own ways have revitalized their lives by serving others.
Jim Farrin (81) has helped prisoners through education to lower the recidivism level through his Percy Greene Program that recruits college student volunteers to tutor in prisons, jails and juvenile detention centers.
Reid Cox (52) created the Foster online portal which opens the lines of communication among foster families, caseworkers and others who want to help.
Cynthia Barnett (74) started Amazing Girls Science which instills the love of science in elementary and middle school girls.
Mike Weaver (52) founded WECCAAN which designs community service road trips for teens, college students, parents and retirees.
And finally, Celeste Mergens (55) who has attacked the world-wide problem of the lack of affordable access to feminine hygiene products.
These annual awards brings to each of us the challenging question: Are we living lives with purpose ourselves?
Douglas M. Lawson, Ph.D.
Jo Ann Jenkins, "Living Lives With Purpose", AARP Bulletin / Real Possibilities, December, 2017, page 36.
|
Visit us on Facebook for the latest Lawson company and philanthropic news!
If you do not have a Facebook account, but still want to see Lawson posts - don't worry.
You can view a live feed from our Facebook page on our website, www.lawsonassociates.net, under the new tab "News and Media" or click here.
|
"You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you." - - John Bunyan
|
|
DALLAS PHILANTHROPIST DIES - - A pillar of philanthropy in Dallas died on December 7th after suffering from a fall which broke her hip. Ruth Altshuler, 93, was a pillar of many fundraising efforts in Dallas, These included the Salvation Army and the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center. She was the key organizer and giver to the 50th anniversary of the John F. Kennedy assassination. In Mayor Mike Rawlings words, "All she did for this city can never be fully measured or comprehended as one of the strongest women, one of the strongest people in Dallas' history." She was known for her elegance, confidence and signature laugh. She will be missed. - - The Dallas Morning News, December 8, 2017. |
WITH $250 MILLION GIFT, COLUMBIA MEDICAL SCHOOL LOOKS TO END STUDENT DEBT
- - The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons is one of the top medical schools in the country, and also one of the most expensive. Tuition
for one year is $59,364, and after you add in fees and living expenses, the total is about $90,000 per year for four years. But while some medical students now take on extensive debt to attend, a new endowment funded by one of the school's most successful alumni is intended to eliminate the need for student loans for all of its future medical students. Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, 88, the former chairman of Merck & Company, and his wife, Diana, are donating $250 million to the school, $150 million of which will fund an endowment that the school projects will ultimately enable it to underwrite its student financial aid. Those students with the greatest financial need would receive full-tuition scholarships, while others would get only grants, not loans, to make up their need. With the gift, which is in addition to some $60 million already donated by the couple, the medical school will be officially renamed the Columbia University Roy and Diana Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. - - Sharon Otterman, The New York Times, December 5, 2017. Read more.
|
NANCY ANN HUNT FOUNDATION GIVES $15 MILLION TO SMU HUNT SCHOLARS PROGRAM
- - Nancy Ann and Ray L. Hunt, who both graduated from SMU in 1965, started the merit-based scholarship program in 1993 to attract gifted students. "Today SMU receives three times the number of applicants than it did in 1993, with many now having proven leadership, entre- preneurial and academic strengths", SMU President R. Gerald Turner said. "Therefore, although the Hunts feel that the original program's objectives have been accomplished, we were delighted when they agreed to make this significant gift that will enable the university to create an endowment to ensure the long-term continuation of the Leadership Scholars program and the legacy that the Hunts have created." The university selects 20 Hunt scholars each year. Those named for the class of 2022 will each receive $42,000 annually and may apply for additional aid. This donation brings the couple's total support of the program to $65 million. Their latest gift will be divided, with $10 million serving as an endowment and $5 million funding scholarships as the endowment matures and SMU cultivates more donors. - - Holly Hunter, The Dallas Morning News, December 6, 2017. Read more.
|
THE PHILHARMONIC, UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT, RAISES $50 MILLION - FAST
- - In a show of donor confidence in its new leadership, the deficit challenged New York Philharmonic has raised $50 million to help it balance its budgets in the coming seasons as it premiers its next music director, Jaap van Zweden. The rapidly raised $50 million was a huge accomplishment for Deborah Borda, who has been the orchestra's President and CEO for only a few months. Ms. Borda has pushed the Philharmonic to rethink the costly and disruptive plans to rebuild its Lincoln Center home, hired a new executive team, and turned her attention to the shaky finances of the orchestra, which has run deficits for most of its history. "This really strengthens us," Ms. Borda said of the recent gifts, which she said had come from longtime supporters of the Philharmonic, whom she did not identify. "It gives us a fantastic launchpad." Ms. Borda was known as a successful
fund-raiser during her 17 years at the helm of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where she quintupled that orchestra's endowment. The $50 million she has raised in New York will help the orchestra stay solvent as it pays for the extra programming, marketing and other costs associated with introducing its next music director, Mr. van Zweden, to New York when he takes over next season. - - Michael Cooper, The New York Times, December 13, 2017. Read more.
|
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lawson Associates, Inc.
Rosewood Court
2101 Cedar Springs Road, Suite 1050
Dallas, TX 75201
214.347.0561 office 214.347.0750 fax
214.499.1939 cell
For more information about Lawson Associates, Inc.,
LAWSON ASSOCIATES, INC.
THE EXPERIENCED FUNDRAISING PROFESSIONALS
The services of Lawson Associates to clients both large and small include: Capital Campaigns, Endowment Campaigns, Annual Campaigns, Fundraising Strategic Plans, Nonprofit Board Consultation, Nonprofit Staff Training, Volunteer Training, Keynote and Motivational Speaking.
New York Dallas Washington-DC
|
|
|