Finding Fearless: By the Numbers
Be Fearless
Finding Fearless – We’re just getting started
Today we are proud to announce the winners of Finding Fearless, our campaign to recognize, reward and inspire fearless changemakers nationwide, and a pillar of our Be Fearless initiative. We’re equally excited to kick off “Fan Favorite” voting, giving the public the chance to decide which winners should receive even more grant money and, thanks to our partners, some fantastic prizes.
The winners of Finding Fearless are taking risks, being bold and letting urgency conquer fear. The issues they are tackling – from the environment to education to healthcare – are as diverse as their backgrounds, their models are disrupting the status quo and their style is fearless. We are delighted to have the opportunity to shine a light on these undiscovered leaders, some who are rapidly scaling their concepts and others who are just about to take off – we’re thrilled to shine a spotlight on all of them and champion their transformative efforts.
After an exhaustive nomination and review process, our Fearless Academy [a diverse, cross-sector group of nearly 100 social innovators] helped us pick the winners from nearly 1200 nominations. Those that came out on top submitted more detailed applications to help us separate good ideas from solid plans, underwent a vetting process, and at last, we selected the twenty winners who will each receive a $10,000 grant, $25,000 of Microsoft software, a $100 REI gift card and an opportunity to compete in Fan Favorite voting!
So, what’s this Fan Favorite voting all about? Here at the Case Foundation we’ve been excited about democratizing philanthropy for many years. We sometimes refer to it as crowdsourcing or citizen-centered philanthropy – but no matter what it’s called, the goal is to seek new ideas and innovative solutions by tapping the crowds and sharing the responsibility and joy of giving. The approach recognizes that we can often get better results when many pitch in as opposed to leaving decisions and action to the few. We first tried this approach in 2007 with our Make It Your Own Awards, and again during our America’s Giving Challenges. We’ve initiated countless fan engagement campaigns like our Back to School contests, and now we’re trying it again as we work to spread the word about the need for a more fearless approach to creating change and as we lift up unsung fearless changemakers in communities big and small.
From 3 p.m. ET on Friday, November 16 until 2:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 28 we invite you to visit findingfearless.org to learn about our fearless changemakers, to be inspired by their stories and to vote for which of them you think should earn an additional $10,000 grant from the Case Foundation or an Adventure Trip to Bryce Canyon courtesy of our partners at REI. In addition to these awards, we will give a $500 Network For Good card to the top vote getter each day and Microsoft will select a “YouthSpark” winner – one of our young fearless changemakers – to win the new Microsoft Surface Tablet. And, there’s even something for you – each voter will be entered into a sweepstakes to win a Microsoft Surface tablet right off the assembly line.
Now, go check out the winners of Finding Fearless, vote for your favorites, tell your friends to vote for theirs, and stay tuned for what’s next! In the meantime, we offer our sincere thanks to everyone who has been part of Finding Fearless—the applicants, the Fearless Academy, the Be Fearless Alliance, our partners at Microsoft, REI and the Goldhirsh Foundation and the many thousands that have joined us to the Be Fearless pledge. We’re grateful for your support and excited to Be Fearless together.
National Failures Day: Be Fearless and Make Failure Matter
It seems like there is a holiday for everything these days, and sure enough, we discovered a new one today: it’s National Failures Day. What is there to celebrate? Plenty!
In our recent report “To Be Fearless” we outlined five key characteristics of a fearless approach to creating lasting social change. Before our landscape assessment and focus groups, we knew the concept which Lucy Bernholz described as “Failing Forward” had to be at the top of the list. Entrepreneurs, athletes and even politicians all know that recognizing, analyzing and proudly learning from failure is critical to success. While it has taken quite some time, we’re delighted to see some signs that the nonprofit sector, and those of us that invest in nonprofits, are becoming more comfortable with this concept. At this year’s Public Allies national leadership institute, Darell Hammond, the dynamic founder of kaBOOM, told the audience that kaBOOM staff are encouraged to make and share mistakes quickly so they can start making new mistakes that will lead to big wins.
In our new report, “To Be Fearless,” and below, we highlight a few examples of people and organizations whom have made failure matter. Take a look and then take the pledge to Be Fearless and make failure matter today!
- Read the Make Failure Matter section of our To Be Fearless, starting with this excerpt: “With innovation and big bets comes the risk of failure. Every great innovator has experienced moments of failure, but the truly great among them wear those failures as badges of honor. When the philanthropy and social sectors are fearful, they increase the danger of depriving themselves and others of needed lessons. As innovators in the social good space, sometimes it’s easier to back away when it looks as if things aren’t going as planned. But it’s important to have faith and fail forward–to stay the course and to pivot when it’s needed. It’s the way you respond to failure, and not the failure itself, that matters.” Read more about making failure matter in the full report.
- Philanthropy expert Lucy Bernholz has been a leader in encouraging our sector to fail forward.
- Senator Mark Warner shares his moments of failure that led to his successes at our Be Fearless launch event (video).
- Ben Duda, Executive Director of AmeriCorps Alumns, shares his journey as a social changemaker and how he’s made failure matter.
- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has devoted several chapters to their “To Improve Health and Health Care” anthology to learning from failure.
- In 2010, I blogged about the painful acknowledgement of coming up short as it related to some of our clean drinking water investments in Africa.
Do you have moments in your journey to be fearless where you built big success on top of a big failure? How have you made failure matter? Share with us on our Facebook page or @CaseFoundation on Twitter using #BeFearless..
Tim Harris: a Fearless, Hugging Special Olympics Athlete
In June, we released what we believe are five elements to a fearless approach in solving some of the world’s most pressing issues, in our new website and report, “To Be Fearless.” We are asking people to take the pledge to Be Fearless in one (or more!) of the following ways: 1) Make big bets and make history; 2) Experiment early and often; 3) Make failure matter; 4) Reach beyond your bubble; and 5) Let urgency conquer fear.
To celebrate the Olympics, we’ll be featuring a new blog series in partnership with the Special Olympics for the next few weeks, highlighting the fearless journeys of athletes, volunteers, and leadership from the organization. In part two, we are featuring Tim Harris—an athlete, Global Messenger (one of 12 international athlete spokespeople for the organization), and restaurant owner who has reached beyond his bubble and made fearless big bets.
Tim’s Place, located in located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, provides “the friendliest service in the world” and serves “breakfast, lunch and hugs.” Beyond the hugs and friendly service, this family restaurant is unique because of the fearless leader at the helm.
His name is Tim Harris. The 26-year-old is a Special Olympics New Mexico athlete and Global Messenger whose life has been defined by exceeding expectations.
In a speech to a group from Special Olympics that visited his restaurant, Tim said, “From the minute I was born, I always wanted to be a part of the world around me.” He joined Special Olympics in his youth and would go on to participate in several sports, including poly hockey, basketball, track and field, and others. And as he says, “I’ve earned more medals than Michael Phelps.” In 2008, Tim graduated from Eastern New Mexico University with certificates in Food Service and Office Skills. He worked at a variety of local restaurants including CiCi’s Pizza, Golden Corral, IHOP, and Peppers Bar and Grill.
Tim had always dreamed of owning his own restaurant. In October 2010, adhering to Walt Disney’s motto “If you can dream it, you can do it,” he opened Tim’s Place. Tim fearlessly lives out his personal mantra, which can be found on the wall of his office, “I am more like you than different.”
Not only did Tim reach beyond his bubble and surpass what most thought possible: he made a big bet and made history as he is the only person with Down Syndrome to own a restaurant. He epitomizes how to conquer fear and defy the odds and is truly an inspiration to all who encounter him.
Hugs are Tim’s measure of success. He doesn’t charge extra for the hugs and says “most customers order at least one, sometimes two” — he has a counter on the wall to track his hugs which is currently tracking more than 20,000 hugs. Not only is Tim teaching so many people how to Be Fearless, but he is actively bringing joy into the world every day. Because who couldn’t use a free hug?
See more of Tim’s story, in this CBS News video:
Learn more about the Special Olympics, and read part one in our series.
Special Olympics Athlete Loretta Claiborne’s Journey To Be Fearless
In June, we released what we believe are five elements to a fearless approach in solving some of the world’s most pressing issues, in our new website and report, “To Be Fearless.” We are asking people to take the pledge to Be Fearless in one (or more!) of the following ways: 1) Make big bets and make history; 2) Experiment early and often; 3) Make failure matter; 4) Reach beyond your bubble; and 5) Let urgency conquer fear.
To celebrate the Olympics, we’ll be featuring a new blog series in partnership with the Special Olympics for the next few weeks, highlighting the fearless journeys of athletes, volunteers, and leadership from the organization. In part one, the Special Olympics features Loretta Claiborne, an athlete and spokesperson who has embodied all of the fearless principles as she has spent her life achieving her dreams.
Loretta Claiborne grew up during the Civil Rights era partially blind with a developmental disability. She was the middle child of seven siblings born to a single mother. The odds were stacked against her. Yet, her story does not mire in pity or despair; rather it beams a radiant light of triumph over tribulation, joy over anger, and hope over fear.
Loretta did not walk or talk until the age of four. Once a child with little hope, who doctors did not think would amount to much, she has completed 26 marathons and travels the world speaking to all ages and educational levels about bullying and the importance of inclusion.
Loretta’s mother was told to put her child in an institution and forget about her. Even after her mom refused, Loretta was bullied so much at school by her peers, her only outward recourse was to use her fists to try and fight back, or sometimes use her feet to simply run away. But one day, she found Special Olympics and everything changed. Her anger was channeled to excelling as a world-class runner and becoming an advocate for people with intellectual disabilities. Today, Loretta holds honorary doctorates from Villanova University and Quinnipiac College, converses in five languages, has a black belt in karate, was the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award and sits on the Special Olympics International Board of Directors.
Make Big Bets and Make History.
Loretta has made history and continues to change the way the world views people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Growing up in 1960s America as a poor, black female with disabilities was difficult – but Loretta showed the world and defied all the odds. Before it was publicly acceptable to advocate for people with ID, she courageously championed them and spoke out, bringing light to the horrible injustice that this population faces all over the world. Loretta set out to change attitudes, one person by one person, demonstrating the benefit of inclusive and accepting communities and how the world is a better place when every person is given the opportunity to reach their full potential. Loretta’s courage has changed the course of history for people with ID and is helping give them their rightful place in society. Her story is so powerful that in 2000, Disney produced a movie called “The Loretta Claiborne Story” about her strength and triumph.
Experiment Early and Often.
In a time in the U.S. where people with ID were often institutionalized and not treated equally, Loretta stood up, ran, fought and actively lived her life to show the world the capabilities of people with ID. She lives this out every day of her life, whether she is competing with Special Olympics, running a marathon, speaking to a group of students or going to the grocery store. She seizes opportunities and uses her abilities to be a force for good. Many years ago, Loretta learned to knit. She has used this skill by teaching teen mothers in her community how to knit so they can make clothes for their children. Following Hurricane Katrina, she worked furiously to knit baby caps for storm victims. And after visiting a school in South Africa that lacked the most basic supplies, she began a campaign of collecting school supplies and sending them regularly to the school.
Make Failure Matter.
Loretta exemplifies perseverance and the ability of the human spirit to overcome obstacles and failures. As a result of being bullied, Loretta became an angry child and was often getting in fights as a way to cope. After finding Special Olympics, Loretta learned that anger and fighting were not the solution. She learned that demonstrating what she, as a person with an intellectual disability, could do would help those accept her and others like her. She tells people of all abilities, “Be the best you can be and never let anyone doubt you. Find your opportunity and see what you can do.”
Reach Beyond Your Bubble.
Despite not being able to walk until she was four years old, Loretta utilizes the power of sport to create social change and inclusion and to promote development and peace. At the age of 50, after being an accomplished runner, Loretta reached beyond her athletic bubble and learned to figure skate, eventually competing in the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in figure skating. Loretta has used the power of sport to instill discipline and self-worth and taught us that adversity means nothing if you are able to step outside of your comfort zone.
Let Urgency Conquer Fear.
Despite significant progress, too many barriers still stand. Every day, all over the globe, people with disabilities are denied their basic human rights, denied access to health care, denied inclusion in their communities and schools and perhaps, most importantly, denied the opportunity to reach their full potential. Knowing that there are still miles to go in this journey, Loretta tirelessly works to overturn the oppression and injustice facing the estimated 200 million people with intellectual disabilities.
Join us on a Journey to Be Fearless
If you’ve been following the Case Foundation in any of our communication outlets over the past few months-Facebook, Twitter, blog, meetings, etc.-you will know that we’ve been pretty excited about two words: Be Fearless.
Well, today we go from excited to ecstatic because today’s the day we officially kick off our journey to Be Fearless, and invite you to come along for the ride! There are several ways you can participate…here’s how:
CaseFoundation.org/BeFearless
To spark a dialogue on what it means to Be Fearless in the social sector, we are unveiling a new report and interactive website: To Be Fearless. The report, written by leading philanthropy consultants Cynthia Gibson and Brad Rourke, is based on interviews with leading changemakers and an exhaustive landscape analysis of some of the most impactful or promising social movements of our time. The report outlines what we see as the five key elements to any fearless approach to creating change, with the goal of sparking discussion, challenging assumptions and inspiring action. Check out CaseFoundation.org/BeFearless to read highlights of the report, download the full report, share your favorite points and elements with your friends and colleagues, and most importantly, to take the Be Fearless pledge-and just by doing so you could win an iPad preloaded with To Be Fearless or several other fun items specially selected for the Fearless changemaker on the move. 🙂
Jean Case Blog in SSIR
Earlier this year, our CEO Jean Case reflected on 15 years of the Foundation’s work in addressing social challenges, and observed that we and our partners were at our best when we took risks, acted boldly and learned from failures. In other words, we were at our best when we were Fearless. Today, Jean publishes a blog post on Stanford Social Innovation Review previewing the five key elements to Be Fearless, while calling on foundations and other social innovation leaders to join the conversation.
Be Fearless campaign launch LIVE!
This afternoon, we’re gathering with some fearless leaders we admire, to formally release the To Be Fearless paper and site, and to learn from examples of fearlessness in the social good sector, and how moving forward, we can all collaborate in new and innovative ways to make the world a better place. We hope you’ll join us online for the livestreamed event (it starts at 2:00pm ET), which will feature an interview with Jean and Steve Case by CEO of the Aspen Institute and Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson, and a panel discussion with Senator Mark Warner, Barbara Bush, and Tom Tierney. Several lucky viewers will win an autographed copy of Steve Jobs, so tune in and it could be you. You can watch the event below, and we invite you to Be Fearless and join the conversation here on this blog, on Twitter using #BeFearless, or on our Facebook page.
Update: missed the event online? Watch the recording below!
Fearless Focus: Mario Morino
In our journey to Be Fearless and champion a fearless approach to tackling social challenges, the Case Foundation team will spotlight leading changemakers across sectors that have embraced fearlessness. Our spotlights will provide personal accounts of why these changemakers adopted a fearless approach, how they overcame hurdles, and how taking risks, being bold, and failing forward led to quicker results and deeper impact.
This week, we are featuring Mario Morino, Chairman of Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP) and the Morino Institute, and author of Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity. Jean and Steve Case along with the Case Foundation are founding investors and long-time supporters of VPP, a philanthropic investment organization that helps great leaders build strong, high-performing nonprofit institutions in the DC region.Since co-founding VPP in 2000, Mario has been a leader in applying venture and growth principles to the nonprofit sector to build stronger, high-impact organizations. Previous to VPP, Mario was a software entrepreneur and civic business leader in the DC region, and more recently in Northeast Ohio.
What do you think it means to Be Fearless in approaching social challenges?
A fearless leader has the courage to periodically look in the mirror to face that difficult question, “Is our hard work truly adding up to great results for those we serve?” And if the answer is “no,” a fearless leader acknowledges shortcomings, reaches out for help from others, seeks relevant information on how to improve, and then takes bold (even painful) steps to get on a more impactful course. In my work with Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP), with other nonprofit organizations, and in my business career, I’ve made more than my share of mistakes, sought help, and then course-corrected. But let me offer a better example of fearless introspection which I learned about this past year. In the early 1990s, Youth Villages (YV) CEO Pat Lawler kept hearing through the grapevine about young people who seemed to be on a good path after discharge from YV’s residential treatment facilities and yet had ended up in prison or in other forms of crisis. This prompted Pat to start collecting more information to find out what was really happening to those kids. The results were disappointing at best. Instead of hiding the bad news from stakeholders, Pat and his team openly acknowledged that they were falling short of their aspirations and then spent several tough years reengineering the entire program model. Today, 82 percent percent of the kids in YV programs across the country are rising above their challenges. They are finishing school, earning a living, and contributing to their communities. That’s literally twice the rate achieved by comparable programs. And Pat’s program costs one-third as much as competitor programs.
Tell us about a time when you and your organization were Fearless.
In all candor, I don’t see myself as fearless, as I’ve had the luxury of time and resources to be able to take thoughtful, measured risks (at least most of the time). For instance, I never viewed co-founding VPP as being fearless, nor did I see the choices we made in our philanthropic investments as fearless, since they were grounded by deep analysis. Having said this, in my business and philanthropic life I have consistently done what some would regard as bold or even on the edge: I have sought to recruit leaders to my boards, advisory groups, and management teams who know more than I do and from whom I can learn. For example, recruiting Carol Thompson Cole to serve as VPP’s CEO would feel pretty risky to some organizational founders. Carol is an exemplary leader who commands deep respect and could steal a founder’s thunder. But to me, being able to recruit outstanding talent-talent that could (and should) take me out of a central decision-making role with the organization-is essential. I believe leaders of organizations have to be fearless in recruiting and/or developing the strongest talent they can for the boards and organization-even when that talent is better than they are.
What did you learn & what advice would you give other organizations facing a similar decision point?
I think the hardest thing to do is to question your own performance and that of your organization. It sounds trite, but being honest with yourself is critical. It’s easy to say you want to recruit strong talent to your board and organization until you are confronted with the fact that these same strong people will have strong views and opinions, modes of operation, etc., that are different from yours. That’s when the rubber meets the road. As long as you are philosophically and culturally aligned, are you ready to step back and give others the latitude to speak out, to differ, and to lead? Much easier said than done. There’s a follow-on, which is to have to courage to admit when a people decision you made was wrong and then act to rectify it. As one of my bosses and advisors told me, if you hire someone and they leave or they don’t work out in the first year, it is squarely your mistake. You either didn’t do the right due diligence up front, or you inadvertently set the person up to fail.
What inspired your organization to Be Fearless?
I don’t mean to dodge your question, but as I said earlier I don’t see myself as fearless. Writing columns, giving speeches, and supporting others doesn’t exactly take nerves of steel. But running a community health center, intervening with gang members, negotiating with a drug dealer to stay away from your school-now that takes a fearless leader! Therefore, I feel much more comfortable speaking about nonprofit leaders who, for very compelling reasons, are truly fearless in their work-and they have to be to succeed. What always inspires great nonprofit leaders to be fearless is the passionate, unyielding desire to do the most they can for those they serve. Great leaders can’t sleep at night when they don’t know whether they’re on course to achieve the results they seek. They’re obsessed with finding ways to do better for those they serve. And as a result, they are willing take big risks to get there.
Learn more about Mario Morino here. Read more about our Be Fearless campaign. Know someone that we should spotlight for Fearless Focus? Let us know here in the comments or tell us on twitter @casefoundation using #befearless
Fearless Focus: Diane Melley
This post was written by Diane Melley on behalf of the Case Foundation:
In our journey to Be Fearless and champion a fearless approach to tackling social challenges, the Case Foundation team will spotlight leading changemakers across sectors that have embraced fearlessness. Our spotlights will provide personal accounts of why these changemakers adopted a fearless approach, how they overcame hurdles, and how taking risks, being bold, and failing forward led to quicker results and deeper impact.
This week, Diane Melley, Director of Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs at IBM, is our guest blogger for Fearless Focus. IBM has been a fearless company since its founding 100 years ago – in society and in the ways it has innovated. From providing equal pay for women in 1935, and then-President Thomas Watson taking a bold stand against segregation in the American South in 1956, to being one of the first American companies to include sexual orientation as part of its nondiscrimination policies in 1984, IBM has consistently set the bar for responsible business practices. IBM has also led in product and service innovation. It holds more patents than any other American company, and many of its inventions and ideas have changed the world: electronic tabulating machines, bar codes, e-business and cloud computing, and of course Watson, the computer that won at Jeopardy. IBM is again leading by example through its pro bono programs, which have provided more than $250 million worth of skills-based services from its employees to nonprofits all over the world.
First, I want to congratulate the Case Foundation on 15 years of innovation and bold action. The organization has provided extraordinary leadership while tackling some of the thorniest issues in the US and around the globe. Whether experimenting with new models and partnerships to create sustainable solutions, or leveraging technology to empower social entrepreneurs, Case has provided a true example of acting fearlessly.
To me, being fearless in approaching social challenges means being willing to step out of the safety of the crowd and go into uncharted territory. Attempting new approaches often means being willing to stand alone, at least initially. And while we at IBM are not afraid of being outside of the pack, our accomplishments – certainly those on the Corporate Citizenship front – are largely in part thanks to the partnership of both the public and private sector. Many of our programs, such as Supplier Connection and P-TECH, would not be possible without the support of our outstanding partners.
Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs at IBM has acted fearlessly over the past several decades, being willing to completely transform itself as an organization. Historically, the IBM Foundation looked to donate cash to local causes. During the past 10 years, under the aggressive leadership of our Vice President Stan Litow, we have undertaken a substantial shift, broadening our portfolio to align more closely with the strategy of IBM. For example, when our Smarter Cities strategy was announced, we fused the idea of IBM’s business strategy to our citizenship strategy. We looked at how we could assist cities and municipalities from a social perspective. While we will always be interested in education and workforce development, especially as it pertains to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) curriculum, we are now much more willing to look across IBM for opportunities where we can leverage the expertise of our parent organization and our best asset – IBMers – in service to the communities where we live.
During our transformational journey, we learned many lessons: the importance of being strategic, thinking and planning for the long term, and engaging strong partners. To the first point, it is not enough to be reactionary – the best improvements are those that are thoughtful and deliberate. Second, whatever is created should not just be for the moment, but should be architected in a sustainable manner. Finally, in the social sector, partners are essential – so many of the issues we are trying to resolve are complex and multi-stakeholder – therefore we need to engage cross-sector in order to create and affect true change.
At IBM, we take risks because it is part of our heritage. Our founders and our culture encourage being visionary and at the forefront of what is possible, whether it was hiring our first black employee in 1899, a mere 34 years after the end of the Civil War, hiring our first female employee 20 years before women won the right to vote in the US, or in building Watson, the breakthough natural language Deep Q&A system in 2011. Our inspiration comes from our roots, and our hope is that each IBMer is inspired to act fearlessly and to take risks every day.
Learn more about IBM’s corporate responsibility programs here. Read more about our Be Fearless campaign. Know someone that we should spotlight for Fearless Focus? Let us know here in the comments or tell us on twitter @casefoundation using #befearless.
Fearless Focus: Max Wallace
In our journey to Be Fearless and champion a fearless approach to tackling social challenges, the Case Foundation team will spotlight leading changemakers across sectors that have embraced fearlessness. Our spotlights will provide personal accounts of why these changemakers adopted a fearless approach, how they overcame hurdles, and how taking risks, being bold, and failing forward led to quicker results and deeper impact. We spoke with Max Wallace, CEO of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2), a nonprofit organization that uses entrepreneurial approaches to bring innovative new treatments to brain cancer patients. ABC2 was created in 2001, shortly after co-founder and Chairman of the Board Steve Case’s brother Dan Case was diagnosed with brain cancer. Dan, his wife Stacey, and Steve and Jean Case established ABC2’s singular focus to find a cure for brain cancer. ABC2 supports translational research in targeted therapies, drug delivery, cancer stem cells and using biomarkers for early detection and prognosis. The organization operates in honor of and in celebration of Dan, who passed in 2002. Max says “ABC2 is, in essence, a special operations team in the war against brain cancer.” Previous to joining ABC2, Max was an entrepreneur building research-driven biopharmaceutical companies.
You can watch Max’s answers to our questions in the video above, or share each segment individually:
What do you think it means to Be Fearless in approaching social challenges?
Of course I’d like to think we are fearless in our fight against brain cancer. Every day we fight an implacable, complex, dangerous disease for people whose lives are at stake. If fear is “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil or pain,” it is a daily part of our world. John Wayne described it: “Courage is being scared to death … and saddling up anyway.” We saddle up every day and take as big and audacious a swing at brain cancer as we can. It may not be truly fearless – but it’s pretty darn close.
Tell us about a time when you and your organization were Fearless.
We worked witih Genentech to tackle risks and, in an unprecedented step, ABC2 provided funding for Genentech to do the required brain cancer studies. The result: in May 2009 the FDA granted accelerated approval for Avastin to be used to treat brain cancer – the first new brain cancer drug approved in over a decade. This pioneering project has set the tone for all that ABC2 has done since.
What did you learn & what advice would you give other organizations facing a similar decision point?
Steve Jobs said that he was trying to “make a dent in the universe” and we agree with that approach. Trying to dent the universe is risky business and we often operate in unmapped territory (in fact, our job is to send back maps). We know there will be failures, but that is not a reason to hold back. And, if we do fail we want our failure to be both fast and forward.
What inspired your organization to Be Fearless?
In 2001, Dan Case was 43 and on top of the world. Then Dan was diagnosed with brain cancer. Counseled by many to focus just on his own life, Dan chose to take a different path and ABC2 was born. While Dan did not survive his cancer, every day we work to be as caring and courageous as he was.
Learn more about Max Wallace here. Read more about Be Fearless campaign. Know someone that we should spotlight for Fearless Focus? Let us know here in the comments or tell us on twitter @casefoundation using #befearless.
Fearless Focus: Ned Breslin
In our journey to Be Fearless and champion a fearless approach to tackling social challenges, the Case Foundation team will spotlight leading changemakers across sectors that have embraced fearlessness. Our spotlights will provide personal accounts of why these changemakers adopted a fearless approach, how they overcame hurdles, and how taking risks, being bold, and failing forward led to quicker results and deeper impact.
We recently spoke with Ned Breslin, Chief Executive Officer of (Case Foundation grantee) Water for People. Ned strongly believes that conventional approaches to water supply and sanitation are not scalable or sustainable – helping some but not others and often failing shortly after implementation. Finding this unacceptable, he has led innovative programmatic efforts that demand greater accountability of water and sanitation programs so that the lives of “Everyone” are truly transformed, not temporarily but forever, and without continued dependence on charitable organizations.
Learn more about Ned Breslin here. Read more about Be Fearless campaign. Know someone that we should spotlight for Fearless Focus? Let us know here in the comments or tell us on twitter @casefoundation using #befearless.