Philanthropy

Looking Back on Finding Fearless: Where Are They Now

Posted on by Case Foundation

Two years ago this week, the Case Foundation launched its Finding Fearless challenge to identify changemakers across the United States that embodied our Be Fearless principles. Finding Fearless provided a tangible and real world chance to witness risk taking, experimentation and big bets embodied by local nonprofit leaders. Two years later, we would like to share with you where these leaders are and what they have accomplished.

In September of 2012, the Case Foundation partnered with Microsoft, REI and the Goldhirsh Foundation to find and fund fearless changemakers. We knew that there were leaders on the ground who were employing experimental approaches to tackle the world’s most challenging problems. Over the course of the campaign, we heard from a diverse group of large and small organizations and individuals that had taken a fearless, innovative approach to their charitable work. The twenty Finding Fearless winners were focused on a variety of issues, ranging from food scarcity to recidivism to education.

We are incredibly proud of their progress and achievements and are thrilled to see several of them gaining broader recognition. Swipes for the Homeless was recognized by President Obama as a “national leader in social innovation” and a Champion of Change for boldly advocating across university campuses to give students the opportunity to donate their unused meal points to food pantries serving homeless populations. Additionally, Madhura Bhat, who co-founded Health for America, an organization that runs a competitive fellowship program to teach next generation leaders to deploy entrepreneurial thinking in addressing health issues in America, was awarded the 2013 SXSW Dewey Winburne Community Service award. Marquis Cabrera, founder and CEO of Foster Skills, has been honored as the Massachusetts Innovator of the Year (Boston Globe) and Massachusetts Young Nonprofit Professional of the Year (MNN).

Another fearless young philanthropist has received special recognition for her efforts in Wisconsin. Jordyn Schara, founded WI P2D2, a prescription pill and drug collection program whose mission is to lessen the time and financial burden on police departments, related to the proper disposal of confiscated pills and drugs. The program provides police departments with 24/7 secure drop-box locations where the pills can be stored in between the Drug Enforcement Agency’s bi-annual collection events, when the pills can be safely destroyed. Jordyn was recently chosen by Teen Vogue to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University at Arizona State University.

We continue to be impressed and inspired by these twenty community leaders and wanted to take this opportunity to share some of their successes and stories from the field.

Reach Beyond your Bubble

We were excited by the groups our national sweep discovered that were being creative in their project designs and bold in their partnership decisions. For example, ArtSpring, a Florida organization that provides incarcerated women with positive artistic outlets for personal expression, has been successfully preparing participants for re-introduction to life outside of the corrections system. ArtSpring has been looking beyond their smaller prison community and have built an effective, mutually beneficial partnership with Florida Atlantic University. Through this creative partnership, students enrolled in the Rhetoric of Incarceration course and are able to study the unique perspectives on freedom and individual rights within incarcerated women’s writing. According to Leslie Neal and Nicole Bible of ArtSpring, the learning between inmates and students has pushed participants “intellectually and academically, and allowed the [inmates] to feel heard, respected and valued.” Art Spring has a phenomenal track record of nearly 0% recidivism among participant women.

Let Urgency Conquer Fear

The Campaign for Southern Equality, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting full LGBT equality with a focus in the South, is letting urgency conquer fear through their WE DO Campaign. Throughout Southern states where gay marriage is not legally recognized, the campaign made a big splash and earned greater national attention for their cause. Through peaceful protest, a cohort of gay and lesbian couples, and their supporters, went on an emotional journey from county courthouse to county courthouse where they were repeatedly denied access to marriage licenses. While the laws remain unchanged in their home states, the participants drew huge media attention and pushed conversation around a difficult and divisive subject to the forefront of public debate in their home states. They successfully drew public attention to a legal barrier this community is fighting to change immediately.

Make Big Bets

The New American Leaders Project (NALP) is working in African, Arab, Asian, Caribbean and Latino communities to recruit and train both new and experienced public servants as they take the next steps in civic participation. NALP uses public outreach, training programs and large convenings to generate a fraternal atmosphere of support for their diverse cohort of values based community leaders. They continue to make big bets on their members through the “Ready to Lead” program that provides community leaders in American immigrant populations with the tools and training to effectively campaign for local, state and national office. NALP is determined to empower leaders in minority communities through civic participation, in an effort to create a more inclusive government, better prepared to advocate for the increasingly diverse American population, generating a more robust democracy. They have successfully trained more than 250 leaders, thirteen of whom have already been elected to office.

Make Failure Matter

A natural component of taking risks is failure. And each of the winners faced challenges of varying severity. A few of the winners shared those obstacles with our team, and their means for learning from and overcoming them. Clark Fork Coalition discovered that without community cooperation, the most well-intentioned plans could be met with distrust and opposition. The Coalition encourages sustainable land and water management in Missoula, MT. They manage a ranch for use as an educational tool and as an example of successful land stewardship. They found, however, that to communicate their goals effectively to other landowners and ranchers, they would first need to build a foundation of trust within the community. The Coalition was able to develop a strategy of community integration through outreach projects as simple as hosting barbecues. This allowed them to build relationships within the ranching community, with the hope of facilitating future land management interventions in the future.

Experiment Early and Often

Another obstacle for small nonprofits is technological limitations. For a number of the winners, digital technology as a medium for media outreach, user tracking and information sharing and gathering, posed some significant challenges. For organizations with limited access to necessary equipment or with volunteers who may not have the proper skills to deliver needed tech solutions, it may be necessary to scale back operations, in the short term.

However, one of the winners, So They Can Know (STCK), faced a technological obstacle and was neither discouraged nor did they back down from their mission. They provide an online platform that allows individuals who have tested positive with a sexually transmitted infection to anonymously inform past partners of their potential exposure and direct them to testing facilities. They have successfully launched their online application through which visitors can send anonymous emails to partners. The STCK team understands that most young people communicate by text message, not email, so to effectively reach more potentially at risk individuals they will need to get the anonymous text messaging option up and running through their website. STCK continues to work on increasing their employees’ tech knowledge and have turned their focus on capacity building to bring in the proper skills to realize the potential of their bold experimentation.

The Case Foundation continues to be impressed and inspired by the organizations that participated in the Finding Fearless grant challenge. For everyone that has participated in the campaign, we are happy to provide you with this update on where our Fearless winners are now. We may not have been able to highlight the achievements, awards and challenges of every winning organization, however we hope you will take time to explore each of these fascinating and fearless organizations to see their impact and what they have learned!

 

Leading Philanthropy with Your Head and Heart in Mind

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Our nation is experiencing some of the greatest challenges in a generation – from a skills gap, to global poverty, the digital divide, striking homelessness in our urban centers, to a widening education gap in our inner cities – but it presents a time of great opportunity for us as practitioners. This month I was surrounded by empowering philanthropists, progressive thinkers and foundation executives of color at the three day Head and Heart Philanthropy summit in Martha’s Vineyard who are focusing on some of these very issues.

The cohort opened with a panel juxtaposing the economic state of African Americans from 50 years ago to today. The conversation, led by Joy Ann Reid of MSNBC’s The Reid Report featured Tonya Allen, President of the Detroit-based Skillman Foundation who shared “we tend to focus on beating the odds versus changing the odds through our work.” She was joined by Charisse Lillie, Vice President of Community Investment and President of the Comcast Foundation. Lillie detailed the company’s efforts to align with President Obama’s ConnectED Program, intended to connect nearly every student in the United States with high-speed internet service over the course of the next five years. Comcast has invested $165 million in digital literacy initiatives nationally and provided 300,000 families with low cost internet service and has provided 23,000 low-cost computers in communities across the U.S. to help meet this goal.

On day two I had the pleasure of joining Tanya Jones, Program Manager at the Barr Foundation, and Aleesha Taylor, Deputy Director of the Open Society Foundation, for a panel on “Inside the World of Foundations – Communications and Grantmaking”. I focused on the evolution of philanthropic media and how the Case Foundation has embraced a fearless approach to philanthropy, while my fellow panelists espoused on how we can be better grantmakers and why there was a need for “chaos and creativity” in philanthropy.

Also joining the conversation was Michael Smith, director of the Social Innovation Fund (and former Senior Vice President of Social Innovation here at the Case Foundation) who moderated a panel on “Innovation, Impact and Kids of Color: How My Brother’s Keeper is Tapping Social Innovation to Transform Lives” with Dr. Freada Kapor Klein and Mitch Kapor of the Kapor Center for Social Impact and Trabian Shorter, Founder and CEO of BMe. Smith shared “we have to disrupt the status quo and not do the same thing over and over again”, while the Kapor’s detailed their initiatives to invest in human capital and why it is the best thing a business can do to change communities of color. Other speakers included Michelle Gadsden-Williams, Managing Director and Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Credit Sussie who spoke on the intersection of corporate America and philanthropy, Alix Cantave, a Program Officer with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Pierre-Andre Noel, a Director at the Boston Foundation and The Haiti Relief Fund who together discussed global philanthropy and investment opportunities that are creating a sustainable economy for Haiti.

The Head and Heart Philanthropy Summit proved to be an exceptional convening of philanthropists and practitioners centered around the best practices and initiatives that are of importance to communities of color. I was honored to join this cohort on the Vineyard and invite you to learn more about the Summit at www.headandheartphilanthropy.com.

A Worldwide Exploration Right In Our Backyard

Posted on by Case Foundation

This post was written by Abigail Hunter, Daniela Fernandez and J.D. Brady on behalf of the Case Foundation:

Earlier this month, members of the Case Foundation team attended the 2014 National Geographic Explorers Symposium— a two-day event with the world’s top explorers who are pushing the boundaries of knowledge and discovery. This year’s Explorers Symposium was part of the society’s 125th anniversary and a celebration of fearless adventurers, scientists, photographers and storytellers who are making a difference. The common theme shared among all their presentations: we must be innovative when addressing challenges.

Here’s a brief recap highlighting key takeaways:

Food for Thought

Author and activist, Tristram Stuart discussed one of the most critical challenges we face with our global food system: food waste. According to Stuart growing more food isn’t the solution to solve world hunger, instead reforming the current food distribution system is key. Jerry Glover, agricultural ecologist, also spoke on the importance of ensuring regional food security, emphasizing the challenges of population growth, soil erosion and soil degradation. In addition to discussing the importance of domestic and global food security, ecologist and epidemiologist Christopher Golden highlighted the connection between environmental changes in the wildlife and human well-being. Although each of the panelists brought forth unique perspectives, they all agreed on the principle of viewing world problems as opportunities for change rather than seeing problems as stagnant obstacles.

Innovative Approaches

Evolutionary biologist Ryan Carney, robotics engineer Robert Wood and multimedia artist Paul Miller (DJ Spooky) recounted new techniques in their respective fields that were fearless in their approach and pushing boundaries. Miller defined an explorer as someone who takes the established position of the world around them and pivots, which resonated with the theme of the panel. During the question and answer session all three addressed the question of risk in their work, stating that you must push past the risk to accomplish something worthwhile. As Robert Wood eloquently put it: “If we know how to do it, it’s not risky enough.”

Pushing Boundaries

Photographer Cory Richards, a pioneer in educating female populations in Afghanistan Shabana Basij-Rasikh and geographer Kendra McSweeney, who studied the effects of drug trafficking on cultures in Honduras explored the theme of “Pushing Boundaries.” The panel emphasized the emotional connection needed to push past obstacles and make a difference in local communities. Shabana told both the dangers she faced attending school in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and the work she is currently undertaking to help girls still affected by limited education opportunities.

Exploration in Progress

The final feature showcased a handful of speakers, who each spent up to three minutes giving “rapid fire updates” on their recent activities. Photojournalist Reza Deghati gave an especially memorable update on his work training refugee children in photography, video, and design so they can become visual storytellers. “I believe in the power of pictures for social change,” said Deghati while showing the audience photographs refugee children took of their surroundings. Another notable talk came from ethnobotanist Maria Fadiman, whose upcoming project will include a book that preserves the cultural, linguistic, and ecological heritage of the Ha people in Tanzania. Her project combines culture, language and photography as a means of addressing preservation issues.

With the wide variety of topics, the 2014 National Geographic Explorers Symposium evidenced the potential of collaborative and innovative projects to solve global challenges. We were honored to join these worldwide travelers along their journey. Learn more about the speakers HERE and follow @NatGeoExplorers on Twitter to stay connected and follow the explorers along the way.

A New Chapter for Impact Investing

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Today marks a major milestone for impact investing. Leading corporations, banks, foundations and individuals—including Prudential, the Omidyar Network, and Capricorn Investment Group—gathered at the White House and committed to invest more than $1.5 billion in new capital into companies and funds that strive to generate positive financial and social returns.

To learn more about this groundbreaking capital commitment and how individual philanthropists, family offices, private foundations, private investment firms and venture capitalists can deploy capital through their own platforms, read the new piece by Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation, in The Huffington Post.

In addition to the private sector commitments, several U.S. government agencies, including the Small Business Administration, USAID, and Treasury, also announced programs to support impact investments and social enterprises today. The White House released additional details on the event and commitments on its official blog.

These commitments were complemented by the release of a new report from the U.S. National Advisory Board to the Social Impact Investment Task Force—Private Capital, Public Good: How Smart Federal Policy can Galvanize Impact Investing—and Why It’s Urgent. Since its creation in 2013, the Advisory Board has engaged with hundreds of stakeholders in the impact investing field—from policymakers to foundation leaders to institutional investors and many others—to surface the most compelling recommendations for policies that would support the increase of the amount of private capital that is committed to social change. The report serves as a tool for policy makers and provides recommendations for how federal policies can spur the growth of impact investing.

There is a growing number of investors who want their investment dollars to better represent their values and who are interested in exploring ways that they can do good not only through philanthropy, but also by mobilizing their investment capital. Together, we can forge a path through capital investments and policy changes to lift up market-based solutions for a more meaningful return.

Want to learn more about the Case Foundation’s efforts to support the impact investing ecosystem? Check out our Impact Investing page and follow the team on Twitter at @CaseFoundation.

Congratulations, Doctor Case!

Posted on by Case Foundation

It’s that time of year – the time for celebrating big accomplishments, for starting new chapters and thinking about what’s next on the way to our big dreams. That’s right, graduation season is upon us, and we want to extend a big congratulations to all the 2014 graduates!

This year is particularly exciting for us at the Case Foundation – as our own Jean Case will receive an honorary doctorate from the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy. Jean will be honored at the commencement ceremonies for Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) this Sunday, May 11. More than 30,000 students from 122 countries call IUPUI home, including students at the Lilly School, the nation’s first school for philanthropy.

To commemorate this special achievement, the team has shared their thoughts on Jean’s role as our fearless leader. As CEO of the Foundation she continually reminds us to keep learning and growing in all that we do. We can’t wait to start calling her Doctor Case!

Congratulations, Jean!

  • Sarah – Jean inspires me through her humility and transparency. She is able to simultaneously be a strong leader, while also respecting the strong team that she has developed. She is able to articulate the good and the difficult stories of how the foundation has gotten to where it is today. That takes guts and FEARLESSNESS.
  • Allie – Jean has inspired me to take to heart the Be Fearless principle, “let urgency conquer fear.” A great boss, and more importantly, a great mentor, Jean has encouraged me to seize opportunities and has believed in me along every step of the way.
  • Louise – Jean inspires me by how she continually ‘reaches beyond the bubble’ as we like to say at the Case Foundation. She is a friend to all, embracing folks who hold differing opinions with respect and civility. Because of her genuine care she is able to be a great force in bringing people together to find better solutions to the world’s problems. It’s a wonderful reminder that we can go further if we go together.
  • Dave – Jean has taught me that you can learn and grow from your failures, just as much, or maybe even more than your successes.
  • Emily – Jean has a curiosity about here that is contagious and always inspires me to go the extra mile.
  • Molly – During my time at the Case Foundation I have learned so much from Jean. One important lesson that she has taught me is that you shouldn’t be afraid to speak up and voice your opinion.
  • Sean – What inspires me about Jean is her remarkable amount of confidence when speaking to large groups and her ability to command respect and attention when she walks into a room. It is easily apparent that she is genuine in all settings, and I believe that her honest, genuine and respectful nature is a big contributing factor to her ability to work toward finding new solutions to big problems with people of all faiths, political beliefs and backgrounds.
  • Erich – Jean has been an inspiration to me to have the confidence to become a subject matter “enthusiast” in as many areas of interest that I can. I have not had been around another individual that can retain and process as much information and provide salient thoughts at the drop of a dime. I want to be more like Jean in her ability to speak with confidence and sincerity on so many subjects.
  • Brian – Jean is fearless leader who is absolutely passionate about the use of new ideas and technologies to change the world! She challenges us to take risks – while constantly reminding us to expect some failures along the way to great successes. I am constantly amazed by her tireless energy and drive. These are just a few of the MANY ways that she inspires me on a daily basis.

 

 

Have a fearless graduate in your life who inspires you? Please share their story with us on Twitter by using @CaseFoundation.

Milken Global Conference Recap: Impact Investing Gains Steam

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Last week, the Case Foundation team, including our founders, Steve and Jean Case, had the pleasure of participating in the 17th Annual Milken Institute Global Conference with more than 3,000 investors, policymakers philanthropists, and thought leaders from around the globe.

We were particularly struck by the momentum and buzz around impact investing at the conference. Jean and Steve joined CNBC live for a short discussion on the topic, and shared their thoughts into the potential for impact investing to move from a niche concept to a mainstream investing strategy. The room was packed for the panel, “Investing for Impact: What’s in Your Portfolio?” featuring Jean Case, and moderated by Matthew Bishop from the Economist. Double bottom-line innovators, including Tracy Palandjian (Social Finance), En Lee (LGT Venture Philanthropy), and Michael Schlein (Accion), also joined the panel the growth of social capital and shared more on their efforts and early successes. Impact Investing was also the source of great conversations in a number of other forums, from hallway discussions to formal dinners, and the growing interest in the space from this important group of conference-goers was apparent.

While at the conference, we also released a draft of our Short Guide to Impact Investing, under the leadership of our Entrepreneur in Residence, Sean Greene. The guide is designed to help investors – including high-net-worth individuals, foundations, family offices and others – explore the impact investing market and help guide their decisions as they hope to move towards investing that incorporates intent, measurement and transparency when it comes to generating both financial and social returns. We’re currently accepting public comments on the draft, and we thank the many of you who have already given us tremendous feedback that will help sharpen and improve the guide before we publish the final version in the coming months.

In addition to impact investing, Jean and Steve had the opportunity to take the stage to discuss other topics they’re passionate about. Jean joined some of the world’s most innovative philanthropists for the panel discussion, “Philanthropy Now: Prizes, Purpose, and People.” Moderated by the Templeton Foundation’s Jim Pitkofsky and also featuring Australian philanthropist Andrew Forrest, Tsitsi Masiyiwa of Zimbabwe’s Higher Life Foundation, Dick Merkin of the Heritage Provider Network and Faster Cures, and George Weiss, the panelists shared their own experiences on innovating in philanthropy through a number of approaches, including prizes and challenges. The Case Foundation was an early experimenter in prizes and competitions in philanthropy, beginning with the Make It Your Own Awards, which was widely acknowledged as the first time a foundation has allowed the public to play a role in grantmaking decisions. The panel also featured a lively discussion on incorporating the principles that made one successful in business to their philanthropic endeavors.

Our chairman, Steve Case, joined Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff and tech entrepreneur and academic Vivek Wadhwa for a panel on “Adjusting to the Tech Revolution: Surfing the Wave or Swept Away?” moderated by Dennis Kneale. In a spirited conversation, they examined how industries and consumers navigate the tech revolution as it snowballs through all aspects of society, from our personal lives to business and banking, health, education, transportation and communication.

Steve also joined Bonin Bough (Mondelez International), Ryan Kavanaugh (Relativity Media) and Lynn Tilton (Patriarch Partners) to guest judge a fast pitch competition, hosted by Daniel Gorfine of the Milken Institute. Companies judged included Nightingale, Immudicon, VirtualU, Sension, and Skip. In this first-ever Milken Institute-Kairos Society pitch competition, student entrepreneurs from each company pitched their concepts in front of a packed, pressure-filled theater. Congratulations to Catalin Voss, selected by the audience as the winner of the competition.

Watch Jean and Steve’s panels and the pitch competition from the Milken Global Conference online at the links below. Check out more from the Milken Institute online HERE.

Are You a Member of Team BT?

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There are certain people in life that we are lucky enough to meet and who make an impact on our lives. For me, common among all of those people who have made an indelible mark on my life is a courageousness and spirit that is truly infectious. They make us wonder why we are not out doing more and they inspire us to look inward and challenge ourselves to face the world with fewer limitations—to be more fearless.

BethAnn Telford of Team BT is one of these unique individuals who I will never forget. She has been surviving with a brain tumor for nearly 10 years. During that time she has pushed herself well beyond limits that would hold most of us back. In October of 2012, she completed the IRONMAN World Championship triathlon in Kona, HI. She earned her coveted spot through the Kona Inspired program, which selects only seven deserving athletes each year.

Our staff is truly inspired by her story and her dedication to the children who are living with brain cancer, with whom she makes a point to befriend and engage continuously. I saw her for the first time a year ago at the 2013 Washington, DC, Race for Hope — the annual run/walk hosted in the spring by Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure and the National Brian Tumor Society to raise money for brain cancer research. She addressed the crowd at the starting line and did a wonderful job of energizing the crowd and reminding everyone why we were there on that chilly morning.

More recently, I met her in person and listened first hand to her tell her amazing story of triumph over her diagnosis. I had the opportunity to get her insight into what being fearless means and how she incorporates fearlessness into her role as a leader and advocate.

Case Foundation: What do you think it means to Be Fearless?

BethAnn Telford: To me, being fearless means challenging yourself to push your boundaries, regardless of your circumstances, and not setting limitations on what you believe you can accomplish.

CF: What role can people play in highlighting and championing fearless approaches in their community and own personal life?

BT: I think people can draw strength and inspiration from others in their community and work hard to be role models and to inspire others in everything they do. Part of that is supporting all of the amazing people who do good in the world, beginning with those in your local community and trying not to only focus attention on the current fad or celebrity.

CF: What can other leaders in the community, like you, incorporate in their thinking to travel on a fearless path? What is your piece of advice to leaders and/or others who have been affected by brain cancer?

BT: Continue to fight as hard as you can to find a cure and never give up! Science and medicine have made tremendous strides over the last decade or two and we can help accelerate that progress. Hopefully, we will look back at this time and know that we did all we could to find a cure for all of those suffering with this disease.

CF: Can you describe a recent challenge or struggle you encountered and how you approached it?

BT: Recently, a bunch of my friends introduced me to Cross Fit. Because of my brain cancer, my coordination is not quite what it once was in my youth, and I struggle sometimes to properly perform the movements and techniques required. Luckily I am stubborn and refuse to give up, so even though it is difficult for me, I stick with it, and know that I will improve with focus and practice.

CF: Can you give me a specific moment in history or a person who was fearless and truly inspired you

BT: There are a lot of people that have inspired me through the years, one of whom is my father. He has never had an easy life with raising our family, but he has never complained and has continued to work hard to provide for us all of his life. His determination and perseverance have always been a source of strength that I have depended on. I consider him to be my hero.

CF: Who or what inspires you each day to be a fearless champion for other survivors?

BT: Since my diagnoses with brain cancer, I have met so many amazing and strong people who are also battling this disease, many of them children. When I meet these children and see how courageous and cheerful they can be, I am truly inspired to never give up and to continue my own battle.

CF: What drew you to running originally and what pushes you to complete more and bigger physical feats? How many marathons and triathlons have you completed in your life? Why did you want to run at Kona in particular?

BT: I have always enjoyed being an athlete and challenging myself physically, from competing in soccer and field hockey in school to eventually running marathons and triathlons. I have completed more than 40 marathons and triathlons; I haven’t kept an accurate count over the years, though I typically run between two and five marathons each year. I am motivated in part by a desire to not let my brain cancer limit what I can do and to continue to push my boundaries. Triathlons, in particular, the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, are a natural extension of that philosophy. Completing the IRONMAN triathlon at Kona was one of the most challenging things I could possibly do, and because it is on the world stage it was my chance to bring greater awareness to all of those struggling with brain cancer and to help find a cure.

CF: Did completing the IRONMAN triathlon at Kona change your perspective on being Fearless, and if so in what ways? And how do you hope this accomplishment will influence others?

BT: There was a point, a few days before the event, while swimming in the Pacific Ocean, when I doubted and questioned my abilities and myself. A dear friend, who accompanied me to Kona, was with me and because of her encouragement I recovered and found my strength. Another friend supported me during the marathon portion of the event. Competing in Kona increased my awareness of how much I depend on others for their strength as much as others depend on me. I hope people can take my accomplishment and inspire themselves or a loved one to reach for their dreams and to not let their circumstances limit them.

CF: What do you hope to accomplish next?

BT: I’ll continue to do marathons and triathlons, but I’m still working on what’s next. I met a wonderful person, Maria Parker, earlier this year that has raced across America on her bicycle to raise awareness for brain cancer. We are thinking of doing something spectacular together, but are stilling working on the details.

CF: How important is your support in helping you to approach your brain tumor and your advocacy for other survivors in a fearless way?

BT: My support from family, friends, my doctors, and the community means so much! Without their support and encouragement I would not be able to accomplish what I have been able to so far. It is through them that I find my strength and I know that when I am weakest or need help, they are always there to lift me back up and keep me going.

CF: Is there anything else you would like to share?

BT: I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me, or remember me when I am gone, and say, “Because of BethAnn Telford, I didn’t give up!”

Weekly Roundup

Posted on by Case Foundation

Here at the Case Foundation, we are always on the lookout for what’s disruptive in the social sector. Each week, we’ll share the latest new and information–whether it’s about a fearless organization doing great work, a breakthrough development that impacts communities or a new set of survey results—to help you keep your finger on the pulse of what is ticking across sectors. This week, the staff shares what we are reading and other inspiring stories that should be on your radar.

Have a story of your own to share? Leave us a message in the comments below or tweet at us @CaseFoundation.

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