Connect – Message From the CEO

Four years ago, Mohammed AL Samawi was hoping to survive. One more hour, one more day, for a future. He was caught up in the war that was breaking out in his native Yemen. It is a war of competing interests, internal to Yemen and controlled by global powers that operate at a level divorced […]

Whenever I am in New York City, I am fascinated by the number of people gathered around corner shell games or three card monte. The game seems simple, only a matter of keeping your eye trained on the shell with the ball or the queen. But, if it is so easy, why does no one […]

Recently, Independent Sector released its annual report on the value of volunteer service. The latest value of a volunteer hour is $25.43 on a national average. In Washington, D.C. (where we are located), the value of a volunteer hour is $41.72. If a volunteer contributed 37.5 hours per week, on an annual basis the volunteer […]

It seems that most days, I am just looking for a small sign. An act of kindness. A moment of grace. A word or gesture that raises the spirit. In the chaotic and often mean-spirited world in which we live, it can be difficult to see and hear these signs. But, they are there – […]

For the past two days, I have been at the Aspen Forum on Children and Families, hosted by Ascend at the Aspen Institute. Along with over 200 leaders from nonprofits, academia, government, and foundations, we learned and shared about the most pressing challenges facing our nation’s children and families. We heard about social determinants of […]