Arzu, a non-profit corporation, is bringing the traditional rugs of Afghanistan to the West. Recent conflicts in Afghanistan had caused disruption to the traditional patterns and techniques and, worse still, stable employment, education and benefits for the female weavers and their families.

Arzu is working to change that. It employs 700 women plus their families in 10 villages. Proceeds from the sale of the rugs, from $1000 to 18,000, are invested in village school and health care.

Since 2004, 700 rugs have been sold. Production is hoped to be at 1,200 a year soon. You can check them out on the Arzu website.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last year I baked each of our neighbors a loaf of banana bread. Actually I baked them two each. The dog jumped up and ate the first ones while they were cooling, so I had to start over.

This year, I wanted to do something a little more meaningful. And something that the dog couldn't eat! I thought about making a charitable donation in my neighbors' names. I had done that for one of them on his birthday last year. But then I read a story in the Dallas Morning News today about Mark Bent who created the BoGo.

BoGo stands for Buy One Give One. And a BoGo is a solar powered flashlight that uses highly efficient LEDs to convert sunshine into bright clean light. But the best thing about BoGos are that when you buy one, the company gives one to Africa.

More than a billion and a half people around the world have no electricity. Instead they use lanterns that burn expensive kerosene. The cost of kerosene is often 30% of a family's income. The kerosene provides very poor light, even in a small hut, but it emits lots of noxious pollutants.

So I ordered 3 BoGos and 3 BoGos are winging their way to Africa and changing the lives of 3 families. And my neighbors get a cool looking solar powered flashlight as part of the deal.

I think I met my requirement of a meaningful gift for our neighbors. Now for 2008.....

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bill O'Reilly is a moron! Mark Cuban refrained from saying it after Bill O'Reilly's ugly comments in November about Cuban and the movie "Redacted". But I feel free to say today what Cuban didn't, after seeing Mark Cuban's actions last night for the fourth year in a row.

Allow me to set the stage:

O'Reilly alleged that Cuban was anti-American and ran a campaign to have fans take "Support Our Troops" signs to the Dallas Mavericks - San Antonio Spurs game on November 15. Well, instead Cuban outclassed O'Reilly and arranged for the Army National Gaurd to hand out Defending Freedom t-shirts to every fan .

And then last night at the Mavericks - Jazz game, every front row seat was occupied by military personnel, as guests of Mark Cuban and the Mavericks.

In a press release from the Mavericks:

Tonight for the fourth consecutive year, Mavs front row season ticket holders have banded together to provide a special tribute to injured U.S. military personnel title "Seats for Soldiers".

Approximately 130 members of the U.S. military will enjoy the special experience of sitting in front row seats valued at over $200,000. American Airlines is providing jet transportation to Dallas from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. In addition, American Airlines flight crew and flight attendants are donating their time for this special occasion.

As my wife Gillian Parrillo and I settled into our seats for the game, I happened to spot one of the soldiers sitting on the Mavericks' bench that looked like someone I knew. And sure enough it was TSgt. Israel Del Toro, whom I met at the Ft. Hood TACP Expo in June.

TSgt. Del Toro is an unbelievably remarkable human being, having suffered burns over 80% of his body from an IED explosion in Afghanistan. And there he was, guest of Mark Cuban for the second time in two years, sitting on the Mavs bench. (click here for a must see video of Del Toro, as he tells his story)

And now back to the class of Mark Cuban.

Rather than ranting about Bill O'Reilly, Mark quietly goes about his business, touching the lives of many like those 130 wounded solidiers. Time and time again, I've seen Mark do it not only for the soldiers, but also for young entrepreneurs such as the Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy where I saw him speak pro-bono. I expect he will continue to do more.

And what is the moron doing? Being outclassed by Mark Cuban, no doubt.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Congratulations to Karen Armstrong, Dave Eggers and Neil Turok, winners of the 2008 TED Prize.

Each winner will receive $100,000 and be granted a WISH to change the world.

Click here to see the video announcement.

My daughter Rebekah introduced me to Dave Eggers in 2000, with his first book "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius". I look forward to hearing Dave's wish in February. I bet it will have something to do with education or Africia. Perhaps both.

About the TED Prize:

The TED Prize was introduced in 2005, and it is unlike any other award. Although the winners receive a prize of $100,000 each, the real prize is that they are granted a WISH. "A wish to change the world." There are no formal restrictions on the wish. We ask our winners to think big and to be creative. The goal is that it creates an incredible sense of excitement and common purpose. It inspires the TED community, and all those who hear about the wish, to offer their help in making the wish come true.

Three winners are chosen each year. They could be anyone with world-changing potential: inventors or entrepreneurs, designers or artists, visionaries or mavericks, story-tellers or persuaders. But they must be people who the judges believe have the ability to inspire others to do something great for the world.

Our new winners will announce their wishes at TED2008 in Monterey, on February 28, 2008, and their presentations will be released online to the world shortly afterward.

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This week I have spent several hours undertaking site visits for potential investees. But it's not what you think. The investees are local non-profits and I am volunteering on behalf of a local engaged philanthropy organization.

It has been exhilirating to learn that all of the business skills I acquired while working in corporate America are completely transportable to the non-profit world. There are still Boards that need to be effective, there are still financials, there is still money to be raised, there are still issues with staff and, most importantly, there are clients to be delighted!

As I am driving home from one of the visits, I get a call from an old colleague. He tells me that he is quitting his job and going to work for a non-profit. He expresses the same thoughts that I have been having. It sure is good to go to work and feel like you did some good - like saving someone's life, giving them a second chance, making them stand tall.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

One hundred thousand dollars in sales per week … 90% net margin … 90% repeat business … On an investment banking teaser, this company profile would have generated widespread interest among the investment community—had the core product not been crack cocaine. A large percentage of inmates come to prison as seasoned entrepreneurs, having run highly successful enterprises such as drug rings and gangs.

They know how to manage others to get things done. They are passionate, intelligent and willing to take risks. Even the most unsophisticated drug dealers inherently understand business concepts such as competition, profitability, risk management and the development of proprietary sales channels. What if these influential leaders ran legitimate companies.

So begins the blurb on a website of a truly amazing non-profit. Founded in 2004 in Harris County, Texas where more prisoners are released than any other county in the state, Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) took a look at the problem:

One out of 15 individuals will serve time in prison during his/her lifetime. U.S. taxpayers spent $60 billion on corrections in 2002—up from $9 billion two decades earlier—making corrections the second-fastest growing government spending category after healthcare. More than 600,000 prisoners are released each year, with two-thirds returning to the criminal justice system for violating the law within two to three years.

Inmates are released with only the clothes on their backs, up to $100 and one-way bus tickets to the cities where they were convicted of their crimes. Contributing to recidivism statistics is the fact that former prisoners are repeatedly rejected by employers, public housing facilities, families and even churches.

That's where this novel PEP program gets involved. It offers:

In-prison Business Plan Competition (BPC)

Reintegration Services, including: Re-entry Services; Work Readiness Program; Executive Mentoring Program; Entrepreneurship School; Access to Financing.

The results have been incredible:

Worked with more than 250 inmates in two prisons; currently conducting sixth BPC, in which inmates create comprehensive business plans and present concepts to judging panels of nationwide executives. BPCs culminate in formal cap-and-gown graduation ceremonies.

Recruited more than 200 top-level business executives to participate in more than 20 prison events that had never before taken place behind bars, including venture capital panels.

Established partnerships with MBA programs at Harvard, Stanford, Cal-Berkeley, University of Texas at Austin, Rice University, the University of Dallas and Texas A&M Universities to provide weekly volunteer business plan advisory services for inmates.

Assisted two inmates in filing provisional patent applications with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Maintain participant employment rate north of 93%, typically within one month of release.

Launched Entrepreneurship Schools in Dallas and Houston, and recruited more than 60 instructors, ranging from public company CEOs to venture capitalists.

Recruited and trained 60+ Executive Mentors, consistently maintaining a waiting list of executives desiring to coach participants.

Assisted 32 participants in the launch/operation of entrepreneurial businesses in industries including power washing, computer services, landscaping, catering and automotive repair.

Maintained a participant recidivism rate of less than 3%

With the cost of incarcerating a prisoner running $45,000 per year, this program makes so much sense. Congratulations to founder Catherine Rohr. You can listen to her story and also to several of her students here courtesy of Aflac.

Let's spread this amazing program nationwide. And let's start with California where in 5 years, if current spending rates continue, we will spend more on incarcerating inmates than educating college students. Something is terribly wrong with that statistic.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:10 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

A friend sent this to me today. A video about a remarkable woman, an artist, who uses her talents to lessen the suffering of relatives of soliders who have lost their lives in Iraq.

Who says one person can't make a big difference?

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:26 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pierre and I have officially become engaged philanthropists. We joined the Dallas chapter of Social Venture Partners - a community of social entrepreneurs. From the SVP website:

SVP links community professionals and nonprofit organizations to make a hands-on difference. Social Venture Partners was the inspiration of former Aldus Corporation President Paul Brainerd. Additional founding members include technology industry leaders Scott Oki, Ida Cole, Bill Neukom and Doug and Maggie Walker. The vision of the founders was to build a philanthropic organization using a venture capital model, where Partners actively nurture their financial investments with guidance and resources. Social Venture Partners is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to addressing social and environmental issues.... Each Partner commits to a annual capital contribution... for at least two years. As responsible investors, Partners have a genuine interest in providing whatever it takes to help bolster the success of every one of our Investees. Partner involvement ranges from hands-on work, such as setting up a website, to management support in the areas of finance, strategic planning, fund development, legal, marketing and more. Although Partners are not required to contribute time and expertise, over two-thirds do.

We are excited to assist with the many good (and pressing) causes in Dallas which are looking for business assistance as well as capital. I am already involved in a couple of the investees - one particularly that assists youth who have just aged out of foster care. They have the opportunity to receive free college tuition at the state's schools, but figuring out how to get the benefit, manage all of the housing, financial aid issues, and then successfully navigating through college when their secondary education has most usually been very disrupted, would be tough even for those from a privileged background, especially without the assistance of a parent or guardian. In addition, we attended the monthly luncheon and had the opportunity to hear Omar Jahwar, the director of Vision Regeneration, one of the DSVP's investees. Omar has found a way to be a positive voice to the gang members in the most disadvantaged areas of Dallas. Not only does he reach the leaders but he then recruits them to be leaders of the positive programs that Vision Regeneration offers. (Sound like a good guy to come speak in Sacramento so we could use some of his fabulous experience to solve our every growing problem that leaves so many of our young people dead or in jail?) His quote that still haunts me: "When good voices are silent, bad voices sound good." Omar knows how to work the streets, but he needs help in dotting the i's and crossing the t's when it comes to applying for and administering grants, setting up a board, financial accounting. That's where the volunteers from DSVP come in.

We are thrilled to be a part of it and excited to contribute whatever we can in terms of what we have learned from our long careers in the corporate world. And a great side benefit, we have begun to meet some generous, open-hearted, smart people whom, we are sure, will soon become our new friends in Dallas.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pierre forwarded me a link to Social Edge today and asked me to check it out. It has a wealth of information that I plan to monitor and report on over time, but one item caught my eye immediately. A two-week in-residence program at Santa Clara University where faculty and mentors will assist social entrepreneurs learn key business skills for managing sustainability and scalability. More than one hundred applied, and here are the 19 who were selected for the program. Some amazing, life-changing (even world-changing) ideas here. Who said being a social entrepreneur can't be just as exciting as a for-profit entrepreneur?

Caroline Nyami-Kisia AfriAfya, South Africa AfriAfya uses modern information communication technologies (ICT’s) to provide relevant, actionable health and development information to disadvantaged communities in rural areas and in urban informal settlements in Kenya.

Elizabeth Hausler
Build Change, United States/Indonesia
Build Change builds earthquake-resistant houses in developing countries and changes construction practices permanently so that homeowners in seismically active developing countries are safe and satisfied.

V. Balakrishna
Centre for Women’s Development and Research, India
The Centre for Women’s Development and Research provides education and training for poor women to help them become economically independent.

Kristina Shafer
Cleangold Mining in Surinam, Surinam
The Cleangold sluice is an inexpensive, safe, non-chemical alternative that quickly recovers finer gold than mercury, thereby increasing the miner’s income without the health risks mercury poses to miners, wildlife and communities.

Rahul Barkataky
CFM: Community Friendly Movement, India
CFM thrives to create a global market for handmade products made by artisan communities in India so that they are able to create employment opportunities for those who are dependent on handicrafts for their livelihood.

Tim Bauer
Envirofit International, United States/Philippines
Envirofit International provides new solutions to global challenges by implementing environmentally friendly technologies coupled with appropriate business models for the developing world.

Lalith Seneviratne
Flowing Currents Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka
Flowing Currents deploys gasifier-based, biomass conversion systems for small-scale power generation at the village level.

Carol Tappenden
GreaterGood, South Africa
GreaterGood facilitates innovative engagement and effective, responsible giving by providing the South African public, NPO, and business sectors with an easy access to social investment opportunities through their unique website, national call-to-action campaigns, and specialized social investment services.

Angelique Smit
Ideas at Work, Cambodia
Ideas at Work manufactures, sells, and leases a manual water lifting device, that is designed for low-income Cambodian villagers (primarily women and girls) who are looking to improve their quality of their life and lighten the burden of household water collection.

Wayan Vota
IESC Geekcorp, United States/Macedonia
IESC Geekcorp increases the profitability and efficiency of small and medium sized businesses in emerging markets, with its unique reserve of international technology experts who provide firm-level technology-focused technical assistance, creating a vibrant and innovative private sector.

Dan Matthews
Meridian Design, Inc., United States/Worldwide relief
Meridian Designs develops and sells portable water purification devices, which are innovative in their size, capabilities, and low cost-to-manufacture.

Mohammed Abba
Mobah Rural Horizons, Nigeria
Mobah Rural Horizons provides an electricity-free refrigeration system, which is simple to comprehend and operate by African villagers, very cost effective, and which can be sustainably manufactured and sold.

Ramesh Nibhoria
Nishant Bioenergy Pvt. Limited, India
Nishant Bioenergy created the innovative Biomass Stove, which is smoke free, does not require handling of ash, and is low-cost. Designed for rural, poor people, the Biomass Stove creates local employment and saves time for women, and thereby enables them to spend quality time with their family and/or earn extra income.

Ian Thorpe
Pump Aid, United Kingdom/Zimbabwe
Pump Aid developed a low-cost rope-and-washer, hand pump, which yields1 litre per second and provides safe, clean water for domestic purposes, as well as a surplus for agricultural activities.

Joachim Ezeji
Rural Africa Water Development Project (RAWDP), Nigeria
RAWDP improves access to safe drinking water through household water treatment technologies and other interventions.

Karen Piegorsch
Synergo, United States/Guatemala
Synergo provides ergonomic, practical, and sustainable solutions for artisans to improve productivity and product quality, thereby substantially increasing artisan earning potential while concurrently preventing serious damage to artisan health.

Satish Sompalli
THRIVE, Great Britain/India
THRIVE provides low-cost LED lighting systems, which are fail-proof, consume very low power, provide clean lighting, and do not emit any smoke. The systems are distributed in rural areas where electricity is scarce.

Gavin White
Video Volunteers, United States/India
Video Volunteers provides community media solutions, which are a platform for community voice and local development for millions of poor and marginalized communities in the developing world.

Ravi Krishna
1298, India
1298 is an organization working towards saving lives by increasing the availability and awareness of emergency medical services in rural India.

As the website says: This is a transformational program for people with the power and vision to change the world.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:51 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

May is National Foster Care Month. California currently has almost 80,000 children and youth in foster care. For some kids getting moved into foster care saves their lives but for many more it is the beginning of a life that affords them poor educational experiences, minimal medical care, and no opportunity to bond with mentors or role models. The prognosis for children who have spent time in foster care is poor.

These kids deserve a quality education, proper preparation for employment and a permanent relationship with a caring adult. One way to do this is to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate for these kids. Believe me, you will get as much out of building a supportive relationship with a child in foster care and guiding their cases through the crowded juvenile court system as they do. All these years later I am still involved with my two CASA 'children' who are now on their way to adulthood knowing that they will always have a person to call when the chips are down.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:44 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am about to shop for shades for my windows and after reading the following, I instantly knew from whom I would buy - Hunter Douglas. Doing good things as a corporation will definitely bring customers to your door and keep them there! And congratulations also to Davis-based MicroCredit Enterprises CEO, Jonathan Lewis, who constantly finds innovative ways to help the world's poor.

HUNTER DOUGLAS FUNDS ENDOWMENT FOR MICROFINANCE SUSTAINABILITY MicroCredit Enterprises to Operate Fund; Donation to Assist the Estimated 1.1 Billion Desperately Poor People Davis, Calif. – April 24, 2007 – MicroCredit Enterprises, a leading not-for-profit venture that provides philanthropic guarantor-backed microloans to aid third-world poor, today announced the creation of the Hunter Douglas Endowment for Microfinance Sustainability. Thanks to a generous contribution from Hunter Douglas, the leading manufacturer and marketer of custom window coverings in North America, MicroCredit Enterprises can continue in its quest to reduce global poverty through self-help opportunities. The Hunter Douglas Endowment for Microfinance Sustainability is a liquidity account that underpins the MicroCredit Enterprises financial model, acting as a cushion to guarantors and lenders. The Hunter Douglas donation to the endowment will leverage $10 million in overseas microloans, providing food security for 500,000 poor people (60 percent of whom are children) on an annual basis and in perpetuity. Every penny benefits the program; no overhead costs are paid by the endowment. “This endowment represents a commitment to hope and opportunity that will make a significant difference in the lives of desperately poor people,” said Jonathan C. Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of MicroCredit. “Moreover, with a securely funded endowment in place, MicroCredit Enterprises can now attract more microloan guarantors” California-based MicroCredit Enterprises is an innovative, anti-poverty venture which leverages private capital to deliver tiny business loans to destitute people. To date, the venture has secured $20 million in guarantees for loans to aid the desperately poor in developing countries. MicroCredit Enterprises uses the collateral assets of individuals and institutions to borrow debt capital that is channeled through overseas, locally-run, non-governmental microfinance organizations. Marv Hopkins, Hunter Douglas Inc President and CEO said “Micofinance is a proven concept that is close to our entrepreneurial roots. Microcredit’s innovative approach opens up a new way for successful entrepreneurs in the first world, to support poor women entrepreneurs in the third world, and we regard this endowment as an opportunity to help jumpstart that process. It is a significant step in our company’s ongoing commitment to enhancing lives in the community at large and our belief that we are all neighbors on this small planet.” Microcredit Enterprises has developed an innovative concept, which enables private individuals and charitable institutions in the US to support the extension of loans to high quality microfinance institutions in developing countries, by becoming guarantors. Rather than making cash donations, guarantors pledge assets, on which they can continue to earn a return. About MicroCredit Enterprises Based in Davis, California, MicroCredit Enterprises is an innovative, not-for-profit, anti-poverty venture which leverages private capital to make tiny business loans to impoverished people, mostly women, in developing countries. MicroCredit Enterprises uses the collateral assets and personal guarantees of individuals and institutions to borrow debt capital in the United States that is channeled through overseas, locally-run, non-governmental microfinance organizations. The impoverished loan recipients generally have no credit history, no collateral and no formal education, but with microloans, they create and build home-based businesses. MicroCredit Enterprises’ economic development objective is to reverse the cycle of poverty in economically distressed countries using the tools of the marketplace to provide self-help opportunities to millions of impoverished women and their families. On the Net: http://www.mcenterprises.org About Hunter Douglas Hunter Douglas Inc. is a national sponsor of Habitat for Humanity, covering windows in every Habitat home built in the U.S. and Canada. Headquartered in Upper Saddle River N.J., the company is the leading manufacturer of custom window coverings in North America. For more information, contact Hunter Douglas at 1-800-274-2985 or visit: www.hunterdouglas.com.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Chronicle of Philanthropy carries an article written by Caroline Preston entitled, "Long Hours, Low Pay Turn Off Young Non-Profit Workers." Based on results from a survey, the article says that few of the young non-profit workers expect to spend their entire career working in the charity world. The turn off - long hours and low pay. The low pay is driving men and minority groups out of the field leading to a lack of diversity. This leads to charities paying women lower salaries for comparable work. They speak about sexism and racism and glass ceilings existing in what they had believed would be a more equitable part of the marketplace.

This is a sad commentary on an industry segment that has much need of bright, motivated employees.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are at it again. Trying to help disadvantaged kids get an education. They have donated $122 million to send hundreds of Washington, D.C. kids to college.

More than 2,200 students will be provided mentoring and college scholarships of up to $10,000 per year for up to 5 years. The students will be picked from neighborhoods where only one in three students graduates from high school and only one in twenty earns a college degree within 5 years.

The first scholarships will be handed out this spring to 175 high school juniors. Students will be picked based on several criteria including 'resilience' and 'demonstrated commitment to education' along with their high school grades and standardized test scores.

Good for you Gates Foundation. You are going to change a lot of young peoples' lives forever.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:58 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In memory of

Raymond D. Nasher

1921 - 2007

Father of Citizenship

Thank you for your generosity and gifts to our community.

You left a legacy and will not be forgotten.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A restaurant in a Dallas suburb has found a way to help charities while helping itself. Spurred on by a customer who wanted to raise money for a favorite charity, they turned 15% of their food sales to the customer's charity one Tuesday night. The charity actively promoted the event, the restaurant gained additional customers that night (and maybe repeat customers in the future) and the charity got about $1000. Now, every Tuesday night is charity night at the restaurant.

It's a win for the restaurant and a win for the charity. Sounds like a great idea for Sacramento's bustling restaurant scene.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Students from many Sacramento high schools, Health Professions High School, Christian Brothers High School, El Camino Fundamental High School, Granite Bay High School, Highlands High School, Laguna Creek High School, Loretto High School, Pleasant Grove High School, San Juan High School and Sheldon High School, have been hard at work to support a program that pays for food and housing for Sacramento children who live in poverty - 17% of all of Sacramento's children. The students, along with area artists, are making bowls which will be sold at the Empty Bowls luncheon, which will be held on Tuesday, March 13th from 11-2PM at the Sacramento Masonic Temple, 1123 J Street. Attendees will make a donation of $25 and will be served soup (in one of the bowls) prepared by area restaurants - including Michelangelo's and Scott's Seafood.

Funds from the Empty Bowls event are used for food and emergency shelter services provided by River City Community Services (RCCS). Started in 1968 as a food closet, RCCS is a non-profit organization that provides nutritionally balanced food and emergency housing aid to anyone in need in Sacramento County. In 2006, RCCS provided food relief to over 24,000 people in nearly 12,000 households – 8,000 of whom were children. RCCS is the only Sacramento food outreach program that provides nutritional counseling in addition to food supplies.

A limited number of tickets to Empty Bowls will be available at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased online at or at four Sacramento retail locations: the Avid Reader, 1003 L Street; the Trinity Cathedral Bookshop, located at 26th and Capitol; and the TravelStore, located at 855 Howe Avenue, Suite 5, and at 7456 Foothills Blvd.

For more information, contact Eileen Thomas via telephone at 916-446-2627 x3001 or via email at rccsa@sbcglobal.net.

What a great community event for a great cause.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:33 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mark Cuban gets a bad rap. There are lots of complaints, chief among them that he is arrogant. But one thing I knew, he doesn't just put his money where his heart is, he puts his heart where his heart is!

At this week's Mavericks game, I watched Mark come to his usual courtside seat at the American Airlines Center. Moments later, a wheelchair entered the arena and was pushed to the back of Mark's section. And then ever so painfully a young man rose from the wheelchair and painfully inched his way to the seat next to Mark. As he approached, Mark reached out and hugged him. It was pretty obvious that this was a returning US soldier who had lost one or both of his legs in Iraq. There was no flash, no pubic announcement, it was just a simple act of recognition and honor.

OK, nothing will ever make up for the sacrifice that these young men have made and continue to make in this devastating mess called Iraq, but being invited by a billionaire to sit courtside at a major sports venue at least says in some simple way, "We see what has happened to you, we can never make it up to you, but we want you to know we won't ever forget you."

And for those who believe that if you are against the war (which I would surmise Mark Cuban is having hired Dan Rather to work for him) you must be against the troops - I guess this simple act should put that charge to rest.

Hey Mark Cuban might be lots of things, but he has a heart and he's not afraid to show it. Not just by sending checks, which I am sure he does, but by reaching out on a one-on-one basis.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

World Community Grid is encouraging individuals to contribute their idle PC time to assist humanitarian research.

World Community Grid uses grid technology to establish a permanent, flexible infrastructure that provides researchers with a readily available pool of computational power that can be used to solve problems plaguing humanity. Grid technology joins together many individual computers, creating a large system with massive computational power that far exceeds the power of a few supercomputers. Importantly, World Community Grid is easy and safe to use. The project is supported by the IBM Corporation and a group of 160 companies, associations, foundations and academic institutions.

Individuals simply download and install a free, small software program on their computers. When idle, your computers request data from World Community Grid’s server. Computers then perform computations using this data, send the results back to the server and prompt it for a new piece of work.

In its first year, World Community Grid ran the Human Proteome Folding Project, which provided scientists with data on how individual proteins within the human body affect human health, enabling them to develop new cures for diseases like lyme disease, malaria and tuberculosis. Scientists now have descriptions of 120,000 protein domains that are critical to human well-being; without the benefit of this free grid technology, it would have taken 5 years to get these results, compared with just 12 months on World Community Grid.

More recently, World Community Grid launched FightAIDS@Home. FightAIDS@Home, which is sponsored by The Scripps Research Institute, is using computational methods to identify new candidate drugs to block HIV protease, a key molecular structure that when blocked, stops the virus from maturing and thus is a way of avoiding the onset of AIDS and prolonging life.

Possible future projects will address global humanitarian issues, such as new and existing infectious disease research; genomic and disease research; and natural disasters and hunger.

Wow, I think that is amazingly cool. You can sign up here.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:43 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My plan for 2007 is inspired by a card I received at Christmas from my friend Linda. I put it in a frame on my desk and look at it often. I think it's just about perfect.

Help a Stranger
Praise a Child
Light a Candle
Share your Love
Sing for Joy
Lend a Hand
Pray for Peace
Understand

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 2:44 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you are looking for ways to distinguish your company when it comes to hiring new employees, consider embracing this great new trend:

More U.S. Bosses Giving Workers Time Off To Volunteer Employees are looking for companies that value philanthropy.

By Virginie Montet, Agence France-Presse
Dec. 26, 2006 -- An increasing number of U.S. companies encourage employees to volunteer their time cleaning coastlines, handing out food for the poor and other charitable work as a means of boosting their image and doing their part for the community. "Everybody does it, every big law firm has one now, every manufacturer," said Arthur Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Public Affairs and author of "Who Really Cares," a book about charity in America. "Philanthropy is really motivated by trying to build a reputation in the community," he added.

The trend has become so popular that major companies are setting up special departments to coordinate volunteer work and are hiring "volunteer coordinators" or "directors of community relations." Employees who choose to take part in such programs are given time off in exchange.

IBM for its part has set up an online portal for employees and company retirees informing them of volunteer programs, which in some instances are beneficial to the company's image. Employees, for example, can download ready-made presentations to make at schools on such subjects as information technology or security on the Internet. "We marry our commitment to volunteerism and community service with our on-demand business strategy," said Diane Melley, director of IBM corporate community relations.

Volunteer work "takes this incredible wealth of talent that IBM has as a company and unleashes the power of all of those people to try to make a difference in their community around the world," Melley added. "It also enables our people to get the IBM brand out there and to spread some of our technology which is also very beneficial to the business."

Brooks said the phenomenon has become such that many companies can no longer afford not to engage in altruistic activities. "It's something they have to offer to highly educated employees," Brooks said. "To remain competitive, they have to do it."

Tim Riley, head of personnel at Forrester Research, a marketing firm that offers employees a day off for volunteer work, said he has noticed over the years that more and more people interviewing for a job ask whether the company has a volunteer program. "I think it reflects a shift in people, younger people that want to work in a company whose values are similar to their own," he said. Tammy Morreali, director of national community relations with PricewaterhouseCoopers, agrees. "It's a big priority for college students these days," she said.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2006

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:10 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Warren Buffett is my hero. He always has been and always will be. My son Nathan and I met Warren ten years ago at a Coca Cola shareholders' meeting. Warren was on the Board of Directors for Coke. Nathan, twelve years old at the time, was a shareholder and decided to attend the meeting in Wilmington, Delaware, as he knew how crazy I was about Buffett. And I still am!

Nathan stuck out at the meeting, being the only minor in the room. After the meeting CEO Roberto Goizueta and Warren Buffett spoke privately with Nathan. The conversation made a big impact on my son (detailed story for a future post).

Move the clock forward ten years. In June of 2006, the second richest man in the world, Warren Buffett, donated $30.7 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This single act, the largest charitable contribution ever, is making a big impact on philanthropy. Buffett's donation sets the standard. More and more wealthy people are following Buffett's action - giving in large numbers.

Warren Buffett, you are my person of the year for 2006! Ten years ago you made a big impact on my son (now employed by a Wall Street firm), and you are making a huge impact on the world of philanthropy.

Thank you.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jane Hanson, millionaire mentor, money manager, entrepreneur, and former Goldman Sachs banker, has put together a network of 15,000 professional women. Featured in the current issue of Fortune Magazine, 85 Broads focuses on mentoring and coaching college undergraduates and business school students. The networking program has partnered with more than 40 MBA programs and 100 undergraduate programs. UCLA and UC Berkeley are partners, but amazingly enough the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, who's dean is female, is not a partner.

I want to change this. Gillian and Nicole get moving!

Check out this YouTube video on 85 Broads.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My vote for Sacramentoan of the Year (the Decade) goes to Rhonda Erwin who singlehandedly works all of the hours of her life to give a voice to the troubled youth of Sacramento. She never ceases to amaze me. This is Sacramento's own Mother Theresa.

A couple of days ago, she reminds us that there are hundreds of kids lingering in Juvenile Hall, many of them with no family or friend support and that a small gift from someone in the community could teach them what being loved is all about. Maybe a book, a card, or something of small value could make all the difference in the lives of these troubled kids who are facing woeful futures.

As I have written previously, Pierre and I were given a chance to help a young adult boy who was in Juvenile Hall and we are strong believers that sometimes, and sadly too rarely, a small showing of support can change a young life for the better.

So back to Rhonda and her latest quest for the day. She writes:

Today I contacted Juvenile Hall facility to find out what wards need and can receive for the Christmas/ Holiday season.... MANY do not receive any visits, magazines, books... Please if you can donate books, magazines, crossword /scramble puzzles... (Bibles are available for the wards..I wish we could give personalized Bibles...but this idea just touched my heart and I don't think we will have time) The Chaplain mentioned how seeing youth (gang members) cry reading the Bible, young girls who are arrested after being on the streets (because they have no home...) these children need love and they need to see a community loving them.

I received many responses to the request for Christmas donations for the juvenile hall wards. AND I THANK each of you. Today I received a response that expands my heart. The family of 16yr-old September 22, 2006 murder victim Donte Walton emailed wanting to know where to drop off apples, oranges, baskets. The family has also offered to make baskets and wanted to know what type of books and magazines they can send. Donte's aunt wrote "it is really hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit this year with all that has happened to my family but I feel doing something anything to benefit someone in need would help me to move forward." ... This event is about more than showing love it will be about reaching out to educate, inform and doing so in the spirit of love. I previously mentioned I would like to make this an annual event. I would like the memory of Donte Walton to continue to live through giving. I would like the wards to know of the life and the tragic death of 16yr old Donte Walton. Perhaps through this families tragedy/suffering/heart a life will be saved, a life will be changed, a life will be affected. I didn't realize the family would receive the email and I would like to desperately make this event special for Donte, his family and all families who have lost a child as a result of youth violence.

Please contact Senior Chaplain Dan Thompson at 916-875-5050 or myself at 916-256-5975 for more information

Pierre and I are contributing. I hope many of you will also.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:27 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Pierre and I have written extensively about TED. Here's a reminder of the program from the TED website:

For the past 20 years, members of the TED community have gathered together to share ideas and passions that are big enough to change the world. In this spirit, we created... the TED Prize.

Each year we will honor a maximum of three individuals who have shown that they can, in some way, positively impact life on this planet.

We are looking for inventors and entrepreneurs, designers and artists, visionaries and mavericks, protectors and persuaders. Our goal is to honor and empower these people by connecting them to the formidable resources of the TED community. Our prize-winners may be very different, but they will have this in common: They will be doing something that has extraordinary potential. Something whose positive influence could spread, transcending borders. Something that can contribute to the future of life on earth.

Rather than simply receiving financial support, winners of the TED Prize will be granted something extraordinary: something which children dream about, but which adults assume is merely the stuff of fairy-tales.

They will be granted a WISH to change the world.

They may wish for anything. And we will seek to make their wish come true.

We will allow our winners several months in which to formulate their wish. We want them to think big, and we want them to fully understand the range of resources the TED Community may be able to offer them. We are willing to spend -- in hard cash -- $100,000 on each winner. And our goal is to convert this into received value that is an order of magnitude greater. How?

By connecting our winners into the heart of the TED community
By tapping into the enthusiastic support of our team of sponsors and partners
By working with our winners to deliver something creative and big and bold and wonderful.
The nominees themselves may or may not see themselves as world-changers. But it's our goal that the TED Prize will help them take their work to the next level.

So, with that background in mind, t