Brian@GrowthWorks

The Girl Effect...

Some will disagree with the change. Others will even scoff at the significance of the gesture.

The News: The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) is closing the Bush-era loophole in the Title IX legislation that some argued made it easier for colleges and universities to avoid complying with requirements to provide equal opportunity for female athletes. (NYTimes)

I say it's a good day for the planet.

The world can be an unfathomably unfair and hostile place for those born female.

• I spoke about leadership issues in the finance industry this week with a female executive who said it takes a thick skin for women to get ahead in her field because of the offensive bawdiness some of the boys still bring to the workplace.
• I learned at the world premier in Minneapolis of a documentary film, Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America, that a woman is assaulted every 18 seconds in America by the man she loves.

Kudos to those in the Obama administration who guided the DOE to this decision. It's a step in the right direction. A question for all of us, though: What can each of us do to help clear the path for the success and well-being of the girls and women in our lives?

Full disclosure: I have a daughter. She's in the Peace Corp. Yup, I'm biased, but I think she's pretty amazing. (Callie's Blog) And I'm posting this article and link in part because I want her to have a great life, but also because I believe the investments made in her so far have helped make the world a little better place. But I would have written this article no matter what, because I believe investing in girls makes the world a better place for my son, too.

If you're looking for ideas or inspiration about something you could do, check out this video (Email Subscribers Click Here to View):

Make a Difference,

Brian

Visit GrowthWorks Inc. for info about my work helping business leaders break the habit of doing the same old things the same old way...

Spreading the Word on Hunger... A Worthy Cause

One of my main motivations in publishing this Blog is to pass along ideas, inspiration, resources, and info about causes I think help make the world a better place...

We need to spread the word about hunger.

Oxfam estimates a billion people worldwide are going hungry every day. 

Closer to home for me, Second Harvest Heartland, says 10 percent of children in Minnesota and Wisconsin go to bed hungry every night -- that's 132,000 kids -- and that number is only half the national average.

A letter I received from Rob Zeaske, Second Harvest executive director, says a $100 donation provides 400 meals to hungry families. The website says every $1 donated allows for the distribution of $9 worth of food.

We can all help:

• This link will take you right to the Second Harvest online donations page.
• This link will take you to results from a search I did for "hunger organizations." 
• Or you can search online for food shelves or hunger organizations in your community.
• A friend of my college-aged son hosted a New Year's Eve party and donated the "admissions" paid by a couple of hundred people to Feed My Starving Children.
• Also: Check out Doing Good Together -- a nonprofit focused on family volunteering, I've mentioned before. Much of their work focuses on hunger issues, and volunteering for any these types of organizations is valued as much as cash contributions.

Why Spread the Word?

In honor of Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 19), Seth Godin issued a challenge: "If every person in the US spent one hour doing something selfless, useful and leveraged, what would happen?" In the post he suggested 18 ways to respond. One of those suggestions is to profile worthy nonprofits on blogs.

That idea works for me.

• Are there worthy organizations you support you'd like to share through Brian@GrowthWorks? Leave a comment or use the Email me link at the top of the left column.
• Please pass along this article to others (that's the leverage part) using the tools at the bottom of this posting. (Ain't technology amazing?!)

Make a Difference,

Brian

Doing Good Together... A Worthy Cause

One of my main motivations in publishing this Blog is to pass things along -- ideas, inspiration, resources... and info about causes I think help make the world a better place.

• Check out Doing Good Together -- a nonprofit focused on family volunteering. The home page will tell you it's a secret way to get time with your kids or grandchildren and, in the process, "provide an antidote to our culture's messages of competition, self-absorption and materialism."

You can find a wealth of free resources on the website. You can order Jenny Friedman's book, Doing Good Together: The Business Family's Guide to Volunteering. And you can read stories about the difference DGT and involved families are making.

Share Other Worthy Causes

In honor of Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 19), Seth Godin issued a challenge: "If every person in the US spent one hour doing something selfless, useful and leveraged, what would happen?" In the post he suggested 18 ways to respond. One of those suggestions is to profile worthy nonprofits on blogs. Telling you about Doing Good Together is my first shot.

• Are there worthy organizations you support that you'd like to share through Brian@GrowthWorks? Leave a comment or use the Email me link at the top of the left column.
• Please feel free to pass along this article to others (that's the leverage part) using the tools at the bottom of this posting. (Ain't technology amazing?!)

Make a Difference,

Brian