National funders partner to address early childhood policies

June 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Eight major national funders are co-investing in early childhood efforts with the intention of leveraging deep research and significant funding to reform “practice, policy, and knowledge.” The partnership – which is among the Buffett Early Childhood Fund; the Gates, Kellogg, Kaiser Family, Harris, Packard, and Pritzker foundations; and an anonymous foundation – specifically aims to:

- Create and sustain a coast-to-coast network of well-implemented, well-evaluated Educare schools;

- Better inform state and federal public policy decision-making through the Alliance for Early Success and the First Five Years Fund; and

- Deepen society’s understanding of the science of early childhood by investing in the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, the work of Nobel Laureate in economics Dr. James Heckman, the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina, and other research institutions.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has more information. (RWJF, 6/19)

EDUCATION | Youth homelessness is a devastating problem in our region. The Post profiles two local Fairfax youths who battled through homelessness and graduated from high school. Their diplomas are opening doors. (WaPo, 6/19)

FILLER | It’s a bit of a slow news day, so I’m borrowing a tactic from The Washington Post. Basically, it involves taking up space with a gigantic picture of a guy using a newspaper as a makeshift umbrella. And then writing a few sentences about it to take up extra space.

FOOD | A program in Michigan allows SNAP recipients to effectively double the value of their vouchers when they use them at farmers’ markets. The program has been successful and is now testing out a scaled-up version for local produce in regular grocery stores. (Atlantic, 6/10)

HOUSING | The Atlantic recently wrote about racial discrimination in the housing rental market. It turns out that landlords also discriminate against gay couples. (Atlantic, 6/19)

TRANSIT | Our region is growing, but driving is decreasing – even in the suburbs. (CP, 6/19)

Do you know which U.S. states are the furthest north, south, east, and west? The answers will probably surprise you and arm you with a truth bomb for future use.

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When will giving return to pre-recession levels? No time soon.

June 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

According to the 2013 Giving USA report, donations to charities are continuing to rise – but only at a snail’s pace. If trends hold steady, it will take at least six more years for giving to recover to pre-recession rates. As Mark Medin, head of the UJA-Federation of New York, put it, “While the stock market has recovered…the psychology of giving has not.” More highlights from the Giving USA report include (Chronicle, 6/18):

- Foundations increased their grants by 2.3 percent.
- Bequests fell by nearly 9 percent in 2012, after rising more than 6 percent in 2011.
- Contributions to colleges, universities, and private schools rose by nearly 5 percent, while health organizations raised almost 3 percent more.
- Donations to social-service groups grew by 1.8 percent in 2012, with many groups reporting a slowing of contributions after giving rose sharply in the worst of the downturn
- Religious causes suffered a more than 2-percent drop in donations

Related:
- The Stubborn 2% Giving Rate: Even as more fundraisers seek donations, Americans don’t dig deeper (Chronicle, 6/18)

- Giving Gain, Estimated At $316.23 Billion For 2012 (NPT, 6/18) This article breaks down giving by issue.

Coming up at WRAG: Later this year, WRAG will release a giving profile of the Greater Washington region based on our members’ giving. More information to follow.

WORKFORCE | Last week, WRAG members met with Dr. Brenda Dann-Messier, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Adult and Vocational Education, and leaders from our region’s community colleges to discuss regional workforce training. Here are the big takeaways. (Daily, 6/18)

COMMUNITY | The Susan G. Komen Foundation has announced that health policy expert Judith Salerno will serve as its new CEO. (WBJ, 6/18)

YOUTH | In the past few days, three separate incidents involving violent groups of local youths have made the news. The first was an attack on a bike trail, the second was an attack (though a mild one) near Eastern Market, and the third was a big fight on Metro. (WAMU, GGW, WaPo)

A spike in incidents like these is common during the summer months when school is out. Funders work hard to engage youth through summer programs, but can we do more to prevent this stuff from happening? There is something fundamentally wrong if a young person reverts to violence when s/he is not otherwise occupied.

HEALTH | Health care costs are growing at an historically slow rate. Is this temporary or permanent? And what are the implications for policy? The Post looks into it. (WaPo, 6/18)

LOCAL | Gentrification is moving east in the District. (WBJ, 6/18)

GIVING | Local Millennials change the face of philanthropy (Elevation, 6/18)

The best Outkast song that you’ve probably never heard is Land of a Million Drums. It was written for the forgettable live action Scooby Doo movie in 2002, but it is one of the rappers’ best tracks.

When you are done playing the air drums and dancing around like a maniac (I’m not the only one, right…?), here’s a little history. I realized that I didn’t actually know where the iconic Uncle Sam came from. The answer is Troy, New York.

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Is universal preschool the key to solving inequality?

June 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

EDUCATION/EQUITY | There are no philanthropic silver bullets. But what if we could make significant headway on many of the problems that we’re trying fix? As The Atlantic points out, a growing body of research finds that related issues like poverty, crime, unemployment, and general inequality can all be addressed with one intervention - universal preschool (Atlantic, 6/17):

Get to children as young as possible, and you can change not only their life trajectories, but also the income inequality, social mobility (and tax revenues) of the places where they live. This doesn’t mean spending more per student in struggling high schools, or giving rehabbed computers to second-graders. It means reaching low-income children by the time they’re 3, or even younger. It means putting them in high-quality preschool.

- Opinion: D.C. Council and School Reform: First, Do No Harm by Patricia McGuire (HuffPo, 6/17)

FOOD | Another area where many issues come together is our local food system. Lindsay Smith, WRAG’s consultant for the Washington Regional Convergence Partnership, writes about this intersection and suggests a few events this week for learning more. (Daily, 6/17)

NONPROFITS | The heads of three major nonprofit information organizations – Guidestar, Charity Navigator, and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance – have jointly authored a letter that rejects the “overhead ratio” as a “valid indicator of nonprofit performance.” Read the full letter here.

Related: It’s worth noting that this is an extension of Dan Pallotta’s message – that nonprofits should offer competitive and lucrative salaries to attract the best employees.

WORKFORCE | Opinion: The D.C. Council is considering legislation that would require big box retailers (“billion dollar” companies) to pay employees 50 percent more than minimum wage. Jim Dinegar, head of the Greater Washington Board of Trade and a member of the 8 Neighbors group, says that this is a terrible idea (WaPo, 6/17):

Basic economics shows that such a large increase in entry-level wages will lead to a surplus of job seekers, but a shortage of actual jobs. This may result in good opportunities for those lucky few who get the positions, but those who do not will suffer due to the overall decrease in job supply.

DEMOGRAPHICS | Last week, the Census Bureau released new data showing that there are now more deaths than births among non-Hispanic whites. Pew Research looks into the reasons for this trend. (PRC, 6/14)

HEALTH | Five things you should know about the D.C. health exchange (WBJ, 6/14 – subscription required)

WHAT IF…| It’s hard to imagine our region’s landscape without the Lincoln Memorial in it. But what if the memorial looked completely different? Ghosts of DC searched though the National Archives and found a series of alternate proposals for the memorial – a few of which would pretty much confirm every conspiracy theory about the Masons. (GODC, 6/17)

So, we already know that Vladimir Putin is number one. Why else would the people of Russia keep electing him? Seriously, why else? In addition to being an action man and golden-voiced lounge singer, he’s apparently an international jewel thief.

Also, you all know that I love space. Here is the first ever look at Mercury’s entire surface (from a safe distance, of course).

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Nonprofit Roundtable announces Diana Leon-Taylor as its new president and CEO

June 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

At its annual meeting this morning, the Nonprofit Roundtable introduced its new president and CEO, Diana Leon-Taylor. She has extensive experience in our region’s nonprofit community, having worked with the Black Student Fund, Latino Student Fund, Leadership Greater Washington, and the Fannie Mae Foundation. She currently serves as Principal at SageGroup-DC LLC.

Nonprofit Roundtable board chair Russ Snyder says that Diana is the perfect fit for the job:

Diana is a determined and energetic leader who deeply understands the interdependence of the nonprofit, business and government sectors in jointly solving the important community issues in our region. She is well-prepared to be a voice for the nonprofit sector and lead strategic partnerships that improve our community. We are thrilled she will be joining our alliance.

You can read more about her on the Roundtable’s website. Congratulations, and welcome, Diana!

PHILANTHROPY
- Since its creation in 2009, the Social Innovation Fund has awarded more than $138 million in funding to about 200 nonprofits. As you’re probably aware, the goal of the fund is for the federal government to invest in high-performing nonprofits that are achieving efficient, measurable results. NPR’s Pam Fessler points out, “[The] fund is still very much a work in progress. It’s not clear yet what taxpayers have gotten for the money.”

While the fund has its critics – and they have a voice in this article – there are definite examples success. A prime example is youthCONNECT, a partnership between six local nonprofits run by Venture Philanthropy Partners. (NPR, 6/12)

Related: The Fund is in good hands with its new director, Michael Smith. I think taxpayers will have some positive clarity very soon.

- Next year, major funders will travel to the Greater Washington region for the Council on Foundations annual conference. In her latest column, WRAG President Tamara Copeland writes that the conference is an excellent opportunity to clear up misconceptions – specifically, that our region doesn’t need support from national funders. (Daily, 6/13)

GIVING | CNN, the Tampa Bay Times, and the Center for Investigative Reporting have unveiled a list of the fifty worst charities in the United States. In total, these charities raised $970 million but only spent $49 million serving their causes.

I’m of two minds about including this investigation in the Daily. On the one hand, it is important to recognize that significant financial abuses are possible in the nonprofit sector. On the other hand, you can have a list of the fifty worst of anything. Hopefully the average CNN reader understands that this is the worst – and not standard – behavior of American charities. (CNN, 6/13)

COMMUNITY
- Congratulations to WRAG members Daniel Solomon of Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation and Marcela Brane of the Herb Block Foundation on being honored at tonight’s DC Appleseed Awards Reception!

- Here are more reflections from local leaders on Julie Rogers’ announcement that she’ll be leaving the Meyer Foundation next year. Alex Orfinger, publisher of the Washington Business Journal, says (WBJ, 6/12):

Julie is the rare leader in Washington. She is the ultimate straddler. While she is firmly rooted in the nonprofit community, she straddles the sectors. Business and government leaders turn to her for advice and counsel. Nonprofit leaders turn to her as a mentor and spiritual guide. When she speaks, people listen and act on her advice. Her honest voice makes her such a rarity and why her retirement will be such a loss for all of us.

EDUCATION | In the second part of the series, GGE looks at D.C. Council member David Catania’s proposal to end social promotion. “In social promotion, a school advances a child to a new grade before he or she has mastered the previous year’s material.” It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but like most things in life (except Kanye West, for example), things are more complicated than they appear. (GGE, 6/13)

DEMOGRAPHICS | District grows younger and more white, census statistics show (WaPo, 6/13) For reporters, the census is the gift that just keeps giving.

When I was standing at the bus stop this morning, the sky went from sunny to ominously dark like the flip of a switch. I was about to scream “THE DERECHO HAS FOUND US,” but I thought better of it since I was standing by myself. Anyway, a cosmic coincidence distracted me as my iPhone shuffled to this song at that exact moment.

Rebekah has the Daily tomorrow, so I hope your weekends are pleasant and dry!

- Christian

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Meyer Foundation’s Julie Rogers announces plans to step down

June 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

After a deeply impactful 28 years at the helm, Julie Rogers has announced that she will step down as president and CEO of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation next June. The foundation has more than quadrupled its assets under her leadership, which has led to more than $153 million in grantmaking during her time there.

Among her innumerable accomplishments, Julie was the founder of the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers and the Washington AIDS Partnership, and a co-founder of our former funding collaborative, the Community Development Support Collaborative.

WRAG’s president, Tamara Copeland, says of Julie:

Our philanthropic community is fortunate to be filled with bold leaders who are wisely and generously guiding their foundations to improve the lives of our region’s residents. Julie is unquestionably among the best of these leaders. But more than that, her career is distinguished by the ways in which she has permanently transformed our region’s philanthropic culture to be more collaborative, connected, and intentional. That’s a truly impressive legacy.

Channing Wickham, executive director of the Washington AIDS Partnership, reflects:

When the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in our region is written, Julie Rogers will stand out as a visionary and a hero. She pioneered the idea of local funders pooling their resources to maximize impact by starting the Washington AIDS Partnership. Without her leadership and the Meyer Foundation’s support, our region simply could not have made the huge progress that we have in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Related:
- The Post’s article on Julie features praise from many local funders. (WaPo, 6/12)

- In celebration of WRAG’s 20th anniversary last year, Julie shared memories about WRAG and WAP’s founding.

- Here’s the official announcement from Meyer’s Board Chair, Joshua Bernstein.

HEALTH | The Affordable Care Act is a couple of thousand pages long. Obviously Members of Congress read the entire thing before voting on it, but a law that long is sure to be confusing for the rest of the country.

Fortunately, The Commonwealth Fund has published an excellent primer on what the law means for the average citizen – particularly with regards to the “medical homes” concept. (CW, 6/12)

EDUCATION
- Though the reasons behind it are unclear, here’s an alarming fact: 86 percent of students who attend closing DCPS schools haven’t re-enrolled in the system. (Examiner, 6/12)

- D.C. superintendent resigns, cites husband’s health (Examiner, 6/12)

- I have no idea where The Atlantic gets it story ideas, but the diversity is really great. Here’s one about how better ventilation in classrooms could reduce student absences. (Atlantic, 6/12)

- A new poll finds that Americans “overwhelmingly oppose” affirmative action. (WaPo, 6/12)

HOUSING | On the other hand, racism is alive and well in the housing market. (Atlantic, 6/12)

DEMOGRAPHICS | City Paper’s Aaron Wiener looks at data on D.C.’s demographics and finds that despite a steady decrease, the city is still majority-black. (CP, 6/12)

LOCAL | According to the Post, a “sweeping federal investigation” is aiming at corruption among elected officials in the District. (WaPo, 6/12) This is unsurprising, considering this.

Do you want to dazzle your friends, family, and colleagues with magic ice tricks? Then watch this chilling video (sorry) about how you can freeze water on command. It’s pretty darn cool! (Sorry again.)

If you perfect this and you happen to be a man, then maybe you can RSVP to your next party by saying, “Yes, I will cometh.” Just don’t freeze up when somebody asks you to demonstrate. (Really, really sorry.)

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Celebrating the England family’s legacy at Bell Multicultural High School

June 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

COMMUNITY | Each week, WJLA anchor Leon Harris features a program segment called Harris’ Heroes in which he celebrates the work of people making a difference in our region. His latest, well-deserved distinction goes to Lois and Richard England.

This week’s segment profiled students from D.C.’s Bell Multicultural High School who are going to college with scholarships this fall. The school and its programs have received a tremendous amount of support over the years from the Lois & Richard England Family Foundation.

In the video, Mrs. England speaks about the opportunities being cultivated for the students of Bell Multicultural (WJLA, 6/5):

No question – it’s just a wonderful, wonderful thing to see.

About the England family’s impact on the students’ lives, Bell Multicultural’s principal says,

Without a champion like Mr. England and his family, it would be very hard to meet their dreams.

Related: Leon Harris notes that Mr. England’s legacy lives on through Bell Multicultural, but it also lives in the minds of local philanthropic leaders. Here are some of their memories of him. (Daily, 4/2).

Related: Mr. England was also paid tribute by the Washington Jewish Federation this week, along with local philanthropist Jack Kay.

GIVING | Due to widespread technical difficulties yesterday, Do More 24 has been extended until 11:59pm tonight. At publishing time, the grand total is nearing $1 million. So stop reading, and start donating!

EDUCATION | Opinion: Natalie Hopkinson asks whether the current approach to school reform is creating a bifurcated approach to education, with one track for wealthy, and typically white, students that values creativity and individuality, and one for poor, black students that focuses on compliance. (WaPo, 6/7)

ENVIRONMENT | Besides all the regular kinds of pollution, the Potomac is also increasingly contaminated with things like caffeine and hormones from pharmaceutical products. According to the article, current health regulations don’t require drinking water to be treated for these kinds of contaminants. (WTOP, 6/7) Thirsty?

Related: In 2011 Eric Kessler, head of Arabella Advisors (and now a WRAG Board member) wrote steps we can take to clean up the Potomac. (Daily, April 2011)

EQUITY | The Obama administration has announced a plan called ConnectED, which will provide broadband and wireless Internet access to every school and library in the country. (WaPo, 6/7)

AGING | Report: Virginia among best, Maryland among worst states for retirement (Examiner, 6/7)

TRANSIT | WMATA is testing new fare gate designs. (WaPo, 6/7) The quote at the end pretty much sums up my thoughts on this.

If you’re not into actually reading them, the Seattle Public Library found another great use for books.

- Rebekah

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Case Foundation’s Michael Smith to head the Social Innovation Fund

June 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

PHILANTHROPY | The White House has chosen Michael Smith, a senior vice president at The Case Foundation, to be the new head of the Social Innovation Fund. Smith is an influential voice in the philanthropic sector, championing the power of social media to maximize impact. Jean Case had this to say about Smith’s new opportunity:

As Michael came forward to seek encouragement to pursue the opportunity presented to him, my first reaction was one of slight panic, and yet I had to remind myself that what the public sector needs most greatly is talent. It was one of those moments – was I going to act in manner that was consistent with what I’ve been preaching about the need for talent in the social sector, or would I try to talk Michael out of it and let the self-interested side win the day? Thankfully, the better angels won the day.

Related: In 2011, Michael Smith talked to WRAG members about using social media to advance their missions. (Daily, June 2011)

WRAG | Can you guess where WRAG’s 2013 Annual Meeting is going to be? Click the picture below to find out and mark your calendars for November 21, 2013!

 

COMMUNITY | The Washington Area Women’s Foundation has named Carolyn Berkowitz of Capital One as its new board chair following a unanimous election from the board. The foundation also added Fannie Mae’s Rosie Allen-Herring to the board. Carolyn and Rosie are dedicated members of both WRAG and our region’s philanthropic community. The Women’s Foundation made two great choices!

EDUCATION | In response to Council member David Catania’s proposed education legislation, Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson has expressed doubt that the new policies will help the school system. She also raises questions about the role of legislators in education reform. (WaPo, 6/5)

NONPROFITS | Writing about the IRS scandal, the Independent Sector’s Diana Aviv defends the privacy rights of donors and says the erosion of these rights is dangerous (USAToday, 6/3):

Undermining two centuries of free speech rights would have a chilling effect on the work of public charities and most certainly result in lost financial support for these essential organizations.

Related: Nonprofits Fight Overhaul of Government’s Charity Drive (Chronicle, 6/4)

RACE | ACLU: D.C. Leads Nation in Marijuana Arrests Per Capita and Arrests Eight Times as Many Blacks as Whites (DCist, 6/5)

TRANSIT | Greater Greater Washington takes a look at which parts of the Metro train system have been most disrupted on weekends over the last year. The graphic is a little misleading though since the entire system has been consistently disrupted with single tracking, station closures, and mechanical failures. (GGW, 6/5)

What’s alarming to me is that Metro seems to be getting progressively worse in spite of its alleged improvements.

What a beautiful day! It feels like perfect weather for some Sweet Soul Music.

You know what really stinks though? Walking through a lovely park and stepping in dog doo. To fight back against lazy and inconsiderate dog owners who fail to clean up, a town in Spain has teamed with an ad agency for a truly brilliant campaign.

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Sequestration is not affecting the region as predicted, but the future remains uncertain

May 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

SEQUESTRATION | So far, the government’s budget cuts haven’t harmed our region in the way that local economists had predicted. As George Mason University’s Dr. Stephen Fuller puts it, “The surprise is that the economy is as good as it is…We’ve done better than I expected.”

The softened blow seems attributable to preparation from contractors and agencies who anticipated the cuts. That said, Fuller and others predict that next year will be worse and that the long-term effects of sequestration will include a decline in the quality of jobs in our region. (WaPo, 5/30)

LOCAL
- Somewhat related to the above story, City Paper’s Aaron Wiener has a great piece that compares the perception about the region’s reliance on the federal government with the reality that our strength comes from many areas. (CP, 5/30)

- Much has been said about the revitalization of Anacostia. But Greater Greater Washington’s John Muller finds that the real picture isn’t so rosy yet. (GGW, 5/29)

YOUTH | Editorial: The Post’s editorial board calls on the District to improve its mental health services for the city’s youth. The Children’s Law Center finds that at least 5,000 District youth aren’t receiving needed mental health care. (WaPo, 5/30)

Related: Tamara shared this article from last year written by Paul Gionfriddo, a former Connecticut state legislator whose son suffers from schizophrenia. He reflected on how legislative changes that he pursued actually worsened his son’s life.

From Tamara: “I knew Paul Gionfriddo during my days at Voices for America’s Children. As a child advocate, a former state legislator, and a parent of a child with a mental illness, he presents a chilling example of how society is failing those with mental illnesses.”

EDUCATION
- A recent article from The Atlantic assesses data on the socioeconomic breakdown within the country’s colleges and arrives at a very sharp point: “If you think higher education should be a ladder for upward mobility, then you should regard these numbers as a disgrace.”

While community colleges have a relatively even economic diversity, the numbers show a consistent increase in wealthy students as the quality of the school rises. (Atlantic, 5/24)

Related: WRAG is hosting an event featuring our region’s community college presidents on June 12th. WRAG members can register here.

- At a forum this week, Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker talked about his goals for the county’s schools – and the controversy surrounding his methods. (WaPo, 5/29)

- OSSE releases more school data on students’ neighborhoods (GGE, 5/30)

PHILANTHROPY | The D5 Coalition is an alignment of 18 infrastructure organizations that are working to make the philanthropic sector more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. The group’s 2013 annual report looks at a number of case studies where foundations have implemented innovative strategies to accomplish this goal. (D5, May 2013)

HOUSING/WORKFORCE | Opinion: Terri Ludwig, president and CEO of Enterprise Community Partners, writes that a federal increase to the minimum wage is “sound housing policy.” (HuffPo, 5/29)

COMMUNITY | Congratulations to Nicolette Highsmith Vernick of The Horizon Foundation on her election to the board of the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers!

HEALTH | Since half of our region seems to have a cold, this seems relevant as we crank up the AC: Does being cold make you more susceptible to catching cold? (io9, 5/29)

I have no idea what planet (or dimension) Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton came from, but he sure is an unusual guy. So I don’t know why this news about him surprises me. But it still kind of does!

On another note, I found myself chuckling after a scene from the first Austin Powers movie popped into my head. As Dr. Evil is minutes away from global destruction, Austin Powers races to save the day, but is interrupted by this brilliantly absurd situation.

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Huge changes in suburban poverty

May 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

As The Atlantic points out, the word “suburb” brings to mind a stereotype of cheery prosperity. Whatever truth might have once inspired that image is now colliding with major demographic shifts. New research from the Brookings Institution finds that over the last decade, poverty in American suburbs has overtaken cities (Atlantic, 5/20):

Between 2000 and 2011, the population living in American cities below the poverty line increased by 29 percent. During that same time, across the country in the suburbs of metropolitan areas as diverse as Atlanta and Detroit and Salt Lake City, the ranks of the poor grew by 64 percent. Today, more poor people live in the suburbs (16.4 million of them) than in U.S. cities (13.4 million), despite the perception that poverty remains a uniquely urban problem.

The research includes profiles of metropolitan areas across the country. The Greater Washington region’s profile finds the poverty rate still lower in suburbs, but the number of suburban poor has increased 55 percent. Read more about what is driving our local changes – and what the implications are for our region.

Related: Here’s a look at how nonprofits in Montgomery County are struggling to address the increase in suburban poverty. (WAMU, 5/20)

EDUCATION
- Studies have shown that the achievement gap between high and low-income children can begin forming as early as nine months old. Home visits from family support workers might be one way of preventing the gap from forming. (WaPo, 5/20)

- Montgomery County has an increasing trend of students failing math tests. What is causing the trend? Theories abound. (WaPo, 5/20)

Maybe students are stuck in a vortex of chaos and confusion due to the fact that the school system imposes a failing grade of “E” rather than the traditional “F.” E is for “Excellent!” F is for “Fail!”

NONPROFITS | NPR ran an interesting news segment on the work of Dan Pallotta, who argues in favor of a paradigm shift that would financially incentivize working in the nonprofit sector. Click the “Listen to the Story” box to hear it. (NPR, 5/17) Thanks very much to Nick Geisinger – founder of the Daily! – for passing this along.

HOUSING
- Opinion: To Curb Domestic Violence, Start With Housing by Terri Ludwig, President and CEO of Enterprise Community Partners (HuffPo, 5/9)

- Major Campaign Donors Score Hefty City Subsidies (WAMU, 5/20) For the second time in a week…Steve Urkel!

TRANSIT | Maryland has announced plans to run MARC train service between D.C. and Baltimore on the weekends! At the moment, the only easy option for getting between the two is Amtrak, which is unreasonably expensive. (WAMU, 5/17)

Related: Columbia, Maryland, was originally designed to be a connection point that would bridge the geographic gap between Baltimore and D.C. It didn’t quite work, but its story is fascinating.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend, even though none of us won Powerball…unless the winner from Florida is a Daily reader?! Anyhow, my weekend was glorious, mostly because my girlfriend and I ran into Arnold Schwarzenegger at Georgetown’s graduation ceremony. We didn’t talk to him, but I assume that when he saw us, he thought, “Who is dis lovely couple dat I get to share da sidewalk with?” Life changing moment.

On a completely unrelated note, I’ve had Dusty Springfield’s Son of a Preacher Man stuck in my head. Great tune!

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Using technology to combat senior isolation

May 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

People often lament the fact that technology is deteriorating human relationships. But for seniors, the opposite might be true. A new pilot program funded by the AARP Foundation is building technological connections for seniors as a way of combating isolation. The program provides iPads to seniors, as well as classes on how to use the Internet, social media, Skype, and more (WaPo, 5/9):

In the District, the program selected low-income seniors at high risk of being disconnected from friends and family, said Najeeb Uddin, the AARP Foundation’s vice president of technology.

“We’re targeting people on the verge of being isolated and depressed. Their spouse might have passed away,” he said. “It’s about connecting to the community. It just happens to be that we’re using technology to do it.”

YOUTH | The Children’s Law Center has released its 2013 Children’s Mental Health Report Card. This year’s marks for the District are mixed, but hopeful (WAMU, 5/9):

Judith Sandalow is the executive director of Children’s Law Center, a nonprofit in D.C. She says there are “promising beginnings” when it comes to how the District serves children with mental health needs.
…
But Sandalow says there is still a long way to go. She says there are too many agencies involved leading to what she calls “bureaucratic fragmentation.” And Sandalow says how soon a child gets treatment is also a problem.

Read the report here.

Related: Pushing for More Progress in the District’s Children’s Mental Health System (HuffPo, 5/9)

HEALTH | Jacqueline Bowens has been named to succeed Sharon Baskerville as the CEO of the D.C. Primary Care Coalition. (WBJ, 5/9)

Related: The D.C. Primary Care Coalition is one of the key players in our Beyond Dollars story on expanding the health care safety net. You can check out the report here.

EDUCATION
- The District is set to open a “hybrid traditional-charter” school in Southeast. Chancellor Kaya Henderson says, “It’s an animal that we’ve never seen before.” (WaPo, 5/9) Is it a unicorn? I bet it’s a unicorn. I knew they existed!

- Putting Inner City Students on a Path to High-Paying Jobs, For Real (Atlantic, 5/9)

HOUSING
- In case the economic collapse didn’t do it already, Richard Florida has deflated the American dream of homeownership. He digs into a report about the relationship between unemployment and homeownership and says, “Higher rates of homeownership lead to higher rates of unemployment.” (Atlantic, 5/9)

Related: Florida discusses the relationship between housing and commuting. We looked at the same issue in our recent report on housing affordability.

- Greater Greater Washington’s Dave Aplert explains how the increased production of high-end rental units in our region could trigger drops in rent through a process called “filtering.” (GGW, 5/9) Contrary to my initial expectation, this does not mean refraining from swearing at leasing agents to get better rates.

LOCAL
- Arlington’s population is expected to continue booming, thanks especially to the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Plan. (WTOP, 5/9)

- Robert McCartney writes about how impressed he is about regional collaboration to clean sewage. (WaPo, 5/9)

- Lots of great stuff from The Atlantic today. Here’s a look at how highway construction ruined Southwest D.C. – and how new development could resurrect it. (Atlantic, 5/9)

I forgot to post this yesterday, but Jimmy Fallon and John Krasinski (from The Office) had a hilarious lip syncing competition. It’s pretty funny. (Note: I downgraded my sentiment and didn’t even notice when I published.)

And, here’s an amusing connection between autocomplete and the platypus.

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