I recently received an email with some cool ways Vermont Ski areas are making a difference. There are so many ways to help others no matter what your company does. Check this out!

T’IS THE (WINTER) SEASON FOR GIVING

MONTPELIER, Vt. - The word ‘giving’ means a lot in these parts; it’s a way of life. Individual citizens, communities, businesses and families work to help one another in creative, often motivating ways. At Vermont ski resorts, we give ourselves to our passions; be they the pursuit of a sport or prosperity for others - and often, it’s a beautiful combination of the two, via on-mountain fund raising or donation of events’ proceeds.

Here are some stories we’d like to pay forward:

Ascutney Mountain Resort
What do you get when you add 250 grad students, 50 pounds of bruschetta and five very tired friends? The Puff Pastries and the Stale Cruller! Elbow deep in food while catering a large function in our Base Lodge, Ascutney Mountain Resort family members, Susan Plausteiner, Trisha Kurtzhalz, Tom Mansfield, Lucille Plausteiner and Amanda Plausteiner Smith, pledged to join together to walk/ride in the 28th Prouty (http://www.theprouty.org/) to benefit the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. The Puff Pastries chose the 10K wooded walk while the Stale Cruller went his own way and rode the 50K. Together, the team raised more than $1,000 and pledged to double their efforts in 2010.

Bolton Valley
Bolton Valley is not only the “locals” ski area but also a resort that serves the local community. Working with various local, statewide and national organizations, Bolton Valley seeks to better the community it is a part of.

Bolton Valley is the original home to Chill, a program geared to working with underserved youth and teaching core values while snowboarding at the same time. Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports also expanded its operations last year to include Bolton Valley. VASS services the needs of disabled skiers and riders by providing them with special equipment and instruction on the mountain. Visit Bolton’s Chill for more info.

Burke Mountain
The Burke Mountain Sled Dog Dash, now in its fourth year, has raised over $40,000 for local children’s charities in the Northeast Kingdom. Burke is also the host of many other fundraising events throughout the year.

Killington
Over the past five years, Killington Resort has donated more than $35,000 to the United Way of Rutland County through both winter and summer United Way Days.

Mad River Glen
One of the most important annual events at Mad River Glen is known as Greenwood Week.  In honor of ski patrolman, Lee Greenwood, who was killed in a tragic car accident in 1974.  Designed to share his love of skiing with disadvantaged kids, Greenwood Week is an “Outward Bound” type of experience that encourages kids to challenge themselves and overcome their fears. Greenwood Week embodies Mad River’s sense of community as it builds self esteem and teaches group dynamics while having fun. Skiing, equipment and food are donated by Mad River; the Montclair Ski Club donates its lodge. A highlight of the week is seeing Lee Greenwood’s children, Chris and Jennifer, both Mad River Ski Patrollers, actively keeping their father’s legacy alive.

Okemo Mountain Resort
When it comes to the local community and charitable giving, Okemo operators Tim and Diane Mueller set a tone that filters throughout resort staff and guests alike. Education is a recurring theme in the Muellers’ philanthropic efforts. Diane has served on the Vermont State Board of Education and she founded the Okemo Community Challenge to support arts and technology in the Okemo Valley region’s schools. Okemo awards scholarships to staff and staff dependents annually and the Okemo Academic Reward program awards season passes to local students in grades 7-12 who achieve and maintain Honor Roll status.

Okemo is host to numerous events that benefit area food pantries and assistance organizations. For more than a decade, Okemo Mountain Resort staff members have been celebrating Valentine’s Day by donating to the resort’s Have a Heart Program to benefit the Upper Valley United Way and Okemo matches donations for departments that achieve a participation rate of 90 percent or better. Okemo promotes a culture of support for its community and encourages staff to experience the personal rewards that come with helping neighbors in need. Get the entire story on Okemo’s giving.

Pico Mountain
Over the past five years, Pico Mountain has donated more than $35,000 to the United Way of Rutland County through both winter and summer United Way Days.

Smugglers’ Notch Resort
For 20 years Smugglers’ Notch Resort has hosted families sponsored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. These visits are enthusiastically supported by resort employees, who have donated holiday tree ornaments, delicious treats, cards and mementos to the families to enhance their stays. Visiting children have built snowmen, taken rides on snowmobiles behind ski patrollers, laughed through snowboarding lessons, and grinned during sleigh rides, and leave with fond memories of their family’s special Vermont holiday.

Smugglers’ also provides support to a variety of community efforts, including the local food shelf, the United Way, the Green Mountain Club, and the Cambridge Arts Council. The resort’s landscaping and flower crews maintain the beautiful flower beds in several prominent spots in nearby Jeffersonville. In keeping with its mission of environmental stewardship, the resort provided the site for the development of the nonprofit Gateway to Nature program, an educational effort uniting the resort and local community in support of environmental stewardship and education.

Stowe Mountain Resort
A very special event will take place January 7 - 9, 2010 at Stowe Mountain Resort. Members of the business and media communities will come together to ski-race and raise money for three charities that offer hope and comfort to children in desperate need.

The Financial Communications Society (FCS) is the presenting sponsor. Participating teams enjoy receptions and race camps prior to the competition. The main event takes place Saturday 1/9 with a dual slalom race. Since year 2000, this event has raised over one million dollars for The Hope and Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund, Downy Side, and Make-A-Wish Foundation.

About the Charities: The Hope and Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund raises money to enhance pediatric cancer research and helps patients and their families in special need of assistance Downey Side is a non-sectarian non-profit agency based national charity dedicated to the belief that every child deserves the right to a permanent family, placing older children that would otherwise remain homeless into loving homes. The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Please visit www.fcsraceforkids.org/.

Stratton Mountain
What started in the backyard of Dr. Carlos Otis’ house in 1964 has grown into a program that last year alone brought 800 local schoolchildren to Stratton Mountain weekly for skiing and riding.

The Junior Instructional Ski Program, or JISP, makes it possible for local kids between the ages of eight and eighteen to experience the joys of skiing at a very low cost.

In addition to offering inexpensive access to the mountain, free instruction, and instructor training, JISP also serves another important function; outfitting its members with new and used ski and snowboard equipment. Spearheading this effort is Stratton Ski School Supervisor Taffy Morgan who has been involved with the program for over 30 years. Taffy’s involvement with JISP actually pre-dates her employment with Stratton Mountain and is a strong testament to her commitment to the cause. “It has been a wonderful thing for a bunch of kids who wouldn’t have had the opportunity to ski otherwise” Morgan says.

Trapp Family Lodge
The Trapp Family Lodge hosts the only Nordic Relay for Life annually, with hundreds of cross-country skiers and snowshoes honoring loved ones, raising funds and supporting the American Cancer Society from dusk to dawn, March 6-7, 2010.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies. He is founder of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go towww.TimRichardson.com

This post is for the great folks at First Premier Bank for whom I spoke yesterday and today. Thank you for the warm welcome you gave me and the ways you have demonstrated richness in your community.

- Give selflessly to causes you care about
- Have a vision to create change
- Use your work skills to make a difference
- Use adversity as an inspiration to create change
- Think I am the one person who can make a difference in the lives of others
- Pursue passion in EVERYTHING you do

Below are the names of some of the groups that I spoke about today:
- Dreams for Kids
- Free the Children
- Airline Ambassadors
- Food for the Poor
- Katrina Krewe
- The Bill Walter Melamona Foundation

Get plugged in. Make a difference today.

In 1977, my father opened up my first savings account at the Florida United Methodist credit union in Lakeland, FL. At the time, I really didn’t know what a credit union was other than a place to save money. I still remember how friendly Winnie was and how she treated me like I was a big client though I was just depositing money from ref-ing basketball games or working at the Florida Southern College post office where I attended. I still didn’t understand credit unions when I went to work for IBM Corporation at age 21 and joined the S.E. IBM Employees Federal Credit Union. But I still remember the great service I received from Susan there which kept me as a member for many years after leaving IBM.

Now that I understand the purpose of credit unions, I am very motivated to support their great work. It’s kind of ironic that now I speak to credit union groups all over North America. As I write, I am flying back from speaking at the Credit Union Executive Society meeting in Steamboat Springs, CO.

Like, every presentation I give, I was exhausted when I was finished. I gave everything I had to give but as usual when I give I also receive. I received new ideas, wonderful feedback and TERRIFIC service from the CUES staff. It came full circle Monday as I had the pleasure of working with the great team at CUES and some wonderful leaders from all over the country. They really bent over backwards to make me feel welcomed. Though I didn’t give my favorite presentation, Living Rich, I was able to talk about creating an environment of change and innovation. We talked about things that hold leaders back from giving their best, how to be passionately excellent about what you do, and generating new ideas. The movement has an institute that I have also had the pleasure of working with. It’s called the Filene Institute and they are all about innovation. The program is innovative in that the participants meet from 6:30 – 9:00 am and then most everyone go skiing until 3:00 when the meeting convenes and continues until 6:00 pm.

I love CU because of people who give selflessly to a cause they care about. Through my work with CU’s I have had the pleasure of meeting difference makers like Carol Schillois  who’s efforts are creating a new breed of entrepreneurs in developing countries.

Today, while I am traveling home, the CUES group will be talking about blogging and using online marketing. Their teacher, a 19 year old named Larissa Walkiw. We’ve got a lot to learn from young people.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

At my speakers convention, I met a new friend named Dan McCormick. Dan works with Nu skin Enterprise. He is one of thousands of Distributors worldwide who contribute a small portion their income every month towards NOURISH THE CHILDREN campaign. Dan says to go to this site and watch the video’s. Here’s more from Dan’s email:

Five Million children die each year from malnutrition. For $40.00 a month you can feed a child for a whole month; that has a remarkable benefit to our people. I have witnessed people on a stage from China to Russia who earn sizable incomes in our company in tears as they share the joy of this company , because of the feeling they get from being a part of something that has now fed over 86,000,000 meals in the last few years.

It has been received so well that our company just won the 2007 Stevie award for the company exhibiting the Best Social Responsibility.

In his latest book WHERE HAVE ALL THE LEADERS GONE Lee Iacocca spends 3 pages speaking about this great cause and uses it as an example to all other companies. He quotes the Chairman and founder of Nuskin, Blake Roney: “Nourish The Children is only five percent of what we do but it is ninety-five percent who we are.” As The Chairman of this great cause, Lee helps all of us in our goal to end world hunger.

I personally have heard Napoleon Dzombe (our local partner) from Malawi Africa speak of people walking nearly a hundred miles because they heard they could get food there. With all our help we can end world hunger.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PLAY SMALL ROLE PLEASE CONTACT Dan to make us all a little richer: danmccormick@cox.net.

(Reading this made me realize how privileged yet over fed we are - particularly after grilling out tonight with all the trimmings and fresh blackberries and ice cream for desert. Dan’s friends would think we were royalty. We are rich indeed).

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies. He is founder of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

If you’ve been reading this blog the last few days, you know I just returned
from speaking at the US Olympic Training Center for young Paralympic
hopefuls. My speaking goals this year included adding clients like Fortune
500 companies Apple, IBM, Microsoft, and companies that really care like
Hallmark Cards, Patagonia, etc. After my weekend with some incredible young
athletes, my wish now is for more engagements like this one. In the coming days, I will be writing about some of the experiences I had while I was there along with some of the most incredible inspirational stories of some pretty awesome young people with amazing stories.

The day I left to come back, I met Tom Kersey who is the director of the New
England Handicapped Sports Association. Tom, his staff, and volunteers give
disabled people of all ages the thrill of their lives on snow. For twelve
years, Tom has spent every weekend and two weeks of his vacation
volunteering with the Ski NEHSA organization. A few years ago, when the
director’s job came open, Tom jumped at the chance. He took a 50% pay cut to
become the organization’s director. Colleagues from his previous job at
Nationwide Insurance thought Tom was crazy when he told them he was leaving
to help disable people learn to ski. He was offered a number of additional
perks and an opportunity to move wherever he wanted if he would have stayed
with Nationwide. His old boss and his co-workers didn’t get it. They asked
questions like, “Do you get paid for helping?” and “Do you get gas money or
free food?”

Tom sent his old boss a DVD of the program which caused them to “get it”. It
also resulted in a $15,000 donation for the program. Tom said, “It’s easy to
go to work if you love what you do. It’s such a big part of who you are.”
Tom says he gets calls from volunteers weekly who say things like “I am
having a bad day at work and I’d like to come volunteer.” He’s even had
people call in sick just so they could help in the program.

He says he gets letters almost every day of how the program has changed lives. Tom says “It’s not everyday that you work in a job where for twenty-five
dollars (the cost of a lift ticket) you can give someone a thrill they’ll never forget.”
He says the feeling you get from helping disabled skiers is not something you can buy
and it’s a priceless gift for both the volunteers and the participants. At least once a week
Tom said he gets comments like “This was the best day of my life.” Those comments come from both the leaders and participants. He frequently hears comment like an instructor told him recently, “I just had the best lesson of my life and I didn’t teach it”. There’s a lot of learning that comes from giving. Few know that better than Tom Kersey. 

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks
about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover,
increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies. He also is a leadership speaker, customer service trainer and sales motivator. For more information go to www.TimRichardson.com

I read this in USA TODAY and thought it worth sharing…

By DeWayne Wickham

He is neither a presidential wannabe nor a political thug. Rosen is not a bigot or a high-profile fool. And as best I can tell, he isn’t a heartless robber baron. What he is, however, is a very wealthy man who likes his charitable giving to be up close and personal.

Rosen, who owns seven Orlando-area hotels, has put to good use Booker T. Washington’s admonition to “cast down your buckets where you are.” Since 1993, Rosen has used his wealth to help revitalize Tangelo Park, a once drug-infested, trouble-plagued unincorporated community near his International Drive hotel properties.

“This kind of program, if replicated, will change our society so we don’t even recognize it,” Rosen says of the Tangelo Park Program he funds. The twin cornerstones of this effort is Rosen’s pledge to provide free preschool education for all 2-, 3- and 4-year-old children, and a college education for all high school graduates in Tangelo Park.

Rosen’s largess has helped turn things around in this community, which has a little more than 2,400 people and is nearly 90% black.

Notable progress

“This is an amazing story,” says Charles Dziuban, a University of

Rosen, who is white and grew up in the Hell’s Kitchen section of New York City, thinks this success can be replicated in other cities. He wants other wealthy people to follow his lead. “If they’d come to

More help needed

But Rosen, who says he has given more than $7 million to the Tangelo Park Program since its creation, wants his wealthy brethren to do more to help problem-plagued, impoverished neighborhoods.

“Government is just too dense, too stupid, too inept to do this,” he says. “If Oprah came down here and saw what we’re doing, she would do it somewhere. If I could get (NBA Commissioner David) Stern to come here, I think he would get every NBA team involved in a project like ours” in their cities.

It might take just that to get a lot of this nation’s wealthy to follow Rosen’s lead.

Most of last year’s record-breaking gift-giving by the rich went to colleges and universities, foundations, arts groups, hospitals and museums, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported. Though these are all good causes, they will be of questionable value if we don’t salvage the neighborhoods where crime and ignorance fester.

Rosen says charitable giving is much more rewarding when the donor gets personally involved. Two years ago, the U.S. Dream Academy — a Washington, D.C.-area group that helps at-risk children realize their dreams — seemed to agree. It gave Rosen its President’s Award for his work in Tangelo

But what Rosen wants more than recognition is for others to emulate him. He wants more of this nation’s rich to use their money to tackle the stubborn problems that cause poor children to begin school with an educational deficit, underachieve in the classroom and drop out before graduation.

He understands these problems give rise to the kind of pathological behavior that threatens to reduce our society to an archaeological dig. He thinks the rich of this country ought to do something about it.

And I think he’s right.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

Yesterday, I talked with a lady who is super star. Her “performance” didn’t win an Oscar but in my book, she’s more than worthy. She doesn’t have a My Space account and isn’t featured on youtube. She hasn’t been on David Letterman, written a best selling book, or won a Nobel Peace prize. She is just one woman who believes that one person can make a difference.

Yesterday was a special day for Clara Kirk. It was the 20th anniversary that she opened the doors to Clara’s House, a home for homeless and battered woman and their children that she opened in 1987. In the twenty years since, over 10,000 women and children have been given shelter in Clara’s House, over 22,000 meals have been served, clothes, linens, and toiletries have been provided, and job training skills, substance abuse counseling, parenting classes, and health screenings have been provided to its residents.

Clara has been awarded the National Jefferson Award for lifetime achievement and was chosen as one of “America’s 25 Unsung Heroes” In 1998, President Bill Clinton invited Clara Kirk to the White House and presented her with the prestigious President’s Award in recognition of her life’s work.

In 1987, Clara Kirk stood before a boarded-up, ‘abandoned’ building with a group of friends. Inside six families resided living in conditions she described as “no better than those of a third world country.” Clara recalled, “This was my neighborhood and this is how these people had to live. This is how they have to survive.” The next day she called the Mayor’s office and described witnessing families living in a building that was filled with water, garbage, and rats. Then Mayor Washington suggested she open a shelter for victims of domestic violence and for homeless women and their children. With a building donated by Catholic charities, Clara eventually raised the money to open a sixty-nine bed facility staffed by twenty five employees (five of whom are former residents). Clara says there have been ups and downs, “Nobody knows what I have been through to keep this placing running. Sometimes it’s like being a mother when your children go astray. You stay awake and pray for their safety. I pray for this place. I don’t want my living to be in vain. I want to be able to help children help themselves.”

That’s work worth an award. I beleive she’ll get her “Oscar” and a trophy far greater than those received on Sunday night.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

I just learned about a new organization called the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy. It’s kind of like the Oscars for companies that doing good works. Among their members are more than 130 CEOs and Chairpersons, including over 45 of the Fortune 100. One of the CECP founders is actor and philanthropist Paul Newman. I like their philosophy (below) so I wanted to give it some press today about giving back.

PHILOSOPHY - Giving back, when conceived and executed thoughtfully, creates a win-win scenario for business and the public. From eradicating disease and improving childhood literacy rates to boosting employee job skills, opening new markets, and heightening brand recognition - business and society both stand to benefit greatly if companies can demonstrate programmatic effectiveness, fiscal accountability, and good stewardship in their philanthropic contributions.

Each year, CECP gives out awards for Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy. Below is a summary of the awards given today. Go to the CECP website to see the full story.
Question: If you were a member of CECP, what organizations would you select as recipients? What organizations (both growing and established) would you nominate?

GlaxoSmithKline funds community-led initiatives throughout the world, investing in health and education programs and donating medicines to support humanitarian efforts. Through cash, product and in-kind donations totaling more than $650 million in 2005, GSK capitalizes on opportunities in which the company’s involvement and leadership can increase the scope or effectiveness of a program. GSK is a founding member of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis and has already treated over 100 million people, making significant strides to eliminate this crippling yet preventable disease.

Click here to learn more about GlaxoSmithKline’s philanthropy programs.

salesforce.com’s philanthropic vision is to have all corporations be catalysts for creating healthy communities. They not only practice this within the company, but also encourage other entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized businesses to develop and deploy philanthropic programs at their own companies. Salesforce.com’s mission is to use the resources of its people, technology and relationships to improve the communities in which they do business. Click here to learn more about the Salesforce.com Foundation.

NONPROFIT AWARD - The National Academy Foundation (NAF) sustains a network of career-themed college preparatory academies across the country. This impressive organization provides professional leadership and adult mentoring as part of daily school life, creating personalized learning environments through small, safe high schools in urban communities. Citigroup has been working with NAF for 25 years and assists 50,000 NAF students annually, promoting financial management skills and helping build a diverse, well-equipped workforce. Pearson works with NAF students and teachers to develop project-based learning, digital arts education, and 21st century skills, and helps NAF share the results of these efforts with NAF Academy members. Click here to learn more about National Academy Foundation.

NONPROFIT HONOREES - The Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) inspires and enables young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. It provides them with a safe place to learn and grow, as well as ongoing relationships with caring adult professionals. Schwab and BGCA together created a financial literacy program, “Money Matters: Make It Count.” Through fun, interactive activities on topics like using a checking account, managing debt, saving for college and the basics of investing, teens learn practical ways to save, spend, and invest the money they earn. Additionally, forty-four teens who excelled in the program have been awarded college scholarships by the Charles Schwab Foundation. Click here to learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) has developed a network of neighborhood-based programs that address the critical needs of children and their families, leading to the revitalization of their community. HCZ works with children from infancy through college to ensure their success. Their partnership with Lehman Brothers has involved not only financial support, but also thousands of volunteer hours in which employees run a competitive “Investment Camp” and provide intensive math tutoring to students. Many people in the field of education are actively observing HCZ’s program with the hope that it proves to be an effective model for education reform that can be applied to communities nationwide.
Click here to learn more about Harlem Children’s Zone.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Roshan and the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development Network
CECP awards the Aga Khan Development Network/Roshan special recognition for its inspirational business model in which corporate profits are reinvested back into the communities in which the company operates. Roshan is the leading GSM cellular service provider in Afghanistan, with coverage in over 160 major cities and towns and over one million subscribers. The company’s objectives include investing in technology and tapping employees’ expertise to help those who are marginalized or disadvantaged, and bringing mobile technology to rural communities to stimulate modernization, growth and prosperity.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com