Charitable Contributions Made from the Proceeds of My First Two Books

Blog 46

August 8, 2014

Announcement of Making of Initial Charitable Contributions to Four Charities from The Relevance of Reason Book Proceeds

I am pleased to announce that for the reasons set forth in my website, I have today made my first round of charitable contributions to the four wonderful charities described below. 

As will always be the case, I wish that I could have contributed more, but these modest, initial contributions are made in the hope of furthering and encouraging a renewed and more constructive American conversation and in our recognition of those many Americans who are already working selflessly to better our American community. 

Brief descriptions of the recipients of these initial charitable contributions are as follows:

First Book
Washington, DC 20004

First Book has distributed more than 90 Million books and educational resources to 27,000 schools and educational programs since it was founded in 1992. Access to books, especially among low-income families, remains one of the biggest barriers to tackling illiteracy, and by making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education.

The Steppingstone Foundation
Boston, MA 02110

Founded in 1990, The Steppingstone Foundation develops and implements programs which prepare urban schoolchildren for educational opportunities which lead to college. The Steppingstone Academy prepares motivated urban schoolchildren for acceptance and success at top independent and public exam schools in the greater Boston area. After gaining admission to the Academy, scholars participate in a rigorous academic preparation component that spans 14 months. After completing the 140-month component, Steppingstone provides comprehensive support services, including college counseling, through middle school and high school. After graduating form high school, scholars stay connected to Steppingstone through alumni relations.

Shoes That Fit
Claremont, CA 91711

Founded in 1992, the mission of Shoes That Fit is to build self-esteem of children in need by providing them with new shoes for school. At Shoes That fit, we provide new shoes and/or clothes to children in need so that they can attend school in comfort and with dignity. We do this by matching a sponsoring group  a business, school, church, civic organization or even a group of friends  with schools near them that have children in need. New clothing items that are appropriate for school help these children fit in, slowing them to concentrate on their studies rather than their circumstances.

Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93105

For 48 years, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara has helped local students pay for their higher education  vocational, community college, or four year college or graduate school. We inspire, encourage and support Santa Barbara County students in their pursuit of college, graduate, an vocational education through financial aid advising and scholarship. Beginning with nine $100 books awards in 1962, we have grown to award $7.2 million in student aid for the 2010-2011 academic year. The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara reached 23,470 students, parents, an educators in 2009-2010 through financial aid and scholarship presentations and financial aid advising sessions at school sites.