Blog 85

November 8, 2018

Third Round of Charitable Contributions

from the Sales of My Books

 – First Book – The Steppingstone Foundation –

– Shoes That Fit – Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara –

I am pleased to announce that I have now made my third round of annual charitable contributions to the four charities described below. These contributions are from the 2018 sales of Dead Serious and Lighthearted – The Memorable Words of Modern America – Volumes I and II and from some continued 2018 sales of my earlier two books – The Relevance of Reason – The Hard Facts and Real Data About the State of Current America – Volume 1 – Business and Politics and Volume II – Society and Culture). 

As will always be the case, I wish that I could have contributed more. Nevertheless, this stream of modest 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. The prior rounds of charitable contributions were made in August, 2014 and August, 2016.

Because of the rather massive printing and publishing costs and because third parties (hello, Amazon!) take nearly all of the profits from the sales of these books (except those ordered directly from Schmitt & Brody Publishers — special thanks to those of you who have ordered or who are going to order directly), I have adjusted my charitable contribution calculations so that they are  based upon gross receipts rather than those ever-elusive net profits. It is my privilege to write, but there is rarely money to be made in writing books until they make the movie — and so far neither Spielberg nor Scorsese are returning my calls.  Go figure. 

But, most sincerely, I thank all of you who have purchased copies of my books or are thinking of doing so. I am honored that these books have continued to receive national book awards and some greatly appreciated reviews, and I am pleased to make these annual charitable contributions based upon my book sales. 

Recipient Charities

Brief descriptions of the recipients of these charitable contributions are set forth below.

First Book
Washington, DC

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

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

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. Shoes That Fit provides new shoes and/or clothes to children in need so that they can attend school in comfort and with dignity. They 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

For nearly 55 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. The Foundation seeks to 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, the Foundation has grown so that, for example, in one recent year The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara awarded $7.2 million in student aid and reached 23,470 students, parents, an educators through financial aid and scholarship presentations and financial aid advising sessions at school sites.