GRAMMY'S - Two ClearCause Philanthropic Donors Turned Away

Too good to be true!

In 2012, ClearCause Foundation consigned a luxury trip for two to the 2013 Grammy's from WinspireMe for its inaugural benefit, Around the World Safely.

Premier nonprofit auctioneer, Karen Sorbo, sold the experience to a ClearCause director willing to invest $8,000 on the experience for our cause - Safe Global Youth Travel.

The 'no-risk' tickets were made available by WinspireMe, a subsidiary of Winspire. WinspireMe has been around for awhile, offering many risk-free auction items like golf excursions, sporting events, wine tours and  tickets to the Grammy's. According to Jeff Weber, Executive Vice President at WinspireMe, they have helped thousands of nonprofits raise more than $17,000,000.

So when CCF Executive Director, Sheryl Hill, spoke with a WinspireMe agent in California she was informed that if the tickets did not sell, ClearCause would not incur costs.  She agreed to offer Grammy tickets on consignment at $6,000.  ClearCause received a $2,000 donation, the donor received an opportunity of a lifetime.  Everyone was  happy.

Until the Grammy's . . .

ClearCause generous bid winners showed up dressed to the hilt for the experience of a lifetime, their tickets in hand.  They were pulled aside among the elite and told they could not get in.  All the anticipation, excitement and preparation halted in preventable embarrassment. A little less than half of WinspireMe's Grammy 'winners' did not get what they paid for.

To WinspireMe's credit they were quick to respond with sincere apologies, "We are so sorry." "We are sick to our stomachs about this."  "This has never happened to us before."  "We'll make this right."  They have agreed to refund money and offered the consolation of a spa day to ClearCause bid winners.

Apparently, an attorney who serves on the Grammy's board supplied the tickets to WinspireMe. The Grammy's obviously knew that they weren't going to let 'some' WinspireMe ticket holders in.  The Grammy's could have alerted WinspireMe to that fact to avoid embarrassment of philanthropic ticket holders at the door.  They didn't.

ClearCause was asked if they would use WinspireMe again in the future.  We will.  The greatest test of an organizations character is how they respond when things go bad.  WinspireMe - thus far, has taken the fiasco and offered remunerations to nonprofit supporters.  We don't have a pulse on what WinspireMe will offer nonprofits whose donors did not get what they paid for.

WinspireMe was wounded by Grammy Award deliberate actions.  Generous donors will be more hesitant to bid on auction items like these. Sadly, this hurts nonprofits.

Maury Glover, reporter with FOX 9 News, was Master of Ceremonies for ClearCause Foundation's inaugural event in 2012.  Chagrined that the Grammy's would turn away generous philanthropic people, he reported the story on February 11, Minnesota Philanthropists Turned Away at Grammy Awards.

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GIVE TO THE MAX - NOVEMBER 15

Please Remember our ClearCause When You Give to the Max on November 15!

Give MN November 15, 2012! Thank you for supporting ClearCause

Your generous support means the world to America’s Youth and Students on programs abroad!

Join us on November 15, Minnesota’s Give to the Max Day, and help us win a $1,000 Golden Ticket. GiveMN—an online giving website for Minnesota nonprofits— offers ClearCause 25 chances to maximize your gift on Give to the Max Day, Thursday, November 15!  To donate, please visit:   http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Clearcause?referral_code=share" HsTracking="Razoo

By making a donation on Give to the Max Day, your $10 or more gift helps us win an extra $1,000 to keep America’s youth and students safe abroad.  Your donation advances:

AWARENESS - A2f Pictures awarded ClearCause three riveting Public Service Announcements (PSAs). $10,000 is needed to promote these on cable television and other media.

ADVOCACY - ClearCause has the support of US Senators Franken (MN-D) and Klobuchar (MN-D), US Congressman Paulsen (MN-R), MN Governor Dayton and MN Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLANNING - Parents and emergency contacts often do not have passports, funding, permissions, legal counsel or a plan when their student's trip goes bad.

FAMILY CRISIS FUND - Help us support families whose children are abused, hurt or killed abroad.

Together, we hope to raise more than $10,000 on Give to the Max Day.  We’re counting on your help!

Four Mothers Will Never Spend the Holidays with Their Child Again

Executive director Sheryl Hill was recently quoted in a USA Today article, "Death Highlights Risks of Study Abroad Programs."

Casey Schulman (VA), Morgan Lide (GA), Joshua Shane (AZ) and Ravi Thackurdeen (NY) will not be 'home' for the holidays ever again.  All four died in water accidents.

Comments like, "Most of them come back safe" aren't helping.  Most is not good enough for ClearCause.  There are no federal laws, oversight, minimum qualifications or standards, nor mandated transparent reporting in the youth travel and study abroad industry.  Some of these students are sponsored by US Department of State study abroad grants using your tax dollars.

Parents seeking information about the tragic death of their children are often met with silence as Universities are warned by their attorneys to avoid lawsuits.  Sadly, many parents are left no alternatives but to file lawsuits to get information about their child's death.

Tragically, history repeats itself.  Students and other Americans have drowned on the same unmarked beaches.  American's be warned - a stroll along a hazardous beach where the sand can wash out from underneath you, and the undertow drag you out into treacherous waters - particularly during monsoon season in remote areas, can cost you your life.

Water safety is getting the attention of study abroad programs. Perhaps the lives of these aspiring young students will herald warnings to save others.  More needs to be done.

Our hearts go out to their family, friends and community. Safety means the world to youth and students abroad.

ClearCause Foundation Receives 2012 Best of Business Nomination

ClearCause is honored to be nominated for SBCA's Best of Business 2012.

The Small Business Community Association (SBCA) promotes a vibrant and growing small business community, supports education that will preserve and extend the future of small business and uses our gifts within the small business community to serve others for the betterment of our world.

The SBCA Community vision is to enthusiastically advance small businesses in three key areas:

• Growth– To assure a vibrant and growing small business community, our goal is to introduce, engage and mature the next generation of small business owners.
• Advocacy–We feel it is fundamental to support education and action outside the small business community that will preserve and extend the future of small businesses.
• Compassion–We believe it is essential that we use our gifts within the small business community to serve others for the betterment of our communities and world.

We are honored to be part of the elite SBCA Best of Business within our first year of operation!  Thank you!  Using our gifts to keep America's youth safe abroad.

Three Boston University Students Killed in New Zealand Crash

Three Boston University students, Daniela Lekho, Roch Jauberty and Austin Brashears, lost their lives Saturday, May 12, 2012 near Taupo, New Zealand when the minivan they were traveling in rolled over.

Road fatalities in New Zealand are among the highest in the world, particularly for young inexperienced students.  On a per capita basis New Zealand is alongside Cambodia, Malaysia, Lithuania and Slovenia.

Unfortunately, despite the high road fatalities in New Zealand, their national government permits any foreigner to drive with the permit they were issued ‘back home’ for up to twelve months.

Road-fatality figures from 33 countries released by the International Transport Forum (ITF) reveal that New Zealand has the seventh-highest ratio of deaths per billion vehicle kilometers traveled and is the ninth highest in the world in per capita deaths.

ClearCause Chief Security Advisor, Ed Lee, has lived and worked in left-hand-drive nations the majority of his life. He said, "Converting to left-hand-drive from right-hand-drive is no easy task, particularly given the condition and challenging terrain found in New Zealand."

"I swerved to avoid a wild pig some years ago.  My minivan flipped over the edge of the road after the gravel edge collapsed. I had to climb out through broken glass in the rear window as I was trapped inside the car with petrol spilling out. I am happy to have made it out alive and able to celebrate Mother's Day today." Said Elizabeth.  She gave Ed Lee a New Zealander's perspective on road hazards:

• New Zealand roads are not like those in North America or Europe; they are narrow, curvy and mostly two lanes.
• They are designed poorly, not accounting for sun glare, which is severe.
• Few of them have shoulders, just crumbly gravel edges, easy to plunge over, no guard rails.
• Kiwis are impatient and aggressive drivers passing in places they should not.
• There is a lot of rain and wind.  Autos sitting high on their axles like SUVs and minivans are more unstable in these conditions.
• Kiwis have high rates of drunken driving and cannabis use per capita. School bus drivers, lorry drivers and adventure tourism operators should be drug tested and are not.
• Cyclists also use the roads with no shoulder.
• Many roads are elevated with few guard rails increasing risks.

ASIRT: The Association for Safe International Road Travel has valuable road safety information for more than 100 countries.

YOU NEED TO KNOW - Minnesota Deputy Secretary Jim Gelbmann

There is a statute in Minnesota that gives the Minnesota Secretary of State, Mark Ritchie, the power to sanction programs who place foreign exchange students in harms way: MN Statute 5A.01-07

Deputy Secretary Jim Gelbmann, is one of the champions behind the law.  Minnesota Representative Phyliss Kahn sponsored the bill. Mr. Gelbmann's interview with WCCO's Don Shelby explains why and how the law came about.  The law gives Minnesota the power to investigate and terminate registrations of organizations that don't meet standards set by the state of Minnesota. Similar law to protect Minnesota students going abroad are non-existent.

When ClearCause director, Sheryl Hill, asked Secretary of State Deputy Director, Jim Gelbmann, to expand the law to include Minnesota Students going abroad he said, "It makes sense."

It may be too late for the law to enact this year.  Look for Minnesota - a national leader in child protection to step up.  Please write to Minnesota's Secretary of State and thank him, and Jim Gelbmann, for stepping up. Ask your state's representative to enact similar law - Secretary of State.

Safe Global Youth Travel - let them see the world, safely.

Welcome - Retired CIA Patti Weber

We are so honored to welcome Patti Weber to ClearCause Foundation's Advisory Board.      Ms. Weber currently lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Her partner in Pierce-Weber Partnership, LLC, Deborah Pierce, retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Senior Executive Service.  On May 1, 2012 Ms. Weber becomes President of the 105 year-old Woman's Club of Minneapolis.

Patricia A. Weber retired from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Senior Intelligence Service in 2004, after a 31 year career in operations.  Prior to joining CIA Ms. Weber served with the Department of State at the US Embassies in Paris and Bangkok.  As a Senior CIA executive and operations officer, Ms. Weber managed several staff and operational elements in the National Clandestine Service (NCS).  In her last position prior to leaving the Agency her broad portfolio included working with the U.S. military and other federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies on such front page issues as watch listing terrorists and information sharing.

As the senior policy manager for the NCS she also was responsible for information management and technology issues as Chair of the IT Oversight Board.  In a previous position as Chief of the NCS Human Resources Staff, she spearheaded a remake of the competency based personnel system, managed the training and deployment of new employees as well as the promotion panels for senior grades, and helped to revamp the basic operational training courses.  Prior to these senior staff assignments Ms. Weber served abroad in Asia, ran the course for hostile environment operations, and headed up several elements providing operational guidance and support to overseas components.

Ms. Weber grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota and received her B.S. in Political Science and Government from American University, Washington, DC.  She also completed the program “Leadership in a Democratic Society” at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia and was a member of the 1998 Director of Central Intelligence’s Intelligence Fellows Program.  She received several Exceptional Performance Awards throughout her career and was awarded the Agency’s highest retirement award, the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, upon her retirement.  She also received the US Secret Service Director’s Recognition Award.

Ms. Weber continues to serve on the Director of National Intelligence’s Senior Diversity Advisory Panel for the Intelligence Community.