Crystal Springs Foundation
supports the following great organizations:

Elephant Voices – Led by Joyce Poole. Joyce has studied the social behavior and communication of African elephants for over thirty years and has dedicated her life to their conservation and welfare. The inspiration for her life's work came from a childhood in Africa, a father with a love of nature, and a lecture by Jane Goodall that she attended at the age of eleven. She began her work with elephants at the age of 19 in Amboseli National Park studying there under mentor, and Director of the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, Cynthia Moss. To support Elephant Voices, go to www.elephantvoices.org.

Amboseli Trust for Elephants (ATE) – Led by Dr. Cynthia Moss. Cynthia was born and educated in the United States, Dr. Cynthia Moss has spent more than 30 years in Africa studying elephants and working for their conservation. She was born in Ossining, New York, which is near the Hudson River. In 1962 she graduated from Smith College with a degree in philosophy. In 1967 she went on an extended trip to East Africa. While visiting Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania, she met Iain Douglas-Hamilton. She became a research assistant for him. In 1972, she started the now famous Amboseli Elephant Research Project at Amboseli National Park in Kenya.

Since then she and her research associates have identified and recorded more than 1,400 elephants. Without formal scientific training, but armed with a passion for learning, she has become the world-leading expert on African elephant family structure, life cycle, and behavior. Her research efforts also contributed significantly to the conservation of the precious and dwindling African elephants population. To support ATE, go to www.elephanttrust.org.

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Experiencing firsthand the dramatic impact that education can have on one's life, Awuah embarked on a mission in 1997 to provide greater educational opportunities in Ghana. He enrolled in business school at the University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business, both to evaluate the feasibility of his goal and to gain a broader range of managerial skills with which to found and manage a university. Crystal Springs Foundation provided the first large grant to help Patrick get his dream off the ground.

The new University gained accreditation from the National Accreditation Board of Ghana in September 2001, and began instruction with 30 students on 4th March 2002. The University offers four-year bachelor degrees in Business Administration, Computer Science and Management Information Systems, based on a Liberal Arts core curriculum that nurture ethical thinking and fosters critical thinking by teaching students to explore the connections between fields of knowledge, to separate relevant information from the irrelevant, to question assumptions, to reflect on the views of others. The Ashesi education teaches students to be problem solvers.

If you're interested in helping support Ashesi, please go to: www.ashesi.edu.gh.

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The students' educational efforts are guided by a highly qualified staff of 30 dedicated teachers and administrators. The Beechwood staff is supported by many volunteers from the community who contribute their time in a variety of ways.

Many years ago my friend and mentor Dick Jacobsen discovered that some of the East Palo Alto middle school boys in his Boy Scout troop could barely read at a first grade level. This experience planted a seed in his mind that someday he would do something about the educational need that he saw. In 1984 the partners of his real estate development firm, WSJ Properties, and their wives formed the California Family Foundation to assist families with education, housing, and jobs. The founders were Jack and Mary Lois Wheatley, Boyd and Jill Smith, and Dick and Sue Jacobsen. Beechwood School opened its doors in 1986 to 15 kindergarteners and 15 first graders.

To support this great organization, go to www.beechwoodschool.org.

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Small classes taught by expert faculty empower students to master challenging and relevant curriculum, while affordable tuition, financial aid, and online study options make this valuable education more accessible than ever. Operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a total BYU–Hawaii education involves not only intellectual learning and career preparation, but also moral, ethical, and spiritual enrichment. All the while, students enjoy living and learning in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Graduates go forth to serve, prepared to promote peace and prosperity as leaders worldwide.

Many international students represent the first in their family to attend a college or university. Their families make great financial sacrifices so that they can attend. Even so, there is often a large financial gap between what the family can pay and the full cost.

The International Work Opportunity Return-ability Kuleana Scholarship (I-WORK) program exists to provide financial assistance to needy international students so that they can return home to their countries or regions qualified to provide leadership roles in an international church, in civic and social affiliations, and within their families.

Students participating in the IWORK program must work at least 19 hours per week during each semester. 50% of the I-WORK Scholarship is structured as a grant. The student does not have any responsibility to pay back this amount. The remaining 50% of the I-WORK scholarship is considered to be a student loan given to the student by the University. BYUH will forgive up to 100% of the loan if the student returns home to live and work in their "target area." Forgiven loans will never have to be repaid.

An IWORK fact sheet (pdf document) is available online here. You can donate online to the IWORK program.

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The program has offices and personnel in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru. Plans are in place to expand into Mexico. The goal is to double or triple the family income and to create $300 in savings.

Cause For Hope differs from all other organizations by achieving long-term self-reliance. By mentoring individual families according to their specific needs, CSF uses a multi-prong approach of proven business techniques. This allows CFH to help able-bodied individuals improve their livelihood. CFH uses a unique results-driven system to measure our effectiveness among our clients. To assist Cause For Hope, go to www.causeforhope.org.

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Friends of the Children is the only mentoring organization in the nation that pairs children from distressed neighborhoods with paid, full-time professional mentors for 12 years. The program identifies highly vulnerable children in kindergarten and attaches them to a consistent, long-term, professional mentor called a Friend who spends at least four hours with them every single week until they graduate from high school. This consistency ensures that each child has an unwavering resource, advocate and friend no matter what. To support this great program with your tax deductible donation, go to www.friendskc.org.

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The LDS Church continually gathers donations of food, clothes, medical supplies, and relief items. The resources are then pre-positioned in key locations for shipping on short notice. Because of this preparedness, the Church is able to respond immediately in times of emergency. When the timing of response is critical, international relief agencies have come to rely on the Church for food and materials. From 1985 to 2009, the Church shipped 61,892 tons of food and 139,998 tons of other supplies to more than 150 countries. In 2009, the Church provided assistance in response to the tsunami in Samoa, typhoons in the Philippines, the Padang, Indonesia earthquake, conflict in Pakistan, and 98 other disasters.

If you are interested in supporting this very efficient and effective disaster relief fund, go to www.providentliving.org.

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To date over 50,000 young adults in over 50 countries have taken advantage of the program. Those who finish their education enjoy 3 to 4 times greater income. You can donate online to PEF here.

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On August 6, 2011, a helicopter was shot down by Afghan insurgents as it was rushing to aid troops in a firefight, killing 30 Americans, including 22 Navy SEALs, most of whom belonged to Team 6, the unit whose members were involved in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Knowing what it takes to become a Navy SEAL and the sacrifices required by the spouses and children of SEALs, we were overwhelmed by this loss. Within hours of learning of this loss, CSF provided a grant to the Navy SEAL Foundation to support each of the widows and children of the deceased SEALs.

They help with memorial services and defray the financial costs for travel for immediate family members who live far away. They also assist families in maintaining a sense of normalcy during deployments by funding holiday celebrations, children's sports days and campouts, and partnering with YMCAs to offer fitness memberships and childcare services. You can make a tax deductible donation to this great group by going to www.nswfoundation.org

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St Mary's is situated right next to the massive Kibera Slum in Nairobi, home to roughly 800,000 people living with no running water, sanitation, electricity, and, until recently, no decent medical care. St Mary's primarily serves the poor of greater Nairobi and does so in a medical ministry setting that preserves patients' dignity while providing competent, affordable care. St. Mary's has become the organizational hub of additional life saving projects: An orphanage and high school for boys, a second hospital at Lake Elementita, housing units and farms. All projects have strong metrics and accountability.

To support this great organization, send your tax deductible donation to "American Foundation for Children With AIDS" (please write "Designated for MMCT" in the check memo line). Mailing address: American Foundation for Children With AIDS, attn. MMTC Desk, 6221 Blue Grass Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17112. It's always a good idea to include a little note calling attention that your donation is designated to MMCT in Kenya for Dr. Fryda's works. AFCA then wires new MMCT donations to Dr. Fryda each month.

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Millions of poor families have directly benefited from Unitus' involvement in microfinance partnerships in the developing world. Over the past decade Unitus has evolved to become a family of independently managed entities with high quality teams that focus on innovation in their respective areas of poverty alleviation and economic development. You can make tax deductible donations to Unitus Labs or non-deductible social impact investments through Unitus Impact. To learn more, go to www.unitus.com.

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USF invests in for-profit scalable companies that will provide economic self-reliance, education, and basic necessities to millions of low-income people living at the base of the economic pyramid (aka "BoP"). Mike also serves on the investment advisory committee for USF. To learn more, go to www.usf.vc.

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