BEAN Blast - August, 2010

BEAN Blast A global look at our favorite nonprofit

BEAN Blast is a regular newsletter for all members of BEAN around the globe, regardless of which city and chapter you are currently in. In this issue, we would like to tell you more about the following exciting topics:

• Think Global Act Local 2010 campaign
• News from around the globe
• Founder's note
• Member news
• This month in BEAN history
• BEAN by the numbers

Think Global Act Local: Make an impact

One night. Eighteen bachelors and bachelorettes. Thousands of dollars raised for kids battling a deadly condition on the other side of the globe.

Maybe you were there last August for BEAN Seattle’s annual date auction, where the generosity of BEANsters raised $14,000 to help deliver medicines to HIV-positive orphans in Africa. Those who bid on dates, sipped local wine and crowded into the photo booth at Seattle’s jam-packed Sole Repair Shop know just how easy it is to have a great time while also helping a great cause.

The effort is called Think Global Act Local, and it’s BEAN’s way of taking on major global challenges — access to clean drinking water, women’s health, recovery from genocide — through focusing our collective energy here at home. Each BEAN chapter partners with a charity already striving toward solutions, organizes events and raises money for that year’s specific cause.

In 2010’s theme is microfinance — relatively small loans that can empower impoverished people to start a business, pay an oppressive debt or fund an education. Each BEAN chapter will partner with a local philanthropic group making a difference in this field. BEAN Seattle is partnering with Vitanna, a Seattle-based charity that makes loans to students in developing nations so they can finish their higher education. Most loans range between $200 and $500, seemingly small, but big enough to change a life, and perhaps also the lives of that person’s family.

“I was shocked that so little money can go such a long way,” said Holly Wyrwich, president of BEAN’s Seattle chapter. She and Skye Lee led 2009’s TGAL campaign, a process that takes months of planning. Each chapter’s committee selects a very specific cause each year and looks to partner with a small nonprofit with low overhead that could use the financial boost.

Partnering with BEAN helps charitable organizations expand their reach to a new — and younger — audience. Proceeds from last year’s TGAL campaign benefitted Roses & Rosemary, a Seattle-based charity that connects HIV-positive orphans in Africa with the medications they need to survive. John Croswell, a board member with the group, said the additional exposure received through BEAN events brought the group new volunteers.

“BEAN has been fantastic in helping Roses & Rosemary and has really gone beyond all expectations,” Croswell said. “We didn’t really realize how dedicated and professional they would be in helping us. They far exceeded not only in the amount of money that was raised but in taking ownership of tasks, ownership of activities and just getting things done and being very professional.”

In the case of Roses, $45 is all it takes to support an orphan’s medication for one month.

“It seems like a lot, but it also seems like a little when you think a lot of people spend that on a bar tab in one night,” Holly said.

To date, BEAN has raised about $75,000 over the five TGAL campaigns. Don’t miss your chance do your part this month, whether it’s donating time on a committee, strutting your stuff as a bachelor or bachelorette or just showing up at the party to pledge your support. If you happen to be in Seattle on August 25, please come to Showbox SODO to attend the TGAL Date Auction to show your support.

BEAN around the world

PHILADELPHIA

President Brian Roberts: Aimee Haynes, VP of Philanthropy, is spending the summer in Cambodia working within their judicial system on the international war crimes trial. Philly membership has reached 50 BEANsters and the chapter is looking at new ways to reach out to potential members.

SAN FRANCISCO

President Amanda Dunkin: Amanda is taking charge so former President Jenni Ellingson can focus more on her globe-trotting career and finishing up her Thunderbird MBA. Best of luck to Jenni and thanks for all the hard work in setting up the SF chapter!

SEATTLE

President Holly Wyrwich: A huge thank you to Karin Zabel for her tenure as president, and congratulations to new president Holly Wyrwich. The scholarship events committee, led by the fearless and apparently tireless Anna Meneses, has raised more than $4,000. That covers the $2,500 scholarship for 2010 and enables BEAN Seattle to start an endowment for future scholarships and other related activities to promote college opportunities to under-privileged high-schoolers in Seattle. The scholarship application lead, Sara Potts, knocked down doors to get the most scholarship applicants ever, and the winner is Carlos Padilla.

SEOUL

President Jure Majnaric: The Seoul chapter celebrated its first birthday in July and looks forward to boosting membership and volunteer events in its second year.

SHANGHAI

President Sheila Seiler: BEAN is the first ever two-time winner of Shanghai’s Best Charity award! The chapter has grown to 1,600 members, with seven summer interns who are doing community outreach research projects to raise awareness of issues such as homelessness (all projects will receive coverage in expat magazines). Founding president Aimee Haynes returned recently for a visit and met all members who joined the team after her departure a year ago. In June, the chapter launched a test weekday volunteer program, responding to requests from members unable to volunteer at night or on weekends. Stay tuned for news from even more chapters in future issues.

Founder’s note

The power of TGAL: Limitless
by Howard C. Wu, Chief Executive Officer/Founder of BEAN

Is there a limit to how much you can care? Is there a geographic boundary? With BEAN's Think Global Act Local (TGAL) annual education and fund-raising campaign, we see no limit to how much we can, or should, care about our fellow humans. Once a year, BEAN members from around the globe rally around a single cause and try to help locally by partnering with an organization with the same goal. It began in 2004 with an awareness campaign about an obscure but vital women’s health issue (obstetric fistula), followed by fundraising to rehabilitate child soldiers, aid victims of the genocide in Darfur, improve water sanitation and provide medication to HIV positive orphans in Africa. For 2010, we are building awareness about the power of microfinance — Will you join us and demonstrate that young professionals around the globe have the capacity to care about challenges happening far beyond the relative comfort of our daily lives?

For more thoughts from Howard, check out his BEAN blog.

Member News

Congratulations to newlyweds Dan Smith and Lisa Rivera, who met through BEAN Seattle. Congratulations also to BEAN San Francisco members Herbert Pang and Amanda Dunkin on their engagement.

This month in BEAN history

BEAN fielded its first BEAN Bombers softball team in August 2008. The softball tradition is still going strong in Seattle in 2010, now as the BEAN Ballbusters.

BEAN by the numbers

BEAN had just about 8,600 members around the globe at the end of 2009 and we are on track to break 10,000 members by the end of 2010. Wow!

Where have you BEAN?

Send your news items to Karen Gaudette, Chief Storyteller, at karengaudette at gmail dot com