Recently at the Tides Center in San Francisco, Alix Johnson and Asiyah Abdul-Mu’min shared their stories of how, as young women working with The Body Positive, they began to transform their own isolation into self-acceptance.  Both young women now live in harmony with their bodies, free to pursue their passions and goals.

The Body Positive has become a presence at the University of California, Berkeley, among other universities across the country where students are becoming Body Positive leaders on campus. The organization conducts workshops to teach the four competencies of its Intuitive Health Model, which leads individuals to creating more positive and healthy relationships with their bodies. The ultimate goal is to support young women in overcoming the body hatred endemic in our culture so they can fully pursue their dreams and goals, and this can only be achieved through the promotion of programs such as The Body Positive.

Since 1996, The Body Positive has directly trained hundreds of high school and college women as leaders, to enhance their own body esteem and self-acceptance, and to support their peers. Further, they have provided education to thousands of parents to assist them in raising children with healthy body images, and distributed their BodyTalk video series for viewing by more than a million youth worldwide.

Photo Credit: larrydyer.com

From left to right:

Taira Jordan, Meredith Beam, Carmen Sobczak, Connie Sobczak, Dan Beam, Uma Teesdale, Elizabeth Scott, Alix Johnson, Jacquie Moore, Asiyah Abdul-Mu’min, Kath Delaney, and Nancy Tripathi

The event also served as a “send-off” for Assemblywoman Skinner as she heads to Copenhagen, Denmark this week for the 2009 United Nations Convention on Climate Change. This conference brings together 192 countries and 100 heads of state or government in negotiations to deal with the growing threats posed by global warming. Assemblywoman Skinner will represent California alongside State Senator Fran Pavely and other state leaders, and will speak about her energy efficiency legislation and California policies. She will also interact with the University of California delegation that is attending the conference to provide expert testimony through panel discussions.

Recognized as the California Assembly’s 2009 Rookie of the Year, Nancy authored landmark legislation this past year, including bills that will give foster youth better access to college housing, (AB 1393), make AC Transit buses more bike friendly (AB 652), and bring thousands of energy efficient jobs to California (AB758).

The Madera Group congratulates Assemblywoman Skinner for all of her achievements in 2009, and wishes her a victorious 2010!

Photo: CPUC Commissioner Dian Gruenich, Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, and Janice Lin from Stratgen Consulting
Photo Credit: Erik Johnson

Success in social marketing and fundraising means making our clients visible in a crowded online marketplace. Our agency works with clients to develop a strategy that not only uses social networks, but also persuades others to pass the word on. That means creating inspiring and thoughtful messages that work for both email inboxes and social networking sites. It means telling a story that communicates the meaning of the work we are describing, and showing the results that come from it.

The desired goal is to have the public, or the media, pick up a story and carry it even further — a bonus that is the reward for hard work and creative thinking.

Even better, is when an agency partners with a once-in-a-lifetime client who needs no introduction to the social marketplace — in our case, President Bill Clinton and his foundation, the William J. Clinton Foundation. On August 19th, President Clinton celebrated his 63rd birthday. To celebrate, The Madera Group collaborated with his foundation staff to launch an online birthday card fundraising campaign with the culminating message sent by his beloved friend Nelson Mandela.

By the way, it is not too late to send President Clinton a birthday wish and make a donation.

Happy Birthday President Clinton! We thank you and your foundation for all that you are doing around the world to fight climate change, eliminate childhood obesity, and give access to HIV/AIDS medicines to millions of people. Your work is an inspiration to us all.

I am in San Francisco for the national conference of WBENC, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, giving the keynote address at lunch today.  As I prepare to speak I am overwhelmed with the importance of women getting together, reaching out and venturing out to talk with other business owners about how they are handling the dramatic changes in the marketplace, the economy and their family lives.

We can learn so much if we get out of our offices and homes, put down our cell phones, Blackberry’s and iPhones and talk with other entrepreneurs, as well as representatives from big corporations and government, about how the game has changed, what the new rules are this week, where the possible business leads are and strategies for survival and future growth. You’ll get very little insight sitting in you office trying to figure out why you are losing customers, clients and contracts all by yourself. The shame, doubt and blaming will set in if the only conversation you are having is with you. So set aside money if you can, and attend a few business conferences or meetings.  And when you can’t get away, keep stay connected by attending a few of our webinars.

By traveling to San Francisco this week I have had the opportunity to meet Kat Taylor, the founding Director of OneCalifornia Bank, the bank that made the SBA-insured loan that Linda Russell has been blogging about.  (Kat has an incredibly beautiful fish tank on her front steps that feeds an edible garden. I’ve never seen anything like it.) Thanks to Linda’s introduction we are now discussing how to introduce more women in the Bay Area to financing opportunities through OneCalifornia Bank.

I also have had the opportunity to talk with Lorene Arey – Count Me In board member who embraces change and always challenges me to face the future joyfully. I took that picture of the Golden Gate Bridge from her living room. Last night I had dinner with Kath Delaney of the Madera Group who is helping Count Me In optimize our web site and tonight I will be attending a gathering of M3 Racers at Molly Fuller’s business Hands on Gourmet.  I know I will come away smarter, calmer and clearer about what lies ahead and how we will all move forward together.

Practice staying connected. Being in a community in person and online is the best way to survive and thrive now.

Believe in you,
Nell

The Clinton Foundation and Madera Group launched a new video about the Clinton Foundation Millennium Network’s work to inspire young philanthropists to become the “How Generation.”

President Clinton joined more than 600 young leaders in Los Angeles at the Millennium Network reception on April 30th. Actors Jessica Alba and Adrian Grenier were hosts, and Will.i.am performed. President Clinton challenged the audience to answer the great questions of our time: How can we leave a positive impact on the next generation? How can we make individual changes in our lives to make a large difference in the world? As Madera’s Executive Producer, I produced the “How Generation” video for the Clinton Foundation, with David Driver as the Director of Photography. We shot the video on location with a high definition camera. As you will see from watching the video, the overflow crowd provided a lively backdrop for our interviews.

As a follow up to the Millennium Network reception, the Clinton Foundation and Madera Group created an email message to share the video with the network’s supporters. (Click Image)

To learn more about the Clinton Foundation Millennium Network, visit their Facebook Cause page.

Highlighted Commitments Included:

• Wyclef Jean and his foundation Yele Haiti commit to provide hot school meals for 14,000 poor children, food for 20,000 families a month, thousands of new agriculture jobs, micro-enterprise grants for 165 small businesses, 36,000 farmers with seed, fertilizer, and training, and implement a broad communications campaign to engage international and local Haitian musicians in the Together for Haiti Campaign.

• Matt Damon and Frank McKenna of the ONEXONE Foundation commit to raising at least $3 million to support local NGOs working in Haiti.

• Good Energies Foundation
  commits to catalyzing the development of renewable energy in Haiti
  through research, and will support the installation of solar systems
  for rural health centers at Partners In Health clinics.

• Habitat for Humanity International
  will invest $7 million to repair 1,500 homes, build 1,000 new homes,
  provide financial support and training for 300 tradespersons and
  micro-entrepreneurs in the low-income construction sector, and train
  1,000 families in disaster prevention and mitigation.

This announcement is part of the final plenary session featuring closing remarks by President Clinton to conclude the fourth annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. Watch the final session today live via webcast.

You can help, too. What will your commitment be?

Highlights from the Program Today:

PLENARY SESSION: The Global Impact of Rural Innovation
Friday 9/26/08, 9:00 A.M. – 10:00 A.M.

Program Participants:
Steve Gunderson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Council on Foundations
Wangari Muta Maathai, Founder, Green Belt Movement, Kenya
Elsie Meeks, President and Chief Executive Officer, First Nations Oweesta Corporation
Rick Warren, Pastor, Saddleback Church
Muhammad Yunus, Founder and Managing Director, Grameen Bank

SPECIAL SESSION: Poverty Alleviation in Unique Environments
Friday 9/26/08, 12:00 P.M. – 1:00 P.M.

Program Participants:
President René Preval, Republic of Haiti
Tony Blair, Former Prime Minister, United Kingdom
President Ernest Bai Koroma, Republic of Sierra Leone
Helene Gayle, President and Chief Executive Officer, CARE USA

CLOSING PLENARY
Friday 9/26/08, 1:00 P.M. – 2:30 P.M.

Summary by President Clinton.

View Program Via Webcast
Make Your Commitment

Madera Group is honored to play a role in assisting CGI and the Clinton Foundation with its email messaging strategy related to the unfolding of this event.

A cancer survivor himself, Lance vowed to make the world’s second leading cause of death an international priority. He is broadening his foundation’s scope and reach to support survivors around the world. Watch the Opening Plenary via webcast to hear Lance speak.

This commitment is the first of many to be unveiled over the coming days. In three years, members have made nearly 1,000 commitments valued at $30 billion to improve the lives of 200 million people in 150 countries.

OPENING PLENARY: A Call to Action

Wednesday 9/24/08, 10:00 A.M. — 11:30 A.M.

The opening plenary session will engage a diverse group of world leaders in an action-oriented discussion of the major challenges that CGI is focusing on this year: education, energy & climate change, global health, and poverty alleviation. This session will explore the transformative capacity of business, government, and NGOs to collaboratively develop and implement sustainable solutions.

Special Remarks:
Lance Armstrong, Founder and Chairman of the Board, Lance Armstrong Foundation

Program Participants:
William J. Clinton, 42nd President of the United States; Founder, William J. Clinton Foundation
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Bono, Lead Singer, U2; Co-Founder, Anti-Poverty Campaign, ONE
Al Gore, Chairman, The Alliance for Climate Protection
E. Neville Isdell, Chairman of the Board of Directors, The Coca-Cola Company
Her Excellency Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President, Republic of Liberia

Madera Group is honored to assist CGI and the Clinton Foundation with its email messaging strategy related to the unfolding of the 3-day annual meeting.

Distinguished guests include:
•    Her Royal Highness Rania Al-Abdullah, Queen of Jordan
•    President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan
•    Senator Barack Obama

•    Senator John McCain
•    Bill Gates, Founder and Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
•    Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
•    President René Preval of the Republic of Haiti
•    Tony Blair, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
•    Mayor Michael Bloomberg of the City of New York
•    John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems
•    Muhammad Yunus, Founder and Managing Director of Grameen Bank
•    Bono, Lead Singer of U2
•    Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California
•    Lance Armstrong, Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Lance Armstrong Foundation
•    Larry Page, Co-Founder of Google
•    T. Boone Pickens, Founder and Chairman of BP Capital Management
•    Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church
•    Tom Brokaw, Special Correspondent for NBC News

In addition to live webcasts of all the events, you can find schedules, transcripts, and photos at www.clintonglobalinitiative.org during and after the meeting.

Each morning over the course of the meeting, the foundation will send
an email previewing the day’s activities and recapping events from the
day before.

See the schedule of events here.

About CGI: Established in 2005 as a project of the nonpartisan William J. Clinton Foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI members have made nearly 1,000 Commitments to Action valued at upwards of $30 billion to improve more than 200 million lives in over 150 countries around the world. Through past Annual Meetings, CGI has brought together more than 80 current and former heads of state, hundreds of top CEOs and nonprofit leaders, major philanthropists, and 10 of the last 16 Nobel Peace Prize laureates.