Rotary Installs New Board The Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club installed its new board of directors recently at a barbecue party hosted by Irene Valenti, internationally known matchmaker, at the Valenti Estate in Rancho Santa Fe. Pictured with Valenti are outgoing Rancho Santa Fe Rotary president Greg Grajek and incoming President Chris Dorazio. The RSF Rotary Club was established in 1954. Visit rsfrotary.com By Daniel Gonzalez

With the VA’s treatment of veterans benefits under heightened scrutiny these days, one area unknown to many is the education of fallen Veterans’ children. In a Forbes magazine article published online May 22, 2014, Helaina Hovitz writes a compelling article about how a charitable organization fills in the gaps for college tuition when children of Veteran’s who have lost a parent are struggling to manage costs. Hovitz writes, “More than 15,000 military children have lost a parent over the last 25 years, and often find themselves struggling to figure out how to fund their college education…. Children of Fallen Patriots…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Eva M. Stimson, EMS MC, Inc., 858-864-8536 or emsmarketing6@gmail.com   VALENTI EQUESTRIAN CLUB EVACUATES HORSES WITH AID OF RSF FIRE DEPT. DURING SAN DIEGO WILDFIRE DISASTER   Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., May 27, 2014—-The Valenti Equestrian Club (VEC) came to the aid of thoroughbred horses stabled at the equestrian center in Rancho Santa Fe owned by Irene Valenti during the San Diego wildfire emergency last week. Staff members of Valenti International and management of the VEC successfully evacuated 43 horses to stalls at the Del Mar Fairgrounds after an email/social media appeal went out to all…

In an exclusive Forbes magazine article published online May 9, 2014, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has signed on to the Giving Pledge, the billionaire’s commitment founded by Warren Buffest and Bill and Melinda Gates, to give away half of their fortune during their lifetime or upon their death. Sandberg’s net worth is estimated to be approximately $1 billion and is the second self-made female billionaire to sign on to the pledge. Sandberg has traditionally been a strong advocate for women and girls including board posts at Women for Women International and V-Day, and the non-profit she helped found, the Lean…

After conquering the corporate world and leading a large university, Susan Desmond-Hellmann is ready to transform the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Desmond-Hellmann started her job as CEO of the Gates Foundation on May 1st. In this Fortune interview with Patricia Sellers, she and Melinda talk about how they met, how they reached a partnership deal, and how they intend to give away the Gates fortune and the many billions more that have been entrusted to the foundation by Warren Buffett.   http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2014/05/02/desmond-hellmann-gates-foundation/?iid=SF_F_River The Valenti Foundation is dedicated to transforming the lives of those most vulnerable, children and the elderly. www.valentifoundation.org What do you think of this new CEO appointment?

Have you heard that Oprah is launching a signature line of tea with Starbucks? All proceeds from the sale of her Starbuck’s product, Teavana Oprah Chai Tea,will benefit Oprah’s educational philanthropic outreach efforts, including the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. Founded in January 2007 and located in Henley on Klip near Meyerton, south of Johannesburg, South Africa, the academy was established by Oprah Winfrey with the goal of providing educational and leadership opportunities for academically gifted girls from impoverished backgrounds. The academy’s goal is to mentor academically talented and disadvantaged girls and provide them with opportunities to make a difference in the world. http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2014/03/19/oprah-partners-with-billionaire-buddy-howard-schultz-for-her-own-starbucks-tea/?ss=philanthropy. The Valenti…

Did you know that philanthropic gifts from U.S. donors in 2013 resulted in a significant increase and that most of those donors were men? According to an article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, ranking of the 50 donors who give the most to charitable causes shows that the nation’s wealthy contributed $7.7-billion last year, 4 percent more than in 2012. Most of these donors were men; 23 earned their wealth in either finance or investments, 12 in real estate, six in technology, and the rest from a mix of other pursuits or inheritances. Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook, and his…

Philanthropy News Digest (PND): In April, the Robin Hood Foundation, in partnership with the Columbia Population Research Center, released the results from its first Poverty Tracker survey, a first-of-its-kind effort to examine income poverty, material hardship, and health in New York City. Based on a sample of twenty-three hundred households across the city’s five boroughs, the data from the survey reveals that poverty and hardship are even worse for New York City residents than official government measures indicate. Recently, PND spoke with Michael Weinstein, chief program officer and senior vice president at Robin Hood, about the results of the first…