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Hello to all of our friends and supporters in the Boston area and around the country! I recently had an action-packed 27-hour tour of everything PP55 is doing in Bean Town. This trip made me so excited about all the Boston area committee has accomplished, and what they have planned for the year ahead. Rebecca Nemec ’05 and the rest of our Boston volunteers have been working hard to offer our fellows an exciting year of service in the public interest and to expand the opportunities for Princeton alumni of all ages to get plugged into the PP55 community.

My trip began when I arrived in Boston’s Back Bay around 12:30 Monday afternoon, September 28th,on the Amtrak. After a restful trip up from Princeton, and with just enough time to grab a delicious fish sandwich on Washington St, I headed to a meeting with Annie Gayman ’09, our fellow at Children’s HealthWatch.

PP55 Fellow Annie Gayman '09 and her supervisor Stephanie Ettinger De Cuba from Children's HealthWatch

Annie and her supervisor, Stephanie Ettinger De Cuba were kind enough to show me their offices at Boston University, and share the ways Children’s HealthWatch has been working to address the needs of children growing up in poverty. Since Annie started her fellowship in July, she has been hard at work: preparing briefs on policy, interviewing children in the emergency room, and generally learning the ropes of the organization. Look for updates from Annie and the other PP55 fellows on the PP55 Fellows blog.
After meeting with Annie and Stephanie, I rushed to check into my hotel before heading down to Jamaica Plain for a meeting with the great volunteers on the PP55 Boston Area Committee.

As I mentioned before, Rebecca Nemec ’05 heads this committee of diverse and talented alumni. Jana Holt ’08, a second year High Meadows fellow at Environmental Defense, has taken on the task of planning this year’s seminars. Jana has worked with the Center for Public Interest Careers at Harvard (CPIC) to develop seminars on topics ranging from homelessness to social entrepreneurship. Karen Jeng ’08, a former fellow at Children’s HealthWatch is the PP55 Mentor Coordinator. Bob Amick ’55, previously on the PP55 Board, and John Hamilton ’55, former Chairmen of PP55’s Board, are a huge help to Rebecca with everything from arranging logistics to big-picture thinking.

At our meeting, we reviewed plans for the fellowship orientation breakfast the next morning and were able to discuss our thoughts and goals for the year ahead. One example of the great things in store for our community in Boston is a screening and discussion of former fellow Katrina Browne’s ’89 documentary, Traces of the Trade, co-hosted with PANE (Princeton Association of New England). The event will be held on November 10 as part of PP55’s national celebration of our 20th Anniversary. Stay tuned to our online newsletter Shared Effort for more details.

Tuesday began with a quick walk through the beautiful Back Bay neighborhood and a ride on the T downtown for a meeting with John Hamilton ’55. As I have come to expect, I heard a lot of wisdom and humor from John as we ate breakfast and prepared for the fellowship orientation in the offices of WilmerHale. Before long, I was saying hello to the twenty members of the local Princeton community who came to meet this year’s fellows and learn more about what PP55 is doing locally.

John Hamilton '55, Andrew Hoffman '89 former PANE President, Chris Milton '69

We were honored to hear from former fellow Sherry Riva ’92, who is the founder and director of Compass Working Capital, an organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty. I also had the opportunity to meet Andrew Hoffman ’89, the former president of PANE. The orientation breakfast was a great success, a reminder of just how many Princetonians are truly working “in the Nation’s service”.
On the heels of that inspirational morning, I headed out to Fenway for a meeting with Warner Slack ’55, another founder and a member of the PP55 Board. Warner too is an exemplar of PP55’s values. Over lunch, we had the opportunity to discuss the recent Board meeting and PP55’s interest in better engaging Princeton alumni of all ages. Before long, though, I was rushing off to a meeting with a potential new partner organization, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless (BHCHP). While BHCHP is already hosting summer interns through the Princeton Internships in Civic Service program, sponsored by the class of ’69 Community Service Fund, they are considering how they might continue to connect with the Princeton community through PP55.

All too quickly though, I was back on the train and headed south for Princeton. As for my time in Boston, I could not have asked for a more productive 27 hours. From a film screening to the many seminars the area committee will be opening to the wider Boston community, this is sure to be an exciting 20th Anniversary year. If you would like to learn more about all PP55 will be planning in the area, or to get involved, please be in touch me at jshriver@project55.org or with Rebecca Nemec ’05 at Rebecca.nemec@gmail.com.

On the PP55 Fellows’ Blog, fellows share with us their lessons learned on the job, dynamic dialogues at seminars, coffee with mentors, and much more. The PP55 Fellows’ Blog not only offers opportunities for fellowship applicants to read about fellowship experiences in “real time,” it also gives them true representations of the different programs in each of our cities. Here are excerpts from just a few blog entries:

“It feels awesome to have so much real work and responsibility so early in this lateral organization where I work directly with the CFO to close out loans, disburse money, and monitor borrowers’ financial progress.” Hannah Xu, ’08, Partners for the Common Good, Washington DC

“Your alumni mentor is also a great resource to tap into. I was able to meet with my mentor when I visited Chicago during the summer and he had great advice to give me about the city, housing, and anything else I asked him.” Michael Malecek ’09, North Lawndale Employment Network, Chicago

“As a result of working as assistant editor on a book for grantees about donor and grant stewardship, I have learned so much about the technicalities and relationship building of nonprofits, specifically foundations. Just being at the [Foundation] Center is like being in a big classroom.” Sumin Lee ’09, The Foundation Center, New York

To read more about what the fellows have been up to so far, check out their blog at www.pp55fellows.blogspot.com.

PP55 fellows currently serve in the above locations.

Bay Area, CA

Our opening reception was a success! There is a seminar on education planned for  October 28. We are collaborating with Harvard CPIC and Stanford SPIN programs this year which is working our well. We will be recruiting volunteers to work on the local PP55 20th anniversary celebration.

Boston

Join us in celebrating 20 years of public service and civic leadership with a screening of Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North directed, produced and written by Katrina Browne ‘89.

The screening will be November 10th at 7:00pm at the Museum of Science, Cahners Theater in Boston.

Chicago

The new cohort of PP55 fellows got a glimpse of the Chicago’s offerings in August while enjoying free music and the company of PP55 alumni, committee members, and mentors at the Pritzker Pavilion.  The group gathered again in September for the annual welcome dinner, hosted by Bob Loveman ‘69, and the fellows have since been meeting with Northwestern and University of  Chicago fellows at the weekly Public Interest Program seminars.

Meanwhile, the Area Committee is busy planning for a 20th anniversary cocktail celebration in early spring and looking forward to sharing our love for Chicago with a new round of PP55 applicants!

Connecticut

Area Committee Coordinator Harry Berkowitz ’55 sends this update:  “Our two fellows at The Norwalk Community Health Center continue to produce amazing results in any task or project assigned to them. I have seen them on the phones in Pediatrics and taking the lead in installing a new state-of-the-art patient information system that will bring the systems at the Center to one of leadership nation-wide. They are also playing an integral part in the move of the center that will result in yearly      patient visits ballooning from 30 to 50,000.

Executive Director, Larry Cross, often says he could not function without his Princeton fellows…as a matter of fact, the new facility has an office designated on the blueprints as ‘Princeton Fellows’ Office.’”

New York

The NYC PP55 chapter successfully kicked off its fall 2009 seminar series with a discussion led by Charles Best, CEO and founder of Donors-Choose.org. Since its inception in 2002, Donors-Choose.org has helped over 2.5 million public school students nationwide.

Best shared stories about first conceptualizing the idea for this online charity as a schoolteacher in the Bronx and how he turned this vision into reality, making it an engaging and inspirational evening for all who attended.

The next seminar will be in November on the subject of politics and the press.

Washington, DC

On the evening of September 30th Raj Vinnakota ’93, current chair of Annual Giving at Princeton University and this year’s Woodrow Wilson Award Winner for public service leadership, spent an hour sharing the lessons he has learned as co-managing director of the SEED Foundation.

Raj recounted a story from the early days of the SEED School of Washington, DC—the nation’s first inner-city boarding school—and how just twelve years after its founding 98% of graduates go on to attend four-year colleges.

Guests had the opportunity to ask Raj about a range of topics, from the health and social services the school provides, to fundraising advice for this challenging economic environment for nonprofits. An evening full of insight and inspiration, it was a terrific event to kick-off the year for Project 55 in DC.

To learn more about PP55’s exciting regional activities taking place across the nation, contact John Shriver at jshriver@project55.org.

In our ongoing effort to keep you informed about what Princeton Project 55 is doing to strive for financial equilibrium in these challenging economic times, here is a brief fundraising update.

PP55 staff and volunteers raised a total of $215,072 during fiscal year 2008-09. Although the amount raised from individuals was approximately $20,000 less than what was raised in the previous fiscal year, Princeton alumni participation increased by an impressive 9 percent.

A total of 348 donors invested in the mission of PP55 (view our Donor List by clicking here). Our fellowship and internship alumni donors represented all 20 years since PP55’s 1989 inception.

Last year was also a record year for PP55 funding from foundations; we received $146,557 from foundations and corporations. This support helped to mitigate the loss of funding from individuals. However, as with many nonprofits this year, PP55 will be unable to rely on this support as our most generous foundation supporters will be cutting back on their contributions. Project 55 will need to rely more on support from individuals in the coming year.

“Last fiscal year was certainly difficult—but we were able to negotiate with vendors, consolidate staffing, and rely heavily on support from foundations,” says Executive Director, Kathleen Reilly. “We predict that 2010, Project 55’s 20th Anniversary year, will be the most challenging economic year in PP55’s history. We are expecting a startling 50 percent decrease in foundation funding. We hope that we can rely on everyone to attend our celebratory 20th Anniversary Gala in Princeton on May 27, and really stretch for Project 55 this year. Our impact is only made possible because so many passionate, dedicated alumni give.”

In our 20th Anniversary year, Project 55 is relying on your support now more than ever. We have launched a 100% Appreciation Challenge for our fellowship and internship alumni to give in honor of their experience and to ensure that PP55 continues to provide alumni of all ages with opportunities to serve the public interest. Make your gift count for the future of PP55 and donate today!

How/Why did you get involved with Princeton Project 55? Did it surprise you to learn that Princeton Project 55 is a multigenerational organization?

I got involved around the time of the 10th anniversary of P55, when I responded to a piece in the Princeton Club of NY newsletter, looking for mentors.  I had always done a fair amount of alumni job counseling, focused on Wall Street.  But the civic engagement angle in the not for profit sector was enticing.  Helping young people help society seemed to make a lot of sense.  It wasn’t until I was a bit more involved that I saw that the founders were beginning to include the former fellows in preparing for leadership roles.

What is your background regarding nonprofits/volunteering? How have you demonstrated “Princeton in the Nation’s Service?”

My first job out of Princeton was on the business side of a small children’s services agency in Queens, New York.  That was relatively short-lived, but working with PP55 now gives me another opportunity to “give back.”

What’s the most important thing you look for when supporting an organization or serving on a nonprofit board?

I’m a numbers guy, so I am interested in organizations that serve the largest number of constituents in an efficient way.  Bang for the buck!

Please discuss the importance of what PP55 does for the Princeton community and communities across the country.

I like to think of the whole structure of PP55 as a form of what I call “leveraged philanthropy”.  Through our work and financial contributions, we engage fellows who both help their partner organizations help many constituents, and either grow in their careers helping a number of not-for-profits, or move on in the for-profit world and become dedicated philanthropists supporting PP55 like organizations.

For 2009-10, PP55 placed 46 fellows. What would your advice be for our newest class of PP55 fellows, and to those Princetonians who are still looking for a job next year?

Use the Princeton network!  Pick up the phone and make the calls!  You will almost always get a positive response, probably some help, and often some referrals, but it will rarely be a hard call to make.

As we celebrate our 20th Anniversary, what is your hope for the next 20 years at PP55?

Having just joined the Board of PP55, I am very encouraged by the steps being taken by the founders to involve new leaders in sustaining not just the Public Interest Program, but looking new programs whereby all Princetonians can have a meaningful, positive impact on society.

If you would like to learn more about what our PP55 fellows are doing to further the mission of NLEN and our other exciting partner organizations, visit our fellow’s blog!