The Education of an Angel, part seven:
Allies for Education
Around the globe, Seattle is known as the home of the world’s richest man. While Bill Gates-sized billionaires aren’t exactly commonplace here, this booming Puget Sound community has plenty of other deep pockets. And increasingly, the city’s wealthiest citizens are turning their attention — and sizable resources — to improving education.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, for example, recently established the New Millennium Scholars program to help minority students who want to pursue science and technical studies in college. The project provides annual gifts of $50 million for 20 years — a $1 billion investment. Stuart Sloan, who made his fortune in groceries, software, and auto parts, is contributing $1 million a year to improving an elementary school serving a high-poverty neighborhood. Telecommunications magnate Craig McCaw has donated $2.5 million toward Team Read, a literacy tutoring program. Roger Rieger, a real estate investor, has pledged $l million for programs to support youth at risk. He and his wife Annette also founded the Seattle chapter of the I Have a Dream Foundation, which helps low-income youth attend college. Don Nielsen, a Seattle School Board member who has been successful in the biomedical industry, donated $l million last year to train teachers and establish an endowment for Seattle schools.
To channel and encourage community support for schools, the Alliance for Education was formed in 1995 as a nonprofit partner for the Seattle Public Schools. In 1998, the Alliance raised more than $8 million to support a variety of programs intended to increase academic achievement, ranging from professional development to arts education to school reform, according to the district.
But drumming up financial support is only part of the Alliance’s mission. Strategic programs have recruited volunteers from the private sector for a reading campaign, to lead environmental field trips, and to bring teachers up to speed on new technologies.
"Money can make a big difference in education," believes Michelle Bell, an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Services at the University of Washington. If Seattle’s most successful citizens want to make an example of themselves, she’s all for it. "Imagine what might happen," she suggests, "if every big business decided to take a percentage of profits and put it into education. I don’t think we can go wrong by reinvesting in people."
