Sunday, May 9, 2010

“High-5 Hope reaches out to poor kids - Philippine Star Online” plus 2 more

“High-5 Hope reaches out to poor kids - Philippine Star Online” plus 2 more

High-5 Hope reaches out to poor kids - Philippine Star Online

Posted: 09 May 2010 09:02 AM PDT

MANILA, Philippines - High Five Hope, a nonprofit organization committed to transforming the lives of street children in the Philippines through sports, is launching the "I Give Hope" campaign this year to further boost their goal of changing the lives of the Filipino youth.

Tied with Olympic Village, the campaign encourages basketball and sports fans to donate sports goods such as basketballs, jerseys, shorts, shoes, backboards, rings and basketball and volleyball nets to any Olympic Village outlet to help "reach out to street children and lead them to the right direction."

"By taking part in the 'I Give Hope' campaign and donating whatever we can, we are providing these children with new opportunities that will possibly spark a positive change in their lives," said HFH head Bill Hilf, also the general manager of technical computing at Microsoft Corporation.

Hilf, a sports enthusiast himself, saw the need to help Filipino street children through a business trip in the country. Hilf and his High Five Hope team had already pioneered several sports events in the past such as the yearly Hope Sports Festival which was attended by over 300 children last year. The success of this program inspired Hilf's team to expand their efforts and launch the "I Give Hope" campaign.

"Kids can learn a lot from playing sports and what they learn on the court can be applied off the court too," said Hilf. "We had a big turnout last year and we're focused on expanding our efforts so more children can be a part of our program."


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A Celebrated Staten Island Name, and an Ill-Fated ... - New York Times (blog)

Posted: 07 May 2010 04:57 PM PDT

Long before the Andrew J. Barberi ferry gained notoriety in two crashes, Andrew J. Barberi, the man, became legendary on Staten Island football fields, both as a lineman and as a coach of generations of young players.

Indeed, Andy Barberi, after whom the ill-fated ferryboat was named, is considered one of the greatest football coaches in Staten Island history.

In the early 1930s, he played for Curtis High School, a few short blocks from the St. George ferry terminal, where his namesake ferryboat crashed and injured dozens of passengers on Saturday. The boat was also involved in a much more severe crash at St. George in 2003, when 11 people were killed and many more injured.

After starring on the gridiron for the Curtis Warriors and playing for New York University, Mr. Barberi began coaching football at Curtis.

There is still a scholarship there named for Mr. Barberi, who died at 64 in 1979. He became known for leading Curtis against New Dorp High School, in an annual Thanksgiving Day game that was perhaps the island's greatest football rivalry.

"He knew his X's and O's and how to motivate his players," said Anthony Bisignano, who, as a running back and safety in the mid-1970s at Monsignor Farrell High School, recalled playing against Mr. Barberi's teams.

"Andy Barberi lived, ate and slept football, and he loved his players," said Mr. Bisignano, a lawyer who also happened to represent passengers suing the city over the 2003 crash. "They honored his name by putting it on a ferry, and now the name will go down in infamy because of the crashes," he added.

After the accident on Saturday, Mr. Barberi's son, Bruce Barberi, a physical education teacher now living in Bennington, Neb., said of his father: "He'd say, 'If the boat has safety problems, get rid of it.'"

But Bruce Barberi added that his father would not be one to give up too quickly on the ferry. After all, he did not give up easily on his players.
"He'd put teethmarks in kids' fannies but he also put his arm around them," Mr. Barberi said. "He'd buy some kids shoes and jackets in the winter."

Andy Barberi played for N.Y.U. as a guard. In 1936, when he was 21, he gained renown for playing with a broken arm and helping the team to a 7-6 upset of the Fordham Rams — even outplaying one of the Rams, Vince Lombardi. Mr. Barberi was elected the team's captain as a senior.

Dennis Barrett, 66, who coached football at Monsignor Farrell and later at the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., recalled Mr. Barberi for his outsize character, his stature — 5-foot-5 and 300 pounds — as well as his gruff voice and the cigar always wedged between his teeth.

He said Mr. Barberi never drove, but had so many friends that he never lacked for a ride. "He was rough and gruff around the edges, and heart as big as Manhattan," Mr. Barrett said. "He would do anything for anybody, and he made a lot of men out of boys."

"He wasn't fancy," he added. "He taught his boys smash-mouth football, three yards and a cloud of dust; that was his style."

In 1980, the year after Mr. Barberi died, Mayor Edward I. Koch announced that a new ferry would be named for him. The ferry became part of the fleet in 1981.

"You don't get a ferryboat named after you, if you don't have the kind of heart that Andy had," Mr. Barrett said.

"Andy had nothing to do with the crash, and this will never hurt his name at all," he said. "I don't think it's doing him any harm."

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100 Years and 200,000 Babies Later: Swedish, Microsoft and Nordstrom ... - Forbes

Posted: 06 May 2010 03:25 PM PDT


BusinessWire - Swedish, one of the region's largest and most comprehensive non-profit health-care providers, today announced that Microsoft Corp. and Nordstrom have joined them in celebration of Swedish's 100th anniversary this year. All three Seattle brands have teamed up to expand the 'I'm a Swedish Baby' Photo Contest in an effort to recognize some of the many babies born in Swedish's health-care system over the past 100 years.

"Swedish delivers more babies than any other hospital in the state," said Melissa Tizon, Swedish's communications director. "People in the community often tell us how proud they are to have been born at Swedish, so we wanted to celebrate all of our Swedish babies as part of our 100th anniversary. We are very excited to work with Microsoft to create an interactive photo album using the latest multi-touch computing platform. And given the historical ties, it's a natural connection to put these Surface tables on display in the Kids' Shoes departments at local Nordstrom stores."

This week, Microsoft Surface units were installed in three Nordstrom locations including Downtown Seattle on May 3, Bellevue Square on May 4 and Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood on May 5. They will be on display throughout the month. Microsoft Surface will provide an interface for Nordstrom shoppers to learn more about the 'I'm a Swedish Baby' Photo Contest, browse submitted photos, search for Swedish babies and read their personal stories. Using stamps, children will also be able to create virtual art work of stars, dogs and hearts on Surface as a fun activity while shopping. POP, a Seattle-based digital agency, developed the interactive Surface application for Swedish.

Microsoft Surface is an innovative computing platform that responds to touch, natural hand gestures and real-world objects placed on the display, providing effortless interaction with information and digital content in a simple and intuitive way. With a large, 360-degree, horizontal user interface, Surface offers a unique gathering place where multiple users can collaboratively and simultaneously interact with content and each other. In addition, Surface provides businesses with unique value in delivering information and services in a more friendly way allowing better engagement with their customers.

"Microsoft Surface provides an ideal forum for showcasing Swedish contest entries with its multi-user, multi-touch capabilities and massive touch screen," said Panos Panay, general manager of Microsoft Surface. "The custom application from POP enables regular content updates and takes advantage of the collaborative, intuitive and social nature of Surface ensuring Nordstrom shoppers stay apprised of what's happening with the photo contest and have some fun at the same time."

Swedish and Nordstrom have a longstanding connection since the medical center opened its doors in 1910. Katharine J. 'Kitty' Nordstrom was the daughter of Dr. Nils Johanson -- the surgeon and Swedish immigrant who founded Swedish. Kitty Nordstrom was married to Elmer Nordstrom, former co-chairman of Nordstrom and son of John W. Nordstrom, founder of the store.

Third-generation family member and former co-chairman, John N. Nordstrom, the son of Elmer Nordstrom, is also a member of the medical center's Board of Trustees.

"With our local roots in the community and our historic connection with Swedish, partnering to celebrate all the babies born at the hospital since its inception was a natural fit for us," said Kendall Ault, spokesperson for Nordstrom.

How to Enter the 'I'm a Swedish Baby' Photo Contest

Entries for the baby photo contest will be accepted online through June 1, 2010 in six categories including craziest hair, biggest sports fan, trick-or-treat, my first birthday, most adorable and I love my pet.

Each contest category will have a grand-prize, second-prize and third-prize winner. Grand-prize winners will receive a two-night stay for four people to Great Wolf Lodge and a $300 gift card to spend at the lodge during their stay (approximate retail value of prize is $1,000). Second-place prize winners will receive a $500 Nordstrom gift card and third-place winners will receive a $250 Amazon.com gift card. Winners will be notified on or about June 21, 2010.

Visit www.swedish100.org for full contest rules. Swedish partnered with POP to design and create the commemorative site.

About Swedish

Established in 1910, Swedish has grown to become the largest, most comprehensive non-profit health-care provider in the Greater Seattle area over the last 100 years. It is comprised of three hospital campuses (First Hill, Cherry Hill and Ballard), a freestanding emergency department and specialty center in Issaquah, Swedish Visiting Nurse Services and Swedish Physicians -- a network of 14 primary-care clinics. In addition to general medical and surgical care, Swedish is known as a regional referral center, providing specialized treatment in areas such as neurological care, cardiovascular care, oncology, orthopedics, high-risk obstetrics, pediatrics, organ transplantation, and clinical research. For more information about Swedish, visit www.swedish.org and www.swedish100.org.

About Nordstrom

Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 192 stores located in 28 states. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 114 full-line stores, 75 Nordstrom Racks, two Jeffrey boutiques and one clearance store. Nordstrom also serves customers through its online presence at www.nordstrom.com and through its catalogs. Nordstrom, Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft Surface is an innovative computing platform that responds to touch, natural hand gestures and real-world objects placed on the display, providing effortless interaction with information and digital content in a simple and intuitive way. With a large, 360-degree, horizontal user interface, Microsoft Surface offers a unique gathering place where multiple users can collaboratively and simultaneously interact with content and each other. In addition, Microsoft Surface provides businesses with unique value in delivering information and services in a more friendly way allowing better engagement with their customers.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

About POP

POP is a leading digital agency that crafts experiences for the web, mobile devices and emerging digital platforms for Fortune 1000 brands, including Target, Amazon, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and Epson. Founded in 1996, POP has 120 employees with offices in Seattle and New York. To learn more about POP, visit www.pop.us.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6281628&lang=en

SOURCE: Swedish

Swedish Ed Boyle, 206-386-2748 ed.boyle@swedish.org or Nordstrom Kendall Ault, 206-373-3031 kendall.ault@nordstrom.com or Edelman, for Microsoft Surface Vanessa Whorley, 206-268-2276 vanessa.whorley@edelman.com or Reidy Communications, for POP Jen Reidy, 415-891-8300 jen@reidycommunications.com

Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
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