The SOCAP community is deeply saddened by the passing of entrepreneur Priya Haji. Priya was CEO & co-founder of both SaveUp and World of Good, an online wholesaler of sustainable goods. She was a respected voice in social impact and we have been honored to work with Priya since the first SOCAP conference in 2008.

We know Priya’s great work will continue through the countless lives she touched. A fund has been started by Future of Fish Founder Cheryl Dahle for Priya’s two young children.

By: Stephanie A. Whyte MD, MBA; Chief Health Officer, Chicago Public Schools

Prompt: Given your role in the Chicago Public Schools, the SOCAP community will most benefit from learning about the challenges that face the public school system, and its direct relationship to the health of the students. Specifically, we hope to learn from the successes (and failures, if relevant) of implementing health-based initiatives.

In 2012, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) in collaboration with the Chicago Department of Public Heath hired the district’s first ever-Chief Heath Officer. The primary charge was to build the infrastructure to remove health-related barriers to learning. Research shows and most people will agree “Healthy students are better learners.” But how does one promote and prioritize health and wellness in a system whose main objective is to educate students?

From the onset, it is necessary to make the connection between student health and academic success. For example, students who are more fit perform better academically (Grissom, 2005); students miss 51 million hours of school annually due to dental problems (Surgeon General’s Report 2000); and experts agree that 80% of what children learn is processed through the visual system. Quite simply, if little “Johnny” cannot see the blackboard (or smart board as the case may be) he will certainly struggle with reading and literacy.

The state of Illinois mandates vision and hearing screenings for select grades of students annually as well as a comprehensive vision exam for kindergarten students. Over 30,000 Chicago Public School students failed their vision screening last year. Once a child fails a screening, it is the responsibility of the parent to seek further evaluation. One of the systems of support that Chicago Public Schools has in place is a comprehensive vision exam program in which schools have the option to visit a year-round CPS partner-ran vision clinic or receive school-based services at their school. With the school-based option, optometrists arrive with all equipment in tow to provide services to students’ thereby creating access to care and removing vision as a health obstacle to learning.

The impact of this program on student achievement is heralded in the true story of little “Johnny” (not his actual name) below:

A Chicago Public School opted into the school-based vision exam program and its school nursetargeted students who failed the vision screening, were kindergarten students and/or were recommended by the teacher for evaluation. A visit to the school from a vision service provider ensued and little “Johnny” a kindergartener received his state mandated exam. Prior to this exam, “Johnny” had an individualized education plan (IEP) with a diagnosis of borderline autism. During his comprehensive exam, it was noted that “Johnny” had rapid intermittent eye movements, he was referred for specialty care where it was also noted that he had headaches due to light sensitivity and problems with visual processing and tracking.

“Johnny” was prescribed tinted eyeglasses that “slanted” his world and a visor. The change was almost immediate! After receiving the eyeglasses, “Johnny” performed much better in school. He no longer required an individualized education plan and was perceived to be a completely different student by his teacher. “Johnny” progressed so well that he was subsequently tested for and enrolled into one of the district’s regional gifted centers.

Whereas, the impact of this story is profound; it reinforces that “healthy students are better learners.” Health can be a barrier to learning but once identified and treated, unexpected gains and results can ensue. Of note, the Mayor of Chicago has since expanded this school-based vision model, which is expected to serve 45,000 Chicago Public School students in 2014.

For those of us in the trenches, it is a serves a wonderful reminder that we must treat and teach the entire child and leverage all of resources to ensure their success. As we respect the role of the school as the hub of the community, we must strengthen the relationships and engagement of all stakeholders. And in this age of innovation, we must consider those who are not traditionally seated at the table for inclusion in the discussion.

Tune into conversations with Dr. Whyte at the SOCAP Health Conference, June 25 + 26.
Checkout the free conference livestream sponsored by the CDC.

A hive of excitement is generating as we prepare for SOCAP14, our 7th annual conference in San Francisco on September 2-5.

As content director, I have been honored to see the SOCAP conference grow into a community that includes:

• change agents in communities and global leaders;
• institutional investment officers, philanthropic program officers, financial advisors, students, researchers and community development enterprises;
• entrepreneurs from Ghana to India, Brazil to Japan, and South Africa to Canada with world-changing visions that cut across sectors and geographies

The theme for SOCAP14 is “Igniting Vibrant Communities.” This was inspired by SOCAP13 speaker Steve Wright who challenged us all to look for vibrant communities as evidence of successful impact. The message resonated with our team and became the foundation for what we hope to see at this year and beyond.

SOCAP has been a way for many to get a taste of the possibilities at the intersection of money and meaning, attracting many newcomers as well as household names who come back for renewal and inspiration.

At SOCAP14, we’re working to bring together the practice of hospitality we practice as part of our work at four US Impact Hubs, making this SOCAP even more energizing.

To make this work on a scale that supports 2,000+ people, the SOCAP team is busy organizing content and on- and off-line tools for interaction and connection within and across communities.

We hope these interactions and intersections will be the sparks to ignite new vibrant communities and enrich existing ones, and that you will join us.

When we think about the heroes in the social impact sector, CEOs and founders are usually the first to jump to mind. But we all know that these visionaries don’t do it alone. And yet, we’re usually hard pressed to name other key team members that bring the vision to life.

Friday Consulting and Social Capital Markets (SOCAP) are reframing this conversation with the introduction of the Impact Weavers Award. The award celebrates the leaders who work behind the scene to create the teams and infrastructure that form the fabric of successful social enterprises. Nominations for outstanding internal leaders are being accepted through June 9th.

Founder and Principal of Friday Consulting Shivani Ganguly notes, “We frequently praise the founders of social enterprises for their vision and willingness to take on the challenges and great risks that come along with building a successful venture. However, we tend to forget about the internal leaders that build the team and make the hundreds of strategic and tactical decisions needed to bring the vision to fruition.”

With this award, Friday Consulting and SOCAP want to pull back the curtain on these outstanding individuals and recognize the hard work they do to create and interlace the many pieces that come together to form a thriving organization.

SOCAP Convener Kevin Jones says, “The myth of the hero was useful in the early stages of social enterprise; you needed a picture of a pioneer breaking new ground. Now we need another picture: a realization that change happens in teams and in communities. It takes more than a leader; it takes the doer to make the vision real. Here’s to the doers, the practical ones who flesh out the visionary’s ideas against what’s real and possible, the ones who point out the barriers ahead of time and find a way to get the visionary’s idea turned into a product or a service.”

You may not know who the Impact Weavers are in your favorite social enterprises. But we bet you know who they are within your own organization-so nominate them for this award! Or perhaps YOU are an Impact Weaver yourself-we want to hear from you, too!

Nominations are accepted through Monday June 9th. The award will be presented to two outstanding internal leaders in social enterprise on stage at SOCAP14, in San Francisco, CA September 2-5. Two award recipients will receive passes to SOCAP14, a published interview, and mentorship opportunities.

For more information about the Impact Weavers Award, please visit Friday Consulting’s award page: fridayconsultingsf.com/impactweavers/.

Friday Consulting is a boutique consulting firm that helps social impact startups grow by providing clients with the skills and tools they need to bring their products and services to scale. With Friday Consulting’s guidance, these businesses focus on a triple bottom line approach-using financial, social, and environmental metrics to measure success and return value to investors and stakeholders. The primary service offerings are in finance, operations, and human capital.