Happy Thanksgiving

 

Dear Friend,

The Dalai Lama once said, “The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.”

That is both metaphor and real for us at Isles. Through community and school gardens, over 1,000 culturally diverse families and students grow tens of thousands of pounds of fresh food – and deep roots – in the soil of Trenton and beyond.

This time of year, we give thanks to you for helping us build and turn that “soil of appreciation.” Our work would not be possible without you.

In the coming days, you’ll receive a request for support from Isles, describing the impacts you made possible in 2018. We’ll also launch our online #GivingTuesday campaign just after Thanksgiving.

I hope you will help us develop meaningful pathways to family self-reliance and community health.

And I trust you agree – we can use more goodness in the country and world! We can cultivate it together.

From all of us here at Isles, have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Marty Johnson

Trenton Then & Now

 

Ever walk down a street in Trenton and wonder what it looked like a century ago? Then and Now is an ongoing photo-history project that retakes a photograph from the same perspective as the original. It focuses on Downtown Trenton’s historic businesses and often overlooked beautiful architecture – especially those that can only be seen in photographs. Every Friday, we release a new location at creektocanalcreative.org/then-and-now, so go check it out!

North Stockton Street: Built in 1900, these row-homes still maintain much of their original architecture. Many were abandoned for decades, but with the help of several partners including Isles and Ajax Downtown, they were successfully restored.

State Street: Top hats, long coats, billboards, and old cars, check out the bustling State Street of 1934. You can swipe between the Then & Now images of State Street at the link below, and read a little bit about Downtown Trenton’s fascinating history here: creektocanalcreative.org/state-street

Isles' Paper Published in Federal Reserve

Why do we pay so much attention to child lead poisoning? For starters, thousands (up to half) the kids in Trenton and older suburbs can be affected by it. Research is increasingly clear – even at low levels, lead impacts IQ, behavior, and other health factors. With all the talk of and investment in education reform, nothing would be more cost effective at increasing child IQ in a region than removing lead from the environment, especially from homes, where kids spend 70% of their time.

As importantly, despite lots of complex research and policy position papers and even financial investment, a basic problem prevailed. Before Isles’ efforts, no one had characterized the source of the lead in Trenton. We tested thousands of homes, learned that 80% of the lead comes from their dust (not their water, like Flint). But we didn’t stop there. We developed low cost ways to make homes both energy efficient and healthy. We also trained local contractors to do the same, while working to gain the trust of residents and property owners, who for good reason, often don’t like folks inspecting their homes.

To a large extent, because of Isles’ experience, New Jersey’s Lead Pilot funding program was re-structured and re-funded at $10M annually. We’re successfully raising other funds to do targeted renovation of homes, making them safe, efficient, and comfortable, while creating quality jobs in the process. The long-term savings to families and taxpayers are immense – $17 – $54 saved for every $1 invested in preventing lead poisoning. With this experience and policy changes we are pursuing, we can set our sights on making Trenton homes lead safe by 2027.

Like other work that we develop at Isles, we are teaching community groups and policymakers our lessons. We are very pleased that the Federal Reserve of San Francisco recently published our paper, When Homes Are the Most Dangerous Place: How a Community Development Organization Learned to Get the Lead Out. It offers a story of perseverance, success and educational failures over 15 years. Why does the Federal Reserve care about this? Because their member banks hold over a trillion dollars in assets that are potentially poisoning children. It’s time to figure this out.

All of this occurred because social entrepreneurs decided to keep finding better ways to foster self-reliance and community health. It took over 15 years and willingness to work on the ground and learn from researchers.

It also took flexible sources of funds to pay for this learning – and action. Unrestricted funding from donors like you made it possible. Thank you.

Do Your Shopping through Amazon Smile

Isles is registered with Amazon Smile, a seamless program that donates a percentage of your Amazon purchases to nonprofits at no cost to you.

What is Amazon Smile?
Amazon Smile is a program that donates 0.5% of eligible purchases to a charity of your choice. So, for example, if you purchased a book for $10, five cents of that purchase would go directly to Isles. Every little bit counts!

How do I sign up?
Here are some easy steps to follow to use Amazon Smile:

  1. When you’re ready to make your next purchase on Amazon, go to smile.amazon.com
  2. Use your normal Amazon username and password to log in.
  3. Once you log in, you’ll see a search bar at the bottom of the page where you can “Pick your own charitable organization”
  4. Type in “Isles, Inc”
  5. Click the yellow “Select” button to the right of our name.
  6. Now start shopping!

Do I have to remember all those steps every time I want to buy something?
No, you just have to select Isles the first time. Then all you need to remember is to go to smile.amazon.com when you shop!

If I go to smile.amazon.com, do I miss out on products from amazon.com?
No, the smile site offers the exact same products as the amazon.com site. You’re not missing out on anything by using smile.amazon.com. (Note that not all products on the Smile site will be eligible for the donation, but all products will be there.)

How can I tell if a purchase qualifies for Amazon Smile?
You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for Amazon Smile donation” on their product detail pages.

Does it cost me anything extra?
No, not at all. You pay the same amount as you normally would for your Amazon purchases.

Does Isles see what I buy?
We can’t see what you buy. In fact, Amazon does not share any information about those who have signed up  – it’s completely anonymous. However, we do encourage you to let us know that you have signed up for it, so we can recognize you as an Isles supporter.  

 

Thank you for supporting Isles! If you have any additional questions, please contact resource development at 609.341.4734.

2018 Annual Report

As chaos swirls at the national level, I remain hopeful knowing there are thoughtful, hardworking people who partner with Isles to tackle tough challenges, build community, and make a difference. Your support makes this possible. This year’s Annual Report shows our work in action.

Take, for example, the over 300 gardeners who make up Isles Garden Support Network. This year, these neighbors and friends will develop and maintain 70+ community and school gardens. Together, they grow healthy food for their families, cool the hot streets with green oases, reduce blight and vacancy (and related crime), and beautify neighborhood landscapes.

Last week, I met with a group of new Isles Youth Institute students. Though they previously struggled in school, they are optimistic about the future. These students aren’t just getting a high school diploma – they are learning vocations and becoming the next generation of leaders in their communities.

To make Trenton lead-safe within 10 years, community health workers, Princeton University students, IYI students, and local contractors are joining forces with Isles. The impact of removing lead from homes and backyards will be healthier kids and families, better students, reduced costs for criminal justice, lower health care costs, reduced energy bills, and more.

As Isles moves into the Social Profit Center at Mill One, we’ll join the growing family of organizations, social businesses, and artists who share affordable spaces and technology in fun, energy efficient office, studio, meeting, and assembly spaces.

These examples are made possible by small groups of committed, optimistic people organizing to achieve powerful results. In fact, this month, 37 years ago, three of us started Isles with no funds, no track record, and limited life experiences. We didn’t wait for Washington or a growing economy to solve our challenges. We thought we could make a difference, and we did. Of course, our work continues to evolve.

Enjoy the 2017 Annual Report and the impactful stories you’ve made possible. On behalf of all of those we serve, thank you.

Once more, we can’t do this work without you. Please give generously today.

In community,

Marty

Why Does Isles Do this Work, this Way?

Dear Friends,

People ask, “Why does Isles do this work, this way?”

Well, over 37(!) years ago, we wanted to find better ways to strengthen communities and restore the environment at the local, “isles” level. Since then, we’ve searched and tested the best, affordable pathways to our mission: self-reliant families and healthy, sustainable communities.

After nearly 4 decades of trial, error, learning, and shifting political and financial trends (especially this past year), today’s Isles provides a unique toolbox for families and communities. In four ways, we foster self-reliance. We plan and develop healthy places, build financial wealth, clean up environmental hazards, and educate and train students and workers.

Our staff, board, and volunteers are social entrepreneurs that work with communities to blend local wisdom with the best thinking and evidence-based data across the country. At times that’s a messy process. But it’s the best way we know to succeed. The results are highlighted in this year’s Annual Report.

This year, I expanded my teaching load at the Keller Center at Princeton University, and the Isles leadership team of John Hart, Julia Taylor, Shenette Gray, and Peter Rose stepped up to lead on numerous fronts. We expanded our work on the ground. We shared lessons with others across the state and country. We developed webinars, case studies for the classroom, op-eds, and the first draft of Isles’ history.

This doing and thinking are possible because of organized people and diverse funds. That includes our volunteer board under Michele Minter’s leadership, our awesome staff, and supporters like you, who provide critical flexible funding.

This work is more important than ever, and we can’t do it without you.

Thanks for being there! Check out this year’s annual report, and let us know what you think.

In community,
Marty

Book Review: Building on Bedrock

Today, my Princeton colleague Derek Lidow’s book on entrepreneurship, Building on Bedrock, was released. It’s worth the read! Here’s my review:

“Finally, the truth about entrepreneurship.

Derek Lidow methodically and entertainingly debunks the popular myths and magical thinking around successful entrepreneurs. If you think they need to take big risks, raise large amounts of money, innovate, be tech-savvy and “disrupt” industries, think again. Blending honest startup stories and current research, he exposes a vital but perhaps un-sexy reality: the vast majority of successful entrepreneurs ‘start small and grow as they gain confidence.’

His rare access to Sam Walton’s earliest hunches about Walmart is a fascinating tale of that iterative process.

Building On Bedrock is a book that challenges how entrepreneurs are taught, supported and mythologized. We need this more than ever, because our future depends on them.”

Letter to the Editor: The challenge of lead in NJ

A recent cover article on NJBIZ highlights the challenge of lead in our water in NJ.

The problem is, 80% of the lead in kids’ bloodstreams comes from lead in dust, not water. My letter to the editor in response:

“Too many people think that the lead problem was solved decades ago, but a 2015 NJ Health Department study of lead poisoning revealed that in 13 places, mostly cities across NJ, a higher percentage of children had elevated levels of lead in their blood than children in Flint, Mich. Here in Trenton, the percentage was twice as high.

While lead in our water is an important threat, by far the most significant cause of lead poisoning in New Jersey comes from the dust of homes where lead from old paint makes its way into our kids’ bloodstreams. Of course, those in older neighborhoods carry the highest burden.

The good news is that we and others are working to understand the source of the toxic threat and low cost ways to make our homes and backyards safe. (This past year, we tested nearly 400 Trenton homes, and found that more than 70% have lead-based paint, while fewer than 10% had high lead levels in their water.) As a result, we believe that Trenton can become “Lead-Safe by 2027”.

This ambitious goal requires a consistent approach that combines public and private players, applying forward thinking policies that other cities across the country have proven effective, in addition to investments in testing and getting the lead out.

Thanks to NJBIZ for highlighting the lead threat, and we encourage you and your member businesses to join us and others who are tackling the source of 80% of the threat. Dust may not be as sexy as water, but its far more dangerous, especially to those that can least afford it, like kids and the elderly in older communities.

Experts tell us that a dollar invested now in lead safe home repairs will return at least $17, just down the road. We can help NJ’s budget problems by lowering the cost for special education, incarceration, health and social services and other public assistance simply by protecting children’s brains from lead’s damage.”

Interested in making a gift of appreciated stock?

Interested in making a gift of appreciated stock?

Thank you for supporting Isles in our mission to strengthen families and build healthy, sustainable communities. Your generous contribution enables us to help families throughout our region build the lives they want for themselves and their families.

Why give appreciated stock?

Making a gift of appreciated stock is a beneficial way to provide a year end charitable donation.  The gift of appreciated stock can provide tax savings by allowing you to avoid capital gains tax that might be due if you sold the stock. It also entitles you to a charitable deduction based on the stock’s current value.

Giving appreciated stock is simple!   Our preferred method of receiving stocks is via direct transfer to RBC Wealth Management. To make a transfer you will need the following information:

Transfer to: RBC Capital Markets LLC

DTC # 0235
For Credit to: Isles
Account Number: 302-49394
Tax ID #: 22-2350832

If you have any questions, please call Isles’ account advisor, Jonathan Zoll at  609-936-6425 or 888-688-2373. 

Please note: According to IRS tax code [Regulation 1.170A-1(b)], gifts of securities received via DTC will be acknowledged using the mean value of the stock on the date it is transferred into Isle’s RBC account.

Thank you for supporting Isles’ work!

December 2017

It’s the holidays, and we strive to maintain our gratitude and deep appreciation for the season. But in the face of this mean-spirited Tax Bill, we could use a little help in planning for the year-end and New Year. Many expect it to bring far-reaching impacts that we still don’t understand, including $20B in reduced donations nationally in 2018 (because up to 30% fewer people will itemize deductions).

Without that financial incentive, will people donate less? Will they be more targeted with their donations? Should we do what universities and others are doing, and encourage people to give more by year end?

About 18% of Isles’ funding comes from individuals, and it is the most valuable, unrestricted revenues that we receive. It makes innovation, self-help and community-building work possible.

We are not your typical charity – we are an anchor institution that provides services and products (not “programs”) that families and individuals choose to use to move towards self-reliance. See the real impact on lives of those we serve in this 6 minute video. In addition, our 2017 highlights summarizes important work and why your unrestricted gift remains our lifeblood. It makes our work possible.  

These are unsettling times, but we greatly appreciate so many friends for your support and friendship. If you can, consider giving today at isles.org/donate. Thanks for being there. During these times, we need you more than ever!

Marty