Impulse 81: Board Notes

Carnegie heroes face situations that are surprisingly familiar to all of us, just vastly more dangerous. The latest batch of Carnegie Hero awards involve three rescues of children who survived …
Posted on by Griffin Erdely
Carnegie heroes face situations that are surprisingly familiar to all of us, just vastly more dangerous. The latest batch of Carnegie Hero awards involve three rescues of children who survived …
Posted on by Griffin Erdely
I dislike “meta” articles. You know, where a writer writes about writing. That’s usually more interesting to the writer than the reader! But after turning out a lot of these …
Posted on by Griffin Erdely
I have the odd habit of paying attention to the lyrics of hymns. While the congregation is singing, immersed in the music and the sound, I’m thinking about the lyrics, …
Posted on by Griffin Erdely
I didn’t really need to drive to the Butler Farm Show ground to have a personal look. The pictures have been all over the news. A speaker’s platform draped in …
Posted on by Griffin Erdely
Most of these articles focus on the Carnegie heroes themselves, on the risks they take, and on the price they often pay for their heroic acts. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. …
Posted on by Griffin Erdely
Perhaps there are some everyday takeaways in the stories of the Carnegie heroes. Not something that will send you running into a burning building or plunging into swift, icy waters, …
Posted on by Griffin Erdely
If we are open to it, a minor administrative detail can give insight into an important issue. Just such a detail nudged me into thinking more carefully just what it …
Posted on by Griffin Erdely
The Carnegie Hero Fund is blessed to work with a remarkable group of people, the rescuers whose deeds have earned them the Carnegie Medal. Many critically important nonprofit organizations deal …
Posted on by Jewels Phraner
In your last Impulse, we discussed two Canadian fishermen who made a dramatic rescue in the turbulent December waters off Newfoundland. Now I’d like to take you to a stretch …
Posted on by Jewels Phraner
Every Carnegie hero has earned the Carnegie Medal by making a choice that would define their life. Not an abstract decision, like “I like jazz music better than rock,” but …
Posted on by Colin Cavada
It was 29 years ago that the late, great Tom Hilliard asked me to become a member of the Hero Fund Commission. I didn’t have a clear idea of what …
Posted on by Colin Cavada
And so it goes …There are big changes underway at the Hero Fund. “Good governance,” complete with all associated “best practices,” has caught up with us. In June I completed …
Posted on by Eli Lambiotte
A slight lull in the hectic life of your dedicated Board Notes essayist (that’s me) allowed me to retrieve from my inbox a special story that has been calling for …
Posted on by Abby Marie
Here at the Hero Fund we enjoy the traditional classic Christmas move It’s A Wonderful Life as much as anyone. It’s a great movie, one of the best American movies. …
Posted on by Abby Marie
These famous words of Andrew Carnegie — “My heart is in the work” — sweetly capture the vibrant energy that flowed through his business and philanthropic work. So, I was …
Posted on by Abby Marie
I have a mental tic that kicks in when I’m working on Carnegie Hero Fund matters. When faced with a novel question, the question pops into my mind, “WWCD?” You …
Posted on by Abby Marie
Vartan Gregorian is no longer with us. For a quarter of a century he has been the energetic center of the world of philanthropy created by Andrew Carnegie. The power …
Posted on by Abby Marie
In this issue of Impulse, Editor Jewels Phraner takes you on a deep dive into the 1916 Cleveland Waterworks Tunnel Disaster which killed 21 and injured others. Phraner, a veteran …
Posted on by Abby Marie
Is the Carnegie Hero Medal unconstitutional? Well, no, of course not, that’s preposterous. Yet at a time when Americans are focused on the Constitution and the Supreme Court, the question …
Posted on by Jewels Phraner
By Mark Laskow, Chair Carnegie Hero Fund Commission “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.” —Andrew Carnegie One hardly …