GPK FOUNDATION

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Funded Projects: 2009

This was the GPK Foundation's second full year of operation, and therefore the first year in which the amount awarded to 501(c)(3)'s was based on the Foundation's average worth over a full year. The Foundation made ten grants in December, totaling $40,000.00. Awards were given to:

  • The Oklahoma University Cancer Institute, to support its Gynecologic Oncology Section Chair in Women's Cancers, in the amount of $10,000.00. Private gifts of this sort are used to support an endowed chair position for a senior researcher at the OU Cancer Institute. The current chair holder is Doris M. Benbrook, Ph.D. Dr. Benbrook has developed a drug, SHetA2, with promising applications for cancer prevention, for which she is now seeking permission to conduct clinical trials.

    The OU Cancer Institute has also offered to dedicate space in the new OU Cancer Institute Building to the memory of Anna Cesario, who inspired us with her courage in the fight against cancer.

  • The Central Asia Institute, in support of education in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in the amount of $5,000.00. Founded by Greg Mortenson, known for his book Three Cups of Tea, CAI establishes or maintains 130 schools educating over 51,000 students, of which 30,000 are girls. This is the second year in which the GPK Foundation has supported the efforts of CAI.

  • Engineers Without Borders, Wisconsin Professional Partners, in the amount of $5,000.00. This EWB project is to build a bridge to the isolated village of El Aguacate in Guatemala. During the five months of the rainy season (May to October), El Aguacate's roughly 2,000 residents have been cut off from basic services such as health care, education beyond the elementary school level, and markets vital to their nutritional needs. With its contribution, the Foundation hopes to cover some of the larger supplies needed, such as the cement or rebar.

  • Engineers Without Borders, Central Ohio Professionals Chapter (EWB-COh), in the amount of $5,000.00. EWB-COh has partnered with another EWB chapter, from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Together, they aim to address the lack of clean drinking water in Batoula, Cameroon, a situation that has led to a high rate of illness and death from cholera and diarrhea. The Foundation hopes that its contribution will cover biosand filters (an intermediate solution) and a significant portion of the cost of drilling a well. In addition, by raising $5,000.00 through other sources, EWB-COh becomes eligible for a matching $5,000.00 from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

  • OxFam America, to fight the epidemic of cholera in Zimbabwe, in the amount of $3,000.00. Oxfam is working to address the lack of basic hygiene supplies that has led to this situation. The Foundation hopes that its contribution will support Oxfam in running its community-based Cholera Early Warning System, building latrines for improved sanitation, and/or rehabilitating one or more of the bore holes upon which Zimbabwe's rural communities depend for their water supply.

  • FINCA International, in support of its Village Banking initiative, in the amount of $3,000.00. The Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA) offers micro-loans in an effort to alleviate poverty, bringing together 20 to 30 women who administer the group's credit and savings activities. With its contribution, the GPK Foundation hopes to support multiple Village Banking clients with a year's worth of loan capital.

  • Legacy Community Health Services, in support of health care in the greater Houston, TX area, in the amount of $3,000.00. Founded in 1978 as an STD clinic, Legacy specializes in identifying unmet needs and gaps in health-related services, specifically serving those who are uninsured and underinsured. The Foundation hopes that its contribution will allow Legacy to provide a variety of medical services and supplies to those in need, such as vaccines, eyeglasses, diabetic test strips, consultations with dieticians and optometrists, and/or the fabrication, fitting, and maintenance of prosthetic eyes.

  • Planned Parenthood Federation of America, in support of reproductive health and human rights, in the amount of $2,500.00. Planned Parenthood's Youth Initiatives program reaches out to teens between the ages of 15 and 18, giving them the training they need to become peer educators, to provide their peers with accurate sexual health information--and who may become the next generation of leaders for the reproductive justice movement. The Foundation hopes that its contribution will help to send teens to a training conference to learn advocacy skills such as organizing events, canvassing, messaging, and media outreach.

  • National Public Radio, in continuing support of its noncommercial educational programming, in the amount of $2,500.00. NPR provides in-depth coverage of a wide range of critical events on subjects of global importance, including education, health care, alternative energy, and the economy. NPR provides programming to the United States's public broadcasting stations, and represents them in matters of national interest. This is the second year in which the GPK Foundation has supported the efforts of NPR.

  • Jane's Due Process, in support of providing legal counsel to pregnant minors in Texas, in the amount of $1,000.00. Jane's Due Process supplies nonjudgemental and culturally sensitive information to pregnant teens on the Texas-Mexico border. This area has some of the highest teen pregnancy and child bearing rates in the country, and many counties lack for abortion providers and health clinics. The Foundation hopes that its contribution will enable Jane's Due Process to provide pregnant teens in several border counties with information about their right to an equal education, preventing unintended pregnancy, and teen dating violence.

"Carole and I are very proud of the Foundation and its board," said Peter V. Meyers, President. "Funding it is one of the best decisions we've made."

Public Disclosure

Our 2009 tax return (PDF format, requires Adobe Reader)