By Frances Schwabenland, our photojournalist. “I have to be here.” Mildred was fighting a cold but she didn’t let that stop her. Her sense of responsibility and dedication has made her the first Employee of the Month for Wash Cycle Laundry. That morning, 39 bags filled with clothes, linens, sheets and towels had to be
There are so many shopping guides out there for the holidays. Why is ours superior, seriously? Because these companies don't just create wonderful products, they create good jobs, they care for the environment and create the positive changes we need in the world. And, finally, they are all "Investees" -- the Untours Foundation has backed them with a low-interest loan or an equity investment.
Norma Lee Black Taussig, our dear friend and co-founder of the foundation, died yesterday at 92. I think Norma would have said she wasn’t 92 years “young,” but 92 years “old.” She lived through much hardship including the death of her beloved brother when she was young to living with the effects of a serious
This nifty radio piece investigates how a new business model is trying to help people in Haiti. While they don’t exactly quote Hal’s phrase “A hand up, not a handout,” there is a similar mindset — that business might have some answers to problems that charity alone can’t solve. (Just for full disclosure, we have
There’s a new crop of business incubators and shared work spaces around the US that are housing some of our current and potential loan recipients, among others. Myself and Jon Blum, our fantastic pro bono consultant, just visited one such space, The Pipeline, in Philadelphia. The view from one of its meeting rooms is Philadelphia City Hall with
December 2014 Dear Untours family, As a youngster, my grandfather “Pop” taught himself to read out of boredom during long church services, sitting on the floor at his father’s knee. While the minister read the scripture aloud, he would follow his father’s finger on the words in the Bible. In time, Pop could read what
Untours Foundation loan recipient EcoZoom has been nominated as one of 2014’s design pioneers by Smithsonian Design Museum. Their Jet cookstove makes it possible to burn much less charcoal and produce much less carbon emissions, which improves the health of folks on the ground and improves the health of our planet. EcoZoom estimates that CO2
One of the Untours Foundations’ early investments was a small credit union in North Carolina called Self-Help. Small Beginnings Self-Help Credit Union had just about the smallest beginning you can imagine — with $77 in bake sale proceeds! Since 1984, it has grown to 17 branches all over North Carolina. True to its roots and mission, it gives back