Spring 2008

The latest news and
information about The
BizWorld Foundation.

Dear Friends,

It’s amazing to think that summer is just a few months away! For those of us at The BizWorld Foundation, the 2007-2008 school year has flown by. And what a year it has been! While our program team has been busy collaborating with educators and allied organizations to bring our programs to more classrooms, our development department has focused on renewing partnerships and creating new relationships with our community of friends and donors. It’s been an incredible year of growth, and we are thrilled with the progress we’ve made.

In this issue, you can learn about some of the exciting projects we’ve been working on:

• Start your engines and race in BizWorld’s 8th Annual Grand Prix!
  
• The BizWorld Foundation celebrates Ten Years
• BizWorld and The Volunteer Center: Bringing volunteers into the classroom
  
• The New York Stock Exchange Foundation invests in BizWorld

Thank you for your continued support and interest in our work. We look forward to seeing you in a classroom or at the Grand Prix on May 1st!

All the best,

This May we will host our 8th Annual Grand Prix racing event at Go Kart Racer in Burlingame, California. This event raises vital funds for The BizWorld Foundation and draws a terrific crowd of “Who’s Who” in the venture capital, banking and high-tech industries for a night of competitive racing.

BizWorld’s 8th Annual Grand Prix will take place on May 1, 2008 and this year we’re raising the stakes. In addition to participating in the main racing event, the first five companies or individuals to sponsor a team will have the opportunity to go head-to-head with Johannes van Overbeek, professional Porsche driver from Flying Lizard Motorsports. Only a few spots remain to "Race the Pro" so secure your place on the track today!

For more information and to sponsor a team, contact Ashley Parsons at (415) 503-5880 or Ashley.Parsons@bizworld.org.

On December 4, 2007, over 250 people joined The BizWorld Foundation Board of Directors and staff to celebrate our tenth anniversary. Hosted at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco, California this year’s Annual Education Luncheon drew an enthusiastic crowd of longtime BizWorld supporters as well as new friends from our community to celebrate this milestone in our history. We were incredibly fortunate that Chad Hurley, CEO of YouTube, joined us as our featured guest for the afternoon. To watch his interview with Tim Draper, Founder of The BizWorld Foundation and Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, click here.
 
Two BizWorld student companies from Northstar Academy in Redwood City, California also attended the Luncheon—“The Purple Robes” and “The Yellow Jackets” —and the highlight of the afternoon came when they performed their commercials for the audience.

While the Luncheon was a terrific celebration of our accomplishments over the last ten years, as a fundraiser it also provided crucial financial support that will allow us to continue providing our programs to all children around the world. Thank you to our 2007 Luncheon sponsors as well as everyone who attended the event. We couldn’t have imagined celebrating ten years without you!

BizWorld's Tim Draper, Chad Hurley, BizKids at 2007 BizWorld Luncheon

San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newson, volunteering in a BizWorld classroom

In fact, on March 25, 2008, The BizWorld Foundation and The Volunteer Center hosted a forum for various corporate volunteer managers to brainstorm ways to involve BizWorld and BizWiz in community outreach efforts.

As Board Member and BizWorld classroom volunteer Harry Gould explains, “BizWorld allowed me to give back to the community by teaching business skills to young people. As a parent I have always wanted to get involved in my childrens' classroom in a meaningful way. The BizWorld Foundation’s programs empower young people and prepare them for the future.”

Gould’s efforts in the classroom were recognized by student Ellen Lee, the self proclaimed “one who asked many questions,” who wrote in a letter to Harry,

 “I particularly liked how you helped Sophia and I get along, because at first, it wasn’t going so well. Now it’s like nothing ever happened and our friendship hasn’t been affected! Thank you so much for that! You are right! Friendship is more important than most everything else.”

For more information on how to get involved with The BizWorld Foundation as a volunteer, please contact Kristen Mjoseth @ 415-503-5880 or email: kristen.mjoseth@bizworld.org.

The BizWorld Foundation is pleased to announce that it has received a generous grant from The New York Stock Exchange Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation established by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The grant will be used to expand our outreach efforts and bring our programs to more and more classrooms throughout New York. We are honored that The New York Stock Exchange Foundation has chosen to invest in The BizWorld Foundation, and we look forward to partnering with them in the future.

To celebrate this grant and our continued expansion into New York, plans are underway for The BizWorld Foundation to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange! Stay tuned for updates—we would love to have you join us!

BizKid Quote:

“BizWorld is the best business teacher ever. I learned about profit, revenue, prototype, and other big humungous words like those”

~ 4th grade student

Board member spotlight: Bill Draper

Bill Draper is known for creating the entrepreneurial landscape of Silicon Valley. One of the West Coast’s first venture capitalists, Mr. Draper serves as a General Partner for Draper Richards L.P. He is also one of The BizWorld Foundation’s most generous supporters and friends. In fact, Mr. Draper’s involvement with The BizWorld Foundation has been crucial to the growth and success of the Foundation’s programs.

As Draper explains, "BizWorld is in all fifty states teaching our youngest citizens the fundamentals of business in a way that is creative, motivating, exciting and fun. Beyond its obvious team building characteristics, the program teaches the importance of mathematics and financial concepts in business. It’s been very rewarding to see how The BizWorld Foundation has grown over the years.”

The BizWorld Foundation thanks Mr. Draper for his support and commitment to entrepreneurship and business education.

Look for
The BizWorld Foundation
at these conferences
around the country…

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
April 9-12, 2008
Salt Lake City, UT

California Financial Literacy Summit
April 23, 2008
Sacramento, CA

Future Business Leaders of America
June 22-June 25, 2008
Atlanta, GA

National Conference on Differentiated Instruction
July 20-23, 2008
Las Vegas, NV