Friends,

We know that the success in philanthropy relies heavily upon the strength behind our partnerships.

As we move through the summer months, we wanted to be sure to take time to thank everyone in the GPD community — from our grantees to the many friends and colleagues we’ve made along the way. Thank you for joining our mission.

If you work for or know of an organization working toward these goals and would like to explore ways to collaborate with GPD, please don’t hesitate to reach out us directly at jdeblasio@gpdcharitabletrust.org.  

Here are some recent updates:

John DeBlasio Announces Launch DT Institute 

This Summer 2019, GPD Founder and Executive Director John DeBlasio will launch DT Institute, a not-for-profit organization that pushes the boundaries of peace and development in three principal areas: (1) Stabilization and Transition; (2) Economic Growth; and (3) Independent Media and Technology. Dedicated to empowering communities and catalyzing peace and development, DT Institute will drive innovation, strengthen communities and leaders, and pursue excellence in implementation.

To stay up to speed on DT Institute, please follow the GPD Charitable Trust on LinkedIn and keep an eye on DT-Global.com, where more information will posted over the next few months.

Korbel Students Visit Israel and West Bank 

Master’s students from the GPD Partner organization, the University of Denver Josef Korbel School of International Studies, recently returned from a two-week journey to Israel and the West Bank. The trip was organized and sponsored by the Center for Middle East Studies and was made possible by GPD Charitable Trust and a well-known Denver-based surgeon.

During the trip, students engaged with activists, government officials, educators, UN observers, NGOs, and many more to better understand the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian situation. Just as important, the students were able to experience daily life in Israel and the West Bank and spoke to families regularly impacted by violence and occupation. There were also plenty of inspiring moments, as students met with Israelis and Palestinians working together to protect environmental resources, Palestinians working toward peace through agriculture, and Palestinian and Israeli activists brought together by loss during the conflict.

GPD Confirms Partnership with University of Chicago’s Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts

Last month, GPD confirmed a Partnership with The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts and The Pearson Global Forum, housed the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. 

GPD’s Partner organizations drive it’s philanthropic initiatives. These are long-term investments that align with GPD’s belief that the world can be more peaceful, prosperous, and stable. For many of these organizations, GPD has played a key role in their founding and/ or their long term success as funders, collaborators, and advocates.

The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts and The Pearson Global Forum, housed at Chicago Harris, will concentrate its work in three main areas: (1) research to understand, prevent and resolve violent conflicts; (2) engagement by annually convening the international policy and academic community to recognize new evidence-based approaches and policies that reduce global conflicts; and, (3) education for the next generation of scholars and practitioners through new courses and programs, all designed to help resolve conflicts and inform more effective policies. GPD’s Partnership will support students' experiential opportunities to travel abroad and learn about conflict from the perspective of those who have experienced it. These unique programs are individually designed by the Pearson Institute, using personal networks, to allow students to engage with the local community, political leaders, academics, NGOs, and many more with whom they would not otherwise be able to interact with on their own.

In Chicago, Illinois Joining Forces to Host Benefit Concert 

On Friday, July 12, 2019, Texas blues band, Johnny Riley & The Hired Guns, will perform a benefit concert at Veteran-owned pub, Paddy O’Fegan’s, for GPD Partner Illinois Joining Forces at Paddy O'Fegan's. This performance is part of Johnny Riley’s national tour, “The Struggle Is Real,” to raise PTSD Awareness, and proceeds will go towards Illinois Joining Forces’ mission assisting Illinois’ Veterans. 

More information and tickets can be found here.  

MVP Vets Continues National Outreach 

This August, GPD Stardust Grantee, MVPvets will hold three presentations at Student Veteran of America (SVA) Leadership Summits taking place in major cities across the United States: Boston, Seattle, and New York City. There, MVPvets will sponsor a luncheon and present MVPvets’ program and services to SVA Chapter leadership attending the summer summits.  

MVPvets started in 2012 on the east coast as a collaborative venture between Abiomed and AdvaMed, primarily serving medical device/technology companies. In subsequent years, MVPvets has expanded to embrace veterans across the nation, as well as all companies under the fast-growing and community-bettering designation associated with life sciences.

This tour will continue the MVPvets’ mission to assist and prepare transitioning military veterans for meaningful employment in life science companies. With new health applications, and innovative consumer products being discovered and created daily, opportunities to support the science, technology, engineering, mathematics or business functions of life science organizations are vast. MVPvets brings Veterans, Mentors and Employers together, through job matching, one-on-one mentoring, online learning and on-the-ground career-building endeavors.