Philanthropy

Black Lives Matter
Equality Through Solidarity

Businesses are finding their moral footing after the shock of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer. The question is, how can we channel this climate of fear and outrage into positive change?
Dell encourages employees to join their Black Networking Alliance ERG in a moment of reflection and recognition. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said companies need to implement policy changes with racial justice at the forefront. UT coach Tom Herman said we can’t continue to celebrate athletes of color during a game and deny them the same respect off the field. Artists like Beyoncé are encouraging people to educate themselves on racial inequality and to speak out.
Designers tell the human story. Graphics, mapping and data visualization play a pivotal role in messaging. For a digital-era movement, communication design and technology can reach across boundaries and help people act: meet, donate, understand or spread awareness.
The American Institute of Graphic Arts has a list of donation links, links to black designers and design studios, and to services for social justice. Designers can use their platforms to convert people to a common cause because good design makes your choices clear.

Servie-Dogs-Inc
Service Dogs, Inc. — Partners for Life

Service Dogs Inc. helps dogs find the people who need them as partners to overcome challenges. Through customized training, these special dogs bring independence to wounded veterans, help first responders process grief on their job, provide comfort to abused children finding their voice in courts, and help Texans living with deafness or mobility-related disabilities all free of charge to the person. The result: previously abandoned dogs and those released from other training organizations, get a renewed “leash” on life while doing the same to their human partners.

As a board member of SDI, I had the honor to attend a recent graduation of four new teams. Hearing testimonies from fosters, trainers, and partners, you are reminded of the arduous hours of love and commitment it takes to train these dogs to do the job that can only be done by the unconditional devotion that is inherent to a dog.

Service Dogs Inc. was founded in 1988 by Sheri Soltes, who left her law practice to build an organization to help physically-challenged Texans build better lives through partnering with custom trained assistance dogs. SDI trains dogs free of charge, and you can learn more, volunteer, or support the program at www.servicedogs.org.

Kaalo is proud to be associated with Service Dogs Inc., and we look forward to doing our part through design.