ill Daniels ranks among the 20th Century’s most successful and respected entrepreneurs. B His efforts as a pioneer in the cable television industry made him a billionaire, but the path to phenomenal achievement was far from easy. On August 20, 2012 at The Cable Center on the University of Denver campus, hundreds of Bill’s friends and business associates, community leaders, and others touched by his generosity gathered in the appropriately named Bill Daniels Great Hall. They came to celebrate the premiere of The Life & Legacy of Bill Daniels, a book and video that tell Bill’s remarkable life story and The Life & Legacy of Bill Daniels detail how his beliefs and experiences shaped the clear at a direction he left for his legacy, glance: the Daniels Fund. Friends gather for the premiere Board Chairman Hank Brown of a new book and Linda Childears, President and film about and CEO, were joined by all Bill Daniels’ members of the Daniels Fund life and legacy board to offer reflections on their absent friend. They spoke of Bill’s carefully crafted plans for the foundation that bears his name — plans shaped by the experiences of his life and the importance he placed on compassion, ethics, and integrity. Daniels Fund board members share personal “We combed through tens of thousands memories of Bill prior to the video premiere of items — Bill’s correspondence, videos, media interviews, documents of every kind — to create this new book and film,” said Linda. “Our goal is not only to recall this great man, but also provide current and future Daniels Fund board members and staff with insight and guidance as they fulfill their roles as caretakers of Bill’s legacy.” The Life & Legacy of Bill Daniels was written and designed by Jeanne Archer and son Andy Archer of Tell Studios, a producer of exquisite custom biographies. Developed as a companion to the book, the video was produced by renowned Denver filmmaker Jim Havey. ■ To see the video or download a complimentary copy of the book, visit www.DanielsFund.org/Legacy Dear Friends, Compassion and Welcome To help our Daniels dedication take from the Chairman & the President and CEO Scholars embrace many forms. the values Bill knew Throughout the 13-year history of the Daniels were essential for success in life, we created the Fund, we have been fortunate to encounter Daniels Scholarship Enrichment Program, a people and organizations with seemingly series of video segments presented by leaders endless capacity to make a difference for people from across our four-state region covering in their communities. Many organizations we topics such as ethics, good manners, treating work with have histories of helping others that others properly, leadership, patriotism, and span decades or even longer. many others. It was with the future in mind, however, We held the first annual Daniels Fund Ethics that those of us who knew Bill Daniels were Consortium Case Competition in April 2012. concerned that, without deliberate action at this This competition exposes undergraduate point in the Daniels Fund’s existence, future business students attending member members of the board and staff might know far universities from our Daniels Fund Ethics too little about our founder and what motivated Initiative to a thought-provoking business his direction to the Daniels Fund. ethics case. Student teams collaboratively analyze, present, and respond to questions As we build awareness of the Daniels Fund posed by a judging panel comprised of brand, our goal is to reflect our founder’s accomplished leaders. compassion, ethics, and integrity in all that we do. An entrepreneurial spirit drives us to make This Report to the Community offers a the most of his extraordinary legacy, including summary of our impact in 2012 — and the the following initiatives from the past year: impact of just some of the exceptional people and organizations we work with. On behalf In August, we premiered The Life & Legacy of of the board of directors and the staff of the Bill Daniels, a large format book that tells the Daniels Fund, we thank you for allowing us to definitive story of Bill’s life, with a clear account share these inspiring stories with you. of his reasons for directing support to each of our funding areas. A high quality video was Sincerely, produced to accompany the book. Hank Brown Linda Childears Board Chairman President and CEO DANIELS FUND 2012 Report to the Community 2 Employers are finding Daniels Scholar graduates ready to work he goal of the Daniels Scholarship from employers that, overall, they want more TProgram is not simply to ensure that from today’s college graduates,” says Kristin each Daniels Scholar earns a degree. The Todd, Senior Vice President of the Daniels ultimate objective is to be certain every Scholarship Program. “Employers want to Daniels Scholar is positioned to begin a see competitive applicants prepared to go productive career upon graduation. to work and determined to succeed in their chosen fields.” We are serious about communicating the value — and the relevance — of Daniels Daniels Scholars are defined by exceptional Scholars to businesses across all industries. character, leadership, the drive to succeed Over this past year, we invited over 100 and work hard, and a commitment to hiring managers from across the nation to giving back, and these traits resonate with define the characteristics of their employers. ideal job applicant. At the top of these lists: character, integrity, The Daniels Scholarship Program is strong work ethic, and leadership. increasingly being recognized for one of its One Fortune 500 executive key advantages — Daniels Scholars are often summed it up perfectly: “We can the types of job candidates companies are teach them the job, but we can’t hoping to find. teach them character.” Employers are frustrated that so Daniels Scholarship Enrichment Program few job applicants possess extends the Daniels Scholar advantage the qualities they want new hires Since 2012, the Daniels Scholarship to have. “We’ve Enrichment Program has made it easy for consistently heard motivated Daniels Scholars to connect with employers. It’s the latest addition to the range of benefits offered by the Daniels Scholarship Program. “The Daniels Scholarship is part of a comprehensive program — not just a financial transaction,” explains Kristin. “Students become part of something much larger and gain access to benefits like the new Enrichment Program. Our outlook extends beyond college graduation. The opportunities and experiences of these four Daniels Scholars who have graduated from college and years position Daniels Scholars to achieve are now achieving success in their chosen career fields are profiled in the “I am a Daniels Scholar” video vignettes success in life.” Watch them at www.DanielsFund.org/media DANIELS FUND 3 2012 Report to the Community at a glance: A new Enrichment Program extends Daniels Scholars’ real- Employers are finding Daniels world readiness…and In addition to facilitating job and internship accepted our invitation employers are excited Scholar graduates ready to work connections, the Enrichment Program to present the modules. equips Daniels Scholars with life skills that In one, University of on the cover: were important to Bill Daniels. These are Denver professor and The video wall skills essential for professional and personal renowned speaker Corey features some of success. Starting freshman year, Daniels Ciocchetti inspires the 30 business and Scholars participate in a series of online scholars to live a life community leaders modules covering topics such as ethics, of uncompromising offering insight and character, patriotism, civics, free enterprise, character. In another, advice through the Daniels Scholar entrepreneurship, leadership, and etiquette. actor Gary Sinise Enrichment Program and Medal of Honor Kristin emphasizes, “Every module ties back recipient Drew Dix add to concepts and skills employers have told powerful perspective on what it means to be us are necessary for success. These same an American. The scholars have embraced topics that were so important to Bill during these required modules, describing them as his lifetime are equally, if not more, relevant stimulating, thought-provoking, inspirational, t o d ay.” and motivational. Notable local and national leaders from (continues on page 19) the business, community, and civic sectors Kristin Todd, Senior Vice President of the Daniels Fund Scholarship Program, speaks to new Daniels Scholars at Scholars Heading Into the Future Together (SHIFT), a summer conference that prepares students to be successful when they enter college in the fall ew Mexico was important to Bill Daniels. Few places on earth offer the rich history, blend of N cultures, and scenic beauty found in the state. In 2012, the Daniels Fund surpassed $54 million in grants to outstanding nonprofit organizations and had awarded nearly $10 million in college scholarships to deserving students across New Mexico. While meaningful grants were being made in the state, study after study showed the state continuing to decline in key metrics. These trends reveal challenging academic performance, high drop-out rates, drug and alcohol addiction, and a range of other issues impacting the state’s children. Bill Daniels identified nine possible grant areas his foundation could support, and over the years the Daniels Fund has worked with top New Mexico nonprofits in each of these areas. Given the scope of the challenges facing the state and our limited ability to address them all, it is critical that the Daniels Fund maximizes its impact. A ‘business as usual’ approach was no longer acceptable. In 2012, the Daniels Fund’s executive management team traveled the state, holding a series of meetings to gain input from community leaders. In addition, extensive research was conducted on historical trends to trace the challenges back to their roots. After this careful evaluation, the Daniels Fund enacted a revised grantmaking strategy for New Mexico that focuses almost exclusively on education-related initiatives.