Special Kids - Celebrating The Uniqueness of ALL Children

Carol Bellamy - A Simply Amazing Woman

Throughout our lives we learn about fascinating people who have do not receive the fame or recognition that they rightfully deserve. Carol Bellamy is one such person.

I was recently introduced to Ms. Bellamy and enlightened by one of her many insightful quotes about children, the focus of her lifelong passion and work.

“When the lives and the rights of children are at stake, there must be no silent witnesses.”

I encourage you to learn more about this amazing woman.

Carol Bellamy (born January 14, 1942) has been Director of the Peace Corps, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and President and CEO of World Learning. In April, 2009, Bellamy was appointed as Chair of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Board of Governors. She is currently working as Chair of the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative, a multidonor trust fund based in Washington DC that aims to reach the Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3 and the Dakar Objectives of Education for All.(www.educationfasttrack.org) On February 18, 2011, Bellamy was named Chair of the Alliance for Ethical International Recruitment Practices, a non-profit organization that aims to ensure that recruitment of foreign-educated health professionals to the United States is ethical, responsible, and transparent.

Early life and education

Bellamy was born and raised in the Scotch Plains,NJ. She attended Gettysburg College, where she was a member of Delta Gamma, and graduated in 1963. She earned her law degree from New York University School of Law in 1968. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala from 1963 to 1965.

Business career

Bellamy was a Managing Director at the now defunct Bear Stearns from 1990 to 1993, a Principal at Morgan Stanley from 1986 to 1990, and an associate in the New York law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore from 1968 to 1971.

Political career

Bellamy was elected to the New York State Senate in 1972, representing a Brooklyn district. In 1977, she was elected the first female president of the New York City Council, a position she held until her unsuccessful bid for Mayor of New York in 1985. In 1982 she considered running for Governor of New York. In 1990 she was an unsuccessful candidate for New York State Comptroller. In 2005 she was appointed to the New York State Board of Regents, which oversees all state education activities and the state Department of Education.

From 1993 to 1995, Bellamy was the director of the Peace Corps. Appointed by President Bill Clinton, she was the first person to have been both a Peace Corps Volunteer and director.

UNICEF

From 1995 to 2005, Bellamy completed ten years as Executive Director of UNICEF. She was appointed to that position in 1995 by Boutros Boutros-Ghali, then the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Bellamy was granted a second five-year term in 2000 by Boutros-Ghali's successor, Kofi Annan. UN policy states that agency heads may serve no more than two five-year terms.

Bellamy's successor as UNICEF Executive Director is Ann M. Veneman, who, prior to joining UNICEF, was the United States Secretary of Agriculture. Though Bellamy's tenure was tumultuous, she is credited with having left behind a fiscally sound organization with strong internal controls. She doubled UNICEF's resources from roughly $800 million in 1994 to more than $1.8 billion in 2004.

NGOs

Bellamy was appointed the President and CEO of the Brattleboro, Vermont-based World Learning and president of its School for International Training in 2005. World Learning is a global organization with operations in more than 75 countries that fosters global citizenship through experiential education and community-driven development programs. Organizations that fund World Learning include the Tides Foundation and Rockefeller Financial Services.

On July 25, 2007, Bellamy was elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the Fair Labor Association (FLA). The FLA protects workers' rights and improves working conditions by promoting adherence to international labor standards. "For eight years the FLA has been strengthening its capacity to work with companies, factories, civil society organizations and others to end sweatshop labor and protect workers' rights. It is now moving beyond its rigorous monitoring program to focus greater attention on identifying the root causes of these problems and to develop sustainable compliance programs," said Bellamy in accepting the position.^{[citation needed]}

International Baccalaureate

In April, 2009, Bellamy replaced Monique Seefried as the Chair of the International Baccalaureate's Board of Governors. She delivered a keynote speech at IB's Peterson Lectures on "The Serious Business of Children".

Honors

Bellamy is a former Fellow of the Harvard Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and an honorary member of Pi Alpha Alpha. At its 1982 commencement ceremonies, Barnard College awarded Bellamy the college's highest honor, the Medal of Distinction.

Bellamy received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Bates College in 2003. She returned to her alma mater, the NYU School of Law, to deliver a commencement day speech in May 2006.

In Japan, she was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun in 2006.

Wal-Mart lawyers take on Medicaid kids - Jul. 1, 2011

Wal-Mart lawyers take on Medicaid kids - Jul. 1, 2011.

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By Parija Kavilanz @CNNMoney July 1, 2011: 12:49 PM ET

Wal-Mart is testing a unique collaboration in which its lawyers will offer legal support to Medicaid patients for free.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- For the first time in its history, the nation's largest retailer Wal-Mart is providing free legal support for patients at the Arkansas Children's Hospital, many of whom are from low income families on Medicaid.

This type of arrangement means Wal-Mart's lawyers will be helping families as they struggle through Medicaid's bureaucracy. The lawyers will also help families' challenges with landlords and school boards in order to help sick children get access to programs, services and equipment that they have been denied.

This type of arrangement means Wal-Mart's lawyers will be taking on the government and other entities in order to help sick children get access to programs, services and equipment that they have been denied.

Wal-Mart's general counsel Jeff Gearhart said the company's in-house team of 142 lawyers will help patients with an array of issues associated with Medicaid, a jointly-funded Federal and state health insurance program that covers about 44 million low-income people, including children and special needs patients.

For the most part, he said the bulk of cases Wal-Mart's attorneys will work on can be resolved through due diligence, requiring a few hours of pro bono legal time.

Only rarely will any case proceed to litigation, he said.

For instance, tackling Medicaid's administrative and bureaucratic hurdles are on Wal-Mart's list

"Families on Medicaid are hit with a myriad of red tape when they're in the hospital," Gearhart said.

So Wal-Mart lawyers are being trained to help families navigate Medicaid in basic ways, such as filling out the right forms, and in more complex ways such as procuring insurance for expensive treatments and medical devices like specialized wheelchairs.

"We want to be clear that this collaboration is not adversarial to Medicaid. We want to be facilitative. This is an opportunity to do something impactful," he said.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Wal-Mart lawyers will help Medicaid families outside of the hospital, too.

For instance, Gearhart said lawyers may help families get access to special education for children, get utility services restored or negotiate with landlords over improving condition in an apartment that may be contributing to a child's medical condition such as asthma.

National rollout? Wal-Mart's "medical-legal partnership" with the Arkansas Children's Hospital, which kicked off this month, is a first for the discounter and a voluntary commitment for the company's lawyers.

It's also a first such collaboration between a large private corporation's legal department and a major hospital.

Dr. Megan Sandel, national director with the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, said Wal-Mart's foray into medical-legal partnerships (MLP) could set an important precedent.

"This is the first time that a big private corporation has made a concerted effort to encourage its lawyers to become involved in MLPs," Sandel said.

MLPs are partnerships between health care providers and lawyers that typically rely on attorneys donating their time to help low-income families who face legal problems related to basic needs such as health insurance, health care and housing.

According to the American Bar Association, MLPs currently serve patients in 200 hospitals and clinics across the country.

Given Wal-Mart's status and influence, Sandel said the retailer's involvement in MLPs can effect change.

"I don't think that is Wal-Mart's objective right now. But Wal-Mart could certainly help in highlighting problems in Medicaid that happen often and get people thinking about changing policy to prevent these legal issues form occurring," she said.

Kelly Scott-Flood, project director with the American Bar Association's Medical-Legal Partnerships Project, agreed.

"Generally speaking, MLPs across the county are involved in a range of advocacy projects, including assisting in changing public and private policies in a non-adversarial manner," she said.

"Wal-Mart's commitment to a medical-legal partnership [could] make it possible to expand critical free legal services to many more children and families," she said.

If the pilot project with the Arkansas Children's Hospital is successful, Wal-Mart's Gearhart said it could roll out nationwide in partnership with other hospitals, companies and law firms.

In the meantime, if Medicaid families from elsewhere in the country approach Wal-Mart for legal help, Gearhart said the retailer will find a way to help them.

"I don't think we'll turn someone away," he said

"The goal is to build a broader network," Gearhart said. "Wal-Mart could be a catalyst for this."  

First Published: July 1, 2011: 6:14 AM ET