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A newsletter from Visionaries, Inc.  ----------------------------------  
October, 2016
Season 21 released to public television across the country starting 
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Featured in Season 21:
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(Click names for more info)
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 Check out the trailer for our one-hour special on co-ops :

Be a part of Season 22!:
Season 22 is currently in production and will focus on the following non-profit categories: 
 
Social Enterprise
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Poverty
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Education
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Independent-Living
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Leadership
Development
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Community Development


Follow our Team:

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Follow our producer 
Jody Santos , and the rest of the Visionaries team on their upcoming trip to Africa!
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About the Visionaries:
For 21 seasons, Visionaries, Inc. has been producing The Visionaries, a documentary series for public television. The Visionaries host Sam Waterston (from NBC's Law & Order, and HBO's The Newsroom) highlights the rarely told stories of non-profit organizations all over the globe that are working to make a positive difference in their communities and beyond.
To date, more than 200 organizations have been profiled in 60 countries across six continents and in more than 70 U.S. cities. Some of the issues that have been covered include AIDS prevention, health care, economic development, education, environmental awareness, hunger relief, homelessness, and crisis intervention. 


Our Host
Sam Waterston
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Introducing our 21st Season:
Our 21st season features a number of pieces that speak to the value of cooperation and community. In a world that seems increasingly divided by barriers of class, race, gender, and nationality, these stories could not be more valuable. No matter where we go, we can find inspiring stories of people working together to better their communities from the inside-out. 
Yet another level of cooperation can be found in our work with these inspiring people. From the several organizations across the globe making a revolutionary transformation into co-ops under the leadership of the National Cooperative Business Association, to the environmentally conscious and inclusive Gifft Hill School, we are shown that working together for a better community and better world is well within our reach. For t his season's one-hour special on NCBA-CLUSA our team travelled to East Timor, Mozam-bique, and across the U.S. to tell the stories of 8  co-ops and the ground-breaking work they do.
What is a co-op?
Good question. According to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), a co-op is "a business or organization owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services." Now doesn't that sound like what a business ought to be anyway? 

It is so ingrained into our minds, especially as Americans, that businesses can only be operated in a way that disproportionately benefits its CEOs, owners, and others at the top tier of the corporate pyramid. Examples of mass worker exploitation are all around us, so much so that it has become the norm. However, while there are always those who challenge this ethic, it is less common to see efforts that are successful in building and operating an alternative.

  
 
A cooperative business is just that. Rather than accumulating wealth at the top, co-ops spread the wealth: Profits and earnings generated by the cooperative are distributed among the members, also known as "user-owners." They are a living testament to the potential of shifting the ethic of business from selfishness to cooperation. 
Building Stronger Communities:
  Emily Bjornberg teaches the children of Lyme about their ecosystem
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This season, we've also seen stories that highlight the importance of cooperation on the community level. A perfect example is the Lyme Land Conservation Trust in Lyme, CT. This nonprofit organization was started by volunteer members of the community to preserve their land for the generations to come. So far they have managed to legally preserve  half of all of the land in Lyme. 
 
However, they have accomplished more than just preserve the land and lifestyle of rural Connecticut. Of the 800 families currently living in Lyme, more than half have become active members in this preservation effort. It is this combined effort that makes projects like these even more successful, all while bringing the community closer together.
In the Land of Conservation:
 
John Potter tells the Visionaries team about the Plum Island Sound
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Lyme is not the only story of land conservation that we cover this season. Plum Island is part of a small collection of islands just off the coast of Long Island. Despite the fact that it is technically owned by the public and has been for over a century, the Federal Government is attempting to have it sold to the highest bidder. In response, a collective of concerned citizens called the "Preserve Plum Island Coalition," along with the Save the Sound organization have come together to convince the government of both the ecological importance of the island, as well as the public interest in conservation. 
Keep an eye out for our next newsletter, or click the name of the organizations above for more info on the nonprofits we profiled in Season 21...
We would like to express our gratitude 
for the generosity of the following entities and individuals for their underwriting support of our 21st season:

 
Anna-Maria & Stephen Kellen Foundation  
The Catholic Communication Campaign
Capital Impact Partners Citi Foundation
H.J. Promise Foundation
PNC Bank
Ruth Alden Doan
Cooperative Development Foundation
Trayser Family Trust
The Goodnow Fund
The Suzanne M. and Robert L. LaBoiteaux Family Foundation
Virgin Island Lottery
Carol Furneaux 
 748 Page Street
Stoughton, MA 02072