Commonweal

“Reviewed by staff and the finance committee and a copy given to the board.”

“The conflict of interest policy is included in the staff handbook and the bylaws. The staff handbook is given upon hire and when revised. An acknowledgement is signed by staff and kept in the employee file. The bylaws are given to board members upon joining the board and when revised. Each board member is required to sign a statement annually disclosing any possible conflicts of interest. Board members involved in a possible conflict of interest are excluded from voting on issues related to such interests.”

“Commonweal does a comparison to other nonprofits in northern california, then factors in experience and responsibility. Using this information, the board of directors approves compensation for all board directors, officers, the president, ceo,executive director, coo, cso and cfo.”

“Commonweal makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements available to members of the public upon request.”

“No committee meetings that had the authority to act on behalf of the governing body were held during the fiscal year. If any committees that had the authority to act on behalf of the governing body had met during the fiscal year, the meetings would be contemporaneously documented.”

“OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 4: Commonweal Retreat Center: The Commonweal Retreat Center is a breathtakingly beautiful space within the Commonweal site, where we hold the Cancer Help Program retreats and other Commonweal workshops. It also hosts personal and professional conferences, workshops, retreats, and gatherings that are compatible with Commonweal's nonprofit status. The Retreat Center includes Pacific House, a 12-bedroom retreat facility with a commercial kitchen, and Bothin and Kohler Houses, with two and three bedrooms respectively. Jenepher Stowell directs the Retreat Center. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 5: OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 6: OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 7: OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 8: OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 9: VISUAL THINKING STRATEGIES: Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a method initiated by teacher-facilitated discussions of art images and documented to have a cascading positive effect on both teachers and students. It is perhaps the simplest way in which teachers and schools can provide students with key behaviors sought by Common Core Standards: thinking skills that become habitual and transfer from lesson to lesson, oral and written language literacy, visual literacy, and collaborative interactions among peers. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 10: Collaborative on Health and the Environment: Founded in 2002, the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) cultivates a learning community based on the latest, evidence-based science to share knowledge and resources, to improve individual and collective health. CHE is focused on how environmental risks can impact human health. By informing and connecting affected and interested groups, CHE hopes to build a groundswell of demand for prevention-focused behaviors and policies, as well as economic and legal structures that protect public health. CHEs primary activities include: sharing emerging scientific research on environmental determinants of health; fostering interdisciplinary and inclusive collaboration among diverse constituencies to translate and communicate the best available environmental health science; and facilitating efforts to reduce disease and disability and improve health across the lifespan. Karen Wang serves as the director of CHE. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 11: Beyond Conventional Cancer Therapies: Beyond Conventional Cancer Therapies (BCCT) will help patients and practitioners go beyond conventional cancer therapies in informed and prudent ways. We are building a website that will enable patients to explore science-based or at least science-informed choices. We are developing databases of natural products and centers engaged in promising integrative oncology work. In a sense, BCCT is a new version of Michael Lerners book from MIT Press, Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Cancer Therapies. Advisors include a dozen of the leading integrative oncologists in the country. Michael Lerner serves as the director, and Sheila Opperman coordinates BCCT. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 12: Center for Creative Community: Founded in 2014, the Center for Creative Community (C3) is an umbrella for a number of Commonweal projects that explore the intersection of dialogue, cognition, creativity, and community. Through work in different communities, C3 seeks to deepen our exploration of complex issues in our world. C3 programs include the Power of Hope Youth Camp, the Creative Facilitation Training Series, Commonweals Fall Gathering, Taproot, Visual Thinking Strategies, and the Ecology of Awakening program. These programs are bringing new energy and diversity to Commonweal, strengthening the foundation for the next forty years of work. Oren Slozberg directs C3.”

“(continued from page 1)yoga, healing nutrition, permaculture gardening, and juvenile justice.”