The Tia Foundation has moved it offices to the Thunderbird School of Global Management.  The new location will offer us many advantages: access to cutting-edge international development practices and research, convenient location for our Tbird student interns and volunteers, and contact with faculty and visiting experts to ensure we constantly improve.

Since our office is in the Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship, the available resources are perfect for Laura, Tia’s founder and social entrepreneur.    In fact, Amanda Bullough, the new professor of Social Entrepreneurship at Tbird, will be just two doors down the hall.

Here is our new mailing address:

The Tia Foundation
Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship
Section B, Office #116
1 Global Place
Glendale, Arizona 85306

Copper Star Bank President Paul Brodt and his wife, Renee, hosted a lovely event to benefit the Tia Foundation at their home in Scottsdale on November 1st.  The event had a large turn out of bank employees, customers and board members.  Laura Libman gave a short presentation on Tia’s work in Mexico.

Copper Star Bank is to be commended for their dedication to community service and supporting great causes!  In addition to the Tia Foundation, Copper Star Bank and their employees dedicate volunteer hours, money and resources to making their community a better place to live.  Paul Brodt is one of the most active members of Tia’s Board of Directors.

The Tia Foundation banks with Copper Star in part because of their corporate social responsibility, but also because of the stellar customer service we receive there.  There is almost no employee turnover, so we see the same friendly faces each time we conduct transactions there.  Issues are resolved in minutes rather than days.  In our opinion, it is the quality of customer service at this local bank that truly sets them apart.

We will all be shopping for the holidays, but with a tighter budget this year.  With GoodShop, you can buy your gifts and make a donation without spending an extra penny. Helping someone else is the very best cure for the Economic Blues.

Plus, you will shopping at the same places you would shop anyway: Toys R Us, Amazon, Apple, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Best Buy, HP, Barnes and Noble, Sephora, Sears, Macy’s, PetSmart.  You can even buy gift cards or e-gift cards at the stores or through American Express.  Some stores allow you to buy online and pick up at your local store!

It takes just a few seconds to go to Goodshop, select your charity (we hope you choose Tia Foundation), and then click through to your favorite store and shop as usual.

To give you a sense of how the money can add up, the ASPCA has already earned more than $17,000!

Also, Yahoo has teamed up with GoodShop’s sister site, GoodSearch, to donate a penny to your cause every time you search the web. This is totally free as the money comes from advertisers.

Please tell 10 friends about GoodShop and GoodSearch today. They’ve been featured in the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Oprah Magazine and more.

Charities need our help to spread the word now more than ever!

P.S. Tia Staff uses GoodShop to make all our travel arrangements with sites like Travelocity, Expedia, Cheap Tickets and others.  We buy all our office supplies thru Office Depot, Staples, Office Max and Sam’s Club.  We always check GoodShop first before buying anything!

Barry and Carmen Libman, and Michael and Adrienne Libman continue to be generous supporters of Tia’s programs.  Even during this year of tough economic times, their investment in Tia has not waivered.  Barry and Michael’s families have provided care to more than 10,000 of the poorest Mexicans through their donations.  More than a few people are alive today because these two brothers truly care.

In fact, their wives, Carmen and Adrienne also devote many hours of their time to worthy causes in the U.S. and other parts of the world.  Just one example of how these two families give back to their communities is the Washington Street Foundation, a mentoring and scholarship program for economically disadvantaged children.

Michael and Adrienne also support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  They invite you all to participate with them in the Tucson Walk on the Wild Side 2009 on February 14, 2009.  Or walk for MS near you.

A huge thank you to the Libman Families!

My name is Laura Foster, and I’m the new intern at the Tia Foundation. I’ve recently graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in International Relations. My husband, Adam, and I moved to Phoenix in August so he could start medical school at Midwestern University. We enjoy hiking, eating good food, and traveling.