Author: sHq_LoGiNz

Transformational gift will result in the creation of a new, state-of-the-art facility, which will be named the Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano Program for Clinical Education.

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Powerhouse philanthropists, investors, and change makers, Kwanza Jones, Cardozo Class of 1999, and José E. Feliciano, commit $6 million to the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University. The philanthropic investment will support a major renovation and expansion of the law school’s clinical education program and facilities. This gift will ensure students gain hands-on experience that extends far beyond theory while strengthening the school’s service to New York City communities.

The transformative gift will create a new, state-of-the-art facility, which will be named the Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano Program for Clinical Education. The new spaces will include modern offices for faculty and staff, collaborative work areas, and dignified meeting rooms for clients. These upgrades will ensure that Cardozo’s students and faculty have the resources to continue their vital pro bono legal work.

This commitment builds on Jones’ and Feliciano’s close ties with Cardozo in recent years. In 2024, Jones was honored at the 14th Annual BALLSA (Black, Asian & Latino Law Students Association) Alumni Celebration for her leadership and commitment to equity. That event raised a record $60,000, funding four scholarships for students who have overcome hardship and contributed to the diversity of the student body. Later that year, she performed a moving rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” at the school’s Kukin Center for Conflict Resolution’s Peace Gala in tribute to Professor Lela Love, founder of Cardozo’s Kukin Center for Conflict Resolution, and one of Jones’ mentors during her time at the law school.

Jones’ and Feliciano’s consistent engagement underscores not only their dedication to Cardozo’s mission but also their investment in its students and community.

“Our goal is to boost humans and elevate humanity,” said Jones and Feliciano. This is an investment in that mission, creating a powerful multiplier effect where students gain essential skills and communities receive the legal support they need.

Jones, who earned her Juris Doctor degree from Cardozo in 1999 and participated in the Mediation Clinic during her time as a student, emphasized how her own experience underscored the value of applied learning. “The clinic programs at Cardozo provided me with hands-on, real-world practice that helped me sharpen my skills in problem-solving, mediating conflict, and advocating for justice,” she said. “It has had a lasting influence on my work and life. I’m proud to give back to a law school that supports my vision for a better future.”

The ripple effect of this impact investment extends well beyond the Cardozo campus. By expanding opportunities for students to engage in meaningful clinical work, the law school strengthens its ability to provide pro bono legal services to those most in need, protecting rights and reaffirming humanity.

“This is a transformative gift that will touch the lives of our students for generations,” said Melanie Leslie ’91, Dean of Cardozo School of Law. “Kwanza is a tribute to the spirit of Cardozo. Throughout her career, she has challenged herself and others to create opportunities and inspire change. She and José share a vision for access to justice and educational equity. We are deeply grateful for their support.”

Through their Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative, the couple continues to advance their mission of boosting humanity by focusing on education, entrepreneurship, equity, and empowerment. Their $6 million commitment to Cardozo is both a continuation of their philanthropic legacy and a powerful extension of their mission—one that strengthens institutions, uplifts communities, and builds a better future.

About Kwanza Jones And José E. Feliciano 

Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano are life and business partners. In 2014, they founded the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative, a private family office dedicated to creating meaningful impact through strategic investments and transformative philanthropy. Guided by a commitment to purpose-driven initiatives, they invest in and partner with nonprofits and for-profits with a key focus on four pillars: education, entrepreneurship, equity, and empowerment. Believing that access to capital drives inclusive opportunity, Jones and Feliciano have personally committed over $250 million to these efforts.

Kwanza Jones is a nine-time Billboard-charting artist, investor, and speaker whose leadership has extended across nonprofits and corporate boards, including The Apollo Theater, Susan G. Komen, UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, and Bennett College. She brings energy and creativity to every stage she steps onto—whether public or private.

José E. Feliciano is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Clearlake Capital. He is on the board of directors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Stanford Board of Trustees, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino, J. Paul Getty Trust, and LA28, the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, reflecting his commitment to education and cultural advancement.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kwanza-jones–jose-e-feliciano-commit-6-million-to-boost-access-to-real-world-learning-and-community-impact-at-cardozo-302613553.html

SOURCE Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative

20 additional pioneering companies unite to invest in ecosystem restoration and resilience beyond their own supply chains.

BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Mad Agriculture has surpassed its $1 million fundraising goal to launch their Wilding Pilot: a three-year initiative that will restore over 1,000 acres of marginal cropland in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area into thriving native ecosystems. In collaboration with Whole Foods Market, the pilot will restore wildlife habitat in ways that support farmers and strengthen the resiliency of America’s farmland.

The pilot represents the first phase of the Wild Grid, a 50-year regenerative agriculture strategy to restore biodiversity and increase climate resilience across 65 million acres of U.S. farmland. Fueled by Whole Foods Market’s $500,000 matching grant, 20 leading food and beverage brands and a leading food distributor joined forces to make the vision a reality, marking an unprecedented coalition of companies investing in biodiversity restoration beyond their own supply chains.

“It’s so exciting and heartening to see food companies recognizing biodiversity as the foundation of a resilient food future,” said Elizabeth Candelario, Chief Strategy Officer at Mad Agriculture. “This partnership reflects the kind of bold action Wilding is designed to inspire: one that invests not in isolated fixes, but in the living systems that make healthy food possible.”

WHY THIS MATTERS

Scientists say we need to keep about 20 to 25 percent of farmland as natural habitat [1]. Doing so builds biodiversity, which also helps farmers enhance productivity and ecosystem health. Without it, we lose crucial benefits nature provides, like bees pollinating crops, beneficial insects eating pests, and plants holding soil in place so it doesn’t wash away.

There’s another problem: our parks and nature reserves are too spread out. When animals and plants need to relocate due to shifting weather patterns, they cannot reach the next safe habitat, effectively stranding them. This disrupts ecological flows by blocking seed dispersal, animal migration, and water movement. This doesn’t just hurt individual areas, it damages wildlife, biodiversity, and water quality across entire regions.

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

That’s where Wilding comes in. Instead of setting aside big chunks of land for conservation, the initiative connects habitats by transforming the marginal edges of farms—the rocky corners, flood-prone strips, and low-producing, less profitable areas. These become bridges between larger wildlife habitat areas. Unlike traditional conservation, Wilding doesn’t separate nature from farming. It weaves them together so both can thrive.

STARTING IN WISCONSIN

The three-year pilot focuses on Wisconsin’s Driftless Area—a region of rolling hills and valleys in the southwest where some rare native prairie still survives. The plan is to begin transforming over 1,000 acres of underperforming cropland into thriving native grasslands and pastures. By planting prairie, adding rotational grazing, and connecting private farms with public lands and utility corridors, the initiative aims to restore the natural systems that support healthy soil, pollinators, clean water, and wildlife. Wilding is good for the land and the ledger, as it has the potential to open new income streams for farmers.

This pilot is just the beginning. The long-term vision includes 20% of all U.S. cropland converted into connected corridors where nature and agriculture thrive together.

“We’re designing landscapes where biodiversity isn’t an afterthought—it’s an asset,” said Omar de Kok-Mercado, Director of Wilding at Mad Agriculture. “We’re beginning to rebuild the connective tissue of the continent by creating corridors of life that support farmers and inspire innovation. This could be the beginning of America’s next great infrastructure project, built through collaboration with those who work the land and care for its future.”

WHO’S INVOLVED

Whole Foods Market kicked things off with a $500,000 matching challenge. Then 20 companies stepped up: Adams Group, Ancient Nutrition,Applegate, Bel Brands USA, Bob’s Red Mill, KIND, Little Sesame, Mariannes,MegaFood,New Belgium Brewing, Oatly, OLIPOP, Patagonia Provisions,The Campbell’s Company,TreeHouse Foods,UNFI, UNFI Foundation, west~bourne, Yerba MadreandYogi Tea. Together, they unlocked and surpassed the full match.

The technical partners — including Meadowlark Organics Community Mill, Southern Driftless Grasslands, Wild Farm Alliance, Savanna Institute, and Adaptive Restoration — are providing region-specific expertise in perennial agriculture, habitat design, restoration ecology, and farm-based implementation. They support planning, ecological assessments, seeding and planting strategies, and long-term monitoring to ensure successful integration of perennials into working landscapes.

The Wilding pilot builds on commitments outlined in Whole Foods Market’s 2024 Impact Report, where it’s featured as a key part of the company’s climate and nature strategy. Together with Mad Agriculture, Whole Foods Market is creating a blueprint that could be scaled across the entire country.

“At Whole Foods Market, we believe the future of food depends on healthy, functioning ecosystems. Wilding represents a fundamental shift in how we think about food system resilience by focusing on restoring full ecosystems that strengthen all of agriculture,” said Caitlin Leibert, Vice President of Sustainability at Whole Foods Market. “We’re proud to pioneer this coalition and demonstrate what’s possible when the industry comes together.”

ABOUT MAD AGRICULTURE

Mad Agriculture
 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018 with the mission to create a regenerative revolution in agriculture and works toward a vision of an Earth where land, sea, and people thrive together forever. We work from heart to head, poetry to science, financing to markets, and soil to shelf, taking a holistic and collaborative approach to supporting farmers and ranchers. Along with our sister companies Mad Capital and Mad Markets, we meet producers where they are on their journey. Alongside our on-the-ground land and business support, we amplify stories from the field and food system with the goal of building a cultural movement.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mad-agriculture-and-whole-foods-markets-wilding-initiative-surpasses-1-million-goal-to-rebuild-biodiversity-across-us-farmland-302613519.html

SOURCE Mad Agriculture

ADDISON, Texas, Nov. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — HaloMD today announced its partnership with Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, adding its support to the foundation’s ALL IN for Mental Health program. The new partnership will help the Foundation address stigma and improve access to mental health care for those on the front lines of medicine by capturing and sharing stories from healthcare workers across the country. HaloMD is committed to sustaining independent physician practices and the individual healthcare professionals who make this possible, viewing the Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation’s work on mental health as necessary and critical to that commitment.

The ALL IN for Mental Health initiative is a national campaign that brings together healthcare organizations, leaders, and advocates to ensure every health worker can access mental health care safely and confidentially. The program works to normalize seeking help, remove barriers in licensing and credentialing processes, and strengthen support systems for professionals experiencing burnout or mental distress.

“Healthcare workers dedicate their lives to caring for others—often at great personal cost,” said Alla Laroque, President of HaloMD. “Burnout, stress, anxiety, and trauma are taking their toll on the professionals who care for and cure us. HaloMD is proud to help work toward a culture where mental health care is viewed as a sign of strength, not weakness through our partnership with the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation.”

The new partnership will directly support the Foundation’s goal to reach 40,000 healthcare workers with resources, stories, and advocacy that foster systemic change and combat the stigma surrounding mental health care in medicine.

The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation is the leading nonprofit focused exclusively on improving the wellbeing and mental health of healthcare workers. Founded in memory of Dr. Lorna Breen, an emergency physician who died by suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization drives change through evidence-based programs, policy advocacy, and coalition building. Its work has led to federal legislation such as the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which creates access to nationwide initiatives supporting clinician wellbeing and is currently awaiting congressional reauthorization.

“This partnership with HaloMD is a powerful demonstration of what is means to be ALL IN for Mental Health,” said Corey Feist, Co-Founder and CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. “This collaboration deepens our impact in improving access to confidential mental health care for our health workers and brings us closer to a stronger system that fundamentally prioritizes the mental health of the people who care for us.”

For more information about the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation and the ALL IN for Mental Health program, visit www.drlornabreen.org/allinformentalhealth.

About HaloMD


HaloMD
 is the leading authority in Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) under the federal No Surprises Act and state balance billing laws. Built exclusively for IDR, HaloMD delivers fair reimbursement and financial sustainability through proprietary technology, advanced analytics, and deep specialty expertise across emergency medicine, anesthesiology, radiology, surgery, and air ambulance. The company is privately owned and operated and currently supports thousands of healthcare providers—from small independent practices to hospitals and health systems—helping them achieve fair and reasonable reimbursement and remain financially sustainable so they can continue delivering the critical care their patients and communities rely on.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/halomd-announces-backing-of-dr-lorna-breen-heroes-foundation-program-to-support-mental-health-of-healthcare-workers-302613428.html

SOURCE HaloMD

More than 350 employees mobilize to support veterans in need, led by veteran CEO John O’Donnell

DENVER, Nov. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado’s leading workers’ compensation insurer, kicked off its annual “Pinnacol in Action” day with a massive show of support for local communities. More than 350 employees rallied to serve 13 nonprofits for a total of 708 volunteer hours. This year’s focus was on giving back to veterans and disabled veterans in need, including volunteering at the VA Hospital and with Nourish Meals on Wheels.

CEO leads the charge
The service day was championed by Pinnacol President and CEO John O’Donnell, a veteran who served as a U.S. Marine Corps Officer. “Veterans Day is about action. As a veteran, I know that the greatest thanks we can offer is tangible support in their local community,” said O’Donnell. “It’s important that our commitment goes beyond a donation. Our employees are passionately embracing this mission, embodying our core value of caring for the communities where we live and work.”

Pinnacol volunteers supported various nonprofit projects, including packaging care kits for disabled veterans, facility maintenance and direct support for veteran and community services.

Pinnacol’s year-round stewardship
The organization’s annual volunteer day is a cornerstone of Pinnacol’s award-winning community stewardship, driven by its Pinnacol in Action program, which grants employees unlimited paid volunteer time annually. Dedicated year-round to supporting non-profits that promote workforce safety and economic vitality, reinforcing Pinnacol as a “Force for Good” in Colorado.

About Pinnacol
Pinnacol Assurance is a top-performing provider of workers’ compensation insurance. We offer top-rated injured worker care, customized safety solutions, and a comprehensive return to work program that helps our members reduce risk and save costs. You can see our investment in the community through our nationally recognized apprenticeship program and Pinnacol Foundation scholarship program. Pinnacol’s team members, culture of caring, and top-rated services have received numerous awards, affirming our commitment to the people and communities we serve. Learn more atPinnacol.com.

Media contact:
Mindy Carrothers
Manager, Marketing and Communications
303.895.6524 (mobile)
mindy.carrothers@pinnacol.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pinnacol-assurance-employees-honor-veterans-day-with-company-wide-volunteer-effort-302613400.html

SOURCE Pinnacol Assurance

ALBANY, Ga., Nov. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Peanut Institute is sharing a recent study from the Institute of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM) at Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands, that found the consumption of unsalted, skin-roasted peanuts can significantly improve brain vascular function and memory. The findings were published online in the international, peer-reviewed journal Clinical Nutrition.

To operate effectively and efficiently, the brain relies on a network of blood vessels to supply it with oxygen and nutrients. As people age, vascular brain function can become impaired, contributing to an elevated risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

The NUTRIM study of 31 healthy older adults ranging in age from 60-75 observed that consuming 60 grams (approximately a half cup) of peanuts daily for 16 weeks increased global cerebral blood flow (CBF) by 3.6% and verbal memory by 5.8%. In addition to the brain improvements, systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure decreased by 5 mmHg and 4 mmHg, respectively.

“CBF is an important physiological marker because having a strong flow of blood to the brain contributes to its health,” says Dr. Peter Joris, the study’s author and an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, NUTRIM, Maastricht University Medical Center. “We found that longer-term consumption of unsalted, skin-roasted peanuts improved global CBF, which suggests an overall enhancement in brain vascular function.”

The peanut intervention also resulted in increased blood flow in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, both of which are important for memory and other cognitive functions.

“Peanuts are especially rich in plant-based protein and contain high concentrations of L-arginine, an amino acid important for vascular health. They are also a valuable source of unsaturated fats and polyphenols, both known to support vascular function,” says Joris. “For this study, skin-roasted peanuts were chosen because the peanut skin contains additional dietary fiber and natural plant compounds, specifically antioxidants. Together, these nutrients may help explain the beneficial health effects of skin-roasted peanuts observed in this study.”

The NUTRIM study is unique because it combined a well-controlled, longer-term dietary intervention with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an advanced brain imaging technique, to investigate the effects of daily peanut consumption on brain health. Cognitive performance was evaluated using a computerized system known as the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB).

“For the first time, we demonstrated that peanut intake improved brain vascular function in healthy older adults. These favorable effects may help explain the observed improvements in memory, providing novel mechanistic insight into how regular peanut consumption can beneficially affect cognitive function,” says Joris.

NUTRIM Study Details

The study was a randomized, controlled crossover trial – one of the strongest designs in clinical research. Participants in the intervention group were given premeasured packets of skin-roasted peanuts and directed to consume the peanuts in the morning or afternoon. They were allowed to eat the daily amount all at once, spread it out over the day or add the peanuts to their meals. The control group did not consume peanuts. After 16 weeks, the groups switched conditions to further assess the effects of peanut consumption versus no peanuts on brain health.

The principal investigator of the study was Associate Professor Dr. Peter J. Joris. Test days were conducted by Ph.D. candidate Lucia Kerkhof, Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Center.

The NUTRIM study was supported by funding from The Peanut Institute Foundation. The funder did not have a role in the study design, implementation, analysis or interpretation of the data or the writing of the manuscript.

Based in Albany, Ga., The Peanut Institute is a non-profit organization supporting nutrition research and developing educational programs to encourage healthful lifestyles that include peanuts and peanut products. The Peanut Institute pursues its mission through research programs, educational initiatives and the promotion of healthful lifestyles to consumers of all ages. As an independent forum, The Peanut Institute is uniquely positioned to work with all segments of the food industry, the research community, academia, consumer organizations and governmental institutions.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-research-finds-dietary-intervention-of-peanuts-improves-brain-vascular-function-and-memory-302613326.html

SOURCE The Peanut Institute