Tag: 3BL

Seventeen hemodialysis machines have completed a journey of thousands of miles from Vancouver Island, Canada, to Ghana, where they are helping expand access to lifesaving kidney care for patients across the country’s northern regions.

Working with Canadian-Ghanaian charity Ghana Medical Help (GMH), DP World supported the trans-Atlantic shipment of the dialysis equipment from British Columbia to Ghana. The machines, donated by Island Health, arrived at the Port of Tema this spring and have since been distributed to hospitals serving communities across Northern Ghana.

The initiative is valued at approximately GH¢7.53 million and will significantly expand the region’s capacity to provide dialysis treatment closer to where patients live. The 17 Fresenius 5008 dialysis machines will support new or expanded dialysis services at four hospitals: the Upper West Regional Hospital in Wa, St. Theresa’s Catholic Hospital in Nandom, War Memorial Hospital in Navrongo and Builsa North Municipal Hospital in Sandema.

Breaking Down Geographic Barriers to Kidney Care

For patients with kidney failure, proximity to treatment can be critical. In parts of Northern Ghana, limited dialysis capacity has historically forced patients to travel long distances to receive care.

In Nandom, for example, some patients have had to wake as early as 1 a.m. to travel to Wa for a dialysis session before making the journey home. According to hospital officials cited by Ghanaian national media, approximately 40% of dialysis patients traveling to the regional hospital in Wa have come from the Nandom area.

The newly delivered equipment is designed to help change that reality by bringing additional treatment capacity directly into underserved communities.

“The barrier now is location, and that is what we are here to break,” Dr. Dominic Akaateba, Country Director and Co-Founder of Ghana Medical Help, told Ghanaian news outlet MyJoyOnline.

The project extends beyond delivering equipment. Ghana Medical Help is also working to build local capacity to operate and maintain the machines. In August, the organization brought together clinical engineers for specialized training on troubleshooting, repairs and preventive maintenance, helping hospitals build the technical expertise needed to keep the equipment operating over the long term.

Logistics That Makes an Impact

Getting 17 sophisticated medical machines from Vancouver Island to hospitals in Northern Ghana required coordination across organizations and continents.

Island Health donated the dialysis machines, while the Potter family provided funding to support the international shipment. DP World contributed its logistics capabilities to help move the equipment across the Atlantic, supporting Ghana Medical Help as it navigated the complex journey from Canada to Ghana.

Doug Smith, CEO of DP World in Canada, said: “At DP World, we see logistics as more than moving goods from one place to another — it is about connecting people with what they need to thrive. We are proud to have supported Ghana Medical Help in delivering this critical equipment and helping expand access to lifesaving care for communities in Northern Ghana.”

The collaboration demonstrates how global supply chains can become a force for positive social impact. The same expertise and networks that move everyday goods around the world can also help medical equipment and humanitarian supplies reach communities where they can make a lasting difference.

Building Stronger Communities Through Global Connections

For Ghana Medical Help, the arrival of the equipment represents the culmination of a major international effort — and the beginning of expanded kidney care for communities across Northern Ghana.

Rather than a one-time equipment donation, the organization is focused on strengthening local healthcare systems for the long term through training, infrastructure, and local ownership. The new machines are expected to increase treatment capacity while reducing the time, cost, and physical burden associated with traveling long distances for dialysis.

For DP World, supporting the shipment reflects a broader commitment to using its global reach and logistics expertise to help strengthen the communities connected by its network.

When logistics connects the right resources with the people who need them most, the impact can extend far beyond the supply chain — helping create healthier, more resilient communities around the world.

Learn more about Ghana Medical Help’s Acute Kidney Care project and its impact in Northern Ghana

Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada today released its FY25 Sustainability Report Supplement, highlighting how the company is advancing more resilient food systems across the region through innovations in food production and technology, expanded recycling infrastructure, operational emissions reductions and community involvement.

The local supplement accompanies Tetra Pak’s 27th Sustainability Report, released globally on June 5, which reported a 34% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the company’s value chain since 2019 and a 56% reduction across its own operations, while reaching 97% renewable energy consumption globally. The U.S. and Canada supplement provides a closer look at the local initiatives and achievements supporting those broader sustainability ambitions.

“Sustainability isn’t a separate initiative for us, it’s how we do business,” said Seth Teply, president and CEO, Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada. “Whether we’re helping customers operate more efficiently, expanding access to carton recycling or giving back to our local communities, we’re focused on delivering practical solutions that strengthen the security of food systems while reducing impact to the planet.”

Highlights from the FY25 U.S. and Canada Sustainability Report Supplement include:

Food systems

• Commercializing the Tetra Pak^® A3/Speed filling line for the Tetra Prisma^® Aseptic 250 Edge with DreamCap™ 26 following a successful U.S. field test, producing 25,000 packages per hour—the equivalent output of nearly three Tetra Pak^® A3/CompactFlex lines with a 50% smaller footprint and lower operating costs.
• Supporting food access through employee volunteer efforts, including packing 18,000 pounds of potatoes, 23 pallets of fresh vegetables and more than 13,000 meals for food banks across North America.

Circularity

• Supporting the expansion of carton recycling access to nearly 2.5 million additional U.S. households in 2025, bringing nationwide access to 63%.
• Supporting ReCB LLC to begin operations in Iowa, where 6,000 tons of used cartons are being processed annually into roof coverboards.

Climate

• Reducing operational emissions: Improvements at Tetra Pak’s Vernon Hills, Illinois, distribution center are expected to avoid approximately 50 metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually.
• Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada continues to operate on 100% renewable electricity.

Nature

• Supporting environmental stewardship through employee cleanup and restoration projects across the U.S. and Canada.
• Building sustainability awareness for employees through Sustainability Week, featuring expert discussions on resilient food systems, responsible sourcing and carton recycling.

Social sustainability

• Taking an active role in the community by sponsoring and volunteering at local events.
• Continued growth in workplace equity and recognition. The company was named to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Companies to Work For list, including its Manufacturing and Agriculture category, placing it among the top 25% of more than 1,000 companies reviewed.

The FY25 Sustainability Report Supplement also highlights Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada’s continued collaboration with customers, municipalities, recyclers, nonprofit organizations and industry partners to help build more resilient, efficient and sustainable food systems across North America.

Explore the full report and the U.S. and Canada supplement.

About Tetra Pak
We’re here to make food safe and available. It’s why we provide advanced food production systems. In collaboration with our customers and suppliers, driven by more than 24,000 dedicated employees worldwide, we protect food sustainably every day for hundreds of millions of people in more than 160 countries. Because we’re here to fulfill a purpose: We commit to making food safe and available, everywhere, and we promise to protect what’s good: food, people and the planet.

More information about Tetra Pak is available at tetrapakusa.com.

Media contact 
Stephanie Ward
Communications Manager, Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada
940-380-4635

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CLEVELAND, September 1, 2026 /3BL/ – Ohio State Buckeyes Wide Receiver Jeremiah Smith and KeyBank are kicking off football season with two exciting initiatives designed to engage and inspire Ohio families: the debut of “The Financial Playbook with Jeremiah Smith”, a financial literacy coloring book for children, and a statewide fan sweepstakes that gives football fans the chance to win one of 15 autographed Jeremiah Smith jerseys.

The “Financial Playbook with Jeremiah Smith” is a 14-page coloring book designed to help parents and caregivers introduce financial concepts in an engaging, age-appropriate way. Through football-themed pages, the book teaches young children about saving, account management, healthy credit habits and giving back to their communities. The Financial Playbook will be available at all KeyBank branches located in Ohio during business hours, while supplies last.

The coloring book focuses on four key concepts:

• Saving for the future and preparing for unexpected expenses.
• Understanding accounts and monitoring your finances.
• Building healthy credit habits and long-term financial confidence.
• Supporting and giving back to your community.

“The Financial Playbook is a fun way for parents and kids to start talking about money together,” said Smith. “My partnership with KeyBank is all about helping Ohio’s youth learn smart financial habits, and this project was a great opportunity to make those lessons engaging and approachable. I hope families enjoy it and learn something along the way.”

The partnership between KeyBank and Smith reflects a shared commitment to investing in Ohio communities and empowering the next generation. As one of college football’s most exciting young athletes, Smith embodies the values of preparation, hard work and excellence that resonate with KeyBank’s mission of helping clients achieve their goals. Through initiatives like the Financial Playbook with Jeremiah Smith and fan experiences such as this sweepstakes, KeyBank and Smith are creating meaningful connections with Ohioans both on and off the field.

In addition to the launch of the coloring book, fans are invited to visit any KeyBank branch located in Ohio during business hours throughout September, take a photo with a life-size Jeremiah Smith cardboard cutout and upload their photo to the official KeyBank Fan Wall for a chance to win. The sweepstakes runs from September 1 through September 30.

KeyBank branches throughout the state will feature special in-branch displays encouraging fans to participate. The promotion is part of KeyBank’s ongoing partnership with Smith and is designed to bring communities together, celebrate the excitement of college football season and create memorable fan experiences across Ohio.

“At KeyBank, we believe financial confidence begins with education,” said Patty Jurca, KeyBank Chief Brand Officer. “‘The Financial Playbook with Jeremiah Smith’ is a creative way to help families start conversations about money, while our fan sweepstakes allows us to connect with communities across Ohio through one of the most exciting athletes in college football today.”

For information on how to enter the sweepstakes, please see the Official Rules at KeyBank x Jeremiah Smith Fan Wall.

Winners will be selected and contacted by a KeyBank representative following the close of the sweepstakes entry period.

ABOUT KEYCORP

KeyCorp’s roots trace back more than 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $191 billion at June 30, 2026.

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 950 branches and approximately 1,100 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC.

No purchase or transaction necessary to enter or win. A purchase or transaction will not improve your chance of winning. For official rules, visit any Ohio KeyBank branch or email grace.sullivan@keybank.com. Restrictions apply.

©2026 KeyCorp®. All rights reserved. KeyBank Member FDIC. CFMA #260824-4891128

WESTCHESTER, N.Y., September 1, 2026 /3BL/ – SavATree today announced a national partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation to accelerate reforestation in regions recovering from hurricanes, wildfires, and other disasters. Through SavATree’s new For Every Tree initiative, every tree removal performed by the company will directly support the planting of a new tree in high‑priority restoration areas across Florida and Michigan.  

This commitment is rooted in SavATree’s brand promise to help another tree grow for every tree removed.  

“We’ve been saving our customers trees, shrubs, and lawns for over 45 years; preservation is core to our mission at SavATree,” said Ryan Berk, Chief Executive Officer of SavATree. “However, when a tree must come down, we believe it should spark new growth somewhere else. Healthy forests are the foundation of resilient ecosystems, and restoring habitats after major storms is essential to protecting wildlife and strengthening communities.  Our For Every Tree initiative ensures when a customer does need a removal, we’re helping another tree grow in the forests that people and wildlife depend on.” 

“Trees and forests are the backbone of our ecosystems. As we grapple with a changing climate and the challenges it brings people and the planet, restoring forests and acting as caring leaders of our neighborhood canopies can make a significant difference in our future, which is why we are proud to partner with SavATree,” said Dan Morrow, Vice President of Partnerships at the Arbor Day Foundation. “SavATree’s commitment to responsible stewardship and their For Every Tree initiative reflects the kind of long‑term dedication that’s needed to create meaningful impact in the forests that need it most. Together, we’re helping restore critical habitat and strengthening the natural landscapes communities rely on.” 

Rebuilding Forests in Florida and Michigan 

The partnership will initially support two major Arbor Day Foundation projects; each identified as a forest area of greatest need by the Arbor Day Foundation: 

• Florida — Hurricane Michael Reforestation Project 

  Hurricane Michael devastated more than 2.8 million acres of forestland when it struck the Florida panhandle in 2018. SavATree’s support will help reestablish lost tree canopy to restore watershed and ecological functions, as well as vital habitat for a variety of threatened and endemic wildlife in the region. 

• Michigan — State Forests Reforestation Project 

  In partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, SavATree will help replant 15,000 trees across state forests. The project focuses on restoring native jack pine and red pine stands, critical habitat for species such as deer, turkey, grouse, and the threatened Kirtland’s warbler. 

Why This Matters Now 

Recent data shows that climate‑driven disturbances are reshaping America’s forests at an unprecedented pace. The U.S. lost more than 3.4 million acres of natural forest in a single recent year, and weather events including hurricanes and wildfires are now rising faster than human‑directed land changes, a dramatic shift documented by NASA and Global Forest Watch.  

SavATree’s arborists have seen the impact firsthand. Many worked on post‑storm cleanup after Hurricane Michael, removing dangerous trees and clearing debris.  

Press Contact: Dan Forman Storyline Advisors Dan.Forman@StorylineAdvisors.com 

About SavATree 

SavATree is a leading provider of professional tree, shrub, and lawn care services, with a commitment to science‑based stewardship and sustainable landscape management. With ISA Certified Arborists® across the country, SavATree delivers expert care that prioritizes preservation, safety, and environmental responsibility. 

About the Arbor Day Foundation 

The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than 1 million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they’ve answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners. And this is only the beginning.  

The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pursuing a future where all life flourishes through the power of trees. Learn more at arborday.org. 

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TriplePundit

by Tina Casey

The United States lost more than 270,000 journalism jobs over the past two decades as almost 3,500 newspapers shut down. Even as independent news outlets are forced to close, a well-capitalized network of partisan platforms that some have likened to propaganda machines is growing quietly in the background.

Media critics have long focused attention on Fox as a mainstream news outlet singularly dedicated to coloring the news with a formulaic ratings strategy that promotes and amplifies conservative talking points on issues like climate change and transgender rights. Even casual Fox News viewers can determine pretty quickly the network has a partisan bent, but that’s not always the case.

In one concerning example, investigative journalist Judd Legum recently identified a new network of Republican-affiliated news websites aimed at influencing voters in key swing states under the guise of reliable media outlets.

“One Nation, the Senate GOP’s primary dark money group, is producing propaganda masquerading as journalism,” Legum reported in his Popular Information newsletter earlier this month. So far, he found half a dozen such operations, covering key races in Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire and Ohio in the runup to the November midterm elections.

These outlets are branded as neutral and credible local news platforms like Maine Policy Updates, which publishes under the tagline “Maine’s News Source,” and Iowa Voice (“Stay Informed. Stay Iowa”), making it almost impossible for readers to tell the sites are entirely owned and operated by One Nation. Legum also identified factual inaccuracies reported in the outlets that match messaging used in One Nation political ads.

The loss of credible news outlets alongside the rising prevalence of fake news is not the only concern. The decline of trustworthy information resources in the United States takes many forms — from social media platforms, where over half of Americans are exposed to misinformation on a daily basis, to the Donald Trump administration’s systematic elimination of evidence-based federal programs and resources.

In the face of these challenges, a group of often unsung heroes are still fulfilling the role of professionally trained, reliable information and community outreach specialists, even as budget cuts threaten their mission. Yes, we’re talking about your local librarians, who perhaps are more important now than ever before.

Libraries remain a trusted resource, but staffing and budget shortfalls pose problems

Trump took office last year with a reputation for criticizing public libraries, among other independent social and cultural institutions. But the latest numbers from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent federal agency Trump unsuccessfully tried to eliminate, tell a story of an essential community resource.

“This year’s data make clear that public libraries remain one of the most trusted and utilized institutions in American life. With over 800 million visits, millions of programs offered, and a steady rise in both physical and digital circulation, libraries are demonstrating their enduring relevance and reach in communities nationwide,” according to the most recent IMLS report tracking over 9,000 U.S. public library systems. “A total of 93 million people attended 4.6 million programs, addressing critical needs in early learning, digital and financial literacy, workforce development, and public health.”

The use of digital library services is also on the rise. Earlier this year, the Ohio-based e-lending firm OverDrive noted that digital lending broke records last year among the 114 countries where it provides services, with U.S. library systems listed in nine of the top 10 library systems providing e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines.

Yet the gap between library budgets and the rising demand for library services is widening. While library room reservations and e-resources increased alongside in-person visits from 2021 to 2024, staffing and budgets have not kept up, the advocacy organization Every Library warns. In 2024, staffing levels remained 8.2 percent below pre-pandemic levels and a 5 percent budget increase failed to match the pace of inflation.

“Smaller libraries have been hit especially hard. Their staffing levels were down 11.5 percent, more than three times the average,” Every Library emphasized. “They also saw a decrease in e-resource usage, contradicting the trend seen in larger systems.”

Changes to federal broadband program could threaten digital access and restrict access to content at public libraries

Libraries are also beacons of digital literacy for people with limited access to the internet, undercutting educational and employment opportunities among other life goals. Around 66 million U.S. households have “low levels of digital readiness,” and 33 million do not use the internet at home, according to the American Library Association. People of color, rural residents, low-income families and people with disabilities are most impacted by digital opportunity gaps, according to the ALA.

“America’s libraries — 120,000 strong — are essential to addressing these gaps and realizing the vision of universal broadband adoption and ability to use,” the organization argues. Even so, smaller libraries are more likely to cut e-services when budgets fall short.

Despite these concerns, in June the Federal Communications Commission signaled that it will propose new rules impacting its E-Rate program, which provides schools and public libraries with low-cost broadband access.

The FCC followed up on August 14, filing a document in the Federal Register in which it opened several proposed rules for public comment. Although the FCC previously stated that no facilities would be cut from the E-Rate program, advocacy groups continue to raise alarms over the potential for paring down the program, if not eliminating it entirely.

Equally concerning is the FCC’s apparent willingness to impose new content restrictions on E-Rate users that target minorities, particularly transgender individuals. Specifically, the agency’s proposal references CIPA, the Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000, which is intended to prevent minors from accessing pornography online. However, words like pornography are subject to interpretation, and Trump swept into office under a social agenda targeting “transgender ideology” as pornographic.

Although the text of the FCC filing emphasizes general concerns over “children’s screen time,” the initial reference to CIPA is of a piece with the Trump administration’s persistent efforts to demonize transgender persons, providing powerful momentum for ongoing attempts to prevent LGBTQ materials from circulating in public libraries.

Library advocates fight back

This summer, the American Library Association partnered with the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition to launch a national campaign calling on the public to lobby their representatives in Congress to preserve E-Rate. “E-Rate is a congressionally-mandated program, and we need Congress to help us defend E-Rate now,” the partners emphasize.

The campaign also includes an online tool to help people submit comments to the FCC before the October 13 deadline.

While the result remains to be seen, raising awareness about the potential impact on library services is a solid first step. For communities already impacted by cuts to food assistance benefits and new Medicaid work requirements, losing free services at a local public library is yet another cut that runs deep.

Featured image: Mitya Ivanov/Unsplash

TriplePundit

by Tina Casey

The United States lost more than 270,000 journalism jobs over the past two decades as almost 3,500 newspapers shut down. Even as independent news outlets are forced to close, a well-capitalized network of partisan platforms that some have likened to propaganda machines is growing quietly in the background.

Media critics have long focused attention on Fox as a mainstream news outlet singularly dedicated to coloring the news with a formulaic ratings strategy that promotes and amplifies conservative talking points on issues like climate change and transgender rights. Even casual Fox News viewers can determine pretty quickly the network has a partisan bent, but that’s not always the case.

In one concerning example, investigative journalist Judd Legum recently identified a new network of Republican-affiliated news websites aimed at influencing voters in key swing states under the guise of reliable media outlets.

“One Nation, the Senate GOP’s primary dark money group, is producing propaganda masquerading as journalism,” Legum reported in his Popular Information newsletter earlier this month. So far, he found half a dozen such operations, covering key races in Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire and Ohio in the runup to the November midterm elections.

These outlets are branded as neutral and credible local news platforms like Maine Policy Updates, which publishes under the tagline “Maine’s News Source,” and Iowa Voice (“Stay Informed. Stay Iowa”), making it almost impossible for readers to tell the sites are entirely owned and operated by One Nation. Legum also identified factual inaccuracies reported in the outlets that match messaging used in One Nation political ads.

The loss of credible news outlets alongside the rising prevalence of fake news is not the only concern. The decline of trustworthy information resources in the United States takes many forms — from social media platforms, where over half of Americans are exposed to misinformation on a daily basis, to the Donald Trump administration’s systematic elimination of evidence-based federal programs and resources.

In the face of these challenges, a group of often unsung heroes are still fulfilling the role of professionally trained, reliable information and community outreach specialists, even as budget cuts threaten their mission. Yes, we’re talking about your local librarians, who perhaps are more important now than ever before.

Libraries remain a trusted resource, but staffing and budget shortfalls pose problems

Trump took office last year with a reputation for criticizing public libraries, among other independent social and cultural institutions. But the latest numbers from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent federal agency Trump unsuccessfully tried to eliminate, tell a story of an essential community resource.

“This year’s data make clear that public libraries remain one of the most trusted and utilized institutions in American life. With over 800 million visits, millions of programs offered, and a steady rise in both physical and digital circulation, libraries are demonstrating their enduring relevance and reach in communities nationwide,” according to the most recent IMLS report tracking over 9,000 U.S. public library systems. “A total of 93 million people attended 4.6 million programs, addressing critical needs in early learning, digital and financial literacy, workforce development, and public health.”

The use of digital library services is also on the rise. Earlier this year, the Ohio-based e-lending firm OverDrive noted that digital lending broke records last year among the 114 countries where it provides services, with U.S. library systems listed in nine of the top 10 library systems providing e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines.

Yet the gap between library budgets and the rising demand for library services is widening. While library room reservations and e-resources increased alongside in-person visits from 2021 to 2024, staffing and budgets have not kept up, the advocacy organization Every Library warns. In 2024, staffing levels remained 8.2 percent below pre-pandemic levels and a 5 percent budget increase failed to match the pace of inflation.

“Smaller libraries have been hit especially hard. Their staffing levels were down 11.5 percent, more than three times the average,” Every Library emphasized. “They also saw a decrease in e-resource usage, contradicting the trend seen in larger systems.”

Changes to federal broadband program could threaten digital access and restrict access to content at public libraries

Libraries are also beacons of digital literacy for people with limited access to the internet, undercutting educational and employment opportunities among other life goals. Around 66 million U.S. households have “low levels of digital readiness,” and 33 million do not use the internet at home, according to the American Library Association. People of color, rural residents, low-income families and people with disabilities are most impacted by digital opportunity gaps, according to the ALA.

“America’s libraries — 120,000 strong — are essential to addressing these gaps and realizing the vision of universal broadband adoption and ability to use,” the organization argues. Even so, smaller libraries are more likely to cut e-services when budgets fall short.

Despite these concerns, in June the Federal Communications Commission signaled that it will propose new rules impacting its E-Rate program, which provides schools and public libraries with low-cost broadband access.

The FCC followed up on August 14, filing a document in the Federal Register in which it opened several proposed rules for public comment. Although the FCC previously stated that no facilities would be cut from the E-Rate program, advocacy groups continue to raise alarms over the potential for paring down the program, if not eliminating it entirely.

Equally concerning is the FCC’s apparent willingness to impose new content restrictions on E-Rate users that target minorities, particularly transgender individuals. Specifically, the agency’s proposal references CIPA, the Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000, which is intended to prevent minors from accessing pornography online. However, words like pornography are subject to interpretation, and Trump swept into office under a social agenda targeting “transgender ideology” as pornographic.

Although the text of the FCC filing emphasizes general concerns over “children’s screen time,” the initial reference to CIPA is of a piece with the Trump administration’s persistent efforts to demonize transgender persons, providing powerful momentum for ongoing attempts to prevent LGBTQ materials from circulating in public libraries.

Library advocates fight back

This summer, the American Library Association partnered with the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition to launch a national campaign calling on the public to lobby their representatives in Congress to preserve E-Rate. “E-Rate is a congressionally-mandated program, and we need Congress to help us defend E-Rate now,” the partners emphasize.

The campaign also includes an online tool to help people submit comments to the FCC before the October 13 deadline.

While the result remains to be seen, raising awareness about the potential impact on library services is a solid first step. For communities already impacted by cuts to food assistance benefits and new Medicaid work requirements, losing free services at a local public library is yet another cut that runs deep.

Featured image: Mitya Ivanov/Unsplash

What If the Point of Foreign Assistance Was to End Foreign Assistance?
By Jacqueline Huh
August 31, 2026

Beneath the partisan debate on foreign assistance lies a remarkable consensus. Whether motivated by humanitarian obligation, national security, or economic opportunity, both Democrats and Republicans have long agreed that American support should advance the interests of the United States and the American people.

And yet the American people, whose taxes fund this work, have rarely been given a clear account of what their money concretely achieves and how they benefit. That gap between effort and explanation is one reason foreign assistance has been so easy to caricature and so hard to defend. The most basic question has also been the least consistently answered.

What does success actually look like?

The American people have been told how much foreign assistance costs and how many projects it funds. Too little attention has been paid to what those investments are supposed to produce over time. If American support is an investment made on behalf of the American people, then success cannot be defined by how much is spent or even by what is delivered. It must be defined by whether countries become capable of doing more for themselves and relying less on foreign assistance over time.

For decades, foreign assistance has been judged primarily by what it delivers, not what it leaves behind. A disease surveillance system may report impressive testing numbers while remaining indefinitely dependent on external technical support. A school is counted as built whether or not teachers are hired, students attend, or local authorities can maintain it after the project ends. These are real achievements, often lifesaving and lifechanging – but they answer only one question. What was delivered? They do not answer the more important one. What became unnecessary?

The real measure of success is whether countries become more capable of governing themselves, financing their own priorities, responding to crises, and sustaining progress after foreign assistance declines or ends. That shift in definition changes everything.

But success cannot be measured the same way across every form of foreign assistance and every country. Different objectives require different standards. One reason the debate has become so confused is that these distinct purposes are too often treated as though they were the same.

Emergency assistance answers to natural disasters, conflicts, and other crises. Its purpose is to save lives and relieve suffering. Food aid, for instance, is grown on American farms and carried on American ships before it reaches people in crisis abroad.

Recovery assistance restores basic security and essential public services after conflict or government collapse. Its purpose is to stabilize conditions long enough for reconstruction to take hold. The rebuilding, for instance, is led by American engineering firms and equipped with American-made machinery, from generators to water-treatment systems, before countries can govern, generate power, and rebuild themselves again.

Development assistance builds the institutions, systems, and workforce capacity that allow countries to govern themselves, fund their own priorities, and manage their own crises. Its purpose is to end long-term dependence on American support and to build more stable governments, more capable contributors to regional and global security, and more reliable trading partners. Development assistance is the rarest and most difficult of the three, and, on occasion, it has worked completely.

That is not an abstract aspiration. It has already happened.

After the Korean War, South Korea depended heavily on foreign assistance. But rather than remaining a permanent recipient, it invested in effective public institutions, education, and an export-oriented economy with a strong industrial policy. In 2009, South Korea became the first former aid recipient to join the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee as a donor nation.

Today, South Korea is one of the United States’ largest trading partners, with over $200 billion in annual two-way trade. Its firms manufacture semiconductors, batteries, and automobiles in the United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it rapidly scaled diagnostic testing capacity and, by April 2020, was exporting tests to more than 100 countries, including the United States. A South Korea that once depended on foreign assistance became one that strengthens the United States’ security and prosperity.

That is what success looks like. Not a dependency well managed. A dependency ended. Less of the same help, less often, for less long.

Each type of foreign assistance requires different tools, different timelines, and different definitions of success. Confusing them is one reason American support so often disappoints. Emergency assistance is judged as if it should build institutions. Recovery assistance is judged as if it should end dependence for good. But it is development assistance, more than any other category, where long-term success is ultimately decided, and where the greatest opportunities lie for the United States and the American people.

Too often, incentives reward continuation rather than progress toward independence. Development assistance can operate for years without demonstrating that governments are becoming more capable of performing core functions independently. Organizations are rewarded for delivering activities efficiently, not for making themselves unnecessary. Legislatures and boards demand results within political cycles, even though institutional capability is built over generations.

This is a problem of structure, not intention. Experts have spent years advancing ideas like local ownership, capacity building, and sustainability. But good intentions do not change what gets measured. And what gets measured is what gets rewarded.

Development assistance is routinely renewed even if it fails to demonstrate increasing local capability. Implementing organizations that produce dependency are rarely distinguished from those that produce independence. A system that cannot tell the two apart will reliably reproduce both.

Accountability is not a constraint on effectiveness. It is the condition for it. Countries start from different baselines, and the time it takes to build lasting capability will vary accordingly – some will need support for years longer than others. But implementing organizations should still be able to demonstrate, within defined time horizons appropriate to that starting point, that the countries they support are becoming more capable of performing core functions independently. Where that trajectory is absent, development assistance should be redesigned or ended, not simply continued.

Framing success in this way would not diminish humanitarian values. It would strengthen them. Countries that govern themselves effectively, finance their own priorities, and manage their own crises are better able to protect their citizens long after foreign assistance ends. They are also more stable partners, more capable contributors to regional and global security, and more reliable trading partners.

This is not a choice between charity and national interest. It is where they increasingly converge.

Foreign assistance will never disappear, nor should it. Earthquakes, pandemics, conflicts, and other shocks will continue to overwhelm even the most capable governments. Emergency and recovery assistance will remain essential tools of American leadership and engagement.

But development assistance should have different ambitions.

The argument is, in the end, a simple one. The goal of foreign assistance should not be how much is delivered, but what it leaves behind: capable governments, contributors to regional and global security, and reliable trading partners. Whatever form American support takes going forward, in whatever institutions, under whatever name, that is the outcome worth designing, funding, and measuring for. Not to keep it going. To make it unnecessary.

Jacqueline Huh is Head of External Affairs & Strategic Initiatives at the Stop TB Partnership. For more than a decade, she has led the design, development, and deployment of transformative public-private initiatives and partnerships across global health and development, working across civil society and community, local partners, governments, academia and research, the private sector, multilateral institutions, and donors to bring new approaches from idea to execution. The views expressed are her own.

What If the Point of Foreign Assistance Was to End Foreign Assistance?
By Jacqueline Huh
August 31, 2026

Beneath the partisan debate on foreign assistance lies a remarkable consensus. Whether motivated by humanitarian obligation, national security, or economic opportunity, both Democrats and Republicans have long agreed that American support should advance the interests of the United States and the American people.

And yet the American people, whose taxes fund this work, have rarely been given a clear account of what their money concretely achieves and how they benefit. That gap between effort and explanation is one reason foreign assistance has been so easy to caricature and so hard to defend. The most basic question has also been the least consistently answered.

What does success actually look like?

The American people have been told how much foreign assistance costs and how many projects it funds. Too little attention has been paid to what those investments are supposed to produce over time. If American support is an investment made on behalf of the American people, then success cannot be defined by how much is spent or even by what is delivered. It must be defined by whether countries become capable of doing more for themselves and relying less on foreign assistance over time.

For decades, foreign assistance has been judged primarily by what it delivers, not what it leaves behind. A disease surveillance system may report impressive testing numbers while remaining indefinitely dependent on external technical support. A school is counted as built whether or not teachers are hired, students attend, or local authorities can maintain it after the project ends. These are real achievements, often lifesaving and lifechanging – but they answer only one question. What was delivered? They do not answer the more important one. What became unnecessary?

The real measure of success is whether countries become more capable of governing themselves, financing their own priorities, responding to crises, and sustaining progress after foreign assistance declines or ends. That shift in definition changes everything.

But success cannot be measured the same way across every form of foreign assistance and every country. Different objectives require different standards. One reason the debate has become so confused is that these distinct purposes are too often treated as though they were the same.

Emergency assistance answers to natural disasters, conflicts, and other crises. Its purpose is to save lives and relieve suffering. Food aid, for instance, is grown on American farms and carried on American ships before it reaches people in crisis abroad.

Recovery assistance restores basic security and essential public services after conflict or government collapse. Its purpose is to stabilize conditions long enough for reconstruction to take hold. The rebuilding, for instance, is led by American engineering firms and equipped with American-made machinery, from generators to water-treatment systems, before countries can govern, generate power, and rebuild themselves again.

Development assistance builds the institutions, systems, and workforce capacity that allow countries to govern themselves, fund their own priorities, and manage their own crises. Its purpose is to end long-term dependence on American support and to build more stable governments, more capable contributors to regional and global security, and more reliable trading partners. Development assistance is the rarest and most difficult of the three, and, on occasion, it has worked completely.

That is not an abstract aspiration. It has already happened.

After the Korean War, South Korea depended heavily on foreign assistance. But rather than remaining a permanent recipient, it invested in effective public institutions, education, and an export-oriented economy with a strong industrial policy. In 2009, South Korea became the first former aid recipient to join the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee as a donor nation.

Today, South Korea is one of the United States’ largest trading partners, with over $200 billion in annual two-way trade. Its firms manufacture semiconductors, batteries, and automobiles in the United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it rapidly scaled diagnostic testing capacity and, by April 2020, was exporting tests to more than 100 countries, including the United States. A South Korea that once depended on foreign assistance became one that strengthens the United States’ security and prosperity.

That is what success looks like. Not a dependency well managed. A dependency ended. Less of the same help, less often, for less long.

Each type of foreign assistance requires different tools, different timelines, and different definitions of success. Confusing them is one reason American support so often disappoints. Emergency assistance is judged as if it should build institutions. Recovery assistance is judged as if it should end dependence for good. But it is development assistance, more than any other category, where long-term success is ultimately decided, and where the greatest opportunities lie for the United States and the American people.

Too often, incentives reward continuation rather than progress toward independence. Development assistance can operate for years without demonstrating that governments are becoming more capable of performing core functions independently. Organizations are rewarded for delivering activities efficiently, not for making themselves unnecessary. Legislatures and boards demand results within political cycles, even though institutional capability is built over generations.

This is a problem of structure, not intention. Experts have spent years advancing ideas like local ownership, capacity building, and sustainability. But good intentions do not change what gets measured. And what gets measured is what gets rewarded.

Development assistance is routinely renewed even if it fails to demonstrate increasing local capability. Implementing organizations that produce dependency are rarely distinguished from those that produce independence. A system that cannot tell the two apart will reliably reproduce both.

Accountability is not a constraint on effectiveness. It is the condition for it. Countries start from different baselines, and the time it takes to build lasting capability will vary accordingly – some will need support for years longer than others. But implementing organizations should still be able to demonstrate, within defined time horizons appropriate to that starting point, that the countries they support are becoming more capable of performing core functions independently. Where that trajectory is absent, development assistance should be redesigned or ended, not simply continued.

Framing success in this way would not diminish humanitarian values. It would strengthen them. Countries that govern themselves effectively, finance their own priorities, and manage their own crises are better able to protect their citizens long after foreign assistance ends. They are also more stable partners, more capable contributors to regional and global security, and more reliable trading partners.

This is not a choice between charity and national interest. It is where they increasingly converge.

Foreign assistance will never disappear, nor should it. Earthquakes, pandemics, conflicts, and other shocks will continue to overwhelm even the most capable governments. Emergency and recovery assistance will remain essential tools of American leadership and engagement.

But development assistance should have different ambitions.

The argument is, in the end, a simple one. The goal of foreign assistance should not be how much is delivered, but what it leaves behind: capable governments, contributors to regional and global security, and reliable trading partners. Whatever form American support takes going forward, in whatever institutions, under whatever name, that is the outcome worth designing, funding, and measuring for. Not to keep it going. To make it unnecessary.

Jacqueline Huh is Head of External Affairs & Strategic Initiatives at the Stop TB Partnership. For more than a decade, she has led the design, development, and deployment of transformative public-private initiatives and partnerships across global health and development, working across civil society and community, local partners, governments, academia and research, the private sector, multilateral institutions, and donors to bring new approaches from idea to execution. The views expressed are her own.

August 31, 2026 /3BL/ – Ragan Communications will bring hundreds of communications professionals together Nov. 11-13 in Austin, Texas, for its Future of Communications Conference, a flagship event of Communications Week 2026.

Held at the Hyatt Regency Austin, the three-day conference will convene communications executives and professionals from across internal communications, public relations, corporate communications, marketing, employee communications, public affairs and related disciplines to examine the forces reshaping the profession and prepare for 2027.

This year’s program arrives at a pivotal moment for communicators. Artificial intelligence is moving rapidly from experimentation to everyday business operations. Organizations are navigating changing employee expectations, evolving media ecosystems, reputation risk, economic uncertainty and increased pressure to demonstrate the business value of communications.

The Future of Communications Conference is designed to help communicators turn those challenges into opportunities to lead.

Across more than 30 keynotes, workshops, case studies, fireside chats, panels and peer discussions, attendees will explore practical strategies for AI adoption and governance, executive communications, corporate reputation, crisis communications, employee engagement, organizational change, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), measurement and strategic communications.

Attendees will learn from more than 50 senior communications leaders, executives and industry experts while connecting with hundreds of peers facing many of the same challenges inside their organizations.

A major addition to the 2026 experience is the Center for AI Strategy Summit on Nov. 11. Attendees selecting the AI Summit as their pre-conference experience will take part in candid discussions focused on moving AI adoption forward responsibly and effectively.

The Summit will explore where AI adoption is gaining traction, what is preventing broader use and trust, and how communications teams are moving from scattered experimentation to repeatable workflows. Attendees will see AI workflows and use cases being put into practice, examine governance and brand safety concerns and discuss emerging issues including agentic AI, synthetic content, legal risk and the role human judgment must continue to play.

Participants selecting the Center for AI Strategy Summit will also receive a complimentary annual membership in Ragan’s Center for AI Strategy.

Those choosing Ragan’s conference workshop experience on Nov. 11 can dive into additional hands-on learning around issues including deepfakes and synthetic media, crisis preparedness, AI-powered search, GEO and AEO, AI-fluent communications teams and maintaining authentic, high-quality content as AI accelerates production.

The conference continues Nov. 12-13 with dedicated internal and external communications tracks, general sessions, interactive discussions, networking experiences and opportunities to exchange ideas with speakers and fellow attendees.

The Future of Communications Conference takes place at the center of Communications Week, Nov. 9-13, an annual celebration that connects communications professionals, organizations and industry leaders through educational programs, networking and conversations about the future of the profession.

For communications professionals looking ahead to 2027, the Austin gathering offers an opportunity to step away from day-to-day demands, learn what other organizations are doing, build relationships with peers and return to work with practical strategies they can immediately put into action.

The next registration pricing deadline is Sept. 4.

3BL Media readers can use code 3BL to save an additional $500 on registration.

Learn more about Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference, explore the agenda and register at Ragan.com.

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When a natural disaster strikes, the immediate focus is often on human survival and rebuilding. But for communities like those in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), pets are family, and their survival is tightly woven into the region’s overall recovery.

Following the devastating impact of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, thousands of animals were left vulnerable. FedEx proudly stepped up to deliver critical support where it was needed most, ensuring that life-saving supplies reached the ground when supply chains were broken.

The Aftermath of Super Typhoon Sinlaku

When Typhoon Sinlaku battered Saipan and neighboring islands, it left a trail of destruction. Widespread power outages, severe flooding, and disrupted supply chains meant that essential resources—including pet food and veterinary care—were suddenly cut off.

For a community that relies heavily on visiting veterinarians and local rescue groups, the situation was dire. Displaced and injured pets, as well as community animals, were in urgent need of nourishment and medical attention.

FedEx Delivers the Essentials

Recognizing that logistics can be the difference between life and death in a disaster zone, FedEx provided critical in-kind shipping of essential pet food to support the relief efforts.

By leveraging FedEx’s global network, the company successfully transported large donations of pet food from Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Open Farm directly to the ASPCA’s disaster response teams. This logistical support meant that while veterinary teams focused on complex surgeries and field rescues, they already had the heavy physical supplies needed to keep recovering animals nourished.

The Impact: Healing a Community

Because of this coordinated effort, the recovery results on the islands have been incredibly impactful. By providing prompt, in-kind shipping of high-quality pet food from Hill’s and Open Farm, FedEx, along with ASPCA and other supporters, successfully delivered life-saving care and nutrition to at least 1,100 pets, while completing over 2,000 veterinary and supply distribution services. Together, we did not just rebuild a supply chain; we brought vital relief and hope directly back to the families who needed it most.

At FedEx, we know that delivering for our communities means showing up when the unexpected happens. By supporting the ASPCA and local agencies in Saipan, FedEx isn’t just moving boxes of pet food—we are delivering hope, resilience, and a second chance for the most vulnerable members of the family.

Click here to learn about FedEx Cares, our global community engagement program.