Approximately 300 participants representing cultural institutions, social service agencies, schools and universities, faith-based organizations, chambers of commerce, local governments and more from across the United States will convene on May 17-18 for the Sixth Annual Office Depot Foundation Weekend in Boca Civil Society Leadership Symposium.

The symposium - which is presented free of charge to attendees as part of the independent, non-profit Office Depot Foundation’s commitment to supporting capacity building in the non-profit sector - will feature speakers from GuideStar USA, The Chronicle of Philanthropy and other nationally and internationally recognized organizations. 

Presented in collaboration with the Sagamore Institute, the SCORE Foundation, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) and JKG Group, Weekend in Boca will focus on the theme “Innovation and Collaboration – Building for the Future.”  The symposium takes place at Office Depot Corporate Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla.

Sessions will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on May 17 and from 9 a.m. to noon on May 18. To view the full agenda and see profiles of the speakers, visit www.officedepotfoundation.org/weekendinboca. Twitter users can follow along with the hashtag #OfficeDepotFndnBoca.

Speakers scheduled to participate include:

• Stacy Palmer, Editor, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Washington, D.C.
• Lindsay J.K. Nichols, Communications Director, GuideStar USA, Inc., Washington, D.C.
• Nicholas Ashburn, Program Director, Impact Texas, Austin, Texas
• Richard J. Crespin, Senior Fellow, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center, Washington, D.C.
• Mark J. Dobosz, President, SCORE Foundation, Herndon, Va.
• Jay Hein, President, Sagamore Institute, Indianapolis, Ind.
• Stephen Jordan, Co-founder and Senior Partner, IO Sustainability, Washington, D.C.
• Akaya Windwood, President, Rockwood Leadership Institute, Oakland, Calif.

A special highlight will be the “Innovation Kick Start” – an interactive presentation in the afternoon on May 17 by ?WhatIf! Innovation Partners. It’s billed as a “high-energy and high-impact, one-two punch of innovation training that fuses the learning of fundamental tools and behaviors with real-world application for immediate implementation and impact.”  The session will be led by Arnava Asen and Gian Taralli from the ?WhatIf! team.

“Weekend in Boca has grown dramatically since it began in 2007,” says Office Depot Foundation President Mary Wong. “Participants come from as far away as New York, Chicago and even California in addition to our core group from South Florida. We are confident that this year’s program will be relevant, stimulating and, above all, inspiring.”

About the Office Depot Foundation
The Office Depot Foundation is an independent foundation − tax exempt under IRC Sec. 501(c)(3) − that serves as the independent charitable giving arm of Office Depot, Inc. In keeping with its mission, Listen Learn Care^®, the Foundation supports a variety of programs that give children tools to succeed in school and in life; build the capacity of non-profit organizations through collaboration and innovation; and help communities prepare for disasters, as well as recovering and rebuilding afterwards.  For more information, visit www.officedepotfoundation.org. 

Listen Learn Care Foundation

Listen Learn Care Foundation

Compassionate. Creative. Committed.

As an independent, non-profit foundation, the Listen Learn Care Foundation (formerly the Office Depot Foundation) strives to make a difference to children, families and communities across the United States and around the world. In keeping with its mission, Listen Learn Care®, the Foundation supports a variety of programs that:

• Give children tools to succeed in school and in life
• Build the capacity of nonprofit organizations through collaboration and innovation
• Help communities prepare for disasters, as well as recovering and rebuilding afterwards

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