The Power of Half its Sunday collections to a local charity. Baumberger remarked: "What will we learn by practicing the power of half? What will this program teach our children and youth? I cannot wait to find out." Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, said she was inspired by the Salwens' philanthropic efforts. On December 9, 2010, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook's CEO), and investor Warren Buffett signed a promise they called the "Gates-Buffet Giving Pledge", in which they promised to donate to charity at least half of their wealth. After launching the Giving Pledge, the Gates invited the Salwens to Seattle
USS Thomas S. Gates put into Gibraltar on 10 October, she turned over with guided missile cruiser on 16 October before sailing to Bermuda, arriving there 25 October 1997. That same day, just after embarking crew relatives for a Tiger cruise home, the cruiser responded to a distress call, recovering two crewmen from the drifting sailboat "Glou Glou". "Thomas S. Gates" arrived home at Norfolk on 27 October 1997. On 25 September 1999, "Thomas S. Gates" responded to a call for assistance from the United States Coast Guard vessel , then in the process of conducting boarding operations of the suspect merchant vessel "Love".