You hear the name, and you think: Microsoft.

But did you know Bill and Melinda Gates have given away more money than anyone in world history?

Not only are they rich, they're generous. And much of their wealth goes to people living right here.

Melinda Gates is intently private and protective of her family, but she gave me the extraordinary opportunity to talk with her one-on-one to help spread her message.

Melinda gates travels tens of thousands of miles each year checking out programs the Gates Foundation is supporting. We often hear about their global programs fighting AIDS and looking for vaccines, but much of the Gates' benevolence is targeted right here at home.

One Life As Valuable As The Next

On this day, Melinda is visiting Aki Kurose Middle School -- one of four Seattle middle schools with YMCA Community Learning Centers getting nearly $3 million from the Gates Foundation. It's money used to support students "at risk"; to help them finish high school and realize more of their potential.

"The premise of this foundation is one life on this planet is no more valuable than the next," Melinda Gates said. "We look in our own backyard and say, 'How do we help at-risk families, at risk youth? How do we think through some of the problems affecting the Pacific Northwest and make some change there?' "

Giving Back To The Northwest

The Gates believe because the Pacific Northwest has been such a great home for Microsoft, they want to give back to keep this community strong. Microsoft is where their relationship began.

"After a number of years dating, we decided we were good partners," she said. "And on a very special trip to California, he proposed to me."

After the first of their three children was born, Melinda left her job at Microsoft.

"She had a great career at Microsoft and could have gone on to a gigantic job there," Bill Gates said. "She brings a unique perspective as a woman...as a mother."

"It's a great segue into a different path," Melinda Gates added, "and a lot of skills I learned at Microsoft are absolutely skills I rely on and use at the foundation. So I made a conscious choice that when our daughter turned one, I would get back into those interests, those issues, and start learning them."

Clearly her husband is her number one fan.

"You know, I wouldn't be doing the foundation if it wasn't for her," he said. "And she's really shaped where we're going with it."

'I'm Becoming A Leader'

The Gates' generosity is such a gift for kids like Angelique and Chris.

"I was following people around and getting in a lot of trouble," said Chris Fomby. "But since they started helping me out, I'm becoming a leader and I stopped getting in trouble."

"My son is one of those kids that is at risk," said Chris' mother Adrienne. "And I think they've caught him."

"It's really one of my all-time favorite things to do," Melinda Gates said. "To go out and really see the kids and visit the moms who are in these programs because I think I really get to see what happens on the ground and connect with them about what changes are that happen in their lives because of some of the giving that we're able to do."

Melinda is spreading her own sense of self-worth and value to these kids, as well as her own three children.

"I think it's very important that we instill in our kids that it has nothing to do with their name or their situation that they're growing up in; it has to do with who they are as an individual," she said.

Staying Out Of The Limelight

But there is a lot we don't know about Bill and Melinda Gates. She works hard at insulating her family from the public -- especially their three children.

"I think we've got the right set-up for them," Melinda Gates said. "They have a lot of close friends... they have a lot of close family. I think we're doing the best we can at providing them with a normal environment.

"But I think the Pacific Northwest is a particularly great place to raise a normal family and to have some privacy. People are respectful when we're out with the children on a normal evening, and it couldn't be a better place to live for those reasons."

So Melinda balances two extremes, protecting her family and promoting the world's most generous foundation.

"I want to live as private a life as I can because of our children," she said. "I'm willing to step out of that at times because I think there are important issues that we ought to speak about."

Juggling One Monstrous Schedule

Melinda and Bill log tens of thousands of miles each year around the world supporting their foundation's work. Tackling health and social issues like education and homelessness demands a huge commitment of time and energy, and the schedule juggling can be overwhelming.

"We set out what's going to be our work time versus our foundation time versus family time, and we'll reassess that...sometimes every week," she said.

"Melinda and I work together on deciding what we want the foundation to do," Bill Gates added. "It's fun for us to go on trips together around the world and see what the needs are."

"And I think that's part of the enjoyment for us," Melinda said. "We talk a lot in our home together about where we're going, what I'm doing.

"I think this is very much a collaborative effort. We come at it from slightly different angles, but that's why it's a natural for us to do it together."

Melinda says their dedication to the foundation is long-term. And as for long-term family plans?

"I'm happy we have three healthy children and we'll stay with three healthy children," Melinda said. "Now the kids want to know whether there will be a dog in their future...and who knows?"

What is clear about the Gates' future is their dedication to giving through their foundation for years to come.

Melinda says their top priority is developing an AIDS vaccine.