Farther Foundation Annual Report - 2022
Ian’s program took him to Colorado and included service work at a wolf sanctuary.
President’s Message
“I continued to “embarrass” myself while on the trip, but the more I did, the less I cared. I learned that it was fine to be embarrassed by your mistakes. I learned to grow from my mistakes. I learned to understand that mistakes are unavoidable. The less I cared about humiliating myself, the more confident I became.”
Kate traveled to Spain and participated in a program of language and cultural immersion.
For Farther Foundation, our partners, and especially our students, we had a welcome return to educational travel programs in 2022. Our students explored new challenges, honed new skills and confidence, and brought home the best in themselves. Read more about our students, our impact, and news from our organization in our 2022 Annual Report.
We are grateful for your support of Farther Foundation and the students we serve!
David Weindling
Farther Foundation - Founder and Board President
Mission & Vision
Farther Foundation inspires greater aspiration and achievement from students in communities beset by chronic disinvestment and systemic inequities. We provide opportunities for students to participate in life-changing educational travel experiences across the country and around the world. Our students immerse themselves in new cultures, learn and develop skills, provide community service, cultivate leadership, and attain personal growth.
Student Explorations 2022
Twenty-seven students spread out across the country and around the world for programs of adventure, discovery, and learning. Here is a sample of the experiences and lessons you helped make possible.
AMAL
“My favorite part of the entire trip was when we all got to go outside and sit in chairs that our leaders had set up. We sat in pairs and were asked questions about our lives. We had to share what we were feeling and what we hoped to get out of the trip.”
Amal traveled to the Azores where she learned to scuba dive and kayak while also exploring the local culture.
JOSUE
“When the day came to present, I stood in front of the audience and presented like I never had up until that point. I still stuttered a little, but it didn’t matter because I was able to leave my comfort zone in way I never thought I could before.”
Josue attended an engineering program at Cornell University where he experienced campus life and college-level concepts.
ANIAH
“We did so many things, like getting to see seals up close, dissecting sharks, going to the tide pools, and seeing all different kinds of marine life. I remember at the tide pools I was not expecting what I saw; I had never seen anything like it in my life. It was beautiful and made me appreciate nature so much more.
This program made me so much more comfortable to go to college, being able to live on campus in the dorms, getting to eat in the dining hall, going into classrooms to do activities, etc; It made me so much more excited to go to college and helped me understand more about what fit I wanted for my college.”
Aniah spent time on and off campus in San Diego getting introduced to college life and marine science.
NDEYE
"The strange actuality of service trips is that it is hard to distinguish where our helpfulness begins and where it becomes detrimental to the environment we serve. In a program with Global Leadership Adventures, I spent two weeks on the island of the Dominican Republic volunteering at medical brigades and building bathrooms to benefit the islands’ underserved communities. At the end of every night, the group and I sat and discussed what we’d learned that day, how we felt about our service, and most importantly, debating the functionality and meaning behind our work."
New Board members
Farther Foundation recently added three new Board members – two of who are farther Foundation program alumni!
Rosario Gonzalez
Rosario is an alumna of Farther Foundation having spent a summer at Boston University in an immersive journalism program. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a degree in Management Information Systems.
Rosario has worked in multiple industries including law, hospitality, insurance, and now talent advisory. She currently works at Egon Zehnder, a leadership advisory firm, in the consumer practice helping clients create leadership for a better world. Rosario hopes through her work on the board of Farther Foundation to inspire others to have educational travel experiences that lead to more opportunities than expected.
Jocelyn Duran
Jocelyn is an alumna of Farther Foundation. She traveled to Mexico in the summer of 2011 with Experiment International Living, where she spent time volunteering at an orphanage in Queretaro. She went on to graduate with a degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in Boston.
Jocelyn worked abroad in Greece and England before settling back in Chicago. Since then she's worked in market research, first at Ipsos and now at The Harris Poll. Her clients range from private health insurers to national media outlets, focusing on patient experience, public opinion polling, and corporate reputation. She's currently pursuing a master's degree in International Affairs at Loyola University Chicago and hopes to continue to travel the world while enabling others to do the same.
Events - Save the date
Storyslam 2023
Thursday, October 12, 7:00 – 10:00
Fitzgerald’s Nightclub
6615 Roosevelt Rd, Berwyn
Hear stories of discovery, adventure and mishap told by consummate storytellers.
Enjoy food, drink and the company of friends.
Support our hard-working and deserving students.
Featured storytellers include:
David Wright Faladé is a professor of English at the University of Illinois and is the co-author of the young adult novel Away Running and the nonfiction book Fire on the Beach: Recovering the Lost Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers, which was a New Yorker notable selection and a St. Louis-Dispatch Best Book of 2001. His most recent book is Black Cloud Rising. A former Fulbright Fellow to Brazil, Faladé is the 2021-22 Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellow of the NY Public Library’s Cullman Center for Writers. The recipient of a Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Award, he has written for the New Yorker, Village Voice, Southern Review, Newsday, and more. http://www.davidwrightbooks.com/
Jenny Bienemann is a singer songwriter and the force behind Haiku Milieu. Begun as an endeavor to stay creative in between writing songs, the Haiku Milieu “universe” now encompasses three books, an audiobook described for accessibility produced with guidance from Chicago Lighthouse, 14 concerts of more than 250 original songs inspired by Haiku Milieu written by more than 110 artists across the US, a Sunday Haiku Milieu newsletter, and 3-5 social media posts a week. Jenny's songs have been featured in film, theatre, and TV. She hosts a once-a-month songwriter residency at Fitzgerald’s and tours regionally. https://jennybienemann.com/
Tia Lorenna (Emcee) is a Farther Foundation alumnus. In 2012 she spent three weeks on Native American reservations learning about the culture and how to document it photographically. She went on to earn a degree in early childhood education from Illinois State University. Tia is the Founder and Program Manager for Tea House Collective. Tia relates that traveling the world and living abroad at various points in her life helped shape and define her belief that possibilities are limitless. She did not have to wait for an institution or outside source to appoint her as a community leader; she determined to lead her community by creating space, centering the voices of community members and listening to its needs today.
Stay tuned for news about more of our featured storytellers!
Expense Report - 2022
Notes
More than $150,000 in scholarships and awards
50% increase in donations
Our Supporters
Farther Foundation is grateful to acknowledge the support of the generous donors who believe in our mission and the potential of the students we serve. https://www.fartherscholar.org/our-supporters
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Farther Foundation
223 S. Elmwood Ave.
Oak Park, IL 60302
Thank you from the Board of Directors of Farther Foundation!
David Weindling
Susan J. White
Laura Swartzbaugh
Matt Crossett
Melissa Coughlin
Ed Cruickshank
Nina Ricci
Rosario Gonzalez
Jocelyn Duran