The Endowment for Unexceptional Humans: Successes and Testimonials



	PETER'S STORY Grant recipient Peter writes: In December 2010, a group of 60 incredible people came together to provide funding to get a dream of mine off the ground. In a single moment, Envision Skate Collective was transformed from a distant yet vivid dream into an extremely real prospect. The cash provided by these supporters was molded into a real, functioning company - with the potential to carry the dream to new heights. Fast forward a couple of months: The company was still taking shape, boards and accessories were in stock, and we had attended a few events to help spread the word. Our money wasn't gone, but was low, and it was becoming increasingly apparent that Envision needed some supplementary camera equipment in order to capture high-quality product and promo photos to put on our website. We weren't sure quite how it was going to happen, but in our time of need, one organization stepped forward to fill the gap in our funding: The Endowment for Unexceptional Humans. The Endowment for Unexceptional Humans believed in our dream and provided funds for exactly the equipment we needed, giving Envision a much needed boost. Thanks to their generous provision, we are able to capture professional-quality images for the business and hope to eventually spin our photo (and video) production into a separate business. I don't think we could say it enough, so three times will have to suffice for now: Thank you, thank you, thank you to the Endowment for Unexceptional Humans for your generous support of Envision Skate Collective and our dream. § ROSI'S STORY In April of 2008, Rosi's older brother Luis was tragically shot to death on a basketball court in Jamaica Plain. Luis, known as "Mata," was only 20 years old. His death was unfortunately only one in a spate of violent incidents that have plagued this community. Inspired to keep the memory of her beloved brother alive, Rosi made a plan to found an organization dedicated to anti-violence work and youth empowerment. In 2009, the Endowment for Unexceptional Humans provided the Luis Troncoso Peace Foundation with $1000 to get started in our community. Now called My Brother's Legacy, Rosi's foundation has worked closely with young adults, youth workers, and other supporters to "channel tragedy into something positive" and to "stop future violence from occurring." § JENNIFER'S STORY At the end of Jennifer's first year of college, she was in danger of not being able to continue her education because of financial hardship. Other scholarships and loans covered the bulk of her tuition, but she found herself $5000 short with nowhere to turn. The Endowment for Unexceptional Humans gave her a scholarship to close the gap and enable her to pursue her goals. She wrote us this letter. I am writing this letter to thank you so much for your generous donation. The funds that you have provided me with will help to further my education at Pine Manor, my studies in Social and Political Systems and keep me closer to my dream of becoming a social worker. More importantly, I am no longer in a constant state of worry and the burden has been lifted about how I was going to finance the 2008 fall semester and be able to come back to school next year. My attention now has transformed to motivation and I know I will do well in school. I want to show that this money was not given to me in vain. Pine Manor College is a natural fit for me. Its mission of preparing women for inclusive leadership and social responsibility in their workplaces, families and communities has sparked my desire to give back to the community. For example, I want to help young teens that come from disadvantaged backgrounds (similar to myself) realize their potential and become successful. Currently, I work as work-study in the Center for Inclusive Leadership and Social Responsibility, also known as CILSR. In this role, I have realized how aware I have become and also my responsibly to reach others about social responsibility. Since joining the Pine Manor College community in 2007, I have already taken on leadership roles and have very been involved connected with the campus. Some of these co-curricular activities include the Campus Activities Board, Ladies of Various Ebony Shades, and outside of school I work with a variety of environmental programs. As a member of these organizations, I coordinate activities on campus for all students to enjoy, engage in volunteer and community work, and teach young women to build their self confidence and self love. Recently, I was selected to be a resident assistant (RA) for the 2008-2009 academic year. In this new venture, I will be able to show my leadership skills and take-charge abilities by being a role model in the residence halls, help new students feel comfortable as they changeover to a new environment and provide programs that are educational, social and cultural. I tell you all of this because I want you to know the quality of young woman you helped to support. Once again, I feel very privileged and fortunate to have your support and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Sincerely, Jennifer After receiving a $5000 scholarship from the Endowment for Unexceptional Humans in the spring of 2007, Jennifer has excelled in college and is on track to graduate. § JEREMY'S STORY Grant recipient Jeremy writes: In the fall of 2009 I was setting up a small business to bring a boardgame to production. We had raised some money to cover our printer costs, but had very little in the budget for unexpected operating costs. And then, right in the middle of our pre-production phase, my laptop stopped working... We are a tiny, unexceptional company, just beginning to get off the ground, and we didn't have the benefit of business loans. A catastrophic equipment failure at a key moment would certainly have spelled disaster for us. But we had already taken steps toward our goal, and we had a plan to achieve it. This left us in a good position to solicit help from the Endowment for Unexceptional Humans, and fortunately they came to our aid with a grant. Their generosity enabled us to obtain a working computer and allowed us to finish the project on time! I was so impressed with their good work and their mission that I expressed an interest in giving back to the Endowment in some way. I'm happy to now be a member of their Board of Directors, working to fulfill the Endowment's mission of providing sometimes small but always transformative scholarships and grants to worthy unexceptional humans with the potential for excellence. After receiving a new computer from the Endowment for Unexceptional Humans in the autumn of 2009, Jeremy's company, Dystopian Holdings, has incorporated. The boardgame was released in October 2010. § Learn More Who we are, who you are, and why it's important Contact Get in touch Support We can't do it alone Persistence, resilience, character, support. Excellence for all.

Design by KODKOD	©2010 The Endowment For Unexceptional Humans Amy L Clark, Jeremy P Bushnell, and Scott Thomson.