The Spark Blog – Page 4 – Spark Ventures

Stephanie Denzer | #girleffect, #graduation4all, community programs, education, girls, partnership trip, report from the field, spark ventures, travel, women's empowerment, zambia

Meeting Rebecca & Her Grandmother

One of the most powerful experiences for those who take the journey to meet our partners and see our work in action is the opportunity to visit the homes of children like Rebecca, a student at Hope Community School in Zambia. This provides a first-hand glimpse...

05 March

Share on
FB
Tweet

Stephanie Denzer | chicago, events, organization, spark ventures

Looking Back at 10 Years

As we near the end of Spark Ventures' 10th Anniversary Year, we share the remarks our Cofounder, Rich Johnson made at our big, 10th Anniversary Celebration. His remarks here serve as a "thank you" to the Spark Ventures community who have helped us get to...

06 December

Share on
FB
Tweet

Stephanie Denzer | Board of Directors, chicago, community programs, events, organization, spark ventures

Meet Kristin – Spark’s Managing Director

We are thrilled to welcome our new Managing Director, Kristin Schrepferman. She joined the team in early October and has hit the ground running, working closely with Spark's Cofounder Rich Johnson and the board to provide leadership for the organization. Kristin has a background in both marketing...

06 December

Share on
FB
Tweet

Stephanie Denzer | spark ventures, women's empowerment, zambia

Teacher Judy in Kansas!

If you have been to Zambia to see our work in-person, you met Teacher Judy - we're sure you haven't forgotten her. Judy's welcoming and outgoing personality helps make anyone who visits Hope Community School feel right at home. We had the honor to welcome...

02 November

Share on
FB
Tweet

Stephanie Denzer | chicago, events, partnership trip, spark ventures, travel

Beginning a New Decade at Spark Ventures

Thanks to your partnership with us, Spark Ventures has reached its ten-year milestone. Together, we’ve had significant impact and it is with gratitude and anticipation that we share some exciting news about the future. Our leadership team and board of directors have outlined a strategy that...

01 September

Share on
FB
Tweet

Stephanie Denzer | #girleffect, community programs, girls, nicaragua, partnership trip, spark ventures, travel, women's empowerment

Supporter Spotlight: Carol Thompson

Summer may only be halfway through but we're already thinking about 2018 travel. We've added a NEW trip date to our line-up - a Women's Leadership Trip in February. As we planned those dates, we checked back in with one of the women who was...

19 July

Share on
FB
Tweet

Stephanie Denzer | Board of Directors, investor spotlight, organization, spark ventures, zambia

Introducing Two New Board Members

We are so thrilled to introduce two new Spark Ventures board members - Lisa Madonia and Doak Elliott. Check out this interview to learn more about what they're most passionate about. What drew you to Spark Ventures and our work? What motivated you to get involved? Lisa:...

28 June

Share on
FB
Tweet

Stephanie Denzer | #girleffect, chicago, girls, organization, spark ventures, women's empowerment

Women at the Helm

From chairing our Board of Directors to managing our grassroots, community partner organizations, women are in key decision-making roles and will continue to lead the charge as we move into our second decade of impact. We are excited to feature a few of these incredible...

07 June

Share on
FB
Tweet

Stephanie Denzer | community programs, nicaragua, organization, partnership trip, report from the field, travel

What does “Giving Back” look like?

One of the key pillars of a Spark Ventures impact travel experience is the opportunity to give back. Many times we get questions about what this looks like, and we thought we could unpack it a bit here. Let's start with what we believe is...

17 May

Share on
FB
Tweet

Stephanie Denzer | #girleffect, community programs, education, report from the field

New Textbooks for Hope Community School

New textbooks!! Thanks to our partnership with Lincoln Park Preschool & Kindergarten, Hope School has brand new textbooks and teaching resources. The books arrived in April and were immediately put to use - this was a huge need and the teachers and students are thrilled. ...

17 May

Share on
FB
Tweet

Stephanie Denzer | community programs, education, nicaragua, partnership trip, report from the field, travel

Interview: Lesley Brindle, March Trip Participant

We sat down with one of our most recent Impact Travel alumni, Lesley Brindle, to capture some of her immediate reflections on our recent March trip to Nicaragua. Check out our interview with her here, and consider joining us on one of our upcoming Impact...

04 April

Share on
FB
Tweet

Amanda Diiulis | #girleffect, #inspired, Business, business development, girls, news, non-profit, nonprofit, organization, social good, spark, spark ventures, travel, women's empowerment

A Wanderful Giveaway!

We've collaborated before with the intrepid ladies over at Wanderful where their goal is to empower women travelers to explore the world and to connect with each other. We're all about experiential travel and making powerful, personal connections. So, we were thrilled when they reached...

01 March

Share on
FB
Tweet

Amanda Diiulis | community programs, education, investor spotlight, report from the field, zambia

Shelby Goldstein Schoolhouse gets some special visitors

In 2010, Shankar Iyer and his family donated the funds to name the newly built classroom building in Zambia in memory of their niece, Shelby Goldstein, who passed away at the age of four. Recently, Shankar and his family were able to visit the Shelby Goldstein...

01 March

Share on
FB
Tweet

Stephanie Denzer | chicago, community programs, education, partnership trip, report from the field, socent, social good, zambia

Sister Preschool in Zambia Launched in Partnership with Lincoln Park Preschool

Sharon Kozek, Owner and Founder of Lincoln Park Preschool and Kindergarten, along with members of her team have enthusiastically joined with Spark Ventures to help launch a new preschool in Zambia. Early childhood education is critical to any students' future success in the world, but...

08 February

Share on
FB
Tweet

Amanda Diiulis | community programs, education, healthcare, news, public health, spark ventures

Investing in Education Through Healthcare

A bi-annual clinic is an incredibly critical piece of the work we support through our local partner in Zambia. Providing basic healthcare services to the students and staff at Hope Community School is part of our work to empower them with the resources and opportunity...

25 January

Share on
FB
Tweet

Stephanie Denzer | community programs, education, investor spotlight, organization, partnership trip, zambia

Supporter Spotlight: Aaron & Roxanna Anderson

Aaron and Roxanna Anderson traveled to Zambia with Spark Ventures on our very first trip in collaboration with North Park University and later returned for longer portions of time to work directly with our local Zambian social impact partner. They returned from Zambia engaged and...

06 September

Share on
FB
Tweet

Allison Pecorin | community programs, education, healthcare, nutrition, public health, report from the field, zambia

A New Kitchen for Hope Community School

Mr. Thompson Silungwe has always taken great pride in his work. But now, thanks to a generous grant from the Dewan Foundation, he can do what he loves with greater efficiency and care than ever before. “You ask, ‘what is my favorite part of the job?’”...

31 August

Share on
FB
Tweet

More to do: