| Get to Know Us: The Story of the Equal Exchange Fundraising Program |  |
The Equal Exchange Fundraising Program started at the grassroots. Teachers, parents and students across the country began approaching Equal Exchange's Organizing Department about their interest in a Fair Trade fundraising program. They were ready for a change from conventional fundraisers selling wrapping paper and other knick-knacks from China. These wise parents and teachers wanted a fundraiser that matched their values – one that promotes social and environmental responsibility – with delicious products. In direct response to these inquiries, the Equal Exchange Fundraising Program was born.
In 2006, we launched our pilot Equal Exchange fundraiser. Pioneering mothers introduced their PTAs to Equal Exchange with their passion and commitment to making the world a better place, all while also supporting their own communities’ needs. The pilot worked and since then, hundreds of parents and schools have helped grow the program across the country.
In 2008, the Program awarded our largest customer the opportunity to be part of our delegation to the Dominican Republic to visit Equal Exchange’s cacao-farming partners, the CONACADO Co-op. The Equal Exchange Fundraising Team also developed a Fair Trade curriculum and pen pal exchange program to help connect US children selling the chocolate with the children of the farmers who grow what they sold.
We look forward to working with you to make fundraisers better for all of us and the earth.
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Who We Are |
Virginia Berman: Fundraising Program Director
Boston, MA
Virginia found a natural home at Equal Exchange in 1996. She spent her junior year of college in Galicia, Spain where she milked her first cow and tasted wine directly from the vines. Having served in the Peace Corps in Honduras after college, she lived and worked with subsistence coffee growers, facilitating farmer experimentation and cooperation around organic farming and soil conservation methods. Her dedication and interest in healthy farm communities fueled her masters at Tufts School of Nutrition Science & Policy in the Agriculture, Food and Environment program.
At Equal Exchange Virginia has led various community driven initiatives. She led a Consumer Marketing Team, developing and managing a national grassroots strategy to spark recognition and interest for Equal Exchange. Now Virginia leads her team in the Fundraising & Education Program. She enjoys reaching out to the growing number of parents, teachers and students who want a fundraiser they can feel good about by supporting values that they trust.
vberman@equalexchange.coop
(774) 776-7372
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Jenny DeWitt: Fundraising Program Representative
Bainbridge Island, WA
West Coast
Jenny DeWitt came to Equal Exchange after working as a Montessori preschool teacher and visiting the Dominican Republic with Equal Exchange’s April 2008 delegation. She has been devoted to working with children and teens since she graduated from college, and is excited to transition to helping schools and their communities understand the value of Fair Trade through fundraising and education. Jenny leads the Equal Exchange fundraiser at her own children’s school and hopes to teach the Fair Trade curriculum as well. Seeing Dominican children with their parents and teachers truly sealed Jenny’s belief that co-operatives and Fair Trade are solving problems in countries that create products Americans love. Spreading Equal Exchange’s mission through educational avenues is a dream come true for Jenny.
fundraiser2@equalexchange.coop
(206) 780-2772
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Ruthie Oland: Fundraising Program Representative
Boston, MA
Ruthie Oland comes to Equal Exchange with a background in Environmental Science. Having worked on an organic farm in Goldsboro, N.C., Ruthie has great respect for the small-scale farmers that Equal Exchange partners with around the globe. She was also called to work for Equal Exchange because of her commitment to worker justice. Ruthie plays guitar and sings bluegrass music. She has split her time in the past few years between Western Massachusetts and Israel and is happy to be working with schools and organizations from across the U.S.
roland@equalexchange.coop
(774) 776-7371
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Kayleigh DeMello: Fundraising Program Representative
Boston, MA
Kayleigh is delighted to find herself here at Equal Exchange, her top choice after graduating from Emory University in Atlanta in 2009. Having spent three years deeply involved in the poetry scene, Kayleigh brings creative thinking and a resourcefulness that fits in well with the Equal Exchange fundraising team. She is pleased to work with schools and organizations across the country to raise money for their various initiatives while also supporting Equal Exchange and the small-scale farmers we work directly with. Three things you wish you knew about but didn’t know: 1) Kayleigh is named after a one-hit wonder of the '80s by Marillion. 2) She has performed on the stage of Carnegie Hall along with an elite youth chorus. 3) She has a Harry Potter tattoo on her right foot.
kdemello@equalexchange.coop
(774) 776-7393
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