| Who We Are |
Virginia Berman: Fundraising Program Director
Boston, MA
Virginia spent her junior year of college in Galicia, Spain. In Galicia, she milked her first cow and tasted wine from the farmers' vines. Since then, she's been seeking that garden and the community that stems from that work. After college, she served in the Peace Corps in Honduras, where she lived with small-scale coffee farmers. Berman then worked as a community organizer in Hartford, CT with first-time home buyers. To pursue her interest in healthy farm communities, she studied at the Tufts School of Nutrition Science & Policy in the Agriculture, Food and Environment program.
In 1996, she began working with Equal Exchange to build Fair Trade education and distribution in the U.S. While leading Equal Exchange's Organizing Department, she responded to the growing interest in Fair Trade fundraising. With a daughter now in the Boston Public Schools, Virginia is also part of a growing group of parents—wanting to make money for schools while making a difference, and using the fundraiser as a teachable moment with the kids.
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) 776-7384
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| 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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