WORLD'S LEADING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
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University of Dreams Foundation
As a co-founder of the University of Dreams, Beth Lochtefeld embodied the true meaning of the word “dreamer,” as she instilled passion, purpose, joy, inspiration, hard work, hope, and wisdom into the company from the day of its inception. In the fall of 2004, Beth's life was tragically cut short.
Part of Beth’s legacy is the University of Dreams Foundation, which represents her enthusiasm, compassion, energy, spirit, and willingness to provide others with an opportunity to achieve their dreams. Created in her honor, the foundation serves the developing world by providing academic scholarships to underprivileged children, as well as small-business loans for disadvantaged, yet ambitious, women to start and grow their own businesses.
Beth Lochtefeld will continue to live on through the thousands of people she personally touched as well as the lives she continues to impact through the University of Dreams Foundation.
Learn more about Beth and her incredible life
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UOD Foundation
The University of Dreams Foundation is a non-profit foundation that offers volunteer opportunities abroad in social, educational and community-building areas of the developing world. We also publish books that profile incredible Dream Journeys. Our overall mission is to harness the power of our network of employees, alumni, family and friends to help improve communities by inspiring individuals to positively change culture on a mass level by inspiring, equipping and challenging people to discover and pursue their dreams.
Our 2008 Volunteer Trip to Guatemala
The purpose of the Guatemala volunteer trip was three-fold:
- To support the development of the impoverished, disadvantaged village community of Vuelta Grande with a focus on education and small business development for women.
- To expose our volunteers to the country and people of Guatemala and give them an opportunity to engage in a cultural exchange with the people.
- To initiate a long-term relationship with the people of Vuelta Grande so that the scholarship and micro-lending programs have the opportunity to flourish over many years.
This trip was inspired by the desire to bring our mission of inspiring and equipping people to discover and pursue their dreams to the developing world. While these people are typically in survival mode, they very much have dreams and those are achievable. For many, their dreams are to send all of their children to school and put shoes on their family’s feet. We saw an opportunity to help them realize these dreams and acted on it.
Highlights of the trip included:
Volunteer Projects
Creating a library for the school of Vuelta Grande, building a retaining wall and painting murals on the school walls; and of course the scholarships and micro-loans with the promise of continued support.
Excursions
We visited beautiful Lake Atitlan, which sits at the base of four volcanoes and offers breathtaking views and exciting boat rides.
Cultural Activities
We danced, ate, and played with hundreds of local Guatemala children and adults.
Our 2007 Ghana Volunteer Trip
University of Dreams employees and alumni traveled to Ghana, Africa, on August 27, 2007, to help create a job center and to establish the campaign headquarters for social activist Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah. During this 10-day experience, they helped to address one of the largest epidemics facing Ghana – unemployment. The goal of their trip was to connect with the members of the community and assist the Ghanaians in realizing their dreams.
University of Dreams purchased a 200-square-foot shipping container, which was shipped to Ghana on June 1. The container included a $35,000 donation of denim clothing from Wrangler Jeans, as well as $20,000 worth of laptop computers and $5,000 of office supplies donated by University of Dreams. Additionally, the University of Dreams Foundation purchased an assortment of basketballs, playground balls, footballs, air pumps, cones for lining fields, athletic socks, and other athletic gear for children.
University of Dreams participants met Emmanuel after hearing him speak at a University of Dreams-sponsored seminar. Emmanuel was born without part of his right leg and overcame his disability, as well as the government of his country, to pursue his dreams. Since riding his bike across Ghana with one leg to show support for the disabled citizens of his country, Emmanuel has met the President of the United States, has been interviewed by Oprah, was presented with the 2005 ESPY Arthur Ashe Courage Award and has been featured in a film called Emmanuel's Gift.
University of Dreams was successful in setting up a community center with computers to create a job center for Ghananians. Please learn more about how you can support the Emmanuel Educational Foundation and Sports Academy (EEFSA).
Where Can You Go Next To Make A Difference?
Guatemala is an ideal place for UOD volunteers because of its diverse population and many cultural learning opportunities. It is a charming city in the high plains of Guatemala about 45 minutes from the country's capital, Guatemala City. Antigua is a bustling city with nationals traveling there from all over Guatemala, as well as tourists. Many Guatemalans travel daily from cities and towns far away for work as well as resources for low-income people.
University of Dreams will be taking another volunteer trip to Guatemala in the summer of 2008.
Why Volunteer In Guatemala?
In August, a group of U of Dreams employees and alumni will be going to the Central American country of Guatemala to continue the tradition we started in Ghana of giving back. We have begun to take our mission to the developing world and our Guatemala trips are an extension of that. For one week we will travel to Mayan communities outside of historic Antigua, Guatemala, selecting recipients for small business loans and academic scholarships. We will then be working with those individuals to put them on a path for success while also training an in-country case worker to manage and support the recipients year round. Beyond our primary goal of establishing micro-lending and academic scholarship programs, we will be participating in several short-term volunteer projects ranging from light construction on houses and schools to property improvement (painting and repairs) to playing with and visiting children and lending support to struggling single mothers. In addition to all of our volunteer work, we will be taking a short excursion to an exotic destination within Guatemala and participating in various cultural activities such as salsa dancing, tortilla making, and Spanish-language exposure.More Information
Volunteer Dates: August 11 to August 21
Need More Information? Contact: Brian Buntz - brian@uofdreams.com
Originally Published Books
The University of Dreams Foundation is proud to present its first three originally published books.
