Dear Kola Foundation supporters:
With your support, the myriad contributions from Kola Foundation volunteers at the University of Illinois MBA Program, and the partner relationships we have developed on Pine Ridge, Kola has successfully made a rapid evolution in just one year from a start-up to a viable organization already beginning to make a significant difference in the lives of the Oglala Lakota.
In 2011, you supported us in facilitating a massive goods distribution at Porcupine School on Pine Ridge where over $80,000 worth of clothing, school supplies, personal care items, newborn kits, and thick blankets were provided to those who desperately needed them. In total, the goods distribution touched over 1,000 people. Over the last year, Kola has worked hard to build relationships on the reservation, develop long-term strategic goals, and create an internal operating structure that ensures the foundation’s sustainability as a non-profit organization operated by Illinois MBA students.
In 2012, you can expect even more impactful initiatives from Kola. In addition to another mass goods distribution, we will be rolling out three new initiatives that will afford Kola members and supporters to influence sustainable and positive change on Pine Ridge.
1. Kola Summer High School Student Programs
Beginning in July 2012, Kola will be bringing reservation high school students to the University of Illinois to spend a few weeks out of their summer immersed in education enrichment courses and real world projects sponsored by companies like Kraft and ADM. This first summer program will not only help students to develop practical skills and an appreciation for how course work applies in the real world, it will also expose them to college life and great new friends off the reservation, increasing the likelihood that they will enroll in and be successful in college after completing high school.
2. Kola Small Business Consulting Services
The second initiative provides expert assistance in developing and improving small businesses on the reservation through Kola Business Consulting Services. This group will be focused on working with small business owners on Pine Ridge to help them improve their growth prospects and profit potential. With the broad range of business experience available through our volunteers and supporters, and our access to business leaders and resources, we believe that Kola can make a meaningful impact for one of the groups most important to economic development, the native small business owners themselves.
3. Kola Joint Sponsorship of Lakota Student Business Plan Competition
Kola is excited to announce its upcoming joint sponsorship of the Lakota Nation Invitational Business Plan Competition, now in its fourth year on the Pine Ridge Reservation. This competition encourages students to do more than just dream, to actually plan and create the small businesses that will be the foundation of economic vitality on the reservation. In addition, it creates opportunities for Kola volunteers to interact with students, teachers and local businesses and make real contributions to the business education provided to students.
These three new initiatives support Kola’s long-term strategy to leverage the skills and resources available through the Illinois MBA Program to connect with Lakota youth and improve economic development activities on Pine Ridge.
As planned since its founding, the Kola Foundation will always be run by current Illinois MBA students, which means a new, highly motivated and impressively skilled team will be taking over in 2012. It is because of the individuals that comprise the new team that the initiatives planned for 2012 will be successful, and that Kola will exist for years to come. Please join us in welcoming the following very talented and dedicated individuals to Kola’s new leadership team:
President/CEO – Shelly Wohadlo
Chief Operating Officer – Bob Meinig
Director of Education & Culture – Sarah Zigman & Aaron Kumar
Director of Consulting Services – Brian Schneider
Chief Development Officer – Reshma Patel
Director of Corporate Outreach & Partnerships – Stephanie Barry
Director of Fundraising & Special Events – James Cantu
Chief Financial Officer – Brian Schneider
Chief Marketing Officer – Trent Pelman
My involvement with the Kola Foundation has been a profound experience, and all of us involved with Kola on a day-to-day basis are deeply grateful for your support. Through that support that we were able to facilitate the distribution of essential goods and build a foundation for future operations in 2011, and through that support we know we will be successful in these valuable new programs for 2012. We hope you will allow Kola to continue to hold a special place in your heart.
With deep gratitude and respect,
Adam Ratner
Co-founder and Departing President/CEO of the Kola Foundation
Vice Chair, Kola Foundation Board of Directors