Emrah made a wish on his 9th birthday unlike any other. Instead of a new toy car or a day at the amusement park, he wished to go to high school. He was raised in a village and never imaged being anything but a shepherd. Yet, he dreamt of getting that high school diploma. He wasn’t sure…
By Elmira Bayrasli After just a glance at the flyer marketing the abandoned yogurt factory in South Edmeston, New York in 2005, Hamdi Ulukaya tossed it. Still, the next day he found himself making plans to tour the factory. The Turkish born entrepreneur had already turned one upstate New York facility into a feta cheese…
Zeynep and Buse walked quietly into Impact Hub Istanbul surrounded by 23 other Cagdas Yasami Destekleme Dernegi scholarship recipients and volunteers as their friend, Gaye asked, “Why the theme: ‘The Only Limit is You?’” Derin jumped in, “because we should not take no for an answer, believe in ourselves and work hard.” “But, I feel I have…
Your support to Darussafaka Society provides hundreds of disadvantaged children quality education thus a chance to excel in life. Meet Samuel Atchley, one of Darussafaka Society’s English teachers to learn how it feels like to be with those children. Mr. Samuel Atchley works at Darüşşafaka as an English teacher. This year he teaches 10th and…
Why did you decide to give up your birthday? Birthdays are about sharing, giving and receiving happiness, love and joy. In October 2015, I was planning to organize a Halloween Birthday Party with my family and friends. About two weeks before my birthday, we were all shaken by the bombing in my hometown, Ankara, as…
Few years ago, a group of teenagers did something remarkable, something many of us never bothered or considered before. They tried to imagine the difficult conditions of young people in juvenile detention centers. They pictured themselves growing behind the bars and tried to comprehend spending years in an enclosed space. They understood that finding a…
New York, NY (May 2017) – Turkish Philanthropy Funds is proud to announce 2017 Sena Eken Schieber Economics Award recipient: Ipek Kavasoglu. This is the second year Ipek is supported through the award. She studies Economics at Duke University. The Sena Eken Schieber Economics Awardees were selected on the basis of a competitive process focusing on personal…
Ride and Change. We are riding again! Grab your wheels and meet us at Central Park on June 4th @9AM. Color Ride is more than just cycling. It’s about getting together with other change makers and sharing our passion of empowering communities. We mobilize, raise awareness and cherish our impact as we ride nine miles…
A Colorful Story by Nick Porcaro Nearing retirement, I had for a number of years felt the need to give back for the opportunities I have had. In 2007 a Special-Needs High School in Massachusetts had been trying to expand their campus without success due to design and budget constraints. I offered to donate my…
Few years ago, Mahmut knocked on the doors of countless institutions and foundations with high hopes and big dreams. He was accepted to Akdeniz University to study law. He wanted to become a prosecutor and had the will and passion to achieve his dream. All he needed was a scholarship to cover his cost of…