Member Impact: Our First Felcher YP!

At last year’s annual meeting, President Susan Benford announced that in recognition of Marla Felcher’s tireless efforts to bring TPC into being and nurture it through its early years, TPC’s Board pledged funds to establish the Marla Felcher Young Philanthropist (YP) Award. Each year, Marla will select a young woman who will receive a sponsored membership to TPC.

We are very pleased to announce that Marla has chosen the first Felcher YP, Laura Botero. It is hard to imagine a more impressive and accomplished young woman. Here is how Marla describes her:

“Laura left her home country of Colombia when she was 10 years old to move to Boston with her family. She spoke no English, and had no idea how her life would play out, but knew that her parents had made the move so that she would have opportunities not available to her in Colombia. Sixteen years later, Laura is a graduate of Smith College, was selected for and worked as a Fulbright Fellow in Brazil, has worked as a research assistant at Harvard Business School, and, for the last year, as an Executive Education program assistant at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

“When you ask Laura what she cares about most, she answers, ‘Giving back to the country that has given so much to me.’ Laura is a tireless worker (a bit of a perfectionist), full of gratitude, and a beacon of light in this sometimes dark world. She has taught me much about life. For this reason I am proud to select her as the recipient of a TPC membership.”

When Laura learned the news, she was excited and thankful and told us, “Being part of TPC has been an incredible opportunity to learn and grow as a young female philanthropist. From participating on a grant review team to meeting grantees and learning about non-profits in the Boston area, I’ve come to understand the real impact of giving in a collective way.”

Thank you to those whose generosity created the Felcher Young Philanthropist award.