Crandall Challenge
WHARTON GRADUATE EMERITUS SOCIETY
Crandall Challenge
THE WHARTON GRADUATE EMERITUS SOCIETY
2017 Crandall Challenge Citation Winners
New York City and Dominican Republic
Charlie had a notable career in advertising and marketing with BBDO Advertising, Quaker Oats and Warner Brothers. Upon ‘retirement’, he started living in the Dominican Republic half-time in 2004 and noted many indigent, often abandoned young children in the streets. First volunteering at an orphanage near his home, he eventually started a foundation to help care for them.
From the beginning, The Decker Foundation supports more than 1,000 children in three orphanages and a children’s activity center and mini school. they range in age from six months to 18 years and the results ae encouraging. Four students are in medical school, two are studying la, two in civil engineering and on in the arts. Charlie’s foundation is now developing a college scholarship program and starting job training opportunities.
Paris and Laos
Mike created a foundation that funds scholarships to students for Laos-American College; mentors graduates and supports their career development; innovates with startups and business plans — international. Since 2010, lives in Laos 10 months a year, running a nonprofit that helps educate children and encourages would be entrepreneurs to develop small businesses
Sponsoring students from poor rural areas includes school fees, books, food, health-care and even sleeping accommodations to Lao-American College in Vietnane.
Mike meets the criteria for a Crandall Challenge — high level of commitment and personal involvement. Translates into involving any others and focuses on impacting the business economy and community in Laos. Provides tangible results in terms of students who are involved, graduate and become an important element of the development of Laos a part of the wide world economy
San Diego, CA
State College, PA
2017 Crandall Challenge Citation Honor Roll
Alan Ahrens, WG’63
Lynchburg, VA
Alan has devoted himself to being a “Business Mentor” for SCORE (a nonprofit dedicated to providing experienced ‘retired’ business executives to provide face-to-face help for new businesses as business counselors and mentors.) The Lynchburg SCORE chapter has provided business counseling to over 600 clients from several large counties in Central Virginia.
Alan was also a founding director of the central Virginia Academy for Nonprofit Excellence (CVANE), which is affiliated with the Central Virginia Community College and has established a Certification in Non-Profit Management.
John Baker, WG’68
Wallowa, OR
When John and his wife retired to a 63 acre ranch in Oregon, in 2001, they devoted their talents, time and energy as Founders, Board member and Treasurer of the “Joseph Branch Trail “ consortium which is a $20,000,000 trail restoration project in Wallowa County, Oregon. In addition to walking/biking/hiking/riding trails, a major goal is also to improve the fish habitats of Steelhead and Chinook salmon. In addition to working with Oregon and federal agencies and the Bonneville Power Administration, John works closely with the sovereign nation of the New Pierce Tribe to restore Fish Habitat in the Wallowa River in Oregon, which is part of the coho salmon 600 mile journey that includes the Pacific Ocean, as well as the Columbia and Snake Rivers
Alan was also a founding director of the central Virginia Academy for Nonprofit Excellence (CVANE), which is affiliated with the Central Virginia Community College and has established a Certification in Non-Profit Management.
Filemon Berba, WG’64
Antipolo, Philippines
Following his career in several Philippine companies that included electric and water public utilities, electronic and pharmaceutical industries, Filemon has devoted his retirement to the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology (PFST). This Foundation, of which he was a founder, has the objective of creating a critical mass of young people exposed to science with the intent of preparing them for engineering and technological careers. As President and Chair of the PFST Board of Trustees, he has developed outreach programs that involve 400,000 Philippine high school students each year. They created the Philippine Science Centrum, the first interactive science museum in the country. Since the Philippines is an archipelago, they created 7 mobile exhibits that over the years have been visited by 7 million students and teachers. They have trained 6000 teachers all over the country. Filemon also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Philippine Science High School, the University of the Philippines and the Batangas State University, both of which have a student population of over 35,000.
Alan was also a founding director of the central Virginia Academy for Nonprofit Excellence (CVANE), which is affiliated with the Central Virginia Community College and has established a Certification in Non-Profit Management.