Donor Spotlight: Magic Between the Pages, Hope Across the World

When Meta stumbled upon a vintage copy of The Wizard of Oz at a local thrift shop, she knew she had found something special. But she didn’t realize just how magical the story would become.

As she sat with her new old book, carefully thumbing through its pages, catching beautiful snippets and appreciating the illustrations, she discovered something unexpected—a $100 bill neatly placed within the pages. She carefully inspected the rest of the book, finding five $100 bills, randomly placed throughout the book! 

With no way to trace the money’s original owner, Meta determined it was destined to make a difference in the world. She enlisted the help of her college-aged daughter Clara to decide how best to turn the unexpected windfall into an opportunity for someone else.

“We couldn’t ignore the symbolism,” Meta said. “The Wizard of Oz is about courage, heart, brains and unlocking your personal power. Clara and I agreed this money would become a path to education for a girl.”

They knew about Kenya Works through friends and believed in its holistic approach to empowering girls. She and Clara decided they would sponsor a girl’s secondary education and contacted the organization to get matched with a student.

Around the same time in Kenya, a bright young student named Natasha had just completed eighth grade. She and her mother — a single parent of two — were deeply anxious about what would come next. Her mother, determined that her daughter would receive the education she herself had been denied, reached out to Kenya Works. The news came with joy and relief: Natasha would be sponsored by a mother and daughter from the United States.

Today, Natasha is in Form 3 — equivalent to a junior in U.S. high school — and well on her way down her own yellow brick road. She recently welcomed the Kenya Works team into her home and shared her excellent grades and her dream of becoming a civil engineer. “I really just want to say thank you to my sponsors, Meta and Clara,” she said, her quiet confidence shining through.

Clara, now pursuing a master’s degree abroad, sees the shared thread between her path and Natasha’s.

“Growing up, I never questioned whether I could go to college — or even high school,” Clara said. “It’s inspiring to see Natasha so driven at such a young age. And like me, she has a strong, intelligent mother cheering her on. My mom and I are lucky to play a small role as Natasha paves her own path.”

For Meta and Clara, the experience has created a new bond with a mother and daughter on the other side of this small world. “I hope to meet them someday,” Meta expressed. “I want them to know the story of how a thrifted book cast its magic to bind our families together.” Meta is planning to visit Kenya on a Kenya Works Travel Aid Project.

Beyond Natasha’s sponsorship, Meta multiplies her giveback at home and in Kenya by leveraging her employer NVIDIA's corporate giving program. As an active volunteer in Madison, NVIDIA compensates her volunteer hours with donations to the charities of her choice. The company also matches her financial charitable contributions, doubling her impact.

Join Meta and Clara in creating opportunities in Kenya by supporting Kenya Works programs: Food & Shelter, Menstrual Health & Hygiene, Education Sponsorships and Grassroots Human Rights Training.

Together, we are unlocking brighter futures.