CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chicago-based Herrendorf Family Foundation has joined the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation as a contributing founder of the first Oprah Winfrey Leaders Scholarship (OWLS), a four year scholarship program designed to provide academically gifted students from diverse backgrounds around the country the opportunity to attend the college or university of their dreams. The inaugural OWLS class is comprised of 15 deserving students from across the country, including four scholars from Chicago.
The late Herrendorf Family Foundation namesake, Hershel Herrendorf, born in Haifa, Israel, moved to Chicago, IL in 1965 where he found success on the Chicago Mercantile and lived next door to Ms. Winfrey. This connection ultimately united Hershel’s daughter Kasondra, CEO of Herrendorf Family Foundation, with Ms. Winfrey’s charitable foundation, over a shared vision and passion for giving back — resulting in today’s meaningful opportunity to support scholarships for deserving and accomplished young leaders.
“The friendship between my father and Ms. Winfrey allowed me the opportunity to attend Ms. Winfrey’s final show at the United Centre and inspired me as a young female philanthropist. To be able to work in my father’s legacy with Ms. Winfrey’s foundation, someone he respected so much is a dream come true. I am grateful that together, as family foundations with the ability for this kind of direct impact, we will be supporting amazing scholars in reaching their dreams as well,” says Kasondra Cohen-Herrendorf.
The Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation announced their first class of OWLS scholars in August of 2021, including a video of Ms. Winfrey from a virtual call where she surprised the students with news that they had been selected as scholarship recipients. The inaugural class are attending a variety of prestigious Universities around the country, four of which are HBCU’s*: Brown University, Charles Drew University*, Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Howard University*, Loyola Marymount University, New York University, Purdue University, University of Alabama, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Tennessee State University,* and Washington University at St. Louis. Fields of study range from mechanical engineering and music, to pre-med programs.
“I am where I am today because of education and the support of teachers throughout my life,” said Oprah Winfrey. "In partnership with the Herrendorf Family Foundation, I am honored to support these students who have shown high achievement in their academic studies, but more importantly a commitment to their communities. These young leaders bring me hope for our future, and I look forward to watching each of them flourish.”
“The launch of this scholarship is one of the youth and educational projects HFF and OWCF have started together to provide as wrap-around services to scholars from Chicago and beyond, and we look forward to supporting them on their journey and working closely to create greater direct impact in the future,” added Cohen-Herrendorf.
About the Oprah Winfrey Leaders Scholarship (OWLS)
The Oprah Winfrey Leaders Scholarship (OWLS) program supports academically gifted students who demonstrate leadership in their communities. The scholarship awards students with educational support to become future leaders. Beyond providing scholarship assistance, OWLS creates a network between the students and offers unique access to speakers and thought leaders in various fields. This network is designed to offer insight, inspiration, and mentor support to encourage the OWLS throughout their academic journeys and beyond. Scholarships are funded by the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, with collaboration from the Herrendorf Family Foundation.
About Herrendorf Family Foundation
The Herrendorf Family Foundation invests in strategic partnerships with global change leaders. Together, they advocate for education, empowerment and generational resilience. In 2021, the Herrendorf Family Foundation launched their wrap-around umbrella “We Got You”, which includes scholarships, emergency grants, support for mothers, contributing partnerships and community engagement. To learn more visit: www.herrendorf.org.
ABOUT THE OPRAH WINFREY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
Guided by Oprah Winfrey and her intention to serve those in need, the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation (OWCF) supports organizations around the world. Since 1993, OWCF has contributed more than $400,000 million in grants and donations to organizations that serve children, families, and communities, with a specific focus on youth education. The organization has supported the education of over 72,000 people and served over 75 million meals in the United States and abroad.
In 2002, during a visit with Nelson Mandela, Ms. Winfrey pledged to build a school in South Africa, and has since contributed more than $200 million towards providing education for academically gifted girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. Graduates of The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls have continued to higher education both in South Africa and at colleges and universities around the world.
In 2019, Ms. Winfrey visited Morehouse College in Atlanta to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Oprah Winfrey Scholars program, which has supported over 700 men with college scholarships, and announced another donation to bring her total support to $25 million.
In 2020, Ms. Winfrey committed $15 million to COVID-19 relief efforts in underserved communities in her “home cities” of Chicago, Milwaukee, Kosciusko, Mississippi, Baltimore and Los Angeles.
