Philanthropy & Fellowships
If Marina was with us today I have no doubt hers would be a voice inspiring us to action on behalf of and in deep respect for the global ecosystem of life we are a part of. We donate book sale proceeds from The Opposite of Loneliness to projects and organizations that reflect Marina's values and the causes she cared about. Here's what we're supporting.
Tracy, Marina' s Mom
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The Akaa Project
We funded the construction of a school and community center in Ghana in a region where these facilities were lacking.
"The world is so beautiful.
And this is what we've got, you know?"
From Marina's poem "Bygones"
We are also supporting 5 environmental organizations. Click through to learn about each of them.
A statement on racial injustice
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Marina stood for equity and advocacy; for everyone's right to vote; for the power of "We are in this together." If she were here today, Marina would use her privilege to amplify Black voices, call for action, policy change, and remind us "We MUST not not lose this sense of possibility" for a racially rebalanced America. What we MUST do is listen, stand in solidarity, and vote.
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With Marina's love for both writing and democracy in mind, The Opposite of Loneliness was honored to support the following organizations:
The Hurston/Wright Foundation
To support the the scholarship of Black writers.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
One of the nation's leading legal organizations fighting for racial justice.
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Our actions cannot stop here. The Opposite of Loneliness is committed to contributing to an ongoing dialogue on racial injustice and supporting steps toward the eradication of systemic racism. Recently, we published a piece written by Marina on racial injustice. Read it here.
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The Marina Keegan Fellowship
The Marina Keegan '08 Summer Fellowship, funded by the Marina Keegan '08 Memorial Fund, is awarded annually to Upper School students at Marina's high school, Buckingham Browne & Nichols. BB&N's website states that the fellowship seeks students "interested in pursuing their own projects focusing on either artistic pursuits or activist causes with the hope that the experiences funded through the Fellowship will reflect the spirit and ideals of Marina Keegan."
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Recipients of the Fellowship
2013:
David Markey
Created a campaign to raise local and national support for the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
Rachel Strodel
Worked with the Public Health Organization AMOS in Managua, Nicaragua.
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2014:
Molly Murphy
Volunteered for the Boston Children's Foundation in their work to end trauma and encourage development of youth through dance therapy.
Michelle Leyuan Zhang
Worked with migrant children in the Dandelion School in Beijing, China by teaching art and English to students.
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2015:
Katie Massie
Shot a documentary about "two feuding industries in Australia–coal and tourism–narrated by the impacted communities." The film is titled Coral vs Coral and can be viewed here.
Isabel Ruehl
Taught a writing class in Kliptown, South Africa to encourage students to ground their oral stories in written records.
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2016:
Julie Peng
Created Arts nights initiatives at Boston Children's Hospital Center for Families over a period of 6 weeks engaging BB&N art students to volunteer to run various projects.
Sophie Smyke
Worked with Care4Calais in Calais, France to sort and distribute donations, cook meals and assist in building shelters for new refugees.
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2017:
Elijah Davis
Directed and filmed a documentary that addressed the perspectives of all sides of the private/independent school admissions process concerning the percentage of black students who apply and who are admitted.
John Emory Sabatini
Sought to hold open forums in Boston conducted in Spanish with the goal of encouraging Hispanics and immigrants to get involved with local politics.
Sophia Scanlon
Hosted a weekly bookclub for six homeless families at the Washington Street Congregate Shelter in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
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2018:
Maia Pandey
Promoted awareness of proper menstruation hygiene and worked toward de-stigmatizing periods in Nepal by designing and printing comic books and leading two workshops in a rural Nepal school.
Jayanth Uppaluri
Increased autism awareness among students in independent schools through survey of the student body, interviews with community members with ties to austism, and subsequently sharing new knowledge with the BB&N community.
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2019:
Emily Plump
Created media to enhance awareness of rare disease amongst high school students, with the primary goal of giving hope to patients through more widespread awareness and advocacy, and the secondary aim of changing the mindsets of high school students.
Samantha Savitz
Worked with Harvest on Vine Food pantry to strategize workable solutions to assisting clients with transporting their food home, such as the purchase of pushcarts.
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2020: (in process due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic)
Chloe Fandetti
Created artwork centered on mental health as well as interactive self-care cards to be used as helpful resources with the aim of contributing to the destigmatization of mental health.
Mary Randolph
Established an art community between BB&N students and teens in foster care by providing a space to share and critique artwork and writing in a peer community without judgement or pressure.
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