SWE Detroit lost two members in 2016, Josie Rewald and Lisa Perazza, who had a passion for mentoring and supporting women in technology.
Everyone who knew Josie and Lisa are saddened by the passing of such wonderful mentors in SWE Detroit and at General Motors (GM). Lisa was very passionate about mentoring girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). This was a topic she talked about often and when she did it would always bring a smile to her face. Josie was committed to excellence, and her record of accomplishment during her career was stellar. You may also know that Josie was very interested in mentoring students and early career engineers, in particular women. She served as a mentor to many at GM and SWE Detroit, as well as those in and outside of her community.
SWE Detroit would like to honor Josie and Lisa’s commitment to our profession and to the education of aspiring engineers and those who mentor aspiring engineers. Our plan is to raise $27,500 within 2 years to create an endowed program which recognizes teachers for mentoring young ladies to pursue a career in STEM:the Rewald/Perazza Torch Award. To honor both of these dedicated women, the Torch Award is symbolic in allowing us to continue Lisa and Josie’s love of “passing the torch” to future generations. After one year of interest, the endowment would provide $1,000 (annually) to fund the recognition program, which would be split amongst two teachers who are focused on mentoring young women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The recognition would enable continued support of their mission in the form of engineering kits for the awarded teachers, who might not otherwise be able to obtain such resources. To make our goal a reality in a shorter amount of time, Pat Hillberg, Josie’s husband, has seeded our efforts with $7,500 and has agreed to match up to $5,000 additional for the program. We have raised an additional $3,373.00 in the past year, thus making our goal to raise $11,627 over the next year. To see our status, check out our updates on the SWE Detroit Online Blog (http://swedetroit.blogspot.com/).
Our plan is to develop a nomination packet to be completed by fellow teachers, students or parents, to nominate Teachers who are “passing the torch” to young women to pursue STEM careers. We would select 2 recipients each year and honor them at our Annual SWE Detroit banquet with a formal award and Engineering Kits for use in their classrooms.
Our programs and services are enhanced and energized by your support of SWE Detroit and SWE’s mission. Remember that your donation is fully deductible under US Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Please contact us via email at swe_detroit@swe.org if you have any questions.
We know that Lisa and Josie would be pleased with the opportunity to honor and help a teacher who is “passing the torch” to promote STEM careers and encourage young women to make their own important contributions toward making our world a better place for all. We hope that you will join SWE Detroit in honoring Lisa and Josie in a way that would be so gratifying to them. Thank you for your generosity in helping make the Rewald/Perazza Torch Award a reality.
The individual donation tiers are as follows, but every amount helps us reach our goal!
Sunrise $ 1000 +
Beacon $750 to $ 999
Lantern $ 500 to $ 749
Flare $ 250 to $ 499
Spark $ Up to $ 249
To donate via credit card or paypal, please visit http://www.swedetroit.org/, scroll to the bottom left and click the yellow Donate button. Under Special Instructions to Seller, please type “Torch Award”. To donate via check, please add “Torch Award” in the memo and mail to SWE Detroit, PO Box 2978, Southfield, MI 48037-2978.
Sincerely,
Torch Award Program Team
Jessica Swan
jlengwis@gmail.com
Everyone who knew Josie and Lisa are saddened by the passing of such wonderful mentors in SWE Detroit and at General Motors (GM). Lisa was very passionate about mentoring girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). This was a topic she talked about often and when she did it would always bring a smile to her face. Josie was committed to excellence, and her record of accomplishment during her career was stellar. You may also know that Josie was very interested in mentoring students and early career engineers, in particular women. She served as a mentor to many at GM and SWE Detroit, as well as those in and outside of her community.
SWE Detroit would like to honor Josie and Lisa’s commitment to our profession and to the education of aspiring engineers and those who mentor aspiring engineers. Our plan is to raise $27,500 within 2 years to create an endowed program which recognizes teachers for mentoring young ladies to pursue a career in STEM:the Rewald/Perazza Torch Award. To honor both of these dedicated women, the Torch Award is symbolic in allowing us to continue Lisa and Josie’s love of “passing the torch” to future generations. After one year of interest, the endowment would provide $1,000 (annually) to fund the recognition program, which would be split amongst two teachers who are focused on mentoring young women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The recognition would enable continued support of their mission in the form of engineering kits for the awarded teachers, who might not otherwise be able to obtain such resources. To make our goal a reality in a shorter amount of time, Pat Hillberg, Josie’s husband, has seeded our efforts with $7,500 and has agreed to match up to $5,000 additional for the program. We have raised an additional $3,373.00 in the past year, thus making our goal to raise $11,627 over the next year. To see our status, check out our updates on the SWE Detroit Online Blog (http://swedetroit.blogspot.com/).
Our plan is to develop a nomination packet to be completed by fellow teachers, students or parents, to nominate Teachers who are “passing the torch” to young women to pursue STEM careers. We would select 2 recipients each year and honor them at our Annual SWE Detroit banquet with a formal award and Engineering Kits for use in their classrooms.
Our programs and services are enhanced and energized by your support of SWE Detroit and SWE’s mission. Remember that your donation is fully deductible under US Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Please contact us via email at swe_detroit@swe.org if you have any questions.
We know that Lisa and Josie would be pleased with the opportunity to honor and help a teacher who is “passing the torch” to promote STEM careers and encourage young women to make their own important contributions toward making our world a better place for all. We hope that you will join SWE Detroit in honoring Lisa and Josie in a way that would be so gratifying to them. Thank you for your generosity in helping make the Rewald/Perazza Torch Award a reality.
The individual donation tiers are as follows, but every amount helps us reach our goal!
Sunrise $ 1000 +
Beacon $750 to $ 999
Lantern $ 500 to $ 749
Flare $ 250 to $ 499
Spark $ Up to $ 249
To donate via credit card or paypal, please visit http://www.swedetroit.org/, scroll to the bottom left and click the yellow Donate button. Under Special Instructions to Seller, please type “Torch Award”. To donate via check, please add “Torch Award” in the memo and mail to SWE Detroit, PO Box 2978, Southfield, MI 48037-2978.
Sincerely,
Torch Award Program Team
Jessica Swan
jlengwis@gmail.com
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