Annual Report 2021

New Normal: Turbulence & Disruption

Adapting Through Complexity

In 2022, the world witnessed a whirlwind of global events that left an indelible mark on history. War erupted abroad, while at home and across the globe, people navigated an emotional tide of hope and despair, progress and setbacks. Complexity became the new norm—and with it, a growing urgency to build systems that could meet the moment with resilience and care.

Rooted in Hope

In our small but determined corner of the world, WiseTribe began the year with high hopes. January kicked off with the launch of our first farm-to-school market at SouthTech Preparatory Academy—and it sold out. Momentum was building as families rushed to place advance orders for the next one. Then, unexpectedly, our dedicated farm partner paused their season to rest and recharge their change-making batteries. We understood. So did the teachers and administrators working tirelessly in school environments that had yet to recover from the pandemic.

Responding with Flexibility

While Hurricane Ian largely spared Palm Beach County in September 2022, it sent shockwaves across the state—and our school year. The storm struck just as we were preparing to complete the outdoor learning classroom with Home Depot’s volunteer corps. Their efforts were redirected to the Gulf Coast, and supply chain disruptions re-emerged just as we thought they were behind us. The project stalled, not to resume until spring 2023.

Recalibrating for Readiness

Yet the most pressing challenges we witnessed were not physical—but emotional and cognitive. Learning loss, mental health strain, and rising chaos in schools reshaped our priorities. The original vision for the Outdoor Learning Classroom—focused on STEM education—had to evolve. Middle school students needed something more immediate, more healing.

Evolving with Purpose

Fortunately, our key partner, Impact 100 Men of Palm Beach County, recognized the changing landscape. With their support, we reimagined the project as a sanctuary for wellness—placing the well-being of students, educators, and families at the foundation. As one SouthTech Preparatory faculty member noted, the outdoor space became a place where students could "relax, reflect, and connect with nature," fostering a sense of peace and focus amidst the school day. Students appreciated having a dedicated area to "breathe and reset," enhancing their understanding of integrated well-being.

Forward with Resilience

What follows is a celebration of how, even in the midst of upheaval, we adapted, grew, and planted new seeds of transformation. Thank you for being part of this ongoing journey toward a healthy, wise future.

Fostering Wellness with Nature

Our Highlights

With your support, WiseTribe accomplished a lot.

540 students and 65 staff from SouthTech Preparatory Academy gained the opportunity to learn, teach, relax, reflect, and connect with each other and nature thanks to an outdoor learning classroom Impact 100 Men PBC made possible.
286 hours went to educating approximately 320 middle school students on Food Citizenship principles and actions, such as growing food, reading food labels, food is medicine, composting, and local food systems.
56 sixth-grade Medical Academy students received 146 consecutive hours learning about holistic health practices for longevity.
A middle school parent joined us as an advocate and facilitator of youth wellness.
10 high school students and their families cooked at home using Crockpots, whole foods, and WhatsApp coaching during our five-week Food Citizenship program with Love, Hope, and Healing's first summer camp.
Key supporters gathered for a Wisdom Exchange on Mental Health to hear the Co-Founder of the charlie fund, Shelly Himmelrich, share the story of suddenly losing her son, Charlie, to suicide

Thank you to all our supporters -donors, volunteers, partners, parents and youth. We are forged together in a shared vision of a healthy, wise future.

Keep going to learn what else you helped accomplish this year!

Food Citizenship

WiseTribe, united for a healthy and wise food future

We empower schools to strengthen their ability to cultivate Food Citizenship, using food as a tool to address key challenges that impact our future.

Our programs highlight food as medicine and regenerative agriculture practices as essential building blocks for a healthier future.

Our food experiences bring learning to life by connecting science, math, and civics concepts while empowering students to see themselves as leaders in their food choices and influencers of their families’ eating practices.

Food Citizenship Outcomes:

12,300 lbs of food used to produce hands-on lessons, whole food kits, and food security.
2,332 people received food through our Food Citizenship learning programming
455 lbs of food waste composted, bringing our total to over 27,455 lbs of food rescued to date
286 hours devoted to Food Citizenship principles and actions, such as gut health, healthy eating, growing food, building soil, and regenerative farming
119lbs of food harvested

Learning: Jr. WiseTribers Unite

WiseTribe - United for a healthy and wise Learning future

With every learning step, we embedded wellness, resilience, and real-world relevance into student experiences. Growth mindset was a guiding thread—encouraging students to see challenges as pathways to transformation.

Throughout the year, the Outdoor Learning Classroom became a vibrant community space for reflection, collaboration, and a deeper relationship with nature. To turn up the creativity dials on Earth Day, students took learning outdoors and brought science to life with “Biology Theater,” presenting plays that explored complex scientific ideas, like the nitrogen cycle, through creativity.

Learning Outcomes

We applied over 163 hours towards growth mindset education, emphasizing that resilience is like a muscle that can be built.
We benefited from 88 high-quality volunteer hours thanks to the dedication of retired educators and other professionals supporting us with in-school programming.

Well-being

As toxic stress and chaos rise, wellness education has become essential. We work with schools, students, and volunteers to build personal resilience and foster a culture of well-being. Through hands-on, somatic learning, we offer practical tools to manage stress and understand how environments impact health.

This year's major highlight was welcoming Mercedes Williams, a dedicated SouthTech parent, as our youth and family wellness lead. Funded by Impact 100 Men, she brought breathwork and real-life insight to our programming.

We hosted Wisdom Exchanges with educators to explore strategies for embedding wellness into daily school life. In partnership with the charlie fund, we also addressed the urgent state of youth mental health.

Rather than run our own camps, we brought our wellness curriculum to existing programs. In summer 2022, we served 40 TRIO students at Palm Beach State College. In summer 2023, we partnered with Love, Hope & Healing to reach 25 campers and their families. Both camps included:

Yoga Nidra sessions
Family Crockpot Challenges with home ingredients
Four weeks of team-based math games simulating food cooperatives using bulk whole foods

Dina, a longtime Junior WiseTriber, returned to lead youth yoga and breathwork at SouthTech and Carver Middle School.

Wellbeing Outcomes:

16 Yoga Nidra sessions with students, teachers and our volunteers and board members
14 Yoga and/or breathwork sessions took place in schools, community centers and public parks
5 Morning Movement Hip-Hop sessions at SouthTech Preparatory Academy
36 weekly holistic health session with 6th-grade medical students (often with an integrated family food kit)
3 Aromatherapy workshops educating youth on natural therapeutics
Collaborations with Love, Hope & Healing, the charlie fund, Palm Beach State College

Community, Fueling a Healthy & Wise World

WiseTribe is a small and expanding nonprofit organization that pledges growth and transparency.

We are always examining our organizational and operational excellence and remain committed to continually learning. The following financial details reflect what was recorded in 2021, and we anticipate continued — and even greater — transparency in 2022.

Operating Income	Events - $5419	Donations - $146,114	Grants - $60,986
Operating Expenses	Administration - $21,862	Fundraising - $45,611	Programs/Grants - $73,206
In-Kind Services & Contributions	Volunteer Services - 5.5%	Food/Supplies - 7.3%	Professional Services - 87.2%

2022 Financials

Covers 18 months from January 2022 ending 06/3/23

Besides cash donations received by our donors, WiseTribe also received in-kind contributions for professional and volunteer services, food, and supplies. Receiving these needed resources in kind allows us to use our cash to implement program services. Although these in-kind donations are not shown in our financials, they add significant value to the organization.

18 Months in Review