Bethany Fristad, Wartburg College

Ms. Bethany Fristad is the founder and director of Firefleyes, a nonprofit organization that “exists to bring hope and joy to children living in impoverished communities by providing them with small treasures.” Ms. Fristad seeks to build hope  in impoverished areas of Africa by working to provide for children’s basic needs, as well as providing opportunities to celebrate and laugh as a community.  In addition, she volunteered for Gulf Coast restoration, and served in towns from Rutland, Vermont to San Antonio, Texas. She knows not only the statistics of poverty, malnutrition, and sickness, but also people’s stories of individual experiences with hardship.