Mount Madonna School

Mount Madonna School student Brigg Busenhart (7th grade), is featured on the cover of the The Silicon Valley San Jose Business Journal’s 2012/2013 Giving Guide for his work as a Junior Board Member of a small nonprofit, the Tim Brauch Foundation. This foundation oversees The Tim Brauch Memorial Fund and was started by Sessions, a Santa Cruz action sports company co-owned by Brigg’s mother, Cindi Ferreira Busenhart. 

The Tim Brauch Memorial Fund has contributed to scholarships for youth and helped fund the construction of the Scotts Valley skate park in Santa Cruz County.

Brauch foundation junior board members have responsibilities similar to as regular board members, While day-to-day operations are guided by the adult members, junior members like Brigg each have a full vote, review agendas and materials, make business decisions, help to provide mission-based leadership and strategic governance, review outcomes and evaluate impact, attend meetings and have fiduciary responsibilities.

Sessions was recognized with a Philanthropic Impact Award for its ongoing community involvement, spearheading the Tim Brauch Memorial Fund, and collaborating with many other nonprofits including Boarding 4 Breast Cancer, SOS Outreach, and the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre.

Other award recipients included Silicon Valley giants eBay, Google and Cisco, who made considerable financial contributions to the community, and the Sobrato Organization which donated $13.7 million dollars to nonprofit organizations.  

Founded in 1999, the Tim Brauch Foundation has two primary objectives. The first is to raise funds to support programs, specifically in the action sports community, encouraging children to get active and develop a positive attitude. The second objective is to serve as a mentorship program, allowing children to sit on the foundation’s Junior Board and have them actively participate in both strategic planning and execution.

“Sessions is incredibly honored and humbled to be recognized among all the amazing companies present. This award is really for kids, like the ones on the junior board of the [Tim Brauch] memorial fund. They will be the ones paving the way for community service in the future,” said Cindi Busenhart upon receiving the award. “Our brand is built so heavily on the community we serve. Giving back is just the right thing to do.”