Founders & History
Founders - Dorothy & Frank Zenie
My parents met in college and married after graduation. With every unexpected twist and turn of life, they were a team like none I have seen. Their commitment to and for one another while pursuing their individual dreams and wants is an amazing example to all relationships. Along the way they founded the Zenie Foundation (ZF). My mom died unexpectedly on March 13, 2014 - they had been married for 57 years. Below, my dad will tell you how they decided to start ZF and I will tell you a little about my mom. -Katherine
A student who went to high school with our kids...
Was advised by his high school guidance counselor to take vocational classes and train to become a welder yet he was doing exceptionally well in honors English. Dorothy was incensed with the school - the inconsistency of this young man being an honors student and doing well in college prep while being advised toward a vocational career would never make the best use of his talents nor help him realize his full potential. Following graduation, he worked as a welder while putting himself through junior college at night. He graduated community college with high honors and was accepted to a Boston area college. Between his own savings, student loans and family contribution, he still had a gap he could not fill. With help from ZF, he was able to close the financial gap and attend college. Today he is the Chief Operating Officer of a major metropolitan zoo; has sat on many green & horticulture boards both regionally and nationally; and is giving back. An experience like this and the quality of each year’s new applicants encourage us at ZF to commit and do more.
Was advised by his high school guidance counselor to take vocational classes and train to become a welder yet he was doing exceptionally well in honors English. Dorothy was incensed with the school - the inconsistency of this young man being an honors student and doing well in college prep while being advised toward a vocational career would never make the best use of his talents nor help him realize his full potential. Following graduation, he worked as a welder while putting himself through junior college at night. He graduated community college with high honors and was accepted to a Boston area college. Between his own savings, student loans and family contribution, he still had a gap he could not fill. With help from ZF, he was able to close the financial gap and attend college. Today he is the Chief Operating Officer of a major metropolitan zoo; has sat on many green & horticulture boards both regionally and nationally; and is giving back. An experience like this and the quality of each year’s new applicants encourage us at ZF to commit and do more.
Dorothy Zenie
If I had to identify my mom’s passion, I would say that it was learning. Whether it was school-based in a classroom, or through her reading and discussions at book club, or sitting at the local coffee shop of some foreign city, watching and getting to know the locals. Life was a learning opportunity in her eyes. In my lifetime, she was on the city's arts grants committee, the planning board, and the board of the YMCA. She learned to fly a plane, went to art school in her 50s, started an AAUW (American Association of University Women) group in our hometown, and built a design business. She had discovered MOOCs (massive open online classes) and, when she died, she was taking a course on the History of Chinese Architecture through Harvard. Learning always, even at 80 years old. Mom's legacy is the essence of ZF and we will carry on her life of learning to share with whoever touches these pages. Katherine Zenie Chatterjee ZF Trustee, Executive Director & Coach |
Frank Zenie & ZF History
Dorothy and I founded the Zenie Foundation (ZF) on December 24th, 1983. We learned from our parents, and always have believed, that learning, knowledge and values are the foundation to becoming effective adults. As soon as we had children, we began to save for their college education. Our children did not need all of our savings. Our initial feelings were to invest our unspent savings and help students who needed some financial assistance. We always donated to our colleges - MIT & Wellesley - but felt removed from how they chose to use our donations. By 1983 Dorothy and I believed we could have a 1:1 impact on deserving students, so we founded ZF. Our early students found us by word of mouth and we made modest grants to almost every applicant. The whole college landscape has changed since our original ZF founding. College costs have skyrocketed, driving up student loans, and students are advised to get a college degree regardless of economic potential and impact. We believe students need better coaching and better access to financial decision-making assistance. While we remain absolutely true to Dorothy’s and my original vision and commitment, ZF now flies under a new banner: “Helping Students Become Effective Adults” We incorporate real-world coaching, focused reference materials, planning and decision-making along with financial assistance. We believe college bound students are able to, and must, make sound decisions that will impact their lives for years into the future. We try to provide the coaching and tools to help students make informed and value-based decisions. |