PASSIONATE ABOUT INSPIRING OTHERS
Launched in November 2021, Women's Impact Network of Eagle County includes a diverse group of local Eagle County women who aim to support students in the community as they pursue their life goals and dreams. Scholarships are awarded annually to one or more high school Seniors.
“Next to health and safety, I feel education is the most valuable asset a human can cultivate,” says WIN co-founder Allison Krausen. “WIN scholarships eliminate or minimize the financial barrier to achieving this for students in our community.”
WIN consists of philanthropic women who make the commitment to give a $1,000 tax-deductible donation each year, which goes fully and directly to the scholarship recipients. Each member has the opportunity to be involved in the process of selecting the scholarship recipients, from participating in reviewing student applications, interviewing students, and voting on final selections. The criteria for selecting students changes each year, depending on the needs of the community and the priorities of the members. Historically, all scholarship winners have a desire to give back, either locally or on a global scale.
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“We are investing in people and the future, learning and digging deeper into the needs around us, and supporting the dreams of students,” says Jennifer Ebner, who co- founded the organization after her work with Impact 100 Denver Metro, a nonprofit with a similar fundraising model. “The beauty of this type of fundraising is each member knows exactly where their money is going, and they can be as involved in the process of selecting the scholarship recipients as they want.”
To find applicants for the scholarships, WIN partners with YouthPower365’s Valley Scholars program through the Vail Valley Foundation. This community-based scholarship program provides support that directly helps local youth pursue secondary degrees to achieve their career aspirations. Vail Valley Foundation manages the administration for the scholarships at no cost, which means every dollar raised by WIN goes to the students, with funds paid directly to the school at which they enroll.
To learn about the students chosen for WIN's fundraising scholarships, click here.
WIN’s commitment to the community goes beyond scholarships. We have worked to create a thriving network of members, students, and scholarship recipients who have completed their higher education pursuits. This network also provides mentorship opportunities for scholarship recipients. Along this journey, we’ve not only volunteered but also built lasting friendships and discovered other local nonprofits making a meaningful impact.
INTERESTED IN JOINING WIN?
win FOUNDERS
Meet the women who made WIN come to life.
JENNIFER EBNER
Jennifer spent many winters in the Vail Valley, driving her four “bonus” kids up from Cherry Hills Village to ski race. Six years ago, she and her husband Tom became full-time residents, and it’s been home ever since.
Originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jennifer has a long history of giving back in the communities she calls home. She’s passionate about education and dedicated to providing opportunities for tomorrow’s leaders. She's one of the original members of Impact 100 Metro Denver of Impact 100 Metro Denver, as well as an active committee member for YouthPower365’s Stars Variety Show and B The Difference’s fundraising events. She’s committed to furthering STEM education through the Ebner Family Fellowship, which was created four years ago to help fund research projects that University of Colorado Professor Shalom Ruben leads in the Engineering department. Outside of education, she actively supports nonprofits in health care, particularly those designated for cancer and mental health, as well as organizations that focus on women and children and those underserved in the Vail Valley community.
After helping establish Impact 100 Metro Denver in 2015, Jennifer deeply missed the work she did for the organization and wanted to institute something similar in the Vail community. She and Allison had many chats over coffee throughout the years and were finally able to find a way to make the Women’s Impact Network of Eagle County a reality. Jennifer loves how the organization connects philanthropic women to bring positive change in the community by investing in young people.
In her spare time, she loves to travel, eat delicious food, read, dabble in interior design, visit her kids at college, watch college and professional football and basketball games, and enjoy all the valley has to offer with her husband and four (very spoiled) pups. One of her favorite things about the Vail Valley is that she finds something inspiring every day she’s here, whether it’s a breathtaking natural landscape or the inspiring members of the community.
ALLISON KRAUSEN
Allison moved to Vail over 20 years ago after graduating from Princeton University. Following an untraditional path, she opted for an internship in the Colorado Rockies, and has never looked back.
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native prioritizes philanthropy in her free time. She’s currently on the board of the Bright Future Foundation and is an active volunteer with Princeton University, where she serves as Class Agent and Annual Giving Committee Member and Rocky Mountain Princeton Club Treasurer. She has served on the Board of the Vail Symposium and on the planning committee for the Vail Valley Foundation Black Diamond Ball.
Allison believes education is one of the most valuable assets a person can cultivate. The mission of the Women’s Impact Network of Eagle County inspired her to action, with the goal of reducing the financial barriers for aspiring students.
In addition to her commitment to being of service, Allison enjoys distance running, travel, skiing, reading, and adventures with her family, which includes her husband, Vail architect Kyle Webb, and her children. One of her favorite things about living in the Vail Valley is having friends of all ages who share a common joie de vivre and a commitment to community, including the importance of giving back to the amazing place they all call home.
win leadership
Women's Impact Network of Eagle County would not be where we are
without the support and dedication of our leadership team.
CHRISTY HANSON
EVENTs CO-CHAIR
SAMANTHA HODGKINS
COMMUNITY OUTREACH/COMMUNICATION CHAIR
EUGINNAI SEYFERTH
whitney smith
treasure/youthpower365 liaIson
kerry starzec
events co-chair
wiN members
Our community was founded with 82 members and has since grown. These individuals from the Vail Valley community are an inspiration and help us drive our mission; We embrace collaborative and thoughtful philanthropy among women to champion transformative change in the community by offering impactful scholarships and mentorships to empower local youth to define their individual successes.
