More About Us
Annual Report
The annual report of the Foundation for Expanding Horizons is available at the address noted below for inspection during normal business hours by any citizen.
Expanding Horizons
1624 Westlake Drive
Austin, Texas 78746
The general manager is Ms. Gretchen Lara Shartle. 512-327-0667
History of Expanding Horizons
In 1981, Gretchen Lara Shartle formed a small charitable fund called Hospitalidad–Austin. The purpose of this fund was to help El Salvadoran refugees who were fleeing the violence in their country.
In 1983, Gretchen combined five thousand dollars from Hospitalidad–Austin with twenty thousand of her savings to begin Expanding Horizons. The initial purpose of the foundation was to help make more American people aware of the role the United States was playing in Central America.
The first work of the Expanding Horizons board was to organize and support non-partisan fact finding trips for American church leaders so they could see the realities with their own eyes in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Expanding Horizons co-sponsored three trips in the years 1984, 1985 and 1987. The trips involved representatives from Episcopal, Presbyterian and Catholic churches throughout the United States. Once in Central America, these leaders met with different political groups, local churches, members of the press and the American Ambassadors.
In the early nineties, as the violence in Central America diminished, Expanding Horizons began looking for a new purpose. The board decided to focus on the colonias on the Texas side of the Texas/Mexico border where living conditions were abominable. In 1991, they began a housing project with John Henneberger and Proyecto Azteca (see Proyecto Azteca under Our Work).
From these early first projects, Expanding Horizons found it’s path. Their mission began to catalyze change for the poorest of the poor by empowering them and their communities. They have realized that you can have a huge impact with a little seed money, if it is nurtured, while always maintaining a “bottoms up” and collaborative approach by listening to the people in the trenches. The foundation will always continue to seek the opportunity to invest in people who are able to make big things happen with very little.
Beliefs of Expanding Horizons
Expanding Horizons is a small but strategic family foundation whose purpose is to make grants in housing and education with an emphasis on ecological sustainability that continue to have surprising ripple effects.
Expanding Horizons Board
Gretchen Lara Shartle
Chair and Founder
Gretchen is the author of two books On Earth and In Heaven and Awakening Courage which tells how she started Expanding Horizons in 1983. She is married to Jorge Lara-Braud, has two daughters and four grandchildren.
Don Crowell
Trustee
Don Crowell earned a degree in Social Work from University of Texas but chose to become a contractor forming Crowell+ in 1976. Don works on homes of the highest standards choosing a team approach to working with homeowners and architects.
Jolynn Free
Trustee and Treasurer
JoLynn is an investment professional with twenty-seven years of experience working with families and non-profit institutions to manage their assets and protect their legacies. She is a mother, grandmother, and wife with strong ties to the Austin community, where she serves on numerous boards including the Austin Community Foundation, Seton Fund, SafePlace, and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.
Donna Howard
Trustee
Donna is a lifelong Austin resident. She is married to attorney Derek with three children: Blake 26, Logan 23, and Shane 21. Former critical care nurse and UT health instructor. Former Eanes School Board member. Currently serving as House District 48 State Representative in the Texas Legislature. Currently on the board of Texas Freedom Network. Active in First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin.
Standish Meacham
Trustee
Standish Meacham is professor of History emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin. While an active member of the faculty, he was twice chair of the History Department, and served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. He is a board member and past merident of Texas Low Income Housing Information Service.
Kyria Sabin
Trustee and Secretary
Kyria is the owner and Director of Body Works Studio in Tucson which she opened in 1994. Certified as a Senior Teacher by Pilates Master, Ron Fletcher, Kyria developed the studio's first Teacher Training Program in 1999 and expanded it in 2002 into The Ron Fletcher Program of Study, an international Pilates teacher training program. She lives in Tucson with her husband and two children.
Kathy Tyler
Trustee
Kathy Tyler has worked in the housing development field for over 30 years, in neighborhood, urban, rural, and farmworker settings. She currently directs farmworker housing programs for Motivation Education & Training Inc. In addition to Expanding Horizons, she serves on the board of the National Rural Housing Coalition, Austin Gray Panthers, HousingWorks, and the Mercy Partnership Fund’s loan committee. She has a BA and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin.
Jane Walton
Trustee
Jane is an IT Manager for Schlumberger and other large corporations, and a CPA. Her greatest Joy is her children and grandchildren.
Greta Weisser
Trustee and Grants Committee
Greta has worked internationally in marketing. She specialized in brand consulting with companies such as: The World Bank, Ford, Hilton, World Vision and Dannon. Presently she lives in Dubai with her husband and two young children, Maxwell and Leela.