Tawn Holstra
 Stir the Pot: Course leader Tawn Holstra helps the homeless into restaurant kitchens Not one to rest on her laurels, Landmark's Self Expression and Leadership course leader Tawn Holstra believes in challenging herself to perform the same community work that she encourages others to undertake. "If I'm not walking the walk, it's baloney," Holstra says. Take the recent project she organized for FareStart, a job-training program in Seattle that enlists professional chefs for a 16-week course to teach homeless people the skills they will need to become certified prep cooks. Despite FareStart's great success in placing the newly minted prep cooks, the program, like so many non-profits, struggled to raise money to keep itself going; so, Holstra agreed to oversee the production of a cookbook to raise funds. However, Holstra soon found the project to be overwhelming and wondered if she would be able to fulfill her obligation. Digging deep, she utilized the tools of the course she teaches, worked with a coach, got others excited and involved with the project and reminded herself of something she had communicated to many SELP course participants over the years: "if we…really [challenge] ourselves, there [will] likely be times we [will] want to quit." The cookbook was published in record time, won several awards, and raised $16,000 for FareStart. Buoyed by the success, Holstra founded a non-profit organization (ACCESS) to make programs like FareStart available nationally. "I learned about working with others, about creating a new dynamic with a team, and I learned the gift that it is to make a difference," says Holstra. "It would never have happened without Landmark's education, particularly the Self-Expression and Leadership Program I am privileged to lead." |
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