About Zoe

Zoe truly loved life. In fact, her name means “life” in Greek. There were so many things she wanted to accomplish and the possibilities were endless for our beautiful Zoe. We frequently joked that Zoe would end up on Saturday Night Live someday, imitating well known people and making us laugh. Zoe had a great knack for physical humor and it was hard to be with her and not laugh. She helped us all not to take life so seriously. The beauty of Zoe was that she had great empathy for others. She hated to see anyone suffer, whether from physical, mental or financial hardship. When Zoe was in New York City during a photography internship, she brought food to the homeless on Union Square on a daily basis. Zoe was generous with her time and volunteered often for a variety of causes. She was a sounding board for many friends, listening to their problems and offering advice. She met the many challenges of school and life with enthusiasm and optimism. Zoe Loren enjoyed life to its fullest.
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Mission

Our mission is to enrich the lives of Palm Beach County’s children by providing opportunities for exploration and inspiration.

Scholarship Winners

At the Zoe Loren Make A Difference Foundation,
we offer several scholarships to deserving students each year.
Together we can help you achieve your goals.

Grace Castelin

Grace Castelin, Class of 2021

Grace is a graduate of Suncoast High School where she was Secretary of the Black Student Union, as well as leading their Charity and the Mentorship Committees. For the past 5 years Grace has volunteered as a youth leader with the children’s ministry program of her church. Here she mentored under-served children, many of whom were facing adversity in their lives. Grace also led the children’s choir and organized dance teams and sporting events for the children. Grace will major in political science, and plans to pursue a career in public policy and government. She will attend the University of Central Florida. Grace wrote in her essay, “Due to the many issues and forms of injustice I continue to observe in our society, I desire to do what I can to play a part in bringing these issues to light and advocating for change for the people of today and the generations that are to come.”
William George

William George, Class of 2021

William is a graduate of Palm Beach Gardens High School, where he was a member of the Television & Film Production Magnet Program and was a Career and Technology Education Student of the Year. William was involved in the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) from 6th grade through his senior year of high school. In 2019 he placed top 8 in the state in the FBLA public speaking competition. William is a trained dancer in hip-hop and jazz, as well as holding district and regional titles in wrestling. William’s favorite service project has been his 5-year participation in the Belle Glade Student Mission Trip, where he worked on beautification projects, sports camp and meal service for at-risk children. William will attend Lock Haven University where he will pursue a dual degree in Business and Communications.
Shahara Ransom

Shahara Ransom, Class of 2020

Shahara was in the top 5% of her class at Palm Beach Gardens High School with a 3.8 GPA, while being dual-enrolled at Palm Beach State College and working 20 hours per week. In addition, Shahara has completed over 500 hours of community service. She participated in a mission trip to the Bahamas to assist with repairing damages from natural disasters, was part of the volunteer program at the Solid Waste Authority and was a volunteer assistant pre-school and Sunday school teacher at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church. Shahara also received first and second place positions in the Black Heritage Oratorical Contest for the last four years, second place in Coding and second place in Math League, representing the National Achievers Society of Palm Beach County. Shahara will attend Florida State University, where she will pursue a degree in Biomedical Science, with her ultimate goal of becoming a general surgeon.
Sulvamette Sylvain

Sulvamette Sylvain, Class of 2020

Sulvamette maintained a 3.5 GPA at Glades Central High School while being dual-enrolled at Palm Beach State College and performing over 1,000 hours of service. Sulvamette has been involved with the Boys and Girls Club for many years, specifically in their Girls Give Back and their Youth Corp Volunteer Program. She recently achieved the highest honor in the Boys and Girls Club, as the recipient of their Youth of the Year award. In addition, Sulvamette is the founder of Haitian Educators, where she helps immigrants find resources and adapt to their new home. Sulvamette was President of Glades Central Student Government for four years, and participated in Women of Tomorrow, Glades Central Debate Club, the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. Sulvamette will attend Florida A & M University, where she will major in Nursing. Her long term goal is to become a lawyer and lobbyist, advocating for quality medical care for all.
See All Scholarship Winners

Grant Recipients

The Zoe Loren Foundation is excited to announce this year’s grant recipients! These recipients are organizations that provide children with educational experiences that advance literacy, STEM (science, technology, education, and math) and foster artistic development. The Foundation provided grants to two local organizations that work with under-served children. In Zoe’s memory, our family is honored to support programs that make a positive impact on the lives of children in Palm Beach County. We are so proud to enable these organizations to offer more opportunities for their children. We are deeply grateful to all of our sponsors and supporters who have made these donations possible.

The Achievement Centers for Children and Families

The Foundation funded a comprehensive summer art program at The Achievement Centers for Children and Families, located in Delray Beach. The children’s summer art program included monochromatic drawing, acrylic painting, sculpting, and watercolors. The Achievement Centers for Children & Families is a community-based organization dedicated to serving low-income children and families. They provide childcare and academic opportunities to low-income children in southern Palm Beach County. Their services meet critical needs: affordable toddler, preschool, after-school and summer programs to families living below the poverty line. Visit https://www.achievementcentersfl.org to learn more about their incredible work.

Edna Runner Tutorial Center

The Foundation provided funds for eighty children at the Edna Runner Tutorial Center in Jupiter to enjoy field trips to the Miami Seaquarium and Billie Swamp Safari. The Edna W. Runner tutorial center is a provider of after school, winter break, spring break and summer camp services for children in grades K-8 in Jupiter, FL. Their objective is to provide educational support, increase grade point average and self-esteem. They help students develop interests, skill and knowledge in a variety of areas all within a safe, warm and nurturing environment. Visit https://ewrunnerctr.org for more information about this wonderful organization. Travis Conway, the Program Director at Edna Runner recently wrote,” I would like to say a big THANK YOU to you and everyone at the foundation for touching so many young minds this summer…”

Faith’s Place

Faith’s Place in West Palm Beach, FL, is an organization that provides educational services to the community. They offer pre-school (VPK), homework assistance, FCAT tutorials and after-school art enrichment programs. Their All Star Summer Camp was awarded $5,000 for the purchase of hands-on pre-engineering kits that encompassed science, math, writing, reading and social studies. The grant funded materials for 200 under-privileged students from Pre-K through 10th grade to experience activities that sparked their curiosity and empowered them to explore, learn and create! Noble Lockhart-Mays, Director Faith’s Place Centers wrote, “We are thoroughly enjoying this series and we are grateful!” To see their great work in action, visit https://www.faithsplacecenter.org, and be sure to check out their videos!

The Achievement Centers for Children and Families
Edna Runner Tutorial Center
Faith's Place 1
See All Grant Recipients

Events

Events

Volunteers

Every November, the Zoe Loren Make A Difference Foundation hosts a 5K Run/Walk fundraiser in Jupiter, FL. You can earn service hours for high school graduation and make new friends by becoming a Volunteer with us! Your contribution of time and effort will definitely count as you will be helping to ensure our event runs smoothly for all participants. 

Volunteer

Sponsors & Partners