About Reaching Beyond Globally
Reaching Beyond Globally is a non-profit 501 (C) (3) dedicated to bringing education to children who otherwise may not be given the opportunity to attend secondary school. Reaching Beyond Globally aims to nurture and enhance their lives through supporting education and bringing them joy.
Mission
Reaching Beyond Globally’s mission is to help any child in financial need pursue higher education, and give them the opportunity to change their life trajectory.
Reaching Beyond Globally pairs a student in need of financial support with a donor or patron of financial means. These donations allow each student to further their education and give them opportunities to find a career previously thought impossible. In doing this, Reaching Beyond Globally will support each child in fulfilling their potential, and further their impact on their village, community and country. Reaching Beyond Globally also aims to continue bringing enrichment programs to students who would otherwise never have the chance to participate in extracurricular programs.
Our Story
The First Fifteen
In the summer of 2018, Vicki Bassing retired from teaching ballet to children in the U.S. and Marianne Bassing returned to the U.S. after dancing professionally in Europe. This mother/daughter duo took a leap of faith and traveled to Kiryabicooli, a village in the bush of North Western Uganda and introduced over 300 children to ballet. Before going, Vicki and Marianne questioned whether their trip there would make an impact on the village, but in the words of the children, "You made us feel important." Upon returning to America, they knew that just by taking the time to travel to this village, they had given these children a gift of feeling seen and known.
The following summer, Marianne and Vicki returned to teach and spread the joy of exploring ballet again. During this visit the children of Kiryabicooli expressed their desire to further their education, and find joy in other aspects of life, but unfortunately their families were not able to afford the school fees. After returning home from Kiryabicooli the second summer, Marianne and Vicki knew they needed to help the children attend secondary school.
In November of 2019, Reaching Beyond Globally was created, a non- profit corporation allowing them to raise funds to support the financial needs of the children. Reaching Beyond Globally's inaugural class of ten students began their secondary school education in January 2020.
Our Goals
Empower children through education
Increase access to education in Uganda
Support students to graduate from high school
Fund 5 new students for the 2024 school year
What does Reaching Beyond Globally do for the children?
Reaching Beyond Globally is committed to funding each students secondary and post secondary school education. This includes school tuition, boarding and food fees, uniforms, and any other requirements. In the first year of being a 501 (c) (3) Reaching Beyond Globally was able to fund ten of the twelve graduating students from Deirdre Ann Academy through private donations. The students tested among the top students in all of Uganda and were all accepted into the top secondary schools of their choice. Unfortunately, not every family was able to afford the fees needed to attend secondary school. Reaching Beyond Globally was able to fund every student who needed financial help to attend school.
In the five years of operation Reaching Beyond Globally has committed to sponsoring 15 students through their first six years of secondary and post secondary school education. This commitment prepares the sponsored students to step into the job market after completion of this portion of their eduction.
Why do we sponsor students through six years of secondary and post secondary education?
When Reaching Beyond Globally first started sponsoring students, we committed to funding their first four years of secondary school education. When Vicki and Marianne returned to Kiryabicooli in June 2022 they learned that for the students to be able to take full advantage of their education, two years of post secondary school is important. In the two years after secondary school students will either attend A-Levels classes to advance to University, or attend certificate courses to directly enter the work-force upon completion.
Meet the Team
Marianne and Vicki Bassing are the mother daughter duo behind Reaching Beyond Globally. Both of them have been involved in the ballet world for their entire lives. While ballet is what brought them to Uganda and Deirdre Ann Academy, their passion for enrichment through arts and education is what brought them to create Reaching Beyond Globally.
Co-Founder & CEO
Vicki Bassing
During her childhood, Vicki Bassing studied ballet and other forms of dance. She began teaching ballet at the age of 15 and for the next 50 years taught througout the Bay Area. She developed and directed many ballet and dance programs, including a creative movement/ dance program for Marin County pre-schools. Her love of sharing dance with children led her to Kiryabicooli, Uganda and an adventure that led to creating Reaching Beyond Globally with her daughter, Marianne.
Co-Founder
Marianne Bassing
Marianne Bassing grew up in Marin County, California, studying ballet with the goal of dancing professionally. She lived and performed professionally for five years in Germany and Estonia. Following recovery from an injury, Marianne returned home and began performing in the Bay Area. When her mom told her she was going to teach ballet in Uganda in 2018, Marianne jumped at the opportunity to spend time with her mom, and to share her passion for ballet with others.
Board Member
Nikki Gothelf
Nikki Gothelf is a part-time librarian and especially loves helping children and their families when she’s at work. She has an MLIS degree from San Jose State’s Information School and a doctorate in history from The University of Notre Dame in Indiana. She also has a B.A. in Peace and Global Studies from Earlham College and lived in Kyoto, Japan, Jerusalem, Scotland and Germany when she was a young adult. Nikki loves to write and is working on several children’s books. Her other passions are singing, gardening, travelling, reading, hiking and being a mom to her three kids and two dogs. She would love to visit Uganda and Deirdre Ann Academy one day, having heard so much about the dedicated, fun, inspiring and hard-working teachers, students and families that make-up Deidre Ann’s wonderful school community.
Board Member
Charles Bassing
Charles Bassing is a self-employed businessman, and race car enthusiast. Charles retired from Bassing Painting in 2020, but remains connected to the business as a mentor to the new owner. Charles has watched the creation of Reaching Beyond Globally since before its inception. Reaching Beyond Globally grew out of the relationships formed during Vicki and Marianne’s trips to Kiryabicooli, and he was moved by the passion and commitment they demonstrated for the students. He is also moved by the spirit of the families RBG is supporting. Charles brings his business sense and guidance to Reaching Beyond Globally as well as his keen sense of humor. He lives in Marin County with his wife, Vicki and their dog Digit. When not at home, he may be seen driving around local racetracks in his Mustang, FR500s – his hobby.
Board Member
Paul Breimayer
Paul brings over 30 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant and Chief Financial Officer beginning with 10 years as an auditor with the international accounting firm, KPMG. This was followed by various management-level finance positions in companies both large and small as well as experience in small business consulting. Paul is still active as the CFO of a San Francisco-based mortgage bank and is a board member of several charitable organizations. Originally from the Midwest, Paul, his wife and two daughters have been Marin county residents for over 25 years. In his spare time, Paul enjoys swimming, mountain biking, and trail running.
Board Member
Jeannine Thurston
Bio coming soon
Board Member
Jenny Sowry
Bio coming soon
Our Partners
Reaching Beyond Globally believes that outside enrichment is a vital part of education. Through their partnership with Só Dança, Marianne and Vicki have been able to bring brand new dance clothes to over 300 students at Deirdre Ann Academy every year they have visited Kiryabicooli. The penpal program through Feather and Wolves has allowed students from Marin County, California and students from Kiryabicooli, Uganda to share stories of their lives with each other. The JCC preschool in San Rafael, California raised funds to help build a play structure on Deirdre Ann Academy grounds that the students now enjoy during all day. MarinSEL, an environmental program at Terra Linda High
School, Marin County, created a program through Zoom for discussions about the environment, climate change, school work and soccer.
