Sarah Hemminger

  • Thread (formerly Incentive Mentoring Program)

  • 2009 Global Fellow

Sarah Hemminger
  • Thread (formerly Incentive Mentoring Program)

  • 2009 Global Fellow

bold idea

End social isolation among young people facing significant opportunity and achievement gaps by harnessing the power of relationships to build a more equitable culture where everyone thrives.

organization overview

Thread is unique in its 10-year commitment to never giving up on ninth graders with the lowest GPAs and highest potential. Young people in Thread are part of a Thread Family, connecting with up to four adult volunteers who believe in the young person and show up consistently, with vulnerability and humility. Each member is on a journey of personal growth that encourages greater understanding of others and self, creating a community where each person is known, loved, and needed. The relationships developed in Thread transcend race, class, and age and create a deep sense of belonging. Founded in 2004, Thread is inspiring individuals to weave a new social fabric.

Personal Bio

Sarah Hemminger is a social entrepreneur, scientist, and ice dancer who co-founded Thread with her husband Ryan Hemminger in 2004. She is an experienced nonprofit manager with expertise in the development, expansion, and replication of Thread’s unique model of building relationships across lines of difference, radically and permanently altering the social support structure of everyone involved. Sarah has received fellowships from Ashoka, Echoing Green Foundation, Open Society Institute, and the Albert Schweitzer Fellows Program. In 2010, Sarah received her PhD in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University for her work on the role of the cerebellum and the primary motor cortex on the time scales of consolidation of motor memory. Sarah received her undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University in 2002. Prior to pursuing her PhD, she worked as an engineer for Medtronic XOMED. Sarah is a 2009 Echoing Green Fellow.

  • Organization/Fellow Location ?

    Our most recent information as to where the Fellow primarily resides.

    Baltimore, US

  • Impact Location ?

    Countries or continents that were the primary focus of this Fellow’s work at the time of their Fellowship.

  • Organization Structure ?

    An organization can be structured as a nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid (a structure that incorporates both nonprofit and for-profit elements).

    Nonprofit

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