Author: Barbora Tvrdik

Barbora Tvrdik is a self-proclaimed Francophile and former educator. Through years of volunteering with numerous non-profit organizations, she discovered a passion for connecting people to critical resources, and understands the deep value that comes from personally connecting with a good cause. A multilingual speaker, Barbora has lived and worked in France, including a year in Bordeaux. She holds a Master’s degree in French Studies from New York University and a bilingual French and English degree in International Education, Training, and Management from the Université de Bordeaux. At Friends of Foundation de France, she serves as the Communication and Development Associate, and works to amplify the reach of deserving charities and help American residents find their cause.

Saint-Sulpice Organ: Powerful Music from Iconic Paris Instruments

The Saint-Sulpice Organs: Why do they sound so different? Saint-Sulpice is home to two organs, the choir organ and the grand organ, recognized as national monuments. As visitors can attest, the Saint-Sulpice organs have a distinctive quality that sets them apart from all other organs. This uniqueness is rooted in the history of the instruments. […]

Fashioning the Future: The Impact of the Institut Français de la Mode Foundation

Institut Français de la Mode is a premier French institution specializing in fashion, luxury, and design. Located in Paris, IFM offers a range of programs from vocational training to doctoral degrees in design, management, and craftsmanship. Students benefit from a unique blend of in-class instruction at the state-of-the-art 9,000 m² campus at Cité de la […]

Ensemble Correspondances Organizes Baroque Music Concerts at the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris in October 2024

Ensemble Correspondances Attributed to the period from 1600 to about 1750, Baroque music is known for its grandeur, richness, and diversity, a style that powerfully elicits emotions and communicates feeling through sound and orchestration. This musical style gave birth to operas, a novel form of artistic expression in the 17th century. French Baroque music is […]

Comme les Autres: Rebuidling Lives After Major Injuries and Inspiring the Ultimate Comeback

About Comme les Autres Becoming disabled due to an injury can turn your life upside down overnight. For most, there isn’t a manual for navigating this change, leaving newly disabled individuals with many questions and few answers. Michaël Jérémiasz experienced this firsthand after a skiing accident at 18 left him paraplegic. His greatest challenge was […]

Honoring Heroes at the Musée de la Libération de Paris 80 Years Later

The Battle for the City of Light The Liberation of Paris, occurring from August 19 to August 25, 1944, was a pivotal moment in World War II. For months after the D-Day operations began earlier in the summer on June 6th, a ferocious resistance fight led by allied troops pushed deeper inland from the coast. […]

Cuisine Mode d’Emploi(s): A Kitchen with a Cause Joins the Olympics and Helps Refugees

Cuisine Mode d’Emploi(s) Founder Partners with Paris 2024 Olympics Cuisine Mode d’Emploi(s) was launched by Marx in 2012 to expand professional culinary training to those from disadvantaged backgrounds, who may otherwise have trouble accessing the inside of fine restaurant kitchens—those lacking educational qualifications, refugees, the unemployed, and formerly-incarcerated individuals—all free of charge. During a rigorous […]

Giving USA: A Look at American Philanthropy in 2023

Where Did the Contributions Go? The largest portion of donations, $145.81 billion or 24%, went to religious organizations, demonstrating the enduring importance of faith-based initiatives. Education received $87.69 billion (14%), reflecting a significant 11.1% increase from 2022. Human services attracted $88.84 billion (14%), while contributions to health-related causes totaled $56.58 billion (9%). Foundations received $80.03 […]

Centrale Lyon: Innovation in Engineering Thrives Here

Centrale Lyon at a Glance Established as one of France’s oldest and most esteemed engineering schools, Centrale Lyon spans two campuses, hosting a vibrant community of 3000 students and 660 faculty members. Offering a diverse array of programs, including two Bachelor’s, 18 Master’s, and 5 Engineering programs, alongside a robust Doctoral offering, the university prides […]

Commemorating French Liberation: US-French Friendship 80 Years After the War

France and the US: An Alliance Forged in Victory and Sacrifice The France-US alliance is as old as the United States itself. The 20th century was the ultimate test of this bond and proved its strength. In WWI, 2,000,000 US soldiers had joined the fight in France by 1918 and were instrumental in the brutal […]

Emmaüs Connect: Digital Equality and Affordable Tech for All

The Digital Divide When Emmaüs Connect was founded, it identified a burgeoning problem. “At the time, France was beginning the dematerialization of its services, and people were still somewhat stuck in the mindset that wasn’t important, that phones, email, those weren’t seen as essentials,” reflects Tom-Louis Teboul, Development and Partnership Manager at Emmaüs Connect. “But […]