Founded to foster hope, Golden Courage offers programs and services for children living in China who are affected by extreme poverty. Golden Courage works with schools and local communities directly to provide innovative educational experiences and cultural exchange opportunities that nourish inner and outer life. GCI also collaborates with the Chinese government, governmental agencies and village co-op leaders to instill new holistic educational models for children and further efforts to influence others to support the expansion of children’s outreach programs throughout China. In addition, Golden Courage promotes environmental awareness at every opportunity as a means to sustain the health and well-being of our planet and each other. Learn more about our programs.
Gabe Karp is a partner at Detroit Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that backs seed and early-stage technology companies. Prior to joining DVP, Mr. Karp was the executive vice president and general counsel of ePrize, Inc., the leading interactive promotions company that represents more than 75 of the top 100 brands in the world. He led the efforts on multiple acquisitions, venture financing, credit facilities and ultimately the sale of the company to a large private equity firm.
Mr. Karp co-authored Puerto Rico’s revised sweepstakes regulations, which were adopted in 2009. He has consulted the Federal Trade Commission and various state legislators and regulators regarding laws impacting viral marketing, mobile commerce and other topics applicable to the interactive promotion industry. Mr. Karp is a respected authority and frequent speaker and writer on legal issues surrounding interactive promotions, including social networking and viral marketing campaigns, mobile marketing, user-generated content and emerging technologies. Mr. Karp joined the GCI board in 2015 and leads the development committee. He lives in Huntington Woods, Michigan with his wife and three daughters.
As one of North America’s most respected herbalists and botanical researchers, Richard “Ric” Scalzo has more than 25 years of clinical and practical experience. As an innovator and pioneer in the herbal products industry, Mr. Scalzo is a leading authority on the cultivation of herbs, extraction processes, whole plant standardization, and traditional herbal therapies.
In 1987, Mr. Scalzo founded Gaia Herbs, a leading organic grower and manufacturer of herbal supplements that reinforce the inherent connections between healthy bodies, communities, and ecosystems. Recently, under Mr. Scalzo’s direction, Gaia Herbs initiated the world’s first herb traceability program, MeetYourHerbs®, which has earned industry wide praise.
A board member since 2011, Mr. Scalzo lives in North Carolina. He is a leading member of the GCI Social Enterprise Incubator Program, including the organic herbal farming project in Yan Qing.
Amy St. Amour has been involved with GCI since 2006 and began serving as a member of the board in 2009. Since 2003, Ms. Amour has been the associate director of development for the University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine. Prior to that, she spent 10 years out west working for both non-profit and for-profit organizations such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Nike, Sports Illustrated, and Cause Events.
Ms. St. Amour is a member of the GCI English Conversation and Cultural Exchange program in China. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her husband and three daughters.
Bob Schoeni has been a member of the board since 2011 and is responsible for the research and evaluation of GCI programs. He is a professor of economics and public policy and research professor at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Dr. Schoeni is a co-investigator of one of the largest US National Science Foundation funded projects, which includes a longitudinal survey of 22,000 individuals that began in 1968.
For 10 years, Dr. Schoeni worked at the non-profit think tank of the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica. In 1998-99 he was a senior economist on President Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers.
Dr. Schoeni has two daughters, and his wife, Gretchen Spreitzer, is a professor of business at the University of Michigan. They live in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Mr. Schon is a co-founder of Up2Go International, a software company focusing on role-based collaboration. Before founding Up2Go in 2009, he held management positions in several international operating companies. The experience of working with diverse teams for over 20+ years guided the purpose of Humanizing Business for Up2Go, continuously improving the experiences people have through collaboration.
Mr. Schon joined the GCI board in 2019. He and his wife live in Northville, Michigan.
Rebecca Liu has been involved with GCI since 2005 when she met Dr. Yun Lu through the Faculty Scholars Program in Integrative Healthcare at the University of Michigan. This program, facilitated by Rita Benn, Ph.D., gave faculty members at the University of Michigan the opportunity to explore theoretical principles, clinical practices and evidence related to complementary, alternative and integrative therapies. In addition, faculty met multiple alternative medicine practitioners in the Ann Arbor community. Dr. Liu is a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Michigan. Since 2005, she has travelled to China with Dr. Lu multiple times to visit and serve the children sponsored by Golden Courage International, along with her 3 daughters. She joined the GCI board in 2019.
Katarina Lu is treasurer of GCI and a secondary math teacher. A founding member of GCI, she has been working with the children supported by GCI since 2003. Ms. Lu also is a leading member of the GCI Cultural Exchange Program.
Lii Yuhan (“A Very Cold Rain”) is an 11-year-old fifth-grader who lives with her grandparents and her mother. Her mother, a burn victim, has lost her fingers, and her face is badly disfigured.
