VUE

up on things. But after [the coup], he wasn't going to go there anymore." Eventually, through a fortuitous chain of events, Schuring met with Roger Dery, a world-renowned gem expert who had heard of a school in Arusha, Tanzania—a known hotspot for gem mining. The school had already been up and running for nearly 10 years, and was started by a director who was teaching gem cutting and gemology to students in Tanzania. Dery and his wife had been aiding the school there with supplies as much as they could during their trips to Arusha. In a 2015 documentary, "Sharing the Rough" Dery and other like-minded individuals documented one of their visits, a film in which Schuring herself also appears. "We decided that we would help provide scholarships [to the school in Arusha]. I met the director, Mr. Peter Salla, and we gave him money for the scholarships. We've easily done another dozen scholarships," Schuring explained. Though The Devon Foundation's focus had shifted its sights to Tanzania, the mission remained the same. Teaching the students in Arusha gem cutting will ultimately help the locals keep the value of the gems they sell. Just a couple of years ago, Schuring visited another school in Northern Tanzania, called the Kitarini School. There she met with the Maasai, the most well-known (and unique) tribe in Africa who, despite their strong sense of culture, are oftentimes on the brink of a hunger epidemic. Schuring explained, "We went to one of their villages, where one of our friends in Tanzania started helping this school. He saw students sitting around and a teacher teaching them so he made some buildings. We started to help their lunch program." Today, The Devon Foundation now sponsors a lunch for 450 kids every month (9,000 meals per month), and has over two dozen associates working abroad in Tanzania. The cost to feed these children is roughly 22 cents per meal, so any charitable donation goes a long way. "We're getting donations from our industry and our customers. I've gotten better at writing letters and we have a very successful sponsor. We still want to continue the gemstone scholarships as well." For Schuring, who opened her own business in Wyckoff back in 1990, her passion for gemstones will always be part of who she is. But the progress The Devon Foundation has made in East Africa is what ultimately defines her at her source. To donate to the Scholarship Program or the Kitarini School Lunch Program, please visit devonfoundation.com.

• Cover