STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Alaska Sewell says she built a perfect bubble to keep the world out, busying herself  polishing its glass. But she realized it was keeping her locked inside the narrow hallways of her mind when she accompanied Flourish Foundation’s Compassionate Leaders to the Himalayas of India.

As she sat on a handwoven carpet in the Valley of Five Huts, accepting butter tea laced with yak milk from an old woman wearing a rough woven textile dress, she realized that she had become spectator to her own life.

She watched as the old woman with calloused hands moved uphill with swift elegance and she protested as the woman said she was embarrassed to host the Compassionate Leaders from Sun Valley in her hut, as it was “nothing special.”

Sewell described how the woman pressed a flower into her palm and how that flower was later made into a medicinal herb.

“And as I stood on the edge of the world, I felt my bubble shatter,” she said. “I’m done sitting back. I don’t just want to survive—I want to thrive to seek out light in someone’s eyes and help them flourish. Flourish Foundation led me out of my own mind into the vibrant reality of the world.”

Sewell, now a Wood River High school senior, told her story to Flourish Foundation supporters who gathered at Sage School Barn Saturday evening to raise $50,000 to send another group of Compassionate Leaders to South Africa this coming summer.

They were greeted at the door with flower bouquets that included the protea, a drought-resistant South African flower, and platters of naan bread and samosas.

They dined on an Indian meal of Channa Masala, Moong Dal and Saag Paneer served over Jerra Rice. And they capped dinner off with Pomegranate-Raspberry Jam Print cookies; Chocolate, Fruit and Nut Mendianta and Fenugreek Spice Cookies made with Hillside Grain wheat flour and molasses.

Ryan Redman, who founded Flourish Foundation, noted that the Compassionate Leaders’ high schoolers have been delving into the study of genuine happiness since October. Revered around the world, genuine happiness involves kindness, generosity, compassion and showing up with an open mind and open heart, he said.

The Compassion Leaders that Flourish Foundation sends to places like northern India and South Africa experience greatest fulfilment when their basic needs are not being met. They shift from a mindset of, “What can I get out of this?” to one of “What can I bring to this to make the world a better place?” he said.

Redman said more than 400 Compassionate Leaders have gone through the program during the past 15 years. And the ripple effect of the program is real as former youth are now going out into the world as nuclear physicists, health care providers, even parents with small children.

Oscar Mullen, who went with the Compassionate Leaders to South Africa last summer, described how the rural Africa he was ushered into had almost no electricity, no running water and no flush toilets.

“We came in from a world with all the luxuries we’re accustomed to and yet they welcomed us in, they shared their food. They have so little and yet they show up every day and they have genuine happiness,” he said.

Mullen described how the group took some of the youngsters to the ocean to teach them to swim. He saw one small child who couldn’t speak English standing alone and moved his way.

“We watched together and then I took him to the ocean,” he said.

Neil Crowson, the Compassionate Leaders facilitator, told those present that genuine happiness often comes amidst periods  of darkness or discomfort. Case in point: His mother, who had ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a progressive disease that causes muscle atrophy, paralysis and, eventually, respiratory failure.

Asked what would make her happy as she lost her abilities, she said “I just want to be in a room with people I love and aware.”

Over time, she lost the ability to walk or talk. As the end neared, she spent an evening in a hospital bed in the family living room. She couldn’t hold her eyes open, Crowson said, but he knew she was happy as family around her shared stories.

She lost her ability to be aware the next day. But that evening she had found genuine happiness amidst discomfort, he said.

Cozette Witzel is among those hoping to accompany the Compassionate Leaders to South Africa this coming summer.

The 15-year-old, a competitive swimmer, joined Compassionate Leaders this school year and dug in as the group studied the difference between genuine happiness and Hedonic happiness.

Genuine happiness is long-term and hedonic happiness is short-term, she said. Genuine happiness is being with people you love, doing the things you love, and connecting.

“Given what I’ve learned, I can’t wait to go to South Africa,” she said. “I want to go help people.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Flourish Foundation was founded to teach Kindergarteners through 12th graders how to develop skills in attention, relaxation, kindness and leadership. Last year the Mindful Awareness Program served 1,300 students in Blaine County, Teton County in Jackson, Wy., and Makhanda, South Africa.

Now it’s sharing Mindful Awareness tools with adults. In 2025 about 300 adults participated in Flourish programs, including monthly Breathwork sessions and Grief Vigils. Others took part in Mindfulness-Based childbirth and Parenting, weekly Yoga and Meditation sessions and a five-week Adult Mindful Awareness Program.

And 30 educators take part in the nine-month Adult Rest and Renewal Program, now in its third year.

Learn more at https://www.flourishfoundation.org/.