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WISDOM THINKERS NETWORK INC
MEXICO, NY · EIN 222420597 · Form 990EZ · FY2025 · Micro (<$100K) · wisdomthinkers.org
revenue
$27K
expenses
$42K
net assets
$2K
employees
—
mission · from form 990

TO STRENGTHEN OUR SOCIAL FABRIC AND FOSTER A MORE COMPASSIONATE, INCLUSIVE, CIVIL SOCIETY, BY REWEAVING THE WISDOM OF OUR TRADITIONAL STORIES, BOTH SACRED AND SECULAR, AND NEW UNDERSTANDINGS INTO EDUCATION AND PUBLIC LIFE.

profile · synthesized from sources

Wisdom Thinkers Network is a nonprofit that uses storytelling, mindfulness, and experiential learning to support social-emotional development, resilience, and community building. The organization works with schools and communities to help youth and adults reframe personal narratives, develop self-awareness, and strengthen prosocial skills. Its programs are grounded in culturally responsive practices and are implemented through workshops, curricula, and facilitator-led sessions.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

BullySpin
Story-based educational framework that helps students understand bullying and social dynamics through literature, reflection, and discussion to reduce emotional harm and build inner steadiness.
Changing the Story
10-week narrative-based SEL program that helps youth build resilience, strengthen identity, and reduce risk behaviors through storytelling, mindfulness, and guided reflection.
Finding my Story
Customizable SEL program for out-of-school time settings, including after-school, summer, and community-based programs, focused on identity and personal narrative development.
Stories to Light Our Way
Award-winning, culturally responsive storytelling curriculum with lesson plans and activities aligned to CASEL competencies and ELA standards for use in schools and out-of-school settings.
activities · 10 groups

What they do

  • Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs 3 activities
    • Deliver narrative-based social-emotional learning programs for youth
      Implements the "Changing the Story" program, a 10-week narrative-based SEL curriculum delivered in schools and community settings in Oswego County, NY, to help youth build resilience, strengthen identity, and reduce risk behaviors through storytelling, mindfulness, and re-storying practices.
    • Deliver story-based workshops to support emotional wellbeing and prosocial development
      Offers workshops and discussion programs such as "Stories to Light Our Way" and "BullySpin" that use global cultural and spiritual narratives to help students reinterpret trauma, develop self-regulation, reduce bullying, and build empathy, compassion, and cross-cultural understanding.
    • Provide SEL and character education programs for out-of-school time settings
      Offers the "Finding My Story" program and other customized SEL curricula for after-school, summer, and community-based programs to support personal growth, literacy, and emotional wellbeing among youth outside formal school hours.
  • Civil Rights Advocacy & Litigation 1 activity
    • Advocate for human rights and interfaith cooperation
      Served as Chair of the City County Human Rights Commission and as Vice Chair of the North American Interfaith Network, advancing interfaith education and human rights advocacy at local and national levels.
  • Published Narrative Projects 1 activity
    • Conduct research and publish works on spirituality and community rebuilding
      Authored or edited five books, including "A Path to Follow, A Life to Lead," which documents spiritual journeys and community recovery efforts following the post-9/11 arson attack on Gobind Sadan, USA.
  • Interfaith Dialogue & Peacebuilding 1 activity
    • Deliver interfaith and cross-cultural educational programs
      Developed educational initiatives for first-generation Sikh youth, advocated for Sikh rights, and promoted interfaith understanding through programs that reduce social barriers and foster inclusive community practices, including transforming soup kitchens into community meals and supporting farmers' markets.
  • Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
    • Deliver leadership and personal growth programs for self-awareness and purpose
      Offers experiential programs focused on developing self-awareness, emotional intelligence, authenticity, and a sense of purpose through reflective learning, guided discussion, and practical strategies for personal and professional development.
  • Spiritual Development & Meditation Programs 1 activity
    • Deliver mindfulness and wellness programs for individuals and communities
      Provides mindfulness-based experiences and reflective learning environments that help individuals and groups cultivate presence, calm, resilience, focus, and emotional wellbeing through guided practices and supportive dialogue.
  • Storytelling and Literacy Resource Development 1 activity
    • Distribute culturally responsive SEL curricula and multimedia resources to educators
      Provides the "Stories to Light Our Way" curriculum and related toolkits, aligned with Common Core and Next Gen ELA standards, featuring multicultural wisdom stories, lesson plans, audio files, slide decks, and discussion materials for use in UPK through grade-level classrooms and out-of-school programs.
  • Trauma-Informed Yoga and Mindfulness Programs 1 activity
    • Provide recovery support using storytelling and mindfulness
      Offers recovery support programs that integrate guided dialogue, storytelling, mindfulness, and supportive learning environments to help participants develop coping strategies and new life pathways.
  • Volunteer and Professional Training Programs 1 activity
    • Provide training and capacity building for organizations and communities
      Creates training experiences for schools, nonprofits, and community groups to strengthen connection, communication, collaboration, and engagement through experiential learning and reflective practices.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Develop and support character education and civic engagement initiatives
      Developed and taught the "Exploring Spirituality" curriculum, helped create the "Schools of Character" project, and supported the Central New York Model United Nations Conference, engaging over 500 students annually in civic learning and character development.
    • Represent spiritual leadership at international interfaith forums
      Served as translator and representative for spiritual leader Baba Virsa Singh Ji at global conferences, including the Millennium Peace Summit, promoting interfaith dialogue and values-based leadership.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$27K
Contributions & grants$22K82%
Program service revenue$5K18%
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$42K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$747
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$11K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$2K
6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue -51.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025

Who runs it

board members · 3
  • LISA CAVARALLO — DIRECTOR
  • MARYANN ROEFARO — DIRECTOR
  • PAUL RIKER — DIRECTOR
relationships · 25

Who they work with

  • CASEL Network — Aligns storytelling resources with CASEL’s SEL competencies.
  • Central N.Y. Education Consortium Partner — Collaborated to develop the "Schools of Character" project.
  • Character.org Network — Aligns storytelling resources with Character.org’s character strengths.
  • Community groups Partner — Partner entity type receiving training services
  • Community organizations Partner — Partners with community organizations to deliver recovery and resilience programming.
  • Educational Vistas, Inc. Partner — Collaborates to provide SEL curriculum and resources, including the “Stories to Light Our Way” program.
  • Gobind Sadan, USA Partner — Founding President and current Director of Publications and Public Relations.
  • Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Partner — Served on the advisory board of the Program on Analysis and Resolution of Conflict.
  • Municipalities Partner — Partner organization type receiving training services
  • Nonprofits Partner — Partner organization type receiving training services
  • North American Interfaith Network Partner — Helped launch and served as Vice Chair, focusing on interfaith education.
  • Organizations Partner — Partner entity type receiving training services
  • Partner agencies Partner — Partner organization type receiving training services
  • Partner agencies Partner — Works with partner agencies to extend recovery and emotional wellbeing services.
  • Recovery-focused initiatives Partner — Collaborates with recovery-focused initiatives to support individuals and families.
  • Richard S. Shineman Foundation Funder — Provided grant funding that enabled the launch of the "Changing the Story" program.
  • SPOT Partner — Wisdom Thinkers delivered the "Stories to Light Our Way" program to students at the SPOT in Oswego, NY.
  • Schools Partner — Partner organization type receiving training services
  • Schools Partner — Partners with schools to deliver social emotional learning programs.
  • Schools Partner — Provides recovery-aware and trauma-responsive programming to schools.
  • Shineman Foundation Funder — Awarded a grant to support the Changing the Story program for youth in Oswego County.
  • Syracuse University Partner — Host institution for the Central New York Model United Nations Conference (CNYMUN).
  • United Nations Association Partner — Served as Chair and helped establish the Central New York Model United Nations Conference.
  • community partners Partner — Works with community partners to create meaningful learning experiences focused on emotional wellbeing.
  • youth organizations Partner — Delivers SEL programming in collaboration with youth organizations.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Community-Centered Healing Through Shared Experience
    methodology: community-centered_engagement
    By transforming service models—such as food programs or recovery support—into inclusive, community-based experiences centered on storytelling and dialogue, we foster cohesion and reduce stigma, because shared presence and mutual narrative build trust and break down socioeconomic and psychological barriers.
  • Embodied and Experiential Learning for Inner Awareness
    methodology: experiential-and-embodied-practices
    By integrating mindfulness, movement, psychodrama, and creative arts into learning and recovery, we deepen self-regulation and interpersonal connection, because embodied practices anchor cognitive and emotional growth in lived, sensory experience.
  • Inside-Out Leadership and Community Empowerment
    methodology: inside-out_leadership
    By developing inner awareness, perspective, and relational skills, we enable sustainable leadership and community health, because individual transformation catalyzes collective change when people feel empowered to lead and learn together.
  • Narrative Re-Storying for Trauma Resilience
    methodology: re-storying
    By guiding youth to reinterpret traumatic experiences through culturally responsive storytelling and narrative reframing, we build psychological resilience and healthier identities, because reshaping personal narratives restores agency and reduces the emotional grip of past harm.
  • Story-Based Ethical and Social-Emotional Development
    methodology: culturally_integrated_values_education
    By using wisdom stories from global spiritual and cultural traditions, we cultivate ethical reasoning, critical thinking, and shared values in youth, because narrative provides a relatable, culturally integrative framework for moral development and inclusive community belonging.