Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating Odyssey’s 20 years of life-changing impact at our Chazen anniversary event! Guests enjoyed appetizers, drinks, and music by Kinfolk (featuring Odyssey alumni) as they mingled in the Chazen lobby and explored the museum. The program consisted of opening remarks by Chancellor Mnookin, who said, “There is no more perfect example of the Wisconsin Idea than Odyssey.” Guests were also treated to comments from Odyssey champions such as the Honorable Judge Everett Mitchell and Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway (who declared April 20 “Odyssey Day!”). The program closed with inspiring remarks from extraordinary Odyssey alumni spanning two decades of our program, and supporters wiped away tears as they spoke. “Everybody in here is a seed. If you know anything about seeds, they have everything that they need inside of them to become whatever they’re going to become. They just need to be put in the right environment,” said Anthony Ward, Odyssey class of ‘04, who recently earned his UW master’s degree. “Odyssey was that environment for me.”
Special thanks to the sponsors who made this event possible, including American Family Insurance, CUNA Mutual Group, Custer Burish Financial Services, Madison Gas and Electric, Summit Credit Union, and UW Credit Union.