By Emily Sanderon

The Lightweaver Foundation is a 501c3 charitable organization that Brandon and I started in 2015. We did it because we are incredibly fortunate in many respects, and we wanted to find a way to share some of our abundance with others. We named our foundation after the Lightweavers in Brandon’s Stormlight Archive saga. They are a group of people who see the importance of entertainment, beauty and art in life, and use magic based on illumination and transformation. Seemed appropriate for what we wanted to do…and it also just sounded cool. Early on, we recruited Brandon’s sister Jane to help us manage the organization, and she has been instrumental in making everything happen. 

As we were deciding where we wanted to focus our efforts, it made sense to start with basic things that all people need, you know, stuff like food, water, clothing, shelter. Being book people, however, both Brandon and I place reading pretty high up there on the list of life requirements, and we’ve found that we are not the only ones who consider books a basic need. So, we came up with a mission statement that combines these two areas. The Lightweaver Foundation aims to: Feed Bodies, Fill Minds and Fuel Hope. Catchy, huh? We thought so. The thing is, though once you start looking at what you are able to give versus the enormous privation out there in the world, it can be a bit daunting. Fortunately, we’ve found incredible collaborators over the years who have really magnified our efforts. Turns out that when a bunch of people all give a little, you end up with quite a lot! 

Each year, The Lightweaver Foundation contributes in some way to a local cause as well as an international one. We do our best to choose at least one program where we, and the people who work with us, can be “hands on” in helping those in need. We’ve worked with food pantries, hospitals, prisons and schools. We’ve sent aid to those in war torn areas of the world. We built a library for a homeless shelter. We’ve golfed to benefit those with dyslexia. (Well, Jane has. Brandon and I are not sporty enough for that one.) One year we bought half of a horse for an equine therapy establishment. (Don't worry, someone else paid for the other half, so a whole horse was in fact donated.) Through all this, we’ve felt an incredible joy at being able to serve our fellow humans. We feel like we’ve gained far more than we’ve given. We hope to continue to do it for many more years to come.

With love, Emily and Brandon Sanderson