Jonathan Merage Receives Media Attention

Jonathan Merage was featured in the recognized magazine Weatherwise in April of this year. Kimbra Cutlip, freelance writer for the magazine, sought out Jonathan due to the unique story behind his philanthropy. Unlike the other foundations under the Merage Foundations umbrella, Jonathan chose to focus on projects that researched severe storms and found ways to incorporate alternative forms of sustainable energy. When asked how he became interested in such specific projects, Jonathan responded,

It’s about having that passion—that fire about a topic and a very genuine, deeply rooted interest to push or promote a specific field that you feel very partial to.

Jonathan Merage

Jonathan pursued studies in meteorology at Purdue University but soon realized it was not the right choice for him. Instead, Jonathan decided to partake in a more engaged form of learning and go directly to the source. “I just wanted to get out there and chase storms and learn as I went, as I always have,” stated Jonathan. Jonathan became a storm spotter soon after and began to take spectacular photos, documenting severe storms and extravagant lightning strikes.

By pursuing the avenue of my own strengths and building on those, I was able to put myself in a better position to be able to contribute back to the field and to my own passions.

Jonathan Merage

Jonathan soon realized that while severe weather research was one of his favorite hobbies, it could also be the focus of his foundation, the Jonathan Merage Foundation. Jonathan has since formed strong partnerships with organizations such as the Denver Botanic Gardens, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Hawaii, and Hawaii Nature Center. Although each entity has a unique focus for their projects, all of them revolve around Jonathan’s core passions – research into severe storms and lightning, and finding ways to incorporate reusable energy sources.

When asked about the Jonathan Merage Foundation legacy, Jonathan stated,

…in the end I’d like to say that I contributed some to helping to improve the state of scientific research in universities through the nonprofit work with advanced technologies and through them being able to use, or implement that data to help communities that are at risk from severe storms and tornadoes.

Jonathan Merage