Thursday, March 21, 2013

Fundraiser: Winner of Raffle for Trip to Quebec Donates Full Award Back to GEN

Raffle for Trip for Two Winner Drawn; Donates Full Award Back to Grassroots Education Nepal!


Grassroots Education Nepal, a 501(c)(3) charity non-profit organization located in Davidsonville and established in 2010, completed its third annual fund-raiser in December 2012. The fund-raiser was a raffle for two people to enjoy two days in Quebec, while staying at Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. Almost 200 people bought tickets and helped raise more than $6,500. The raffle drawing was held at India's Restaurant, on West Street, Annapolis. Mr. Kumar, the owner, helped Samantha Howard draw the winning ticket. Joan Holtz of Falls Church, VA, on right, had the winning ticket, but in a very magnanimous gesture, she and her three sons decided to "turn-back" the ticket and associated airfare, dinner and tour of Quebec, in order to help GEN maximize earnings from this fund-raiser.

Money raised in the raffle will pay educational expenses for ninety-two children, grades K-5, in Bauniyan, Kailali District, Western Nepal. The children are students at the Mikey Medium English School, which was opened in 2008 with money contributed by Mike Church from his wedding in May that year. In 2006, Mike peddled his bike into Western Nepal, in the middle of a Maoist bhund (a strike designed to demonstrate weakness of the central government), and accepted shelter offered by Ujjwal Bhat (director of the school) and his family until the bhund stopped. Mike offered to help fulfill Ujjwal's dream of opening a school for poor and marginalized children living in Bauniyan, which he did in 2008.

John and Barbara Church, Mike's parents and founders of Grassroots Education Nepal, returned to Bauniyan on December 27, 2012, for their third "over-sight" visit. They returned to Davidsonville at the end of January 2013. During the visit Barbara, a retired elementary school teacher and principal, helped teach the students and also demonstrated innovative techniques to teachers in area schools. John and Barbara were accompanied by two family friends, Paul Miller (Crofton) and Kevin Schilling (Seattle). Kevin remained at the school through February, helping teach the children. 


Grassroots Education Nepal (GEN) Corporation is registered in the State of Maryland as a non-profit charitable organization, and also is registered with the US Internal Revenue Service as a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit charity. EIN 35-2383201. See mission statement by clicking on "Mission Statement" in the Topics List in the left margin of this web page. Mikey Medium English School (MMES) has authority to use contributions made to Grass Roots Education Nepal (GEN) Corporation only as specified by and subject to the oversight of the GEN Board of Directors in support of the Mission, School Improvement Plan and school-related Goals and Objectives approved by the Board.

No comments:

Post a Comment