Help Them Get to a ‘Place of Hope’

By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: Feb. 16, 2013

They are collecting recyclables, organizing dinner banquets, making post cards, and sending letters to friends and family to help them reach a place of hope.

Melissa Morris and Emily Bent are doing all they can to raise enough funds to go work at a school for the disabled in Tanzania.

Now, they are turning to you.

Both are making an impassioned plea to Squamishers to help them with their fundraising goals.

Their aim is to raise enough to be a member of a short term mission trip to the Salvation Army Matumaini School for the Disabled in Tanzania.

The Matumaini (which means a place of hope) School is located on a 12-acre site in Dar es Salaam.

It opened in 1967 and is the largest for physically handicapped children in the country.

Besides education, the school provides medical treatment through local hospitals, while a workshop makes and fits them with necessary calipers, crutches, shoes, artificial legs and splints.

The workshop at the school is in need of a roof and the ceiling needs to be raised to do suitable work.

Along with other volunteers, both Melissa and Emily would help with building the roof.

They are also planning to take arts and crafts material from Squamish, hoping the students will learn new skills.

Melissa, meanwhile, is setting up a banquet at Quest University on March. 1 at 7:30 p.m, followed by a silent auction.

Both are excited, but also concerned whether they will be able to fundraise $2800 each for this mission.

“This is going to be a great learning experience for us,” said Emily Bent.

Emily’s sister, Chaylene Peterson, has also volunteered at the same school in Tanzania.

It’s been a life changing experience for her.

Emily Bent’s mother, Donna Bent, said she hopes all her four children will attend the camps.

“It’s the way we have raised them, giving is a big part of it,” Donna said.

Emily Bent and Melissa Morris would need to fundraise enough to buy the supplies and pay for their flight and other costs.

They are fervently hoping Squamishers will help them get to this place of hope.

The deadline for raising the funds is March. 31.

Here’s how you can help

You can support in the form of “Toonie a Day.”

That is $2 for each of the 16 days they will be working there.

Or you can make the cheques payable to Salvation Army