T.E.A. group to hold more fundraisers for Central Asia Institute schools

HOUGHTON -- Students from Michigan Tech's T.E.A. (Taking Education Abroad) group, aided by some Finlandia students, have been selling raffle tickets for a free massage. The Raffle ends this Wednesday, Apr. 15.* Tickets are sold for any donation.

The proceeds will be sent to the Central Asia Institute, Greg Mortenson's 501(c)3 non-profit organization with the mission to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Greg Mortenson, co-author of Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time, with Khanday schoolchildren, Pakistan. (Photo courtesy Central Asia Institute)

"We are raffling off three massages -- two half-hour massages valued at $40 each and one hour- long massage valued at $80," said Jessica Banda, vice-president of MTU's T.E.A. chapter. "A massage therapist named Beverly Maynard was kind enough to donate the massages."

The students established the MTU chapter of the T.E.A. organization after a presentation by Mortenson at M.T.U. last August. A former mountain climber, Mortenson has been building schools since the 90s in remote regions of the Himalayas where he used to climb.** Several colleges and universities in Michigan and other states also have T.E.A. chapters that are raising money for Mortenson's efforts. The local MTU chapter hopes to raise $12,000, the cost of building a school in one of these remote areas, in one year. Last summer students at both Michigan Tech and Finlandia University read the book Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time, co-authored by Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Mortenson spoke to students from both universities and some local high schools during his visit to MTU last summer.**

Schoolgirls in Khanday, Pakistan, with new uniforms. (Photo courtesy Central Asia Institute).

The MTU T.E.A. group will meet between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, in Fisher 329 for a brown bag decorating event to prepare for a community pop can drive, which will take place Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, Apr. 17 and 18, in Hancock and Houghton. New members are welcome. Volunteers are asked to bring to the meeting any pop cans they would like to donate.

In addition to the raffle and pop can drive, local T.E.A. members will be planning an end-of-the year campfire for Friday, April 24.

Student T.E.A. members are asked to bring their Fall 2009 schedules to the Apr. 15 meeting to facilitate scheduling a meeting time for the fall semester. Students who can’t make it to Wednesday’s meeting but would like to be involved with T.E.A. next semester, should feel free to e-mail their schedule to Jessica Banda at jebanda@mtu.edu or to T.E.A. President Travis White at tmwhite@mtu.edu.

The T.E.A. chapter at MTU has raised more than $500 through their fundraisers this semester. A recent bake sale netted $110. The T.E.A. organization is a non-profit, and donations are tax-deductible.

* If you wish to purchase a massage raffle ticket before the Apr. 15 meeting, send an email to either of the above addresses. If you are at Finlandia, please email Keweenaw Now at andersm@pasty.com.

** Read more about T.E.A. and Greg Mortenson's inspiring visit in our Feb. 12 article.

To learn more about the Central Asia Institute, visit their Web site.