Giving Back

In 2002, Samantha M., a then student at the University of the Incarnate Word, was involved in a near fatal automobile accident. She was driving the car and the passenger, her close friend, died. When Samantha awoke from the coma, she said that she wanted to climb a mountain and bike across the US. The last few years have been a journey of healing for Sammy as she deals with the memory of the accident. This has not, however, prevented her from achieving her goals and giving back. Last summer, she and other faculty from the Kent School in Kent, Connecticut went to Arusha, Tanzania and made the climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. As part of the tour, they also volunteered at an orphanage in Arusha. The Kimaro family, who founded the orphanage, are a local family who wanted to give back and realized that there were children orphaned through poverty or AIDs and were living on the streets. They opened the doors of the Living Water Children Centre with two children. Today 30 children can be found there receiving an education and more importantly living in safety and security. The family has been able to purchase another piece of land in Arusha and is looking for funds to help build a larger school. This summer Samantha M. and two colleagues--Bob D. who also volunteered in Arusha last summer and Cheryl S., have been bicycling across the US to raise money for the orphanage. They started on June 6 in Yorktown, Va. They are almost at their final destination -- San Francisco, California. They have raised almost $8,000, but are trying to raise even more. They have titled their initiative as "No Limits Bikers" Samantha is a gifted woman who continues to give back and touch everyone she meets. She is using her healing process to help others.

Submitted by Anonymous

Giving Back