The Daily Courier

Skydiving 85-year-old ‘free falls’ with daughter and granddaugh­ter to help school in Tanzania

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On July 8, 3 generation­s of the Loge family, including an 85 year-old former school teacher, will be jumping out of an airplane to raise funds for classroom equipment and school supplies for a school nearing completion in Tanzania that will eventually accommodat­e 500 students.

When Cathleen Loge of Encompass Benefits and HR Solutions pondered her upcoming birthday, she decided that she wanted to do something exhilarati­ng that would beneÀt students in Tanzania. Sharing her plans to go skydiving, both her daughter and mother jumped on the idea and will join her for a three generation skydive.

The multi-generation jumpers are gathering pledges for every second of free fall during their adventure. They have also set aside room for additional jumpers to gather pledges and join them on July 8.

The three soon-to-be skydivers are jumping in support of local non-government­al organizati­on, Hope for the Nations, who will be helping to coordinate the jump with Okanagan Skydive. Proceeds will help purchase desks and equipment for the school along with books and necessary materials for education. These purchases will be the culminatio­n of a two-year effort, undertaken by Loge, to build a high school for 500 students in Tanzania.

“This campaign offers the unique opportunit­y to raise money for a great cause and have a ton of fun doing it,” commented Patricia Phillips, the executive director of Hope for the Nations. “The lack of education in parts of Africa contribute­s to an increasing poverty rate that puts children at risk every day.

“By fundraisin­g for education initiative­s in impoverish­ed areas, we can provide the potential for a brighter future.”

In Tanzania, 95 per cent of students never proceed beyond elementary school because high schools are scarce and expensive, leading kids to have to work to support themselves, consequent­ly leaving no time for an education.

The Living Waters Secondary School Project aims to change that for local kids in Tanzania. The school is currently under constructi­on thanks to the generous gifts of Okanagan businesses and residents who understand the beneÀts of supporting education as the key to economic growth and a step toward the eradicatio­n of poverty in Africa.

If you want to join the fun, sign up to jump, volunteer, and help raise funds for an amazing cause, contact Hope for the Nations at 250-712-2007 for details.

About Hope for the Nations:

Hope for the Nations is a Kelowna-based NGO, empowering children at risk to become children of change. HOPE equips marginaliz­ed children to become leaders - those who affect positive change within their communitie­s - by partnering with local organizati­ons working within a wide variety of cultural contexts. Learn more about the project by going online to livingwate­rshighscho­ol.com or to hopeforthe­nations.com.

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