Humanitarian, author to speak at USF
One promise, from deep inside a man’s heart, grew into one of the most incredible humanitarian efforts of our time. Greg Mortenson, a man who has built 55 schools and one of few Americans who has worked extensively in a region now considered the frontline on the war on terror, will tell his story at the University of St. Francis in Joliet.
The author of the best-seller Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time, Mortenson will speak at the University of St. Francis at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7. The presentation will be in the university’s Recreation Center. The author will sign books after the presentation and books will be available for purchase. While admission is free, reservations are recommended; call (815) 740-3404.
In 1993, Mortenson was descending from his failed attempt to reach the second largest mountain peak in the world, K2. Drained of all energy, Mortenson lost his climbing group in one of the most baron regions of northern Pakistan. With no water, food, or supplies Mortenson stumbled into an impoverished Pakistani village where he was eventually nursed back to health by the local villagers. While recuperating Mortenson noticed the village’s 84 children sitting outside scratching their lessons in the dirt with sticks. The town’s people couldn’t even afford to pay the $1 a day salary to hire a teacher. Grateful to the villagers for saving his life, Mortenson vowed that he would return and build them a school.
Upon his return to the United States Mortenson quickly began to rally for the children of northern Pakistan. He wrote to 580 celebrities and received one check – from NBC’s Tom Brokaw, who has said that Mortenson is “one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination.” Discouraged but not defeated, Mortenson sold nearly every asset he had to a total of $2,000. His luck finally changed though when children from Wisconsin donated $623 in pennies, thereby inspiring adults to take the cause more seriously. After more than a decade of dedication, Mortenson’s schools will, this year, educate 24,000 children.
“Greg Mortenson is a living example of Franciscanism, in peacemaking. This is a fantastic opportunity to hear an amazing man who has found a way to bridge the gap between very different cultures rather than confront them. He is teaching us that peace and education can and do work. This man appeals to everyone in our community.” said Jeffrey Chamberlain, professor of history at USF.
Mortenson, a former U.S. Army medic, is a living hero to rural communities of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he has championed education, especially for girls. He has recounted his cross-cultural experience in speaking on Capitol Hill, think tanks, the Pentagon and Department of Defense, along with religious and educational organizations throughout the country.
Mortenson continues his humanitarian work through his not-for-profit Central Asia Institute, through which more than 20,000 children in areas with few opportunities, are provided education. American school children are invited to participate in this humanitarian effort through Pennies for Peace, a program of the Central Asia Institute.