THE HISTORY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND GOALS OF THE TESSA HORAN FOUNDATION
The Tessa Horan Foundation grows gardens in pursuit of creative community, health awareness and sustainability. Our motto comes from the acronym of Tessa:
Trust
Earth
See
Sustainability
Abound
And isn't it remarkable that Tessa spelled backwards is ASSET?
The library- garden project began in 2006 in Tonga. The Tessa Horan Foundation was executed by Tessa's godfather Doug McDowell in honor of a request Tessa had made only three days before her death. She mailed a letter to her extended family talking about the necessity of a garden and library in the village where she was assigned. Eight months after her death he family traveled to Tonga to begin the work she had designed for us to complete.
The last three years we have done a fundraising event focusing our energy in various locations around the world such as Nepal, The Kingdom of Tonga, and Bhutan. This year on the 2nd Anniversary of Tessa's death February 1st, 2008 the foundation celebrated by working in tandem as usual with friends from the Santa Fe Ski Patrol, Cody and Lehigh Sheppard. Together we realized that what Tessa's memory offered was the chance to bring this project full circle and contribute to the community where she was born and raised along with our many international projects. We had to establish a garden here for our own community as a teaching module to use as a springboard. Focusing our project for the future in this community with the intention of supporting at-risk underserved potential, we have a chance to tap into the high - energy vortex of Santa Fe, which seems to attract people who want to continue competent awareness of sustainability and spirituality.
Here are the things that we have done to date in remembrance of Tessa and people like her:
The library in Tonga was completed and stocked with books, art supplies and a computer. In partnership with the Mountain Fund, a Volunteer Information Center has been built in Katmandu Nepal. We have donated to a company in Pokhora, which sponsors training for Nepalese women to lift them out of poverty. We have sponsored the Himalayan House that raises money to buy back the freedom of young women sold into servitude.
This is a 14 year old girl living at the home in Pokhara. -->>
Her mother took $300nrs (less than fifty dollars) from a lodge owner in exchange for her working at the lodge for one year. At the end of the year however she did not return. The Chhetri Sisters arranged her return and she now lives in the home in Pokhara and is back in school. While working at the lodge she routinely worked 16 hours a day, cooking, cleaning and doing laundry.
We have also raised money for the rebuilding of the Gangety Gampo Temple in Bhutan, the monastery of Tessa's Buddhist teacher Rinpoche Gang Teng Tulku. We have also contributed to things such as the Heuga Center for Multiple Sclerosis, the Mata Amritanandamaya Center, Bridging the Worlds Animal Sanctuary, and the Yeshe Korlo monastery in Crestone, Colorado that is Gang Teng Tulku's temple in the United States.
We donated to the Prince Tu'ipelehake and Princess Kaimana Leadership Scholarship which allowed 3 of their 104 qualified applicants to attend university in New Zealand since Tonga's local educational possibilities are limited to high school completion.
DONATIONS
Please be advised, anyone that would like to support The Tessa Horan Memorial Fund and/or The Global Mountain Fund can make a secure online donation by clicking on the "DONATE NOW" button below, which will direct you to The Mountain Fund's donation page. All major credit cards and PayPal payments are accepted. All donors will receive immediate email receipts for their donations and the Tessa Horan Fund donations will then be placed directly in The Tessa Horan Memorial Fund.
We thank all of you out there who have been a support to our family of friends and loved ones. All the good intentions, prayers, assistance and financial contributions are greatly appreciated.
Donations can also be mailed to:
The Mountain Fund
c/o The Tessa Horan Memorial Fund
139 Madison NE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
www.mountainfund.org |
Tessa in the Sun
The McDowell Family
Tessa Horan Ascension Race 2008
The Visitor's Center, Kathmandu, Nepal
Nepalese Girl
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