Madagascar School Project hosting 4th annual fundraising dinner

The Madagascar School Project (MSP) is hosting its annual benefit dinner and silent auction at the Maxville Sports Complex this Saturday, May 21 at 6 p.m.

MSP is a registered charitable organization started by Maxville school teacher Kathy Lucking in 2007. Originally conceived as a grassroots Glengarry initiative - intended to raise funds and oversee the construction and staffing of a two-classroom school in poverty-stricken Madagascar - it has grown significantly in the years since.

It has already built two schools with an eight-classroom capacity, providing for over 400 children aged four to 12, a feeding program, a fresh-water delivery system, local vegetable gardens and staff quarters.

It was also privileged to be one of only 16 worldwide recipients selected to receive a shipment of 100 computers from the groundbreaking American initiative One Laptop Per Child. While the group's fundraising efforts have blossomed outside the Glengarry area, this dinner is one of the cornerstones of its North American activities and is indicative of its determination to remain loyal to its Glengarry roots.

Cocktails are at 6 p.m., with a dinner at 7 p.m. There will be a silent auction with many items provided by local Glengarry businesses as well as an extensive array of Malagasy crafts. Founder Kathy Lucking will address the audience with a talk and slideshow describing the group's achievements.

In particular, she will unveil upcoming projects. The first is the construction of a small rice mill to meet the needs of not only the school children but also local villagers. The other project is the raising of funds to send an eight-year-old boy stricken with a debilitating facial deformity to Kenya for life transforming surgery.

Five years ago, Richard had a tooth extracted. The socket got infected and a cyst developed. The cyst has been growing ever since, has eroded his lower jaw, and is eating away at his upper jaw. It is putting pressure behind his right eye and is causing it to bulge.

A Kenyan surgeon and two American plastic surgeons are volunteering to help. The eight-hour surgery would involve refashioning a new mandible with one of Richard's ribs and using some of his pectoral muscle to make a new jaw muscle. The upper jaw requires some work, as well, and to minimize costs, the doctors would like to do the surgery as soon as possible in Kenya.

The initial estimate of the costs is $4,000. Given the track record of the local community, this sum should not be too difficult to raise.

More information can be obtained from Joseline Beaulieu at 613-931-3264 or at holycatfish@sympatico.ca.