Raising $110,000 may seem like a lofty goal to some, but for Morgan Dunn, it'll take a little planning--and a lot of faith.
"It's just knowing that I have to surrender to the Lord," said Dunn, sophomore in human development and family studies. "Ultimately, it will be the Lord who provides."
The purpose of raising these funds stems directly from a recent trip to Zambia, Africa, where Dunn said she realized her passion for the orphans of Zambia.
Family Legacy Missions International has built more than 20 homes in Zambia since 2008 for orphans through the Tree of Life program, with a total goal of 50 homes. Now, Dunn wants to add another home named Alden's House.
Alden Malachowski attended Dunn's high school, Regents Schools of Austin, Texas, and Dunn said the school was inspired by Malachowski's spirit and her fight against leukemia.
Malachowski was diagnosed with leukemia in May 2008, and she passed away in December 2009. Dunn said she wants the orphans of Zambia to know Malachowski's story, too.
"All during her life, Alden was full of joy," Dunn said. "Alden's sweet but fighting spirit and her pure joy for life will be a model and reminder to those orphans that through the trials and tribulations of their own lives, the joy of the Lord is their strength. It is only appropriate to honor Alden's death by providing these orphans with only a little taste of what we know Alden is experiencing now."
In the summer of 2011, Dunn embarked on her first trip to Zambia through the encouragement of her high school mentor Ellen Tucker.
"I was a really big volleyball player in high school, and so I was always training for the junior Olympics in the summer," Dunn said. "I had always wanted to go to Zambia, but I just could never find the time."
After making a deal with her volleyball coach, Dunn visited Zambia, and "just fell in love with it," returning the following summer for more involvement with the orphans at Camp Life.
Camp Life, a program through FLMI, is similar to Vacation Bible School, Dunn said. Through Camp Life, the orphans at camp can meet with sponsors through the Father's Heart program. Orphans can be then placed in the gated community of Tree of Life.
In each home in Tree of Life, the orphans live with a Zambian mother, and the children attend school each day, as well as complete daily activites such as chores.
"There's so many orphans in Zambia, but when you put a name with a face, it becomes so much more personal," Dunn said. "At Tree of Life, they're just the happiest kids you've ever seen in your life. They realize what Tree of Life has done for them, and it's a beautiful picture of what the Gospel has done for them."
Dunn said she felt a calling to build a home in Tree of Life for Malachowski, and after a year of processing the overwhelming logisitics, Dunn returned to Zambia in the summer of 2012.
After her second extended trip, Dunn said she was more than ready to begin fundraising for Alden's House.
In the short time between her trip to Zambia and counseling at another summer camp, Dunn began writing and sending support letters, creating a website and sketching ideas for T-shirts and wristbands.
After a whirlwind of planning, Dunn is now selling Tshirts and wristbands for the future development of Alden's House.
To support Alden's House by purchasing a T shirt or wristband, email Dunn at mdunn11@me.com.
For other donations, visit treeoflife.org/aldenshouse.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
