Hi, my name is Louisa Lamarre. I go to school at Cascades Academy in Bend, Oregon and I'm in 8th grade. I have been working to fundraise for Ten Friends for five years. Ten Friends is a non-profit organization located in Central Oregon that supports the people of Nepal by helping provide them with their needs and educating women in the Himalaya, so they can return to their village to teach children.

This year I wanted to do something extra for Ten Friends. I plan to fundraise enough money to finance a trip to Nepal and build a library in one of the villages in the spring. I plan to buy the books in Kathmandu, then have them transported up to the village. In the village, shelves will be built by a local carpenter, and we will fill them with books. My Mom and I will hike up to the village and stay with the people there, helping them with the library as well as working in an orphanage and in the fields.

Currently, I have raised $1000.00 through babysitting and recycling cans and bottles. This is enough money to purchase books, but I still need to raise money for the plane trip there and back, the transport for the books, and other general needs, such as food and shelter. Any extra money that I raise will go to buying winter jackets for the children in this region.

I’m super grateful for your support. It means a lot to me and to the people I look forward to meeting. Thank you.