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Local teen has a goal of providing water for Malawi INSPIRING TEENS WANT TO HELP?

Frederickburg Baptist teen aims to raise $1 million to address water problems in Malawi, Africa

BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE

Date published: 12/15/2008

By Flowers Umble

BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE

Maren Helfrich's plan to raise $1 million is raising a lot of eyebrows.

The 15-year-old member of Fredericksburg Baptist Church always gets one of two reactions to that amount: eyes glazing over or popping out.

A James Monroe High School freshman, Maren has committed to raising $1 million by April. She came up with the plan to help bring clean water to the people of drought-stricken Malawi.

Colleen Burroughs, founder of the grass-roots group Watering Malawi, spoke about what she could do with $1 million to help the impoverished Southeast African country.

She was at a planning meeting for Passport Camps' Faith in 3-D project. Maren traveled to Florida for the meeting.

She heard Burroughs talk about tough facts--that four droughts have devastated Malawi in 10 years; that every 15 seconds a child dies somewhere in the world because of a lack of clean water; that Malawi girls miss school to carry water to their villages.

Maren thought of the bottled water she bought at school lunches. She could save the dollar she spent on each one, get a drink from the water fountain and give the money to Burroughs' organization.

And her mind kept whirring.

In the airport, she told the Rev. Patti English, associate pastor at Fredericksburg Baptist Church and Maren's travel partner for the meeting, that she would raise $1 million.

"When I first heard her say it, I thought, 'Wow, that's cool,'" English said.

The pair boarded the plane to head home.

"I was looking forward to a nap, and she pulled out a notebook and started sharing ideas," English said.

The basic idea for raising money was to get half a million through grass-roots efforts and then get corporations to match the funds.

And while English cautioned Maren not to get discouraged if she didn't reach $1 million, she never talked her out of the plan.

"Maren is working on the beginnings of a massive, massive countrywide project," Burroughs said.

The teen has started by making blue bracelets out of T-shirt material and making Christmas cards that people can use to give donations as gifts.

So far, she has raised $1,000.

Maren sometimes gets discouraged that it's already mid-December and she hasn't raised more. But she's also happy to have such support at a time when many nonprofits are struggling to raise money.

Maren Helfrich's goal is a lofty one. And her youth leaders think she can get $1 million for Watering Malawi. But they're quick to point out there are other teens like her. The Rev. Patti English said many of the youth at Fredericksburg Baptist Church run with ideas and reach out to help others. And Colleen Burroughs, founder of Watering Malawi, said she sees teens every summer who "want to make a difference, and they show up and knock it out of the park almost every time." So in a world when parents despair over the selfishness of teens, how do you get them to be difference makers? Nurture them, tell them they matter and use their gifts, English said. Want to donate to Maren Helfrich's efforts for Watering Malawi? Interested in a card or bracelet? Call Fredericksburg Baptist Church at 540/373-4402.

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Date published: 12/15/2008