Spiking to Make a Difference: From Amity to Nepal

During the holidays everyone seems to be looking for a way to make a difference.  This Thanksgiving weekend area volleyball players and fans return for an annual community event that benefits the children of the beautiful, spiritual, but impoverished nation of Nepal and also supports an annual Amity scholarship in memory of Jeremy Saxe.

Come out and play or watch and support the work of Jeremy’s legacy foundation at the: Jeremy Saxe Volleyball Tournament at Amity High School on Friday, Nov. 25, from 3 to 6 p.m.

Enjoy snacks and catch up with friends, even if you can spare only a few minutes to say hello. The tournament committee would love to see old friends and welcome new friends.

The event is organized as a Sixes Coed Tournament, sign up as a team of 6 (at least two girls per team) or sign up as a single and get placed on a team.  Players should submit their names individually (to be added to teams) or their team rosters by e-mail at  jsvbtourney@gmail.com or at the Facebook Event page "Jeremy Saxe Volleyball Tournament 2011.”

There is a suggested $5 donation for spectators and $15 for players. Players will receive an event t-shirt.  Refreshments will be available before and during the game. There will also be a 50-50 raffle. 

All proceeds support Jiwanko Saathiharu: Jeremy Saxe Foundation for Education and Development, Inc., an independent social development organization with 501 (c)3 tax exempt status formed by Jeremy’s friends, colleagues and family members.

The Jeremy Saxe Volleyball Tournament, established in November 2008 by volleyball teammates, honors Jeremy Saxe who tragically lost his life on Sept. 4, 2008 from an undiagnosed heart condition: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Jeremy graduated Amity High School in 2005.  He was an outstanding student, co-captain of the Soccer, Ski Racing and Volleyball Teams and voted MVP for all three sports. 

Jeremy attended Lafayette College where he maintained a 3.84 overall GPA as a Philosophy major. 

In the spring of his junior year he studied abroad in Nepal where he fell in love with the country and its people and committed his future to international development. A natural leader with abundant positive energy, tremendous integrity, insightful intelligence, compassion and good humor, Jeremy inspired all that knew him. 

Jeremy’s inspiration continues through the work of his foundation.  While in Nepal, Jeremy was given the Nepali name, Jiwan, which means “life” and Jiwanko Saathiharu translates to “Friends of Jeremy/Friends of Life.”

The foundation, which is building a school in Pharping, Nepal, also supports an Amity scholarship in Jer's name that is awarded annually to the student that best exemplifies Jeremy's qualities, including: athletic ability, academic achievement, intellectual curiosity, sportsmanship and a sincere interest in improving the world and benefiting those who are less fortunate.
 
 This past summer, the Foundation funded Clara's Childcare Center with memorial donations given in honor of Jeremy’s grandmother, Clara Sokoloff (1920-2010).  On Sept. 7, during an International Literacy Day celebration, Clara's Childcare Center was inaugurated as the first childcare center in Pharping, Nepal.

The childcare center furthersthe Foundation's development objectives by improving outreach for the women's literacy program and providing quality care, school readiness, and Montessori early education to the children. Clara's Childcare Center empowers women of the Village of Pharping through education and literacy by providing care for their young children while they attend the Women's Community School.

These children will then have a strong start when they attend the Foundation's signature project K - 12 school: Jiwanko Saathiharu Sikshyalaya ("Friends of Life/ Friends of Jeremy Place of Learning").  The Pharping community has donated the land across the road from Clara's Childcare Center and survey work is underway; architectural and engineering drawings will proceed immediately thereafter.

Jiwanko Saathiharu Sikshyalaya is planned as a K - 12 community-based "School for Future Leaders." The school will be open to all castes and ethnic groups providing American style education and emphasizing critical thinking and analysis with rigorous academics.  The school will promote good global citizenship while fostering a love of Nepal that encourages students to build a better future for Nepal.

Please view a video thank you from our Nepali partners, ASC and the children of the village of Pharping, Nepal at JiwankoSaathiharu's Channel - YouTube

The vision of Jiwanko Saathiharu, “Friends of Jeremy/Friends of Life,” is to become a strong international team based on enduring friendships built on mutual respect and shared values, working together to inspire global action, connecting people across borders, and transforming hearts and minds through the development of cultural programs that educate, create dialogue, and build community. 

It is the hope of the Foundation that the lives of its donors and volunteers will be touched as deeply as the lives of its recipients when they witness their investment coming to fruition, making our world a better place.

To sign up, volunteer, or for more information, e-mail: jsvbtourney@gmail.com or heidi.saxe@jeremysaxefoundation.org. Contributions can be mailed to Jeremy Saxe Foundation c/o SDV 1952 Whitney Avenue Hamden, CT 06517. 

The tournament committee thanks this year’s generous sponsors: Racebrook Wine & Liquor World, Jamba Juice, Winkle Bus, Chip’s Restaurant, Orange Fence & Post, Go Green Fitness, Sponge Brothers Car Wash, Orange Ale House, Amity Auto Repair (f/k/aAmity Mobil), Webster Bank, Ted’s Cleaners and Saxe Doernberger & Vita, P.C.

Come out and make a difference this holiday season.