CNN Hero Maggie Doyne To Speak At Summit School Tuesday

SUMMIT, NJ, – A Mendham woman recognized worldwide for opening a children’s home and school in war-torn Nepal when she was only 21-years-old will speak at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child Tuesday.

CNN Hero and BlinkNow co-founder Maggie Doyne, who previously inspired the Oak Knoll community with her philanthropic story in 2015, will return to share her story at 11:30 a.m. at the school’s campus in Summit.

Doyne’s efforts to build what would become the Kopila Valley Children’s Home began during a visit to the South Asian country where she had a chance meeting with a 6-year-old child.

Doyne was inspired by the child, who was breaking stones in a riverbed to earn money for her family who were living in abject poverty. Doyne, who had only recently graduated high school, decided that she would find a way to pay for that little girl’s education as well as other local youth in the Kopila Valley.

Energized by the difference she could make, Doyne was moved to spend $5,000 she earned as a babysitter to purchase land in Surkhet, Nepal. Three years later, with the help of supporters at home and aid from members of the Nepalese community, the school formally opened its doors.

In operation for nearly a decade, the school now serves 420 students and is rated top in the region. In addition to being named a CNN Hero, Doyne was honored as a Forbes “Top 30 under 30” Social Entrepreneur and by the Dalai Lama as an Unsung Hero of Compassion.

While the November 5, 2019 talk, sponsored by the Oak Knoll Parents’ Association, is free and open to the public, pre-registration is suggested as space is limited. Click here for more information or to pre-register.

Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child is an independent, Catholic school, coeducational in elementary school from pre-kindergarten through grade six; and all-girls in middle and high school from grades seven through 12. For more information about Oak Knoll, visit www.oakknoll.org or call 908-522-8109.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.