LIVING THE MISSION:

Students raise funds to build new school in China

The Chinese government estimates that more than 7,000 schoolrooms collapsed in the May 12 earthquake near Chengdu. Hearing about the tens of thousands of schoolchildren dying while attending poorly constructed schools alerted three Thunderbird students to the need for sturdier schools.

George Liu ’08, Jie Liu ’08 and Dan Merritts ’08 were in China during the earthquake. They have teamed up with several Thunderbird alumni and students to help raise funds to rebuild an elementary school in China’s Henan province about 625 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter.

“We believe that there are a lot of opportunities to improve education in China,” Merritts says. “By building a primary school in rural China, we believe we can contribute the most to China's future by ensuring that young children are able to learn allowing them to achieve their full potential.”

The team is partnering with local government officials, construction companies and education officials in Henan province to make the project possible. These local officials have helped to identify school sites with the most need. While the Henan province is not in the earthquake zone, the team selected it because the region is vulnerable to natural disasters.

The team has raised $35,000 from Thunderbird students and alumni so far and expects groundbreaking to occur in late 2008. They are hoping the school will be called Thunderbird Elementary School. Additional funding needs to be raised for the school library, computer lab and gymnasium.

For more information on the students’ efforts or to provide assistance, contact Merritts.

Salud from the ThunderShop!

Did you know that July is National Beer Month? With the temperatures rising and Independence Day right around the corner, it's a perfect time to toast your friends with a ThunderBeverage. The ThunderShop has a multitude of drink ware to help you do it in style. From beer mugs to coffee mugs, you can find something fun (and affordable) to sip the summer away. And to be truly global, here's a fun link to help you say "cheers" in dozens of languages.