PORT ANGELES — Two young women are headed for rural Asia this fall and winter, one to teach English and the other to work with people afflicted with leprosy.
Jeri Lausch, a 2003 graduate of Port Angeles High School, plans to depart for Laos, where she will teach English for two years, while Devan Hoffmaster, a member of Port Angeles High’s class of 2009, will fly next month to the Langtang region of Nepal.
Tonight, the women will host a gathering to raise money for their endeavors at the Olympic Vineyard Christian Fellowship, 3415 S. Peabody St., from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Music by Abby Mae and the Homeschool Boys, a prize drawing, food and drink and a silent auction will be part of the festivities.
Hoffmaster and Lausch will provide information about their forthcoming trips. Admission is $15, while additional donations will be welcome.
“The government of Laos is working hard to be a part of the trade market but cannot do this without the English language,” Lausch said.
Future leaders
“I will be working with future teachers, business men and leaders,” beginning in January.
Lausch, who holds a bachelor’s in education from Prairie College in Alberta, said she was drawn to Laos because she believes teaching English there can make a difference in the country’s prospects.
She’ll work as a volunteer under the auspices of the international English Language Institute.
To cover her travel and living expenses, Lausch said she needs to raise about $9,800 before she departs.
Hoffmaster, meantime, plans to work in Nepal from mid-October into early November.
She’s involved with the Calvary Chapel of south Maui, where she lived for a year after graduating from high school.
Leprosy awareness
She will climb in the Himalayas with a group of others who have recovered from leprosy, or Hansen’s disease.
The group is training to ascend Mount Everest in 2012 to raise awareness and support for people living with the debilitating disease.
“Nepal has come a long way” in its treatment of people with leprosy, Hoffmaster said. “But there are still thousands of cases reported annually.”
For details about Hoffmaster and Lausch’s plans and to contribute toward their expenses, e-mail jeri_lausch@hotmail.com or phone 360-461-5814.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3550 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
