The Sandspur

Issue date: 3/25/05 Section: Life & Times

Who ever said one individual couldn't make a difference had never met Tessie Swope. Swope single-handedly organized fundraising in order to raise money for families in the Dominican Republic, along with the construction of high school/vocational training school in the DR and a scholarship foundation.

Swope's mission began last summer when she spent two weeks in Jarabacoa, a village in the Dominican Republic. "We sang songs to the elderly, played with the children, did house cleaning, and were invited to share rice and beans with some of the families," she states.

Through her community service done in the village, she met two young boys that she became very fond of. Then, one day, after she had seen the horrible effects of rain on the village, one of the boys took her to see his secret. "[He] confided to me that he had a secret fort out in the woods where he was saving up a mountain of stones with which to build a house for his mother," Swope remembers. The "biggest mountain in the world" that the boy had bragged about so dearly, turned out to be a pile of five stones.

Thus came the creation of Swope's organization: The Five Stones Project. After leaving the Dominican Republic, she decided to make a difference for the people she had met. She raised $55,000 for the country and, with it, gave the little boy the home for his mother that he had been wanting.

But one family was not enough. After the construction of the house, Swope added three items to her project list. She says: "(1) The construction of a high school/vocational training center, (2) the implementation of a scholarship program for the graduates of the high school, and (3) the creation of a microfinance program in order to provide credit and training to entrepreneurs in the village who wish to start their own businesses," are very important to her.

The rest of the $55,000 that did not go to the little boy's house went to the construction of the high school. Swope states proudly that "the building is nearly finished, and classes will commence in the fall of 2005." Now, the next item of the list needing to be address is the scholarship program.

This is where the students of Rollins College come in. Swope is putting on a volleyball tournament titled Five Stones Volleyball for campus to participate in. The tournament takes place on April 1 at 3:00 p.m. on Mill's Lawn. One net will be set up for competition, and one for fun. Anyone can sign up during lunch hours outside the Campus Center or by emailing Swope at tswope@rollins.edu.

"The goal of the tournament is to raise funds to create a university scholarship for underprivileged youth in the village of Cruz Verde, Dominican Republic," Swope states in her flyers. Participants can collect donations from family and friends and bring them to the tournament. Any amount is welcome, and much appreciated.

So, Rollins College, are you up to the challenge? One girl has made this much of a difference, now our college has a chance to help and support her. Bring your donations and interest to the Volleyball tournament and help create a foundation for those less fortunate than ourselves.

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