Sparky Millikin's Retirement Party and Fundraiser

Thank you to everyone who played a part in the party Thursday night and our campaign to raise awareness and money for the Nepal Project.  I had a wonderful time and the evening was a success.  We raised just over $4,000 at the party and just over $17,000 since the inception of the campaign.  And to top it off the Heritage Automotive Group (Ford, Toyota, Scion on Shelburne Road, S. Burlington) offered to make up the difference between the $17,000 and our goal of $20,000.  So we made our ambitious goal!

This is life changing for the girls, women, and the villages of rural Nepal.

Thanks to each and every one of you and God bless.

Cheers!

Spark

Thank you for Sherpa Kitchen for the wonderful food and Sugar Snap for excellent bar service.

TruexCullins Offices Under Construction

Our earthbag wall is rising!  Well, in this case, we are using air, but the end result is the same:  we are building an "earthbag" structure inside our offices at 209 Battery Street to symbolize and celebrate our work in Nepal.

In an earlier post, we described this method of earthbag construction, being used by Edge of Seven to build new schools for disadvantaged girls in rural Nepal.  Diantha Korzun is currently assisting Edge of Seven with the design of the latest earthbag construction project, a new school and community center at Mankhu Village Farm.

So what's our airbag wall all about?  You will see it in the front lobby of our space, where the walls are forming a makeshift classroom facing Battery Street.  We acquired some polypropylene rice bags and have been inflating them to emulate the real earthbag walls being built in Nepal.  The room that is forming has become an ad-hoc meeting space.  It has become a teaching tool.  And the rising walls have become a symbol of the upward mobility that these projects are affording to the girls of Nepal. 

At Sparky's retirement party on May 9, everyone will be invited to help us expand the construction.  We are looking forward to this being a fun, interactive event! 

 

 

We've collected all the info about our extended campaign with Edge of Seven into one mini-website:   For info about the earthbag construction projects, Sparky's party on May 9, and the October trek to Everest Base Camp, check out: www.truexcullins.com/sparky

 

And to make a donation to Sparky's fund now, please go to:

http://www.crowdrise.com/truexcullins-nepal

 

 

Building Hope, One Bag at a Time

In an earlier blog post, we described the innovative building technique known as earthbag construction that is being used to build schools in the rural countryside of Nepal. We shared the details of our own earthbag construction project that we are designing with Edge of Seven. And we invited you to celebrate with us as we commemorate the transition for Sparky Millikin from TruexCullins Managing Principal to Himalayan mountain climber.

Well, these is one more surprise we have in store. To build excitement for our earthbag construction project in Mankhu Village in Nepal, we are building a wall of our own in our offices at 209 Battery Street in Burlington.

LET’S BUILD THIS TOGETHER

FILL A BAG FOR A NEPALESE SCHOOL

The “earthbags” will come together during Sparky’s retirement party on Thursday, May 9th. For a $50 tax-deductible donation to Edge of Seven, we will place your name on a polypropylene bag like the ones we will use to construct a new community center for Nepalese girls. As our wall rises, it will symbolize our collective efforts to lift up these girls out of poverty and raise opportunities for all.

In Nepal, your donation will go far to educate and empower girls and break the cycle of poverty. Edge of Seven is a non-profit organization that works closely with local NGOs to ensure that all projects are carried out in a cost-effective manner. In 2010 and 2011, less than 10% of donations went toward administrative costs.

Donate Today!  You can make a donation through our crowdrise site at: http://www.crowdrise.com/truexcullins-nepal


And please join us on May 9 to celebrate Sparky’s lifelong career and support the work of the Edge of Seven in Nepal!

A Celebration and a Call to Action

JOIN US TO CELEBRATE THE CAREER OF

SPARKY MILLIKIN

After a long and distinguished career in design and construction, Robert “Sparky” Millikin is now retiring as Managing Principal of TruexCullins. Sparky has been instrumental in the success of this firm. He is respected in the office and the community at large as a trusted business leader and mentor.

Please join us on Thursday May 9 from 5 to 9pm to celebrate the career of Sparky Millikin.

A graduate of Dartmouth College and the Yale School of Management, Sparky combined studies in architecture and business with practical construction experience. Prior to his construction and architecture career, Sparky spent over a decade sharing his love of the outdoors with others as a climbing instructor, ski coach, and Outward Bound leader. On his honeymoon he led his wife up the Middle Teton in Wyoming and had many adventures in places like Yosemite, Joshua Tree, the Sawtooths, and the White Mountains. Having always aspired to be among the “big mountains” of the Himalayas, Sparky has now opened up a new chapter with his recent trek in the Solo Khumbu region of Nepal with the Edge of Seven.

The party will be catered by Sherpa Kitchen, Burlington’s own Nepalese restaurant.

As a gesture of goodwill to Sparky for his retirement, please consider joining us in supporting his work with Edge of Seven. You may make a donation through our crowdrise site at http://www.crowdrise.com/truexcullins-nepal

So please join us on May 9 to learn about upcoming adventure opportunities, taste Nepalese food from Sherpa Kitchen, and wish Sparky "happy trails" in his retirement.

A Himalayan Adventure Awaits

If you've been reading the blog recently, you’ve been learning about our work with Edge of Seven to build schools for girls in Nepal. Now here’s your chance to experience this part of the world for yourself!

FROM VERMONT TO NEPAL

THE EVEREST BASE CAMP EXPEDITION TREK

 

Join TruexCullins and Edge of Seven this October for an exciting and adventurous trek to Everest Base Camp, where we will push our personal limits and experience the beauty of the Himalayas - all while helping girls in Nepal access an education!

LOCATION:  Everest Region Nepal
DATES:        Oct 19 - Nov 8, 2013
COST:          $3,300*

INCLUDES: All food on trek, in-country lodging; transport, permits, guides and porters, fundraising requirements and 24/7 support

This trek will cover the basic Everest Base Camp route over the duration of 21 days. We will have two days in Kathmandu at the beginning and end of the trek to sightsee and rest.

Our journey will begin with a short flight to Lukla, the gateway to the Khumbu Region. We will hike along the Dudh Kosi River and through the Khumbu National Park, stopping at small villages, cultural and religious sites. The trek will take us to the Mt. Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar, a peak of 18,200 feet with excellent views of Everest, the Khumbu icefall, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Pumori.


Trek Route. Click to Enlarge

Optional Climb of Island Peak

Trekkers looking to add more adventure to their trip can opt to add 3 additional days for a 24-day itinerary that includes a climb of Island Peak (Ima Tse), a popular mountain for climbers that stands at 20,305 ft.

Alternatively, trekkers interested in taking a more cultural route through the small villages of the Lower Solokhumbu can extend their stay to view Edge of Seven’s schools and girls’ hostels in the villages of Phuleli, Basa and Salleri.




* Prices do not include international airfare. The Island Peak climb adds 3 additional days and $800 to the trip total. Trekkers opting for the cultural tour of Edge of Seven’s projects should contact Edge of Seven for a custom itinerary and pricing:  www.edgeofseven.org 

For more information about the Everest Base Camp trek, visit http://edgeofseven.org/Adventure.html

You can also download the complete itinerary of the 21-day trip (8 page pdf) from the Edge of Seven website:

http://edgeofseven.org/VOLUNTEER%20TRAVEL/Edge%20of%20Seven_2013%20Everest%20Base%20Camp%20Trek_Itinerary.pdf

And to speak to us about our plans for this trip, or to discuss joining us yourself, call our office at 802-658-2775 and speak with Sparky Millikin or Carmen George.

 

Announcing a Special Project for Nepal

The international scope of the TruexCullins Education Studio has brought us to some of the far corners of the world. Our work on K-12 school design and planning projects has reached over a dozen countries including Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, Russia and Brazil.

Now we find ourselves in Nepal, with a unique opportunity that promises to dramatically improve the lives of children and transform entire communities. 

 

 A PROJECT IN NEPAL

BUILDING HOPE FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS

On a recent trip through the Himalayas, TruexCullins principal Sparky Millikin was introduced to an organization that is working in the rural villages of Nepal, helping young women and children achieve an education and break out of the cycle of poverty.

In rural Nepal, girls face many barriers in their quest to receive an education, whether it is poverty, a lack of infrastructure, or cultural beliefs that girls should marry early and tend to household chores. By some estimates, up to 80% of rural Nepalese women are victims of domestic abuse. Many of these women are sold into human trafficking, and the leading cause of death among women of childbearing age is suicide.

Often, it just takes the example and leadership of one empowered person, such as one girl who has succeeded in receiving a higher education and vocational training, to change an entire community’s beliefs about what is possible.

THE BEST WAY TO FIGHT GLOBAL POVERTY

INVESTING IN WOMEN

IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD

Motivated by the realization that our work can make a real difference, TruexCullins is collaborating with Edge of Seven, an organization that creates access to education, health and economic opportunity for girls and women in the developing world. By partnering with local non-profits in Nepal, Edge of Seven champions grassroots development efforts that are community focused, locally driven, and sustainable.

 

In the coming weeks we will share more details about our work with Edge of Seven and related events, including a celebration at our office where you can try Nepalese food, and an opportunity to join us on a 21-day trek this fall to Everest Base Camp!

In the meantime, you can learn more about Edge of Seven at www.edgeofseven.org.