An International Airline, a Pair of Non-Profits and a Community College Joining Forces to Help Educate Students in Ethiopia

BOTHELL, Wash., April 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --  On Wednesday, April 27, a brand new 777 will take off from Boeing field carrying some precious cargo: more than 2,200 textbooks destined for schools in rural Ethiopia. The effort began in February, when student government leaders at Cascadia Community College learned about newly constructed schools in Ethiopia that were opening without books in the classrooms or libraries.

"This was a chance for us to gather together to help make a difference outside of these college walls," says Cascadia student government president Kevin King, who is responsible for orchestrating the book drive. "It is amazing to think that a book that was sitting unused on my book shelf will be in Ethiopia helping to educate young people to make a difference in their communities."

Students at Bellevue College and Lake Washington Technical College accepted Cascadia's invitation to join the effort and galvanized their campus communities to collect books for Ethiopia. Residents in Bothell and Woodinville also caught word of the campaign.

"I am moved by how much the community has rallied behind the students' efforts," says Panos Hatziandreas, a faculty member at Cascadia Community College. "During one of my night classes, parents of a student waited in their car until class was over. Then they proceeded to carry in three big boxes of books."

Haddis Tadesse works with the International Leadership Academy of Ethiopia, which helped link Cascadia to the new schools. "For some of us, books are part of our lives. They play an important role in cementing our relationship with knowledge. For children, it gives them the first peek at the world of adventure that awaits them. We are very excited to expand that imagination and knowledge for kids in Ethiopia."

Ethiopian Airlines will transport the books free of charge to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Wednesday when it takes delivery of the most recent Boeing jet for its new fleet. The construction of the schools is being funded by the Sunshine Construction Philanthropic Foundation, in Ethiopia.

Cascadia Community College serves more than 5,000 students every year. Cascadia has gained a national reputation for its innovative programs in network and programming technologies, as well as its environmental technologies. Cascadia also boasts the highest transfer rate to 4-year colleges in the state.

For more information please contact Meagan Walker 425.352.8491 or [email protected]

SOURCE Cascadia Community College