SilverStar resident Patti Lefkos was trekking and volunteering in the Himalayas when she found a school in dire need of repair
Some people think of retirement as a period to relax, to step off the treadmill of day-to-day life and spend more quality time with loved ones and chill out.
Not SilverStar resident Patti Lefkos.
In fact, upon retiring from a fulfilling teaching career, Lefkos went to journalism school, wrote some award-winning journalism, and dedicated herself to building a school in a remote Himalayan village.
Lefkos’ retirement journey—and the complicated tapestry of experiences and feelings that motivated it—are the subject of her released memoir, Nepal One Day at a Time.
In it, she recalls how in 2014 during a solo, three-month volunteering and trekking trip, she met school officials in a tiny Himalayan village named Aprik Village.
The school was in dire shape, with a condemned top floor that allowed water to seep through and posed a serious safety risk to the children. A year later, the school was completely destroyed by the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal in 2015.
“They asked me for help, and I went away from there feeling like an imposter. You know, what could I do?” said Lefkos. “Well, apparently I could do a lot when I got other people involved.”
At home, she jumped into action. She and her husband Barry Hodgins founded a non-profit, known as Nepal One Day at a Time, to support the build.
It worked closely with the Kalamalka Rotary Club of Vernon, British Columbia to fundraise..
The money they raised would go on to fund the construction of an eight-classroom building, and later a toilet block and washing station.
Students were able to move from the post-earthquake shelter school into new classrooms in 2018.
Lefkos, who now calls SilverStar home base, said the community rallied around the fundraising effort, with an early slideshow fundraiser garnering $1,000.
Many residents bought the book, and the resort also donated $1,000 towards the project.
“Countless people have bought the book here. And lots of people have got it for their book club,” said Lefkos.
Lefkos has since been back to Nepal to see the school.
She said that the money was well spent, as education is of vital importance to all children.
“Every kid is special,” she said. “I’ve worked in Vancouver’s inner city, in very low socioeconomic [environments] and I’ve worked in a very wealthy neighborhood in Toronto.
“It doesn’t matter. Every kid has all kinds of brilliance, and they can shine if they are allowed.”
With her book out, Lefkos has been busy promoting it, hosting Zoom talks to readers.
She said one thing she hopes comes across is that it’s never too late to push yourself and try something new.
“I want to encourage people of all ages, and women in particular, just to step out of their comfort zone and go to different places, [and also to] have a chance to travel and volunteer in developing countries, so they can see what the world is all about and what incredible privilege most of us live in here [in North America],” she said.
Nepal One Day at a Time is available in paperback and in for e-readers on Amazon.
For those who prefer to buy local, you can find it in Vernon at The Starting Block, Valhalla Pure Outfitters and The Rail Trail Cafe. In Armstrong, it can be found at Monashee Outdoors and at Coldstream Dry Goods in SilverStar.
Alternatively, the book can be purchased via Lefkos’s website. Just use the email form to send her a note. The cost is $32 ($25 for the book, $7 for postage) to have it directly mailed to you.
All profits from the sale will be put directly into supporting education in Nepal.
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