Hazel Dell — The joint Columbia River High School reunion and fundraiser for Nica-Impact, a charity started by CRHS alum Doug Effinger, made a little bit of money — but a Columbian story on Aug. 7 got the nonprofit a lot of nationwide notice. According to Effiinger, approximately $300 in cold, hard cash came in — not a ton — but there’s been new interest “from people in Florida, Utah, Managua and Colorado,” he said.
Nica-Impact is an nonprofit aimed at matching ambitious Nicaraguan young adults with educational opportunities. It’s a sort of subsidized boot camp, Effinger said in the Aug. 7 article, for poor rural students eager to study subjects such as nursing, engineering and business management.
Effinger said he’s looking forward to the grand opening this autumn of the library he and his wife, Julie, are helping to build in the Nicaraguan city of Jinotepe.
