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John Hollenhorst ReportingIt's hard to imagine a link between flowers in Northern Utah and kids struggling for a better life in Africa, but a remarkable woman in Brigham City has made the connection and helped thousands of kids in Zambia.
The most recent project organized and inspired by Peggy Rogers was the delivery of an entire semi load of text books to Zambian kids who really need them. But Peggy's own story might inspire a few people too.
Flowers. This time of year they're a full-time job for Peggy Rogers, and whenever someone buys from the greenhouses and flower beds at Peggy's Perennials, the money goes directly to Zambia.
Peggy Rogers, Peggy's Perennials: "They're my friends over there. They're my friends and I can't let my friends suffer."
The flower connection started when Peggy met someone from Zambia and communicated by mail for 20 years. When she visited and saw how the Zambians lived, she vowed to do something about it.
Peggy Rogers: "Thought the only thing that will last is education."
Alan Riser, Box Elder County: "All of this money goes straight to the people of Zambia to educate them. She's an amazing woman."
Alan Riser paid his own way to Zambia to help Peggy with her most recent project. She shipped 40,000 pounds of textbooks donated by the LDS Church. Riser spent weeks making sure the cartons of books got delivered, even to remote villages accessible only by jungle trails and footbridges, places where many kids have never seen a book or a white person.
Alan Riser: "They will make immense sacrifices to be educated. Where we can't beg our kids to go to school here, they will do anything."
But textbooks are just the frosting on the cake, Peggy says. She started the Zambia's Scholarship Fund, which pays for kids to go to high school and college. And it actually pays salaries for Zambians who agree to become teachers.
Peggy Rogers: "And we send them out for $50 a month to teach in those rural schools."
The flowers generate about $15,000 a year, all of it going to Zambia. But Peggy says it's nowhere near enough.
Peggy Rogers: "I wish I could raise $30,000. If I raised 50 or 100, it would all go to them because I don't need it, I have everything."
Actually, she lives rather modestly on her husband's salary. He's a teacher here. Her fund raises $100,000 a year from private contributors. It currently supports 150 high school students and remarkably, 200 teachers.
If you want to contribute, call 435-734-2436 or visit www.HeartToHeartAfrica.org. There's a link at the top right of this story.
