By SAM CAPUANO
sam@theballstonjournal.com

A few years ago, I was assigned to write a story about Brookside Museum’s annual Christmas ornament design. Brookside Executive Director Joy Houle told me the person behind the design was a young high schooler named Ashlie Busone. Her photograph of the Medbery Inn graced the ornament that year.

When I met Busone, it soon became apparent photography was far from her only activity. At that first meeting, I learned about her many interests, such as the Fair Trade movement, drumming in the Clan of Garbage band, swing dancing, and, most importantly, a business of hers called Hippies For Hope.

Now, most high school sophomores don’t have their own business, and if they do it certainly isn’t a not-for-profit, which HFH is. As has been written in these pages before, Hippies For Hope makes and sells tie-dye shirts, with proceeds going to sponsor a school in Africa. And, the passionate goal of this ambitious young lady, as I found out that day was to make a trip to Tanzania, to volunteer with teaching the kids she was sponsoring.

“It’s always been a dream,” she said back then. Fortunately for her, and for the kids in Tanzania, the dream came true last month.

Now, when I was a sophomore in high school, I too had dreams. One was to be a professional athlete. Another was to write songs like Paul Simon and Brian Wilson did. Important stuff like that. And, any wish lists for trips usually involved the beach. Most of my friends had similar wish lists. Helping others was not usually at the top of our lists. Or even in the middle.

Well, not for Busone. After much hard work, enough money was raised for the trip. She was accompanied by two Ballston Spa faculty members, Christy Knapp and Liz Livorsi.

The work really began two years before, when Hippies for Hope became involved with an organization called Nurturing Minds, which builds SEGA (Secondary Education for Girls’ Advancement) schools in Tanzania. Soon after, HFH donated $700 in shirt sale proceeds to Nurturing Minds, in support of the latter’s current girls’ school, along with donating over 50 tie dyed shirts to the cause. The money has also gone towards school books, and for their English program.

But again, the big dream was to get over to central Africa and see all of this first hand, and to help out. It was not an easy trip. Nerve racking was how she described it. A drive to JFK Airport, followed by a 21 hour flight. Zurich to Nairobe to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Then upon arrival, the feeling of, “OK, what do we do now.”

Fortunately, the trio from Ballston Spa saw a “little old cab driver man” with a sign with their name on it. They sat down in the cab, but the journey was not yet over. They still had a three hour drive to Morogoro in front of them.

Despite all of that, the first day they went right to the school to meet the girls. Seems these students were equally looking forward to the meeting, yelling out, “Oh, that’s Ashlie!” They then performed a welcome dance, which left their American visitors in tears.

So, what started out as a long distance school sponsorship two years ago, now had come to total fruition. For three weeks, the Ballston Spa group taught the natives the English language, American customs, and volunteered where needed.

So often looking forward to something for a long time leads to an eventual let down. Not this time.

“Oh, my God, the trip so exceeded my expectations,” Busone told me. “I thought I had a good perspective in life before, but now…..”

So much so she wants to go back next year and spend the whole summer there. So much so she now knows she wants to be a teacher of ESL (English as a second language) and special education. And so much so, she wants to join the Peace Corps.

Not bad for someone who is just starting college this week.

A week after our interview, Busone asked if I would let people know, that through the sale of shirts this year, she will be sponsoring a girl at the Tanzania school she just visited. And that more information about SEGA can be found at www.nurturingmindsinafrica.org or by contacting her at hippiesforhope@gmail.com.

I think that’s the least I can do.