ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — Studio 814 is highlighting a local non-profit helps more than a thousand people in a developing nation — and it’s all because one man made one trip to Africa that changed his life.
Altoona native Patrick Irwin started Selfless Solutions, an organization that helps create opportunities for children and all people in Tanzania, after taking a two-month volunteer visit to the country. He decided to cancel his flight home and stay for four more months where he fell in love with helping people in disadvantaged families.
He then came back to the U.S. and started his 501(c)(3) organization. He regularly went back-and-forth between the two countries for three years before moving there full-time last January.
Irwin said his organization has helped put more than 225 Tanzanian children in high-quality education programs and donate more than $100,000 to the nation.
Irwin said 50% of people in Tanzania live in poverty, and they need your help. If you’re interested in joining Selfless Solutions in Tanzania, you can check out their internship opportunities or apply to be a volunteer.
If you’d rather help monetarily, you can donate or sponsor a child, which will enroll them in a high-quality private school they otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend.
They also have an upcoming fundraising event in Blair County!
The 3rd Annual ‘Night in Africa’ event is set for Friday, June 28 at Fiore Farm in Hollidaysburg from 7 to 10 p.m.
The event includes authentic African cuisine, drinks (beer, wine, and spirits) and access to a silent auction that includes items such as an African safari and a week stay at a beach home in South Carolina.
Admission is $95 per person. Tickets are on sale here. Attendance is limited to 200 people, so be sure to get your tickets before its too late!
Green Bean Coffee House Owner Travis McCabe joined Irwin on the show to talk about his experience with the organization. McCabe and his wife, Katie, volunteered in Tanzania and sponsored a child.
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