August 17, 2005
Preview: Helga Smith - Servas Traveller,
Marathon Runner, Conqueror of Mount Kilimanjaro
When I first met Helga Smith at the Canada-US Servas Conference,
she gave me a brief introduction to her life decade by decade, and
every decade held something else that was interesting and completely
different. Helga will have a chapter in a book called "Women
Who Rock", which is to be published in the near future. The
book features a variety of female movers and shakers who stand out
not so much for their financial and entrepreneurial success but
for their unique way of overcoming major challenges in their lives,
their athletic accomplishments and community involvement.
The story starts in 1963 when Helga escaped from just outside of
Berlin, in East Germany. A year and a half later she came to the
United States without knowing any English. She got a job as a domestic
and soon started to work in an office. Then she married an American
who did not speak any German. Five years later she had three children
and was single again.
Helga Smith
Without any source of income, Helga briefly went on welfare but
also managed to complete an associate degree in computer science.
She worked for two major financial institutions in New York, developing
skills in graphic design and business presentations. Typical of
so many other Servas members, she dedicates her spare time to community
activities. She volunteers for numerous worthy causes and trains
with blind people.
As a matter of fact, Helga came to running in her late 50s. She
initially accompanied her daughter, another enthusiastic Marathon
runner, but got inspired to start running herself. Since then, Helga
has completed several Marathons, including the highly competitive
Boston Marathon.
Helga's athletic achievements don't end here: she decided to climb
Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the Foundation for International
Community Assistance. She raised $10,000 to help women in Tanzania
obtain small loans for business creation. Mount Kilimanjaro was
a special challenge for Helga: although any reasonably fit person
can do it in theory, only 50% of the people starting the trek actually
make it to the top. Interestingly, most of the failed attempts come
from men in their early 20s who underestimate the power of the mountain
and difficulties hiking in high altitude.
Of course Helga is also a committed Servas traveller and has been
part of the organization since 1985. Being located in New York City,
a very popular travel destination, she has hosted several hundred
Servas travellers. In return, she has visited more than 50 countries.
Helga thinks outside the box and has passed her unconventional ways
of thinking on to her children: her daughter has cycled around the
world and now works for International Development. Her daughter
has lived in Egypt for four years and is now assigned to another
Middle Eastern country. Her son also lives in New York City, together
with his Ecuadorian wife. They are both recognized and respected
graffiti artists, producing murals for the City, for fun and for
pay.
Now, that Helga is semi-retired, she has joined another group of
peace-builders: the "Non-Violent Peaceforce". This is
an organization that trains people to physically put themselves
in harm's way where a human buffer zone can be useful to defuse
a potentially dangerous situation. She said that this would be a
cause that she would be willing to take a risk for.
Very soon we'll be able to hear Helga's story, her athletic achievements,
community endeavours and future plans for activism.
Related Articles:
Here is the completed interview with Helga.
Presenting: Mary Jane Mikuriya
- Servas traveller, volunteer for peace and social justice
Presenting: Robert &
Bette Allekotte - Servas members & family travellers
Preview:
Robert & Bette Allekotte - Servas members & family travellers
Preview: Gilbert Sherr
- Servas traveller & cultural researcher
Preview: Mary Jane Mikuriya
-Servas traveller, volunteer for peace and social justice
Preview: Helga Smith
- Servas member, Marathon runner, conqueror of Mt. Kilimanjaro
Preview: Pablo Chufeni
- Servas member, Champion of youth causes in Argentina
Coverage of the first Canada-US
Servas Conference in Vancouver, Aug 3 to 5, 2005
Interview with Patrice Samara from the US
Office of Servas
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