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After Deann Lynch moved past the shock of the 2013 murder of her aunt, Mary Greco, she decided to take action to honor her aunt's memory.

Together with Pine Hills Elementary School in Albany, where she teaches third grade, Mrs. Lynch was able to raise $15,000 to build a solar-powered well in a small village in Tanzania -- something Ms. Greco had done herself, as well.

Ms. Greco had once been a member of the Daughters of Mary, Health of the Sick. The religious order, located in the New York Archdiocese, was dedicated to medical and catechetical ministries. In 1976, it disbanded.

A native of the Albany Diocese, Ms. Greco moved back to the Capital Region and worked for the New York State Department of Civil Service. She retired in 1996.

On New Year's Eve in 2012, she was murdered by Michael Briggs, a man out of prison on parole for robbery. He'd previously helped her clean off her car after a snowstorm; this time, prosecutors said, he strangled and stabbed her, taking her car, rosary and crucifix.

Ms. Greco had paid him for shoveling out her car with cookies as well as cash, media reported.

"She gave everything back to people," Mrs. Lynch told The Evangelist, saying that her aunt was always one who would rather give to others than live in luxury.

Remember her
Mrs. Lynch and her family, who attend Our Lady of Fatima parish in Delanson, didn't just want to sit with the heartbreak of their loss. They developed a plan to raise money, along with Pine Hills Elementary, to build a well in their late aunt's honor.

"I always looked up to her growing up," Mrs. Lynch said. "To be able to do this in her memory was really cool."

Mrs. Lynch said her students even referred to Ms. Greco as "Aunt Mary," though they had never met her.

The enthusiastic students read up on water scarcity and conservation issues to gain compassion for the people their well would benefit. To raise money, the students ran bake sales and garage sales, sold friendship bracelets and had can and bottle drives. They served pancake brakfasts and had coin collections.

Everyone also sought financial contributions. The fundraising was a hands-on, community event, said Mrs. Lynch. Three years of work

The money was donated to the African Reflections Foundation, an organization whose goal is to raise the standard of living for people in Africa. It took three years to raise enough money for a well.

In early August, Mrs. Lynch and her school's principal, Vibetta Sanders, traveled to Tanzania to visit the Mwongozo Primary School in Mwanambaya, where the well would be built. The two women met the people of Mwanambaya, including students and teachers at the school.

Once the well was up and running, the schoolchildren would bring a gallon jug to school every day to fill with water. This would allow their families at home to have fresh water, too.

Many of the 650 students in kindergarten through seventh grade have to walk five to 10 kilometers (more than six miles) each way to attend the school. Sixty-nine are orphans who live nearby.

The school is constructed of mud and cement blocks. Students -- up to 72 in a single classroom -- work on Swahili, English, math, science and civics.

"It was a perfect group of people to help," Mrs. Lynch declared.

Appreciated
The experience increased her faith, she said - especially being able to see the reaction of the people in the village. Though they had nothing to give, they had a dedication ceremony with a small reception at which they brought fruits and nuts to share. Mrs. Lynch said it was an incredible example of selflessness.

The schoolchildren each received a plastic cup to use for drinking water during the day, and a jug to carry water home. Throughout the trip, Mrs. Lynch felt her aunt's presence. The large well tank even featured a banner with Ms. Greco's photo.

The teacher and principal also brought art supplies and shoes for the students in Mwanambaya. Mrs. Lynch told The Evangelist that the students didn't even have paper; they did all their math problems on the chalkboard.

Everyone that Mrs. Lynch met in Tanzania was full of compassion, she said. Inspired, she pledged to help raise $4,000 to add another classroom onto the school. Already, the school community has raised about $3,500.

It's a goal with a deadline: Mrs. Lynch will retire at the end of the school year. "It is my hope and dream to complete this one last project," she said.

(To make a donation, send checks payable to Pine Hills Well Fund to Deann Lynch, 225 West Duane Lake Rd., Duanesburg 12056.)[[In-content Ad]]

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