Family copes with sudden loss through giving
Friends and family members of Lower Merion graduate Dennis Muttu, who died suddenly of a brain aneurysm at age 20, are preserving his memory one page at a time.
The Muttu family and friends are collecting new and gently used young adult and children’s books from schools in the Delaware and Montgomery County areas for libraries in Rwanda and Uganda.
Dennis’ father, Atiko Collins Muttu of Bala Cynwyd, said his son loved reading, sports and working with kids, and he feels stocking children’s libraries with books is the best way to honor his son.
The group is also collecting new and gently used sports equipment for the children of Rwanda and Uganda.
The Muttu family moved to the United States from Uganda about 18 years ago; Dennis’ mother’s family originated from Rwanda.
Atiko Collins Muttu said the two countries have little or no public library system.
“He would have definitely loved it, because he really loved children and he was involved as a volunteer with children in the community,” Muttu said about the project. Dennis, who passed away Dec. 28, 2006, was a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, and the captain of the Lower Merion High School track team where he graduated in 2004. Dennis represented the youth on the board of deacons at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church and served as a summer camp counselor for children.
The books will be split between an elementary school in Gulu, Uganda, called the Upper Nile Institute for Appropriate Technology, and the Kigali Public Library in Rwanda, which is the country’s first public library and is currently under construction, according to Muttu.
Barnes & Noble donated a large number of new children’s books, and currently the group is collecting books donated by local organizations, schools and children. The books are being stored at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia until they are shipped overseas.
Students in the School District of Haverford Township’s Lynnewood Elementary School collected nearly 15,000 books after receiving a letter from Muttu’s family and friends.
The letter explained the project and contained a request for books teachers leave behind after cleaning out the classrooms for the year.
Fourth-grade special education teacher Julie Ermentrout and fifth-grade teacher Janet Fastuca led the effort.
“I wanted to get involved in a project where the students could really be able to help and volunteer their time to help other kids. My students really enjoyed learning about a different culture, as well,” Ermentrout said.
The school’s kindergarten through fifth-grade students learned about the project in an assembly in May, and students from Ermentrout and Fastuca’s classes helped count and pack the books after the collection was complete. The two winning homerooms that collected the most books earned water ice donated by Pops Water Ice in Havertown.
“For my students in the special education class, it was a wonderful leadership experience,” Ermentrout said.
Currently, Dennis’ mother, Godelize Muttu, is getting quotes for shipping costs of 20-foot and 40-foot sea crates, and looking into ways of fundraising for the books’ trip overseas. She estimates the shipping cost will be nearly $10,000. The shipping date will depend on how fast the family can raise money.
“I don’t want him or his name to ever be forgotten. It’s a way of redirecting our pain into something positive. We thought the best way to keep his memory alive is by benefiting kids who didn’t have what he had,” she said.
Muttu’s friends are helping with the project by picking up the donated books at elementary schools around the area.
Sean Capkin, a third-, fourth- and fifth-grade Spanish teacher in the Penn-Delco School District is helping the Muttu family pick up books around the area.
The Wynnewood resident was a friend and teammate of Dennis at Lower Merion High School. He played football and ran track with Dennis, who he said had a giving spirit and a bright smile.
Capkin helped to send out letters to about 100 elementary schools in Montgomery and Delaware counties.
Over the last month, he has been picking up books from the 15 to 20 schools that participated.
“The schools really went above and beyond, and gave tons of books. I couldn’t believe it,” Capkin said.
He estimates the count to be at around 110,000 to 115,000 books and calls Lynnewood Elementary School the top book donor so far.
“We had initially thought about making a scholarship fund in his name or naming a track event at an invitational after him, but we thought this would be [the] best way to honor him,” Capkin said.
For more information or a list of requested books and donations, call 484-995-1382 or e-mail godelizemuttu@yahoo.com.
The Muttu family and friends are collecting new and gently used young adult and children’s books from schools in the Delaware and Montgomery County areas for libraries in Rwanda and Uganda.
Dennis’ father, Atiko Collins Muttu of Bala Cynwyd, said his son loved reading, sports and working with kids, and he feels stocking children’s libraries with books is the best way to honor his son.
The group is also collecting new and gently used sports equipment for the children of Rwanda and Uganda.
The Muttu family moved to the United States from Uganda about 18 years ago; Dennis’ mother’s family originated from Rwanda.
Atiko Collins Muttu said the two countries have little or no public library system.
“He would have definitely loved it, because he really loved children and he was involved as a volunteer with children in the community,” Muttu said about the project. Dennis, who passed away Dec. 28, 2006, was a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, and the captain of the Lower Merion High School track team where he graduated in 2004. Dennis represented the youth on the board of deacons at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church and served as a summer camp counselor for children.
The books will be split between an elementary school in Gulu, Uganda, called the Upper Nile Institute for Appropriate Technology, and the Kigali Public Library in Rwanda, which is the country’s first public library and is currently under construction, according to Muttu.
Barnes & Noble donated a large number of new children’s books, and currently the group is collecting books donated by local organizations, schools and children. The books are being stored at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia until they are shipped overseas.
Students in the School District of Haverford Township’s Lynnewood Elementary School collected nearly 15,000 books after receiving a letter from Muttu’s family and friends.
The letter explained the project and contained a request for books teachers leave behind after cleaning out the classrooms for the year.
Fourth-grade special education teacher Julie Ermentrout and fifth-grade teacher Janet Fastuca led the effort.
“I wanted to get involved in a project where the students could really be able to help and volunteer their time to help other kids. My students really enjoyed learning about a different culture, as well,” Ermentrout said.
The school’s kindergarten through fifth-grade students learned about the project in an assembly in May, and students from Ermentrout and Fastuca’s classes helped count and pack the books after the collection was complete. The two winning homerooms that collected the most books earned water ice donated by Pops Water Ice in Havertown.
“For my students in the special education class, it was a wonderful leadership experience,” Ermentrout said.
Currently, Dennis’ mother, Godelize Muttu, is getting quotes for shipping costs of 20-foot and 40-foot sea crates, and looking into ways of fundraising for the books’ trip overseas. She estimates the shipping cost will be nearly $10,000. The shipping date will depend on how fast the family can raise money.
“I don’t want him or his name to ever be forgotten. It’s a way of redirecting our pain into something positive. We thought the best way to keep his memory alive is by benefiting kids who didn’t have what he had,” she said.
Muttu’s friends are helping with the project by picking up the donated books at elementary schools around the area.
Sean Capkin, a third-, fourth- and fifth-grade Spanish teacher in the Penn-Delco School District is helping the Muttu family pick up books around the area.
The Wynnewood resident was a friend and teammate of Dennis at Lower Merion High School. He played football and ran track with Dennis, who he said had a giving spirit and a bright smile.
Capkin helped to send out letters to about 100 elementary schools in Montgomery and Delaware counties.
Over the last month, he has been picking up books from the 15 to 20 schools that participated.
“The schools really went above and beyond, and gave tons of books. I couldn’t believe it,” Capkin said.
He estimates the count to be at around 110,000 to 115,000 books and calls Lynnewood Elementary School the top book donor so far.
“We had initially thought about making a scholarship fund in his name or naming a track event at an invitational after him, but we thought this would be [the] best way to honor him,” Capkin said.
For more information or a list of requested books and donations, call 484-995-1382 or e-mail godelizemuttu@yahoo.com.
