Published: March 05, 2008 05:19 pm            

Finding shelter in Nepal

Every celebrity seems to have a pet charity these days. They want to help the starving children, the illiterate, the dolphins — and don’t forget about Darfur. Sometimes these efforts seem disingenuous and self-serving. But when it comes to Zionsville resident Jeff Papa, a rising political star in Indianapolis, helping others and looking beyond Indiana borders is a family affair.

Jeff Papa’s YETI (Youth Enhancement and Training Initiative), founded in 2004, has funded the construction of an orphanage in Nepal.

Papa said the organization has instilled a sense of responsibility in his 13-year-old son, Zionsville Middle School student Zach Allgood.

“I see him learn so much by traveling abroad,” Papa said about his son.

Ann Thrasher Papa, his wife of six years and a lawyer for Ice Miller, plans fundraisers for the organization. A March 1 event took in more than $10,000 for the organization, which also gives 10 to 15 percent of its funds to underprivileged youth in Central Indiana. Most of the money comes from individuals living in Indianapolis and Zionsville, Thrasher Papa said.

“It has been a rewarding experience to know we are helping so many children not just in Nepal, but locally, too,” she added.

The idea for YETI came three years after a trip to Nepal with RDCP volunteer tourism group. Papa said he paid $500 in 2000 to spend a month teaching English at schools in a Nepal village. Part of the money also went to community projects, polio vaccines and building brick walls for schools. In 2003, Papa e-mailed RCDP about the idea of building an orphanage in Nepal. He said he didn’t hear from the organization for a couple of weeks and was afraid it thought it was a “dumb idea.” He eventually received an e-mail from RDCP with tons of research and a proposal to do the project. By February 2004,10 kids were living in the orphanage. RCDP had donated the land and Papa, through YETI, raised the money to construct the building. To date the YETI has raised about $70,000 and is now supporting 20 of the 46 orphans living in the facility in Chitwan, Nepal.

Papa said he wants YETI to bring hope and stability into these orphans’ lives. According to the YETI Web site, about 7 million children, ages 5 to 14, end up as child labor. Many children become victims of human trafficking, with about 7,000 girls, mostly orphans, trafficked each year to India, Hong Kong, Thailand and the Gulf countries.

Papa hopes the orphanage, which provides shelter, food and education, will grow to house 300 to 400 orphans who learn to be self-sufficient, growing crops and raising livestock on the land. He hopes the children will be able to go to college and that some of them to return to help run the orphanage. Some of the children, such as a young girl named Pratima Nepal (see letter), aspire to become doctors or nurses.

While YETI may seem like a lone flower blooming in dry ground, it illustrates the power of one person’s idea. With Papa’s background, it’s not surprising he was the seed of the organization.

Papa grew up in Elkhart and excelled in school, attending Rose-Hulman and earning a Bachelor of Science in economics and Russian language, focusing on written technical documents. In 1987, when he was a freshman, U.S. Air Force recruiters visited campus during freshman orientation and “pretty much guaranteed” a job right out of school if a student earned a Russian degree. Papa spent college summers in Russia, but by the time he graduated the Berlin Wall had come down and the U.S. Air Force had little use for Russian-speaking individuals. However, Papa’s fascination with Russia lives on. He’s made a total of seven trips there, including a May 2007 state trade mission to Moscow.

Papa was recently named chief of staff and chief legal counsel for the Senate Majority Republican Caucus. He said people would be surprised how similar Russians and Americans are. One difference is drinking, specifically vodka. Papa, a non-drinker, said refusing alcohol was a “bit of a hurdle” while socializing with Russians.

But traveling has never been a hurdle for Papa. While earning his law degree at IUPUI he studied in France, China, Brazil and Mexico. He has also traveled to Korea on business. And every year he visits the orphanage in Nepal.

Papa started his career as a legislative assistant, communications specialist, assistant fiscal analyst and intern director for Senate Republicans. He was a senior associate with Barnes & Thornburg law firm before taking his current position with the Senate. He has a master’s in business economics from Ball State University and is pursuing an LLM (master’s of law beyond a JD) at IUPUI.

With all this on his plate, Papa, who moved to Zionsville six years ago from Indianapolis to raise his three children, Zach, Rosemary, 3, and Violet, 2, in a safe and friendly environment, tries to balance his family and work life. He’s on call 24/7 for the Senate. But when asked what his daughter, Rosemary, wants to be when she grows up, he knew.

“A ballerina,” he said. “But it changes all the time.”

Even if Violet doesn’t become a dancer, If she is anything like her father, she may leap beyond average aspirations.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.