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Bender to embark upon internship in Tanzania A young woman from Prairie du Chien will soon embark on an internship of a lifetime, an internship which has the potential to help a great number of lives. Megan Bender, the daughter of Charlene Bender and Curtis Bender both of Prairie du Chien, will take off for Tanzania June 2 and will be working as part of a project to help alleviate the AIDS crisis in that African nation. "I'm really excited," said Bender. "I've only been interested in working for developing countries. This is a perfect opportunity to do what I want." Bender graduated May 19 from UW-Madison with bachelor's degrees in geological engineering and geology-geophysics. She will be working for three months with another engineer to access water supply issues in Dar es Salaam and the surrounding region. Dar es Salaam is the home of the newly renovated Muhimbili National Hospital, which now has a state-of-the-art outpatient treatment center and clinical laboratories dedicated to improving the care of people with HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases. Bender, 23, explained that Dar es Salaam is near the eastern coast of Africa and that wells in the region often suffer from salt water intrusion via the Indian Ocean. It will be Bender's job to help locate new well drilling sites and to also find ways to rid established wells of salt water so that there is a good supply of clean, drinkable water. "It'll be good to see a project through and be there for a while," said Bender, who will be in the region from June 4 through Aug. 31. She noted that she has worked on similar projects in Rwanda and Thailand but her part in those projects, conducted by Engineers Without Borders, lasted about three weeks each. "I have an opportunity to impact a lot of people," said Bender. "I really enjoy working in situations where I can make the biggest impact with what I know." In addition to advancing her skills and learning through hands-on work, Bender said that the internship also gives her the opportunity to learn about a different culture and grow as a person. "You learn so much from people so different from yourself," said Bender, who will be the only person there from the United States. "I think sometimes they help you more than you help them." While in Tanzania, Bender, a 2002 Prairie du Chien High School graduate, will be staying with a woman originally from South Africa who is the head of the Clinical Pathology Lab at Muhimbili National Hospital. Bender's internship came about through a partnership between Abbott Laboratories and the University of Wisconsin International Academic Internships Initiative. Tanzania is one of the African countries that has been hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS crises, requiring a response that is national in scope and focused upon making an immediate and dramatic impact. In 2001, Abbott Fund formed a unique and collaborative public-private partnership with the Government of Tanzania to support and strengthen the country's aging health care system. The program involves a holistic approach to testing, treatment, capacity building, and community support to care for orphans and vulnerable children. Since the inception of he Tanzania program, Abbott Fund has served more than 150,000 patients and families, and nearly 10,000 health care worker trainings have been conducted to support HIV/AIDS testing, counseling and treatment. The new laboratories at Muhimbili National Hospital have increased testing capacity from 75 tests per day to 8,000 tests per day. Hematology testing capacity increased from 100 per day to 400 per day. In addition to work at Muhimbili, Abbott Fund initiatives support 80 hospitals and rural health facilities, renovating buildings, donating equipment and providing financial support. Tanzania has taken an active role in addressing the AIDS crisis since 2000, with the establishment of the Tanzania Commission for AIDS. In addition to establishing an antiretroviral treatment program, the government has also made a significant commitment to expanding education and prevention programs and to addressing the social impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. With shared expertise, resources and a commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS, the Tanzanian government and Abbott Fund through the dedicated work of people such as Megan Bender are making a significant difference in improving hundreds of thousands of lives. Track athletes statebound Two area track athletes have qualified for the State Track Meet to be held at Memorial Stadium at UW-La Crosse on June 1 and 2. Prairie du Chien's Deidre Dillman, the defending state champion in the 800-meter run, won the 800 in 2:19.88 at the McFarland Sectional on a rainy Thursday to qualify for the state meet. Dillman also placed second in the 400 in 58.51 to qualify for state in that event. Dillman finished seventh in the 200 in a time of 29.06. The top four finishers in each event at the sectional level qualify for the state meet. At the Division 3 Bangor Sectional, Megan Marfilius of Wauzeka-Steuben took third in the high jump at 4-10 to qualify for the state meet. At the McFarland Sectional, the Prairie du Chien girls team scored 22.75 points to take 16th place out of 25 teams. At the Bangor Sectional, the Wauzeka-Steuben girls scored 11 points to tie for 19th out of 30 teams. The River Ridge girls scored 8 points to tie for 22nd out of 30 teams. The River Ridge boys scored 10 points to tie for 17th out of 30 teams. There was a 90-minute delay in the beginning of the McFarland Meet to wait out the passing storm, but the meet continued in an orderly fashion as the night skies cleared. "Our Sectional always seems to be one of the most difficult to get through and if you can survive this meet, more often than not, you have a good chance to do very well at the State Meet," said Prairie du Chien Coach Brek Schneider. "It was nice to see some of our diehard fans make the trek halfway across the state to support the team and stick out the ever-changing weather to cheer for our athletes. We are pretty lucky to have such nice parents, friends, and peers willing to share in the track tournament experience." In addition to Dillman, other competitors for the Prairie du Chien Blackhawks were the 3200-meter relay team of Danielle Stark, Katie Toberman, Lauren Hanson, and Sarah Thomas. The team had a time of 11:24.57 to place 16th. Alyssa Wellumson placed seventh in the discus with a toss of 95-7. Placing seventh in the high jump was Mollee Key with a leap of 4-10. On the boy's side, Jeff Ziel took 15th in the 400 in a time of 55.48. River Ridge names top seniors Antonia Kaltsas, daughter of Catherine Brendemuehl of Bloomington, has been named River Ridge's 2007 Valedictorian. Not only is she at the top of her class, she is also involved in National Honor Society, Jazz Ensemble, Pep Band, Senior Double Trio, Jazz Choir, Technology Club, and Art Club. Antonia's future plans are to attend UW-La Crosse and pursue her interests in film and music. Allison Wegmann, daughter of Paul Wegmann of Bloomington and Jane Wegmann of Prairie du Chien, was named River Ridge's 2007 Salutatorian. In addition to being an outstanding student, she has been involved in Friends Helping Friends, National Honor Society, Yearbook, Art Club, basketball, and track. Allison's future plans are to attend UW-La Crosse and pursue a degree in occupational therapy.
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