Last year, Terry Mikeska’s trip to Nepal provided the country’s villages with all kinds of goods after a devastating earthquake. These goods included rice, clothing, pots, plates and spoons. Since then, Mikeska has formed a nonprofit organization known as the Terry Mikeska Foundation in order to assist Nepal even further. Additionally, he is planning another mission to Nepal starting in September.
San Angelo LIVE! asked Mikeska why this work is important to him.
“I think because I’ve seen it firsthand for 23 years taking care of Eva Tucker,” Mikeska said. “Taking care of this humble woman [who] gave millions to charity [and who] lived in such a humble home with her her chickens, [and] seeing her do so much good for so many people. When she passed, she told me the same thing. She said, ‘Do the most good for the most people.’ That’s been floating around in my head since she passed.”
Mikeska said that he had never been on an international mission this far from home before last year. However, the students who assisted with the mission in Nepal helped ease his mind a great deal.
Mikeska said that he was as efficient as possible with the money donated to his first mission trip. He said that not only was he careful to negotiate for the best price possible for goods and services, but he also paid his own way for personal services.
“I don’t need an office. I don’t need a secretary. I don’t need a salary, [and] I don’t need [the money] for myself,” Mikeska said. “I just want to do for these people, and I’ll give as much time as I need to give.”
According to Mikeska, the formation of the Terry Mikeska foundation came about thanks to the efforts of “the Angel from Permian Basin.” This “Angel” is a family whom Mikeska chose not to name in order to respect their privacy. The family was inspired to help Mikeska due in part to their love for missions, Mikeska’s relationship with Tucker and Mikeska’s careful use of the funds.
“The family said, ‘We need to get you to where you can focus on your mission, not focus on you getting there,’” Mikeska said. “’Let us take care of you getting there. Let us take care of getting this foundation going for you.’”
The family took care of all of Mikeska’s expenses, from round-trip airfare to the CPA who handled Mikeska’s paperwork.
When Mikeska sent the IRS his paperwork for becoming a nonprofit organization in the beginning of May, he was told that the process usually takes a few months. However, in less than three weeks, Mikeska received a letter from the IRS approving the Terry Mikeska foundation.
“I literally almost had heart failure in the post office,” Mikeska said. “I literally had to catch my breath. I didn’t know what to think. I kept thinking, ‘Oh my gosh! This is meant to be. This is unbelievable.’”
Now that Mikeska’s foundation has been approved, he said that he’s focusing on the trip itself. Last weekend, Mikeska sent almost 500 letters into the community, alerting the people of the foundation’s need for funds.
However, Mikeska said that each dollar goes a long way towards helping the villages in Nepal. On his last trip, he got about $103 dollars in Nepal money for one US dollar.
“A lot of these people who are giving $400-$500 checks,” Mikeska said. “They’re taking care of a village, of a school project and an orphanage’s needs alone.”
Furthermore, due to the foundation’s status as a nonprofit organization, all of the foundation’s expenses are now tax deductible.
Mikeska said that the generosity in the community “just blows my mind.”
“We have way, way, way generous people in our community,” Mikeska said. “So many people want to help--people [who] I haven’t met before. Anytime we have a disaster, or there’s a need for something, people are so generous and just pour out. I’m so proud of living in this community. I’ve lived here my whole life, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else."
Last year, the community raised over $17,000 for Mikeska’s mission to Nepal. Additionally, he only started fundraising this weekend and had already raised $400 by the time we spoke to him.
“Most of the movers and shakers in this community, I have to say, are the ones [who] really got excited about me going last year to Nepal and contributed a check for this mission,” Mikeska said.
Mikeska said that he’s aiming to have a “pretty successful mission” this time around. Jim Bass Ford has already pledged to collect caps for Mikeska to present to the villages in order to help them keep the sun off their faces as they work. Furthermore, Mikeska is planning to bring a doctor and a veterinarian to help care for the people.
“The whole trip is an eye opener,” Mikeska said. “I think everybody in their life should experience at least one mission.”
According to Mikeska, although Nepal’s fuel shortage has gotten better, and the protesting has pretty much stopped, the country still has some issues it needs to work through. He plans to leave on the 12th of September and return on the 18th of October.
“I want [to help] the poorest of the poor,” Mikeska said. “The villages that are so hungry for education and some help, not just handouts. Let’s help these people and educate them.”
Check out the Terry Mikeska foundation’s website for more information about the organization.
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