By NATASHA ALTAMIRANO

Shin Fujiyama said he wants to leave a lasting impression on the children of El Progreso, Honduras.

"We're trying to make a sustainable difference--we don't want to just shower them with gifts," said Fujiyama, who has organized several mission trips to Copprome, an orphanage in El Progreso, and the nearby Central American refugee village of Siete de Abril.

It turns out the University of Mary Washington senior is leaving a more permanent mark than he anticipated: the Shin Fujiyama School of Hope.

Teachers and parents of students decided to name the school in honor of Fujiyama, 23, for his fundraising and volunteer work that enabled the Siete de Abril facility to be built.

He said he appreciates the recognition, but modestly credited his nonprofit organization, Students Helping Honduras, UMW's Campus Christian Community and the Honduran villagers themselves for their work.

"It's not my own effort," Fujiyama said.

The Rev. Bob Azzarito, CCC's minister, said Fujiyama was "a huge influence" in building the support ministry.

"He'll graduate, as all students do," Azzarito said of Fujiyama, an international affairs major who plans to graduate in May and attend medical school in the future. "We will continue to support the student work there and try to give it some continuity."

Fredericksburg public schools donated old desks and chairs from Walker-Grant Middle School and the former James Monroe High School on Washington Avenue.

Henry Osburne, a Milwaukee, Wis.-based philanthropist and mentor to Fujiyama, offered to fund the salaries of four teachers.

Classes have begun, but the work is far from over, Fujiyama said.

"We can always add more," he said.

The school, which has the capacity for about 40 elementary school students, already has enrolled 60, Fujiyama said.

The next phase of the project is to build a bathroom--something the school currently lacks.

SHH also raised more than $150,000 for Copprome through a walkathon fundraiser last spring and a matching grant from local philanthropist Doris Buffett.

The money paid off Copprome's land debt and will go toward future renovations, including an education center and a dormitory.

Many of the orphans at Copprome come from Siete de Abril, Fujiyama said, adding that he hopes to improve the quality of life in the poor village and reduce the number of future orphans.

"Kind of like prevention--going to the root of the problem," he said.

Beginning Dec. 21, Fujiyama will lead four consecutive mission trips to El Progreso: first with his family, then with SHH, CCC and Rotary Club members from Stafford County and Fredericksburg.

Information on how to help is on the Web at studentshelping honduras.org

To reach NATASHA ALTAMIRANO:540/368-5036
Email: naltamirano@freelancestar.com