The 2026 Ten Friends trip to Nepal - departing from Redmond on July 28 and returning August 21 - will be an exciting 3 ½ weeks featuring the following activities and visits to many of the facilities and organizations we support:
The trip will be led by Ten Friends co-founder, Mark LaMont and Board President, Bruce Abernethy. As in previous years, it will include several local high school students (and an adventurous new adult, Dr. Scott McNairy). Let's meet the traveling team!
Meet the Students who are traveling to Nepal in 2026Maddi Richards (12th gr. at Bend High School)
I'm Madeline Richards, a rising senior at Bend Senior High School and an IB Diploma candidate. I'm very outgoing and love spending time with friends and meeting new people. Talking with others energizes me! I love travel and adventure. I snowboard, camp and hike throughout the Central Oregon Cascades where I grew up, and have backpacked extensively in the Colorado Rockies and Washington's northern Cascades with Outward Bound. This summer I'm also backpacking in Colorado with High Mountain Institute and will be home two days before the Nepal trip! I'm working on my Spanish and endlessly curious about all things related to biology. Last summer I did an environmental sustainability internship in Bali. I'm so excited to travel to Nepal, to make new connections, and especially to meet the children in the villages we'll visit. I can't wait to experience their culture and way of life, and to give back in ways that matter to their community.
Sky Goldstein (12 th gr. Caldera High School)
Hello! My name is Sky Goldstein, and I am going to be a senior at Caldera High School. I love to play tennis, read, and bake. I’m really interested in TV and Film, and have been enrolled in the Dual Immersion program, where I learned to speak Spanish, since kindergarten. I lived in Spain with my family in 8th grade where I grew a lot as a person and learned so much about Spanish culture. I’m over the moon excited for this trip not only because of the amazing travel opportunity, but the chance it gives me to learn about a new culture and help those who deserve it the most. I am excited to build connections with new people who have different perspectives, and eager to grow as a person and step outside my daily routine to help make change for the better.
Lila Carter (recent graduate of Caldera High School)
Hello, my name is Lila Carter. I am 17 and I recently graduated from Caldera High School in June. In fall of 2027 I will be attending Colorado State University and this upcoming year I am taking a gap year to travel. A little about me is that I have lived in three countries: the US, Spain, and Brazil and I am fluent in Spanish as I have been a part of the Bend La-Pine dual immersion program since kindergarten. I am a multi-sport athlete and was a part of the varsity Nordic Ski and Tennis team last year. I love baking, Formula 1 racing, and obviously traveling. I am extremely excited for this trip as it gives me an opportunity to help people, learn a new culture and way of life, meet incredible people, and see a beautiful country. This trip will help me gain new perspectives on the world and definitely teach me how to be a better person.
Ligaya Wert (recent graduate of Caldera High School)
Hi! My name is Ligaya Wert and I’m heading to OSU this fall after recently graduating from Caldera High School. I plan to major in Biology and minor in Spanish and History. I love to play tennis, sing, cook, write, make art, and go outside! My biggest goal in life is to learn as much as possible, which is something where traveling can play a key role. It’s amazing to feel inspired by different cultures and places, especially when I’m about to enter college. I’m super excited to help support Nepal’s education and gain a broader perspective of the world.
Meet one of our 2026 Chaperons Dr. Scott McNairy
I am Scott McNairy, a retired physician who practiced 50 years as an adult psychiatrist specializing in addictions and pain medicine. In the picture are my two youngest children, twins Joe, a filmmaker and Ellie, a US Forest Service field biotech. at the Sisters office. Their mother and I moved from MN to Bend after the COVID Epidemic to be closer to them. I was employed for 18 years at the Minneapolis Veterans Hospital in the Addiction Services department just before 911 and through the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. I dually served as program director of the Postgraduate Fellowship in Addictions at the University of Minnesota. In concert with 10 other universities, we developed a much-needed specialty board certification program for all physicians. During the COVID epidemic I provided mental healthcare for severely impaired adolescents. After that I took a "walkabout" in the rainforests of Costa Rica where I decided “it was time to stop doctoring.” In 2009 I went on a medical mission in the mountains of Haiti sponsored by our church. It was my first exposure to severe poverty and child malnutrition. I am grateful for the opportunity to join this service mission to Nepalese children. I had a vision of joining another such mission this past year and Ten Friends appeared. I firmly believe there is no such thing as a coincidence.
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