Phone: 1.800.775.1797

MELISSA FAY GREENE is well known for her 2006 book, “There is No Me Without You”, an account of one Ethiopian woman’s journey to save the lives of children orphaned by the AIDS crisis. Greene’s talks at the camp will be based on her latest book, “No Biking in the House Without a Helmet”, which details the ups and down of raising nine children, of whom four were adopted at older ages from Ethiopia and one from Bulgaria. Two of Greene’s Ethiopian children, Helen and Daniel Samuel, will also be at Camp participating in the session “Growing Up In America”, which is a panel discussion among teen and young adult first generation Ethiopians exploring the challenges and opportunities of American life. Greene’s honors include two National Book Award nominations, a National Book Critics Circle Award nomination, the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, and many others. Greene, a Georgia native, and her husband, defense attorney Don Samuel, live in Atlanta, where six of their children still live at home. Here is an example of what the critics are saying about Greene’s book:

“No Biking in the House Without a Helmet is Melissa Fay Greene’s sprawling, imperfect, courageous and joyful account of the adoption process, warts and all. and the way her family welcomed and made room for each child, as well as the inevitable homesickness and culture clashes and sometimes rocky emotional terrain. The moral of her story? Just the opposite of the title’s warning. Don’t be afraid to break the rules, to “steer by the light of what makes us laugh, what makes us feel good” -especially if it means biking in the house, with or without a helmet. Sure, she has an adult side – she can say “No” and mean it, lock a tantrum-throwing 5-year-old in a therapeutic jaws-of-life grip, and wisely remind the reader that an adopted child “is not a blank slate to be wiped clean by a new mommy and daddy.” But beneath the mature surface lurks a tall, curly-headed, grinning Pop-tart lover who adores science projects and has no idea how to dress like a grown-up (“For the love of God,” her teenage daughter says, seeing one of Greene’s outfits). With deep compassion, sparkling humor and an unshakable faith in the power of the whoopee cushion, she leads the way.”
-Gina Webb, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4/27/2011.

We all know and in fact, love Injera, which is a staple of our food and culture. Therefore, we have decided to put the limelight on Injera this year. In this session we will discuss how Injera is made traditionally. We will also cover the other traditional ingredients of Injera in addition to Teff. We will demonstrate how to preserve Injera the right way. You will also learn how Injera is currently being made using the Injera Making Machine invented by Dr. Wudineh Admassu. Ato Kassahun Maru of Zelalem Injera will join Dr. Admassu in this discussion.

WUDNEH ADMASSU,PHD was born and raised in Ethiopia, where he attended primary, elementary and high school. He came to the US in the 1970’s and attended Oregon State University, where he received his Bachelors of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering in 1979. He received his Masters of Science in Chemical Engineering from University of Idaho (UI) in 1980, and subsequently obtained a PhD in Chemical Engineering from UI in 1984. Dr. Admassu taught for two years as a visiting professor at UI from 1984 – 1986. Thereafter, he spent several years in the private sector before being recruited heavily to come back and teach and do research at University of Idaho. Since 1992 he has taught and done research at UI, while serving in various academic and leadership positions. In addition to serving as the Chair of the Chemical Engineering Department from 1998 to 2005, he currently serves as the chair of two programs, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at UI. Dr. Admassu is the owner of six patents and has published numerous articles in major journals. Of particular note is fact that he is inventor of the first patented automated Injera Making Machine. Currently two machines are in operation, one in Dallas, Texas since 2000 and one in Washington, DC since 2004.