A Good Time for a Good Cause
The money from the carnival sends Kenyan students in the rural town of Chulaimbo to secondary school (high school). This allows these students to get an education, leading to a better life. The Umoja Project of Global Interfaith Partnership addresses the students’ needs with school fees, food, clothing, blankets, lamp oil and psychosocial support.
A few of our leaders got to know some of these students during a recent trip to Kenya. They are smart and motivated but have many obstacles to overcome, such as extreme poverty and the death of their parents. They know that education paves the road that leads out of poverty.
When you come to the carnival, you are making a contribution to give these students a way out of poverty. It takes only $325 to send a student through one year of high school, and a contribution of only $18 provides school lunch for a primary student for a year.
Any contribution is appreciated. We recently went to Kenya and the work of the Kenya Carnival is evident. With your help, Umoja is making the community of Chulaimbo better by providing education and support to the youth.
And, of course, the Kenya Carnival is a lot of fun! The event features live music, food and dozens of inflatables and games. Don’t miss this chance to have fun while supporting our friends in Kenya.
Jake Dennie, Sarah Matthews and Ben Booher, 2012 Kenya Carnival Co-Leaders
I want to point out a couple of things which need to be corrected from last year.
1. Last year a band or singing group was set up immediately in front of the main south doors of the church. Chairs were placed on the grass south of the flower beds.
During this performance too many got up and approached the band members to be with them – in so doing they walked through the begonia bed and trampled many beyond recognition. There were also plastic water bottles in the shrubs and flower beds – many are still being picked up.
This year. Try putting the band or performance group under the portecochere and chairs or standing on the driveway to the north around the chapel entrance and to the south by the handicapped parking. In this way no one will walking in the flower beds and disturbing any of the garden atmosphere in that area. You might even put yellow ribbon or signage around the begonia bed in order to keep people from walking through that area.
2. Last year also, several irrigation heads were broken which is expensive to replace along the south drive and in the turf because vechicles were allowed to drive on the grass where these heads are located. Please do not allow cars or trucks on the grassy areas.
3. More trash cans need to be located all around the areas of high pedestrian traffic.
Let me know if you have questions. I support your efforts totally but these are things which the Landscape committee had to deal with last year after your event was completed. Thanks for showing respect and appreciation for what the Landscape Committee does to keep the grounds looking presentable for all who attend and drive down Meridian Street daily.
Thanks, Doyne Swinford, Landscape Committee chairman
PS. Be sure that this information also gets to Julie Osborne, Brian Shivers and others who are leaders in this organization.