Thank you for all who attended last night’s screening of the documentary, Graceland Girls and fundraiser to send two Kenyan girls to high school. It was a great success! We raised over $900 and are much closer to our goal. We have now collectively raised over $11,000 and we are only a few hundred short of sending both girls, Filisha and Catherine, to school for all four years! Our cup runneth over.
Thank you again to Premier Bartending & Beverage Service for providing the beer and wine, to our friend Kim for her tremendous party planning skills, to my two sisters who staffed the front door table, to my parents for spending their 42nd wedding anniversary with me to watch the documentary they have seen half a dozen times, to my dear friend, travel companion and girl education champion, Marcie Simon for her big heart and for making all this happen, and to all of you for caring so much to show your support in so many wonderful ways! We couldn’t do this without you.
I surprised Marcie with a “Kenya Outtakes” video from our trip following the screening. It was wonderful to share with viewers who we really are and what it was like behind the scenes. While reviewing some of the additional footage not used in the film, Dr. Tom Kariuki, a board member at the Graceland School, talked about the goal of creating a middle class in Kenya by the year 2030. The only way to do that is to give everyone the opportunity to get an education, including those who are so often denied access, pulled from school to be married for a dowry or who can’t afford tuition. We couldn’t agree more.
In closing, I want to thank Grace Wachira for whom the school is named. Despite the cultural pressures and poverty, Grace insisted her family get an education when she was denied one as a girl. She taught her children the benefits of schooling, which ultimately led to the success of her son, Nderitu Wachira, and others like him who took her lessons to heart, understood the importance of helping those less fortunate and created the Graceland School to help end the cycle of poverty in their motherland. Thank you, Grace. You are an inspiration to women everywhere.
What a fabulous night with so much generosity. Thank you thank you thank you!