Nov 2012 Newsletter
November 2012
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Water Project & Segal Family Foundation: Perfect together and moving forward
Grant Advances Clean Water Project
A generous $24,000 grant from the Segal Family Foundation narrows the gap to bring clean water to St. Lawrence School students and patients in the new St. Frances Health Center before the approaching January dry season. The 510′ well is drilled, the pump house is built, and the water tower, soaring above the school buildings, promises an exciting future without yellow jerry cans filled with dirty pond water. The pump house and empty water tower stand like beacons of hope, thirsting for clean water to flow across the mile and a half that separates them. How will this happen?
Thanks to the Segal grant, the installation of poles and wiring to electrify the water pump will begin. Digging the long trench and laying pipes to connect the pump house to the tower and installing a distribution network to the school and health center requires a remaining $90,000.
Our partner schools have raised over $50,000 and combined with Merck & Co. Inc.’s $35,000 and other contributions our QuartersForWater Project has steadily progressed. To help us accomplish our new goal, we ask you to reach out and invite churches, schools, businesses and corporations to become a CALU partner. We invite you also to be a part of CALU history.
$20 Buys a Yard of Pipeline.
You can change the lives of an entire African community with the $20 purchase of a yard of pipeline from the 2,973 yard distance between the well and the tower. This holiday season, consider giving the gift of water with a special gift card to a family member or friend. Whether it is 1 yard or 50 yards, each yard brings us closer to clean water for our children. (If you have trouble downloading the card, email jsemler@changealifeuganda and she will send it to you.)
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QuartersForWater
Chester Community Charter School Donates to the Water Project!
Students from Chester Community School located in Chester PA, an economically challenged city, are proud of how they helped students in Uganda. Having raised $1,340 in the first half of 2012, they are excited to start again with cake sales, Friday dress down day and “I changed a life” bracelets. Fr. Lawrence, during his recent visit to Chester Community School, thanked the students and personalized QuartersForWater with his stories about the school and the children’s daily fetching water chores.
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CashForCrafts and FundsForFarming
Fr. Lawrence Thanks Rumson Country Day School for Children’s Microcredit Program
For the last two years, Rumson Country Day School has funded a successful micro credit program for CALU students, women and teachers. Members of the teacher’s group received small loans for individual income-producing projects, as did the women craft’s group. The children’s program is an animal rearing project involving chickens, pigs, and goats. The child learns skills to raise and sell the animals and to keep accurate records. We can proudly report that all the children, teachers and women have paid back their loans. A new component to this partnership is the opening of individual savings accounts which could help fund the children’s future educations.
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Festivities and Celebration Marked CALU’s
5-Year Anniversary during Fr. Lawrence’s Visit
A festive and fun-filled African Picnic at Knightsbridge Farm in Middletown, NJ honored CALU’s 5-year anniversary. Cotton candy, a delicious pig roast, traditional African food, a competitive Uganda vs. US soccer game (in which Father Lawrence exhibited his goalie skills), Ugandan music and dancing and an evening barn fire made for a fabulous family event.
Siobhan Fallon Hogan, our master of ceremonies, hosted a lively auction to raise money for pigs, goats, chickens for FundsForFarming, pipes for the QuartersForWater project and children’s sponsorships. Special thanks to Sophia Kho and her family for providing their horse farm, a perfect venue for our celebration. Thank you Kerry Chandler, Gaye Nicholson, Sophia Kho, and Christina and Tom Durney for making this fabulous family event happen.
Hands down, Father Lawrence’s trip was a great success. In addition to the African picnic, he updated our supporters at a wonderful afternoon event hosted by Kathy & Mark Fable in Old Tappan and at a special fundraiser for QuartersForWater at the Buona Sera Restaurant in Red Bank. A warm thank you to Chris Mariani, owner of Buona Sera for his generous support and for the organizing expertise of Mary Maralla and Liz Annino.
We have so much to be thankful for.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL.