I had planned to go to Kenya to review the needs of the school. However, while I was planning to go, a number of things came up that began to change my plan. I started to think about having Jackie come here instead.
How much better could it be than to have Jackie, the founder of the school, here to show us the benefit of all our provision? To come and share the stories of our impact with us?
Jackie agreed to travel to the states. She originally planned for a 2 week stay but it became apparent that 2 weeks would not be enough time. Many people and groups wanted to hear from her. We discussed it back and forth and decided on 2 months.
Jackie arrived and felt the cold immediately since the temperature was only 37 degrees. Back in Kenya, it was closer to 70. We picked Jackie up in Seattle and it took 2 hours to get her through customs.
Once on the road, and slightly behind schedule, we stopped for lunch at The Attic. There we over looked the waterfall and enjoyed fresh bread with soup. Our next stop would be Wenatchee where we would discuss our plans with some friends who had been supporting the Foundation and who are also Rotary club members.
We spent the night in Wenatchee, talking into the late night, and woke up early to go for breakfast. We met with more people there and had a wonderful conversation.
It became clear that our collaborative focus with Jackie should aim to purchase the property the school sits on. The Rotary club would be willing to help us fund improvements if we owned the property.
Our goal is to raise 35,000 dollars for purchasing land that the school sits on. We would love to collect more so we could update the cook stove and the food area.
Our other goal is to find sponsors for our 8th grade graduates, the initial cost is 800.00 dollars per youth. Sponsoring a youth purchases bedding, books, uniforms and food for the year. The youth will need 500.00 per year afterwards to finish high school. The youth attend school at public boarding schools several miles away from the slums.
Here is the growth we have seen thus far, the school has grown from 60 children with Jackie teaching 6 classes, to having 260 children now, a feeding program , (17) 8th grade graduates this year, 9 teachers, and another 150 children wanting to join.
Successes we have seen: 2 of the young men we sponsored into 9th grade last year hold the highest grade points in their schools. The children at Beyond the Vision Community School are learning good manners and learning how to fit in society. Jackie likes to say "we are taking the slum out of them."
Wow how time flies, Jackie has come and gone... We had a fast paced schedule while she was here, we interviewed with White Horse Media with Steve Wohlburg and had an interview with KMBI 107.9 with Scott and Dee In the Morning. Jackie and I presented around Spokane, Pend Oreille County, Chelan, Wenatchee and even made a trip to Phoenix Arizona. Through out this time we were able to secure 5 scholarships for children, $10,000 for land purchase and an additional $4,000.00 in the general fund.
We have more commitments out there from others.
Thank you each and every one who has helped to make Jackie's trip here such a wonderful experience...
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