On A Mission to See Our HH Kids Sponsored!

Don't you just love opening the mailbox and finding letters from someone who cares inside?  Imagine how important such letters are to our students living at Holly House children's home!  We are on a mission to see our Holly House students sponsored.  Some have been waiting so long.  The sponsorship-program students living at HH are often there because they are orphans, live in such abject poverty that their families can not support them, or it is the ONLY place they can stay in order to get an education.  We are seeking full sponsors at $30/month or half-sponsors for only $15/month -- that helps cover their three meals/day and tuition at WHS or Galilee Primary.

Please consider these twins below -- although older students, they are highly motivated to get a high school education.  If you would like more infomration about sponsoring a child, please contact info@plantabook.org.

Meet Cavin - HH363

Cavin is 18 years old, with a birthday on September 13.  He is a twin to Gordon (below).  He is in form 2 at WHS and scored 359 on the KCPE.  He comes from a difficult background.  His father died and his mother tries to earn a living as a small scale farmer.  Therefore, Cavin went to live with his grandmother, and is now living at Holly House.  He enjoys reading books and watching the news.  Someday he dreams of becoming a doctor.  If you can be Cavin's sponsor or cosponsor, he would benefit greatly.

Meet Gordon - HH364

Gordon is 18 years old, with a birthday on September 13.  He is a twin to Cavin (above).  He is in form 2 at WHS and scored 370 on the KCPE.  He comes from a difficult background.  His father died and his mother tries to earn a living as a small scale farmer.  Therefore, Gordon went to live with his grandmother, and is now living at Holly House.  He enjoys reading books and magazines and playing football.  Someday he dreams of becoming a pilot.  Can you be Gordon's sponsor or cosponsor?

Let's make this a Happy New Year for our Waddington High School, Galilee Primary School and Holly House students and give them the gift of sponsorship!  School starts next week -- won't they be excited to hear those words, "You've been sponsored!" greeting them.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is almost here and we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year!  Thank you for the kindness and generosity you have shown toward the children of Galilee Primary School, Waddington High School, and Holly House orphanages.  It is our wish that you find peace in knowing you made a difference in the life of a child this year.

"Christmas… that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance -- a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved."

~  Augusta E. Rundel

 Happy Holidays!

Friday's Featured Child - Dorothy!

Meet Dorothy!

Dorothy has joined the form 1 class at WHS.  Her birthday is March 23, 1996.  She lives with her parents and two sisters in the slums.  She enjoys reading books, football, and reggae music.  She scored 261 on the KCPE.  Can you be Dorothy's friend and sponsor?

WHS sponsorship fees are $12.50/month for the basic program and $20/month for the lunch-included program.  For more information, please email info@plantabook.org.

Broken Hearted

There are no words to express the sorrow felt by Americans and others around the world over the horrible tragedy that happened on Friday.  We are all shaken to the core that this could happen to such dear innocent children -- babies really -- and teachers who were dedicated to kids.  Those of us who sponsor children at Galilee/WHS and Holly House orphanages have devoted ourselves to loving and helping children, so I'm certain that each one of you feels a deep sense of sorrow. To go on with our posts and lives without acknowledging the lives of those children and educators who were lost seemed hallow, so I just wanted to ask that tonight you spend a moment telling someone in your family that you love them and say a prayer. 
Warm wishes,
Brenda

Friday's Featured Child - Austin

 Meet Austin

Austin's birthday is June 23, 1996.  He has joined WHS in form 1.  Austin's best subject is math and he would like to be a doctor. He scored 319 on the KCPE. His parents live in abject poverty in the slums with Austin and his four siblings.  For fun, Austin enjoys music, especially gospel music, and football.  Won't you consider being Austin's new sponsor?

WHS sponsorship fees are $12.50/month for the basic program and $20/month for the lunch included program.  For more information, please email info@plantabook.org.

What the World Needs Now, Is Love, Sweet Love!

Term 3 letters arrived -- three large envelopes full of hundreds of letters!  They have been sorted, stuffed in envelopes, and Friday I spent a good 45 minutes at the post office working with my friendly postman to get them on their way to our sponsors.  I should have taken a picture of the box full of envelopes (next time!).  Some had to be weighed so that took some time.  I had sorted them according to USA regular, USA with extra postage required (because some people sponsor more than one child, their envelopes were fatter), overseas regular, overseas extra postage required, and then my big manila envelopes that are going to our beloved mail coordinators.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping us, Mail Coordinators!  I never mind doing the mail as it is a labor of love -- I know how important that correspondence is to the sponsors and to the children who took the time to write the letters and draw the picture.

 

Now I HAVE to tell you a story about sending these letters off! Of course, the post office line was growing longer and longer as I was monopolizing one of the three postman.  Just as I was feeling a little sorry to be holding things up during the postal holidays season, the postman, reading the return address, asked me what Plant-a-Book International was.  I explained that we are a group of people from all over the world that have joined together to support a school and orphanage in Kenya and that the envelopes contained letters from their sponsored children.  He was looking at the letters going to Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Canada, Australia, Germany, Denmark, Scotland, Finland, The Netherlands, the UK, Croatia, Spain, France, and all over the USA and he said, "So you are bringing people from all over the world together to help these kids?"  I said, "Yes."  He said, "The world needs more people like you!"  My spirits were soaring when I left there.  I couldn't have received a more meaningful compliment.

We are doing good things, Everyone!  Thank you for being a part of our sponsorship "family."

Brenda

Friday's Featured Child - Ann

Meet Ann!

Ann is 12 years old and in standard 7.  Her birthday is August 11.  Ann's father tries to find work as a casual laborer and her mother is unemployed.  Due to the extreme poverty of this family, they could not properly care for Ann and therefore she came to live at Holly House where she could have food, shelter and an education.  Ann enjoys reading story books.  Her best subjects are math and science and she dreams of being a doctor someday. HH sponsorship is $30/mo for full sponsorship or $15 for co-sponsorship.  Can you be Ann's sponsor and friend?

For more information, please email info@plantabook.org.

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day.  AIDS has had a horrendous impact on our students at Galilee and WHS.  Too many of our children have lost one or both parents because of this horrible disease.  An estimated 1.2 million Kenyan children have been orphaned because of AIDS. 

While education and awareness is bringing down the incidence of AIDS in Kenya, there are still many children living in the slums whose lives have been changed forever.  Fortunately we are able to provide Holly House orphanages for some of these students.  Holly House is a haven, providing food, shelter and the opportunity to attend school. 

To help these children in need, please sign up to sponsor a child today.  Please visit our website at www.plantabook.org or email info@plantabook.org for more information.