January 2005 Archives

MJDS Student Danielle Fink, Event Co-Chairs Lucinda Cummings, Miriam Graf, MJDS Student Elana Graf, Dr. Michele Wagner – Professor of African History at University of Minnesota, MJDS Student Mollie Kozberg, and Father Ben Oleket from Kenya who grew up 2 miles from the Ugandan border, and walked two miles each day for water when he was a boy.

Students at the Minneapolis Jewish Day School have raised $4642.38 for the African Well Fund! The students raised the funds through their annual Readathon. The money raised will be used by AWF’s partner organization, Africare, to fund water projects in Africa.

Each year, students at MJDS raise money for a different charity through their Readathon. During their winter school vacation, students obtain adult sponsors in the community to donate money for each book read. The students read as many books as they can and then donate the funds to a charity selected by the 6th graders. This year the sixth graders selected Africare as the charity and the African Well Fund project was chosen as the specific program to fund.

The final totals were announced at the Readathon Celebration at the school on January 21st. 128 children participated in this year’s Readathon. Together they read more than 750 books, enabling them to raise more than $4000. Speaking at the celebration were Dr. Michele Wagner a professor of African History at University of Minnesota and Father Ben Oleket. Father Ben was born in Kenya and he spoke about growing up in Africa where had to walk two miles for water each day.

The top 3 fundraisers each received an African Well Fund t-shirt and every participant received an African Well Fund sticker. Participants in this year’s Readathon will benefit not only from the encouragement to read that the program fosters, but also from an increased awareness of the lack of access to clean water in Africa.

The Minneapolis Jewish Day School is located at 4330 Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis MN. MJDS is an independent K-8 institution dedicated to fostering a respect for self, school, and community that prepares students to live in a complex and democratic society. For more information please visit their website at http://www.mjds.net/mjds/index.html.

The African Well Fund salutes the students and donors of the Minneapolis Jewish Day School community for their wonderful generosity. This achievement will have a significant impact on the daily lives of many Africans.

Greetings and Happy New Year!

The African Well Fund is pleased to announce that during 2004 we raised a grand total of $39,902.92! In December alone, contributions totaled $7576! That brings our total raised since inception to $65,935.70! We wish to thank each and every one of you who made this possible. Our fundraising goal for 2004 was $30,000 and we are thrilled to have not only met but to have exceeded this goal.

The African Well Fund would like to take a moment to look back at the highlights of 2004 as well as taking a look forward at what is in the works for 2005.

* The second annual Bono Birthday Well campaign was a tremendous success, raising more than $15,000.

* AWF was pleased to have taken part in the rally in Philadelphia for the launch of the ONE campaign. AWF hosted an informational table at the event. The ONE campaign is a new effort to rally Americans to fight global AIDS and extreme poverty. The rally marked the beginning of a great partnership between DATA and AWF. Data and AWF co-hosted tables at the Riviera Village Arts Festival in Redondo Beach, CA on June 26th and 27th.

* AWF introduced its “10 Miles in Her Shoes” fundraiser in 2004. The fundraiser takes its name from the distances many African women and girls must travel each day to retrieve the day’s supply of water for their families. Originally conceived as a summer fundraiser, 10 Miles has evolved into a year-round campaign. The AWF has developed fundraising/educational kits for schools based on the 10 Mile theme.

* AWF began offering merchandise for sale through our website. T-shirts, water bottles and bumper stickers are available for purchase. Additionally, AWF offers the purchase of “Well Share” and “Miles in Her Shoes” certificates. These certificates present a wonderful “alternative” gift for any occasion and may be purchased in honor of a friend, co-worker or loved one.

* During the month of September, AWF was the beneficiary of the proceeds of two exciting events. On September 18th a Jazz for Peace concert benefiting AWF was held at Penang in New York City. The following day, on September 19th, Picture This! a community fundraising event, organized by AWF board member Elizabeth Beech and a host of volunteers was held in Fullerton California. The event was a tremendous success, raising over $1000.

* On Sunday Nov. 7th, AWF participated in Fullerton, CA's "Alternative Gift Fair". The fair was sponsored by several area churches. AWF participated alongside organizations such as Heifer Int. and Habitat for Humanity and raised $730 at the event.

* The release of U2’s new CD, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, provided a new opportunity for U2 fans to show their support for the AWF. @U2, the U2 fansite, hosted 3 listening parties on Nov. 21st in Boston, Seattle and St. Louis. AWF was the recipient of all proceeds from the events and over $1000 was raised.

* AWF received updates from Africare regarding wells built in 2003 as well as a look at the new projects that are on deck..

Looking Ahead to 2005

2005 promises to be another exciting and productive year. The year started off on a good note with a story about AWF featured on U2.com, the band’s official website. Plans are already in the works for this year’s “Build a Well for Bono’s Birthday” campaign which we hope will be even more successful than last year.

We hope to continue our partnership with DATA as well as forge new partnerships with other organizations. In February and March, look for us to support rock band Jars of Clay and their 1000 Well initiative.

In 2005, AWF will be looking to expand its reach and fundraising power. With increased donations we hope to be able to fund some larger scale clean water projects in order to reach as many people possible in the most efficient, sustainable manner.

We remain dependent on our volunteers and donors to make this possible. Check our volunteer forum often for the latest news on our ongoing projects and to share any new ideas or suggestions.

Again, thank you for all your support!

The African Well Fund was recently featured in a news story on U2.com, the official website of the rock group U2. The story highlights our mission and our recent well project updates. Thank you to U2.com for the coverage and as always thank you to all the donors who have made the well projects possible.

Read the story here.