in case you missed it

In case you weren't able to attend our event, you may want to read my welcoming remarks. You'll certainly want to watch Lynne's new film!


Thanks to all 400 of you who came to the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center on Friday night. It was a tremendous turnout and huge show of support for the work we're doing in Uganda. There was a big love-fest going on all night, and it felt really good. 


 We still like to call this event a friendraiser, because part of the reason we gather together each year is to spread the word about the children in Uganda who have stolen our hearts. We don’t charge a fee to attend this event. We don’t have a fancy dinner. We don’t even ask you to dress up. We’d like to think that some of you will become friends of Change the Truth for the first time tonight. All that really means is that you will keep the names and faces of these children in your heart. And when it comes time for our volunteers to travel to the orphanage in December, maybe you’ll find some gently used clothes in your kids’ closets to send over with them. Or you’ll go to Michaels and buy a few sets of watercolors and markers. Or you’ll arrange for a Change the Truth presentation at your school, church or synagogue. Or maybe you’ll decide you want to sponsor an orphan so that he or she can attend school. Or maybe you’ll even think about traveling to the orphanage to volunteer there. There are 30 wonderful people who have made that trip already. Seven more volunteers will be going this December. And two very kind souls, both of whom have been there once already, are heading over to the orphanage on Monday! A lot of these folks are here tonight. I hope they know how grateful I am for their generosity, their commitment to improving lives and their unwavering devotion to these special and deserving children.

We also call this a fundraiser, of course. This is our one big chance each year to raise the money it takes to provide school fees, food, clothing, medical care and a full time social worker for the 180 kids living at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage.

Let me tell you just how far we’ve come.

In early 2007, when CTT was granted its status as a 501(c)(3), we were able to pay school fees for five children. There were about twenty people on the mailing list (and that included my father, my two brothers, my sister and three cousins).  I knew very little about the world of non-profits, and, I’ll admit to you now, I absolutely did not know what I was getting into.

Five years later, the Change the Truth office is still at my kitchen counter, and my family members still send money, but oh so much has changed! Our mailing list has grown to over 650 people. We now sponsor 29 students, not only in secondary school, but also in vocational school and at University. Our first professional school graduate, Douglas, is currently the nurse at the orphanage clinic. He attends to burns, broken bones, malaria, coughs and stomachaches. His salary is paid by Change the Truth, and he is currently working on ways to make the clinic self-sustaining by providing medical care for a small charge to the entire community. We’ve set up a fully equipped computer lab. Change the Truth established a textbook library this past year.  There is tutoring available during the school holidays. The children go to school wearing spiffy uniforms and new shoes.  There are rainwater collection tanks on the grounds of the orphanage thanks to Change the Truth. There are sustainable vegetable gardens. There is a marching band now, complete with tubas and saxophones and classy green uniforms. The children are fed three meals a day. They sleep on new sheets and mattresses, under new blankets and mosquito nets. The soccer team no longer has to complete in their bare feet with bare chests – now they have uniforms, shin guards and cleats. Those children who need glasses now wear them. One child who was severely hearing impaired now has hearing aids. Finally, the children can turn to a full time on-the-ground social worker, Melissa Mosher, whenever they need help… whether they need a new bar of soap, a backpack for their books or a shoulder to cry on when their emotions get the best of them.

I’d say that’s a lot of progress in just five years! Thank you for making that possible.

Some people ask me: “Why Africa? There are plenty of children right here in Kansas City who need food, new clothes and money for school. Why direct your attention half way around the world when your own neighbors are in need?” It’s a valid question and one I think about a lot. My trips to Africa have enriched my life in a way I could never have predicted. Each time I share the experience with others, their lives become fuller, too.

All of us who have been to Uganda have a changed perspective on giving, on helping, on hoping. I believe the work we do there has made us more insightful and empathetic. And that allows us to do better work in our own neighborhoods. The richer and broader our life experiences become, the better we can serve others. My fellow team members and I enjoy helping children here AND there. Young people in need – all around the world - belong to the family of humankind. That’s our family – yours and mine. I hope at some point to expand the reach of Change the Truth to include more of these children – children from other countries, including this one. That’s my dream for the future.

Though we have made great strides at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage, we still, of course, have much work to do.  Change the Truth has made a commitment to these kids. Those we currently sponsor are counting on us to see them through their academic careers, and the younger kids coming up are hoping to be included in our scholarship program. The children have come a long way from the bedraggled, underfed, unsure, lonely young people they were just five short years ago. But, as you know, it takes a village to help children like this develop into successful and secure young adults. Please don’t look at this night as an opportunity to pick up a bargain or two. Please do consider this your chance to ensure a healthy and bright future for the kids at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage. If they were here tonight, they’d hug you to pieces for doing so.

Now it’s time to watch Lynne Melcher’s new film! After the movie, we will have a special treat for you. If all goes well with the cyberspace gods ands goddesses, we will have a video Skype chat with Melissa and a few of the children at the orphanage. You will meet the talented Okecha brothers – Oscar, Brian and Willy. Their artwork dominates the collection of drawings and paintings you’ll be bidding on tonight. You’ll meet the star of Lynne’s film – Nicky. And you’ll hear a few words from two precious young girls, Tina and Petra. Remember, it’s 4 in the morning in Uganda, so the kids, while very excited to speak with us, may be a little sleepy.

If the call doesn’t work, no problem--- that just means you’ll have more time to bid!

Have fun, and thank you so, so much for sticking with us these five years and for believing in these awesome children. 


[The video posted here is small for ease of viewing.]