party pics: finale

If you weren't able to attend our event this year, do make plans for next year. You can begin that endeavor by getting on the Change the Truth mailing list. Please contact Gloria.

If you are interested in getting information about going on the next CTT trip to Uganda, that's another good reason to get in touch. Plans are now being made.

Here is the last batch of photos taken at the Friendraiser/Fundraiser. Enjoy!

Ann and Rob Thomas

Paula Shteamer

Jesse DeMartino and Amy Duke

Bob Tostevin, Sarah Deacy and Lisa Tostevin

Wynne Wurster Winter

Harold Melcher and Gloria

Kit Smith, Kelsey Smith, Brooke Vittor, Laura Gibbons and Vicki Reisler

Xavier, drummer from the Traditional Musical Society

Lee Winter at work in the Kajjansi Marketplace

Brenda and Lonnie Powell

Wesley Blann

party pics: part 2

Max and Eddie Feinstein

Dancers from the Traditional Music Society

Anna Svoboda-Stel and Paige Harper

Melissa Mosher, David Andre and Carol Joseph

Drummers from Operation Breakthrough

Silent auction

Abbie and Sam Brandao

Silent auction

Tom Corbin and Andy Forbes

party pics: part 1

Just as he did last year, my good friend Michael Spillers generously volunteered his time and talent taking pictures at the Friendraiser/Fundraiser. He said it just makes him feel good to help.

Did you know that helping others actually increases the amount of serotonin in your system? Receiving help from someone does the same thing. And unbelievably, WATCHING someone help someone else does the trick, as well!

We were all on a real high Thursday night, that's for sure.

Dancers from the Traditional Music Society

Mary and Sarah Deacy

Ellen and Stuart Eisen

Gloria with Lynn Kaufman

Dancers from the Traditional Music Society

a very compassionate ten-year old

Several people who have young children asked me if they could bring them to our fundraiser and, more specifically, if the movie would be appropriate for them to watch. Parents do what they have to do – some protect for a good long time, while others let their children go ahead and learn about the real world.


My neighbors and friends, Jane and Josh, brought their ten-year old daughter. Jane told me that Leah has been reading about the Holocaust already. In fact she reads everything she can get her hands on and even recently watched “Schindler’s List.” She has a big heart and a knack for understanding other people’s pain. She’s only ten, I keep reminding myself.

We had a sign-up sheet for people who would like more information about going to Uganda with the next Change the Truth Team. Guess whose name I found about half way down the list? Yep. You guessed it: Leah.

I called her yesterday and asked her to write a few words about the Friendraiser/Fundraiser. About an hour later, I got this incredible composition. Neither of her parents were at home, so I know this came strictly from the heart, soul and hand of Leah:

“Gloria has done something good-hearted. She has given children something to make them feel like children. These children now feel loved, nurtured, even pretty happy. The children in Uganda die from sickness, poor living-conditions, and war. Gloria has gone to Uganda with a group of people and helped those children. She gave them music, sanitation, love, art, comfort, blissfulness, and much more. Gloria and her group want to spread what they’re doing, so Gloria wrote a book with some help. Someone made a movie, and Gloria took pictures. First I’m going to share what I thought about the movie.

The movie basically reached into your heart and pulled out everything stored inside. Everywhere around me were people. In all those people’s hearts were understanding and compassion. In all those people’s eyes were tears. On the screen were so many kids who were dirty and undernourished, who had been traumatized when they were young. They stored their memories in and then on the screen their stories poured out with words, drawings, and tears. So many tears. But today they are almost all the way stitched up and on their way to recovery. Now, less people are dying from disease and more people are happy. Now I’ll tell you something about the book.

In the book are Gloria’s amazing pictures, drawings the children made, quotes the children wrote, and dreams the children had. All the photographs were of these children. One really reached out to me. There were lots of children, reaching out for something. I think they are reaching out for food. I loved this picture so much, my mother bought it with the special-edition book. One of my favorite drawings is one of roses, probably drawn in pastel or crayon.

The book and the movie moved me so much, that I would like to go to Uganda. There is a twelve-year-old doing it, so can’t a ten-year-old? I think anyone can. Anyone can do something good. Everyone should do something good. And Gloria and so many others have.

Leah”

art is a powerful thing

Many people came to our silent art auction looking for drawings made by child artists they admired at last year's event. Some were turned onto these children's talents for the first time.

All were moved by the beauty of the work.


I received this note from one of the successful bidders. I'm to pass it along to Isabella, who is actually one of the most talented of all:

“Dear Isabella,

Thank you so much for the beautiful painting of the woman getting water. We will probably never meet, but I will think of you and your home each time I look at your painting. Art is a powerful thing. It can bring people together even though they are many miles away. My very best to you and your brothers and sisters at St. Mary Kevin.

Bob”

claire, nicky, smiling, change the truth fundraiser

This is Claire. This is the smile that would greet us each morning when we arrived at St. Mary Kevin, and it is the smile that lasted for most of the day. It’s one of those smiles that beams its way into your head and heart so that, even if Claire is off doing something else and isn’t in your line of sight, you refer back to it for inspiration. Of course, by our standards, she doesn’t have a whole lot to smile about. That’s where the inspiration part comes into play – at least for me it does. Kids like Claire help keep me going when I start to have difficulty keeping it together, whether I’m in Uganda or the USA.


Kids like Claire are the reason so many of us have dug in our heels and spent many, many hours preparing for tonight’s friendraiser/fundraiser (6 – 9 PM at the Screenland Theatre, Kansas City.) The money that we’ll raise tonight by selling drawings, dolls, dinner plates, dyed fabrics and jewelry made by Claire and the other orphans, will help insure that food, education and medical care are things she doesn’t have to worry about day in and day out. She can focus her attention on her schoolwork, her friends, her jump rope, and the hope she feels in her heart for a better future.

The first time I trudged onto the grounds of St. Mary Kevin, I was a jet lagged traveler who was simply overwhelmed, astonished and saddened by the situation in which the orphans lived. They were segregated on one side of the school grounds; the children with parents had the privilege of living on the other side. The two sides were like night and day. Even though both were tired, dirty and shockingly sad, the orphans’ “neighborhood” was distinctly worse. The children sat together, isolated from the non-orphans, on a dirt path in front of the small dormitory to eat their food. They were the second-class citizens.

All of that has changed now. The orphans have been integrated into the school population at SMK; they join the others at tables (though many still prefer to sit on the floor) to eat their meals, they wear nicer clothes, they have opportunities for education, they smile.

In fact, Rosemary has told me that now the orphans are envied by the others. They are no longer the dirty street kids who had nothing and were nothing; they have been so boosted up by Change the Truth that the non-orphans wish they were getting such royal treatment!

The first time I met my little friend, Nicholas, he could not speak English very well. He was painfully shy and mostly kept his head down. He tried, in very rudimentary English, to tell me the story about how his parents were killed by rebels in a war in the northern part of Uganda, his home. He couldn’t get past the part about his mother being dragged out of their home by soldiers. So we just kind of sat together crying for a while.

Now Nicholas (who announced to me during an art class this past December that he would now be signing his drawings “Nicky” and would I please call him that?) is taller and much more confident. His English is wonderful. He has blossomed in art and in music. Nicky’s smile, like Claire’s, will get you through the roughest day life might throw your way. Nicky is a great student; he works hard because he wants to be a doctor someday, and he knows the school fees will be there for him. His heart is as big as a heart can possibly be. He is one of the most respected and well-liked kids at SMK. He’s come a long way from the day I first spotted him sitting in the dirt eating his porridge in front of his shabby dorm, ostracized because he was an orphan. People look up to Opio Nicholas, not down.

Change the Truth has been hugely instrumental in making these changes happen.

Tonight is our shot at raising money so that we can continue to ensure that Claire, Nicky and all the others who have taught us so much – mainly about possibilities and hope - can keep on smiling.

Please join us.

sponsored student: catherine

Two days from now is the Change the Truth 2nd Annual Friendraiser/Fundraiser - our chance to make more people aware of the plight of the children at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood. A lot of hard work has gone into making this event a special one. I am lucky to have a committee of dedicated and enthusiastic men and women who believe that we truly can make a difference in the lives of these kids.


Here is another of those kids. Catherine, age 15, has been one of our sponsored students for awhile now. She arrived at the orphanage when she was 10. She is quiet, but determined. She was one of hardest workers when we put in the garden this past December. She's seen a lot of horror in her young life and understandably finds it difficult to discuss. Both her parents were killed in the civil war in northern Uganda.

Catherine loves playing netball (a game similar to basketball), reading and taking care of infants. She works hard in school and wants to become a doctor. Here is what she wrote to me recently thanking CTT for paying her school fees:

"You have made my dreams come true of being an optician. I want to become an optician because I want to treat people with problems of the eye. I am so happy because you have made my dreams come true and I know I will make it.

From your lovely girl,

Catherine"

change the truth friendraiser/fundraiser

It's happening two weeks from tonight! You won't want to miss it. We are going to have a great African market, wonderful artwork by the children from the orphanage, Lynne Melcher's new movie "Changing the Truth", drummers from Operation Breakthrough and the release of the book that is a collaboration between the children and me. There will be food, a cash bar and valet parking. The event is free and open to the public. Bring your friends and family! 6 - 9 PM at the Screenland Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. Hope to see you there!

kc studio article

Lynne and I were interviewed recently for an article in "KC Studio" a magazine which supports the arts community in Kansas City. Click here and flip to page 34 if you'd like to read it!

change the truth update

I’d like to begin by saying thanks to all those generous souls who continue to reach into their pockets to help Ugandan children at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood (SMKOM.) Times are tough here; they are even worse there. Food prices have risen significantly since our team was there in December, and the value of the shilling against the US dollar has weakened by 10%. A recent contribution to CTT that really warmed my heart was from a fellow student in the 2006 workshop I attended in Uganda – on the trip to Africa that got this whole thing rolling. The donation was in honor of his daughter, who was adopted from Kazakhstan, and it was enough to feed one child for a whole year. I thought that was very cool.

Some not so very good news from SMKOM is that malaria cases among the children have risen 30% during the past couple of months. CTT has sent much needed funds to cover extra hours for the nurse, as well as medications. All of the children have mosquito nets; it appears they are being bitten when they are outside their dormitories. We are going to investigate the idea of supplying cream or spray repellents.

The other bit of bad news is that even though CTT has provided the funds for the repair of the maize mill equipment, the price of raw maize has reached such highs that SMKOM cannot currently afford to purchase it. This project will have to be put on hold while we wait for prices to come down.

Now for brighter updates.

As of February, we were able to sponsor eight new students for secondary school! This brings our total number of sponsored students to 24, which is wonderful. The students are working hard and feeling optimistic about their futures. The newly sponsored children are: Catherine, Amanda, Marvin, Sheila, Eddie, Rachel, Rafakah and Latifa. As this is the main thrust of the mission of CTT, I am truly proud of this ongoing support we are able to offer the children who so desperately want to achieve a good education.

Remember the garden planted by Randy and the kids when we were at SMKOM in December?




They have harvested vegetables many times now and are really enjoying the addition of new flavors and nutrition to their diet.

The water tank (for rain water collection) has been a huge help. It provides water for the piggery, as well as irrigation for the vegetable garden during times of little or no rain.

Eight orphans are making steady progress in the marching band, being guided by music teacher Ivan. The projected date for income generating activities by the band is July.

The motorcycle donated by CTT continues to bring in about $30 US per week. It is being used as a boda-boda (motorcycle taxi.)

The pigs in the piggery continue to do their thing! There were ten new piglets born in the past month; they live with 35 older ones. The plan is to sell 20 pigs every six months for a steady income. We hope to be able to fund the purchase of chickens next, as a continuation of self-sustaining farm projects at SMKOM.


Social worker Melissa, member of both Team 1 and Team 2, is returning to the orphanage next month! She is planning to stay at SMKOM for two weeks and will continue her work with the children. She is so excited to be going for her third time! The children absolutely adore her and can’t wait to get their arms around her once again.

The 2nd annual CTT Friendraiser/Fundraiser is 6 – 9 PM on June 11th at the Screenland Theatre. Invitations will be mailed next month. If you are not on the mailing list and wish to be, please let me know. Lynne is working on a new documentary to be shown that evening. Dolls, drawings, clay sculptures, jewelry, tie-dyed fabric and dinner plates made by the children will be for sale. There will be food and drink and general merriment! Also, my “hot off the press” new book that includes my photographs and the children’s artwork will be available for purchase. Here is the link to the Save The Date film made by Lynne. Please forward it to a friend!

I’ll close with a few lines from a recent email from Rosemary, director of SMKOM.

“The Credit Crunch, started in the US, is biting very hard in Kampala
This is a classic case of innocent bystanders
Some people we know have lost their jobs or businesses
And prices for goods & services have increased again compared to Dec-2008

We are determined to struggle on with the Orphanage
As an elephant cannot complain about the size & weight of its tasks
And there is no fulfillment without sweat
And our true & deserved happiness comes from
The Love, care and Sharing – that we give the Orphans.”


The fantastic pictures in this post appear courtesy of Judy, a CTT supporter I had the pleasure of meeting at our fundraiser in New York and who visited the orphanage in March. Thanks, Judy!

update on the book

I got two, maybe three, hours of sleep. Too psyched about the book. I met with Lindsay, designer extraordinaire, last night. The shape the book is taking is, well, enough to keep me from getting my required number of zzzz’s. I’m tired, but very happy!

For those of you who would like some details, here goes… The book’s title is in Lugandan, the language spoken by most Ugandans. It is made up of three sections; each of those has a Lugandan title, as well. In the first are thirty black and white images from my 2006 and 2007 trips. The second is made up of sixteen dream photos and texts from the 2008 trip. The third features twenty-one of the children’s drawings. The total number of pages in the book is 112.

The font and paper have been selected. The layout is just about complete. There will be 850 soft cover books and 150 hard cover ones. The latter will have a cloth cover with an embossed foil title and will be wrapped in a printed dust jacket. Some of the hard cover books will include either one of the featured original drawings or one of my photographs; these will be special, limited editions.

The black and white images will actually be printed as tri-tones, which means there will be three colors of inks used: black and two different shades of gray. The rest of the book will be printed in four-color. Lindsay has designed really beautiful section dividers and a great cover, all of which will be printed in four-color, as well.

The essays by Thatcher, Ann and me have been very well edited by Sam (editor/son-in-law… he plays both roles quite splendidly) and I think they really complement the images. Thatcher's and Ann's pieces are powerful.

The book goes to press on May 13th and 14th in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. I’ll go, too, to make sure everything looks just right and to sign off on each signature before it gets printed. The books will promptly go to the bindery and will then be delivered to me in time for the June 11th CTT Friendraiser/Fundraiser! All proceeds from sales of the book will go directly to CTT.

It’s been a remarkable journey and a wonderful collaboration. How lucky I am to have the opportunity to do this!

save the date

When you have four and a half minutes of quiet time today, please give it to us at Change the Truth.

When you do, you can watch the latest creation by Change the Truth board member, volunteer Team Member and filmmaker Lynne Melcher. It was made in collaboration with award winning Austin filmmaker Layton Blaylock.

It is a request that you mark your calendar for the second annual CTT Friendraiser/Fundraiser. It is also a thoughtful and powerful short film that helps explain the work that is being done in Uganda because of generous supporters like you.

(To view it properly, you’ll want to click on the HD button that is in the lower right corner of the You Tube screen. You Tube isn’t perfect; sometimes the film chokes. Please bear with it.)

And please pass this link on. Change the Truth has grown from just a handful of people to over 300 active supporters. This is simply because people like you have spread the word to family and friends.

In this film, you will see that the helping hand we have extended has touched the children at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage in a very warm and wonderful way.

Got some time? Here's the link.

more artwork by the children from st. mary kevin

The planning committee meeting for the second annual CTT Friendraiser/Fundraiser took place yesterday. It's going to be another exciting and thought provoking event. There is an excellent group of men and women who have volunteered their time to guarantee that! Most are returnees from last year; we do have a few new faces, though, which is wonderful. There will be a couple of surprises this year, but you can definitely count on being able to bid in a silent auction on the amazing drawings and painting made by the children at the orphanage. Here are a few more examples.















In my last post, I mentioned the fire at Owino Market in Kampala. Rosemary wrote to say that some of the orphans' guardians were among those who lost everything in the blaze.

artwork by the children at st. mary kevin orphanage to be sold at fundraiser

The date has been set for the second annual Change the Truth fundraiser. It will be June 11 at the Screenland Theatre in Kansas City. If you are on the mailing list, you’ll get a special “save the date” notice soon. If you are not and would like to be, please email me: gbfeinstein@aol.com.

Just as we did last year, we will feature a silent auction to sell the artwork that the children at the orphanage made during our visit to Uganda. Here’s a sampling of what you can expect to see and bid on!