Wednesday, August 19, 2009
PRINCESS ANNE, MD – A student project that found roots in Africa more than a year ago continues to grow benefits for the small village of Kyamulinga, located in Uganda. A fall dinner series at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, scheduled to begin Friday, September 11, is reserved to further the cause.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) students created a plan January 2008 that they believed would help children in Africa. The Hawk Children’s Fund of the Maryland Hawk Corporation, an organization geared toward developing proactive partnerships among students, community and other concerned organizations, came out of that plan.
To date, a new primary school for children in the Kyamulinga Village has been built and furnished, a project to which UMES students donated $8,000. One hundred and twenty-six children are currently being educated in the facility. In addition, a Buy-A-Book program was instituted for the purpose of providing educational material for the students and their teachers. Finally, a 10,000-gallon water tank has been built to furnish the school with a source of clean water. The current funding drive is to provide solar power to the school for lighting and running water.
On Friday, September 11, HRM students present “Salute to Alaska: Wild Alaska Salmon,” the first of a series of four dinners to be held to raise money for the newest project. For each $25 ticket sold, the cost of each dinner, $10 will be donated to the Hawk’s Children Fund. To purchase tickets, mail a request with full payment to Richard Gormley, 2108 Henson Center, UMES, Princess Anne, MD, 21853. Make checks payable to Maryland Hawk Corporation.
To complete the dinner series, “Salute to Filet Mignon” will be held on Friday, October 2; “Death by Chocolate” on Friday, October 30; and the student “Final Exam” dinner on Friday, November 20.
For more information, call 410-651-6562 or send an email to rpgormley@umes.edu.
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Suzanne Waters Street, director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-621-2355, sstreet@umes.edu.
Photos: Pictured left is the Kyamulinga Village School in August 2008. Pictured right is the new Kyamulinga Village School.
