Kirsten's Updates about the H.C.C. in Kenya

My deep thanks and appreciation to the card makers who have created works of art for each of the orphans at the Happy Children's Centre!! They come from 5 States and many of them I have not met yet. I made a few cards myself but this project was the result of the creativity and love from many, many hands and hearts!

THANK YOU!!
Judith Bader
Anna Bosold
Jeane Canon
Anya Doll
Bernie Doll
Hannah Davita Doll-Schmitz
Tori Eaton
Patricia Edmonds
Joyce Gabriel
Alana Graham
Elle Green
Kelly Guthrie
Judith Harvey
Ann Hinds
Aniana Hoyt
Esther Knox
Esther's Daughter
Gavin Knox
Megan Knox
Vicki Lewis
Shannon Martin
Stacey Marson
Bede Murphy
Bonnie Nester
Sheila O'Malley
Meri Putzler
Roylene Read
Lillian Read
Pam Rosales
Michelle Shigamasa
Coley Smith-Green
Nancy Thompson
Paulie Tietz
Jeannie Unger
Irma Velasquez
Andria Weikel
Nancy Wilson
Garrison Winkle-Bryan
Carol Woodford

These are more of the incredible cards that have come in for the HCC orphans, both of which made paintings last year. George Masha made a painting that showed his new home having an anntenea and two people and it was the centerpiece for the quilt. Claine Thoya painting was one I called the "Rainbow House" and had a yellow, red and purple roof. Both paintings were popular for the cards that I sold as a fundraiser earlier in the year. Thanks to Ann Hinds, we now have a painted message back to these budding artists to keep painting!! I bought more watercolors to take with me to help them make that happen! Thanks very much, Ann, for sharing your heart and talents with us. I know the boys will love these!!

More stunning art created for the HCC orphans' cards that I will take with me to Kenya in less than a week. These were created by my dear friend of 26 years, Irma Velasquez. Irma was the person who really nudged me to go to Africa last year when I told her about my dream to do art with AIDS orphans there. Thank you, Irma, as always, you have had a profound influence in my life!

Kirsten Carpentier, Coley Smith-Green, Ann Pickar and Lisa Stringfield (from left to right)--Some of the people who helped with the HCC fundraiser.

THANK YOU to ALL who helped and sweated and spent money, too!!!

This past Saturday we had a fundraising event at Coley's home that was a combination rummage sale full of ethnic goodies, plants, herbs and baked goodies as well as art activities for the children. We worked feverishly to plan this for weeks ahead (especially Coley) but in the middle of the week before the sale the weather forecast began to look girm. It was supposed to be 107 on Saturday, unheard of in Portland!! We decided to begin early but even at 8 AM we were all feeling sticky. As it turned out the weather was very humid and warm (not 107!). Although I kept thinking that it reminded me of Malindi (where HCC is located) most people weren't very comfortable and our attendence was lower than we had hoped. Those that did brave the warm weather enjoyed the wonderful bargains that Coley offered and had some really good conversations about AIDS and issues in Africa. It was fun to network and talk about the different projects people are involved with and Ann Pickar seems to know everyone and bring them together! This event was no exception!

Some folks had Anya and Hannah Davita (our art team) paint rocks or geckos for them. At the end of the day we also drew the tickets for raffle prizes. The big basket from Kettle Foods went to Hannah Davita's papa. The bag full of children's goodies went to Carol, a friend of mine who heads the Child and Family Studies program at PSU. And the grand prize, the gorgeous quilt, went to Jessica, who is about to have a baby girl in October and received the raffle tickets at a baby shower! Congratulations Jessica!!!

Kirsten Carpentier (left) and Annie Papworth (right) with the beautiful quilt Annie made for the HCC. Annie used the images from the art the HCC orphans painted last year to create this one-of-a-kind quilt fundraiser for the new HCC building. The raffle for the quilt raised over $700! Thanks so much, Annie, for your inspiration and love! You are an angel!!

I have had the tremendous pleasure of receiving the cards for the HCC orphans as they have been coming in....and WOW, what an amazing array of love, talent and creativity!! It moves me to tears and when I receive a new batch in the mail or as they are dropped by my office, I am just floored with the way people have dug deep within themselves to share their hearts with children half way around the world. Some cards(see photos) are the work of professional artists who have made each child's card an art piece that should be hung in a gallery called "Art for Orphans". The whimsy of Joyce's pieces (lower left) makes me smile and her messages are especially lyrical and meaningful. The colored portion of each of her cards comes out on a little fob and turns into a book mark or a bracelet! The detail level of the pen and ink lions of Kelly's cards (upper left) and her watercolor/collages are just astonishing! My only wish is that I could buy some of her pieces and hang them in my home! Each child has their own "logo", too, that Kelly has made for them! The beauty of Bede's flowers (upper right) and how she has carefully incorporated the names of each orphan in her design is so very lovely. Her paper backgrounds are exquisite, too.

But there are other cards, not from professional artists, that are equally wonderful, whimsical and so very dear. I particularly love the ones that children have drawn. And their grandmother talked to me about the conversations they have had as they have drawn and how that this project has been educational and instructive besides being fun. Their dialogues as they have made the cards have been richly rewarding and I am hearing that people seem genuinely moved by the process they have gone through in making their cards for their list of names.

The great gift to me is that I get to SEE all the cards and I also get to SEE all of the HCC orphans' faces as they receive the card made just for them. In the end over 35 people from 5 States have been involved with this project. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! YOU ROCK!!!

Tomorrow is our big fundraiser/rummage sale/bake sale/art for kids day and we are excited although we know it will be HOT! Coley has so generously opened her heart, her lawn and garden and her closet and cupboards to us. Coley has led this event from the start and she has been super enthusiastic and organized. I am really grateful to her for taking it on, despite the heat. So we are starting at 8 AM and we are armed with our squirt bottles and our sense of humor. I know it will be fun, and it may be hot, but that's part of being in Africa, too...

Some of the many creative hands making individual cards for each orphan at the Happy Children's Centre. There are over 30 people working on this project! Thank you, everyone, for sharing your time and love with these children and for making them something beautiful from your hearts!

H.C.C. Quilt for raffle (Crib size or would make a great wall hanging!) Drawing to be held on July 22, 2006. $1=1 ticket, $5=6 tickets, $10=12 tickets, $20=25 tickets. 100% of the proceeds go to the completion and furnishing of the H.C.C. new residence and school. Aren't the images of the orphans' paintings wonderful?!! I love the colors, too!! Very vibrant and very African!

This is a time of wonderful blessings and preparation for the August trip back to Kenya to visit the Happy Children's Centre AIDS orphanage in Malindi. Over 30 people are busily making beautiful cards with personal notes to the orphans and people have thanked me for the opportunity to participate in this way. It moves me deeply to think of people who don't know these children taking time to make the orphans a card and send them a message of hope and encouragement. And creating the artwork for the cards is not only is a gift to the orphans but it is a way for the senders to bloom and explore their own creativity as well. I can hardly wait to see the faces of the H.C.C. orphans as each name is read out and they each receive their special card/treasure. Wow! And as I pass the names of these children out to card makers, I think about their stories, their young lives and how much tragedy they have already endured. It personalizes this horrible pandemic and makes me even more determined to spend time with as many of the children individually as I can.

Yesterday at the Forest Grove Farmer's Market I sold more raffle tickets for Annie Papworth's gorgeous quilt. She made this quilt having heard from Coley the story of the H.C.C. orphans creating paintings last year of their imagined new building. I've got the quilt with its wonderful, whimsical houses which are replicas of the children's paintings, but I still have not met Annie. People are drawn to the quilt and love the color and design, and it is easy to sell tickets for it. When they learn about the story and learn that the funds will go to help complete the building, they are very happy to buy several raffle tickets, sometimes many! Some just want to buy tickets without their own name so that the H.C.C. orphans have a chance to win the quilt and that I can take it back with me to Kenya. Right now there are about 60 tickets in the jar that say "For the H.C.C. Orphans" so there is a chance that the H.C.C. orphans will see it themselves!

We are gearing up for the July 22nd fundraising event at Coley's home and I know that will be a lot of fun for everyone. It is great to have people helping with this event and many of them are folks who have come into my life just recently. I feel very much like there is a Divine Hand involved with these preparations and when I am overwhelmed at times with the details, I just try to remember that it will all work out because it is blessed. I also feel extremely lucky to be part of this process and to have the folks showing up to help me just when I need them most.