Catch Up

Whew! Things have been busy.

Thanks to everyone who has sent me a note or posted a comment. I appreciate knowing you've been thinking about me.

As you may know, I've recently returned to the world of paid work and have taken a job as an instructor at a local, private college where I teach the public relations course. It is an accelerated, advanced diploma program. I teach each day from 8 a.m. to noon. We are covering theory, writing and special events and will get to all the other required courses over the course of the year. Teaching ends at the end of August when the students will leave for their field placements after which, they will graduate.

As a class project, we are helping two local school teachers -- Jeff and Jenny -- who are leaving Canada in January to climb Mount Kilimanjaro as a way of raising awareness of the plight of a group of children at an orphanage in Kenya. The children have been moved from their village in East Pokot to Nakuru to avoid tribal warfare in the region. Drought has caused famine which has caused tribal skirmishes.

We are seeking corporate sponsorship and other funds (yes, feel free to donate!) to raise $15,000 to renovate the orphanage, develop sustainable, educational programs, and help fend off famine through "famine drops" -- bi-weekly food deliveries to more than 1,000 villagers.

Jeff and Jenny also need a laptop to bring to the orphanage to facilitate working there.

As part of our awareness- and fund- raising, we are also seeking in-kind donations -- products to auction off at a Valentine's Day auction on or about February 7.

We are hosting a news conference on December 17 and hope to have the technology to link with J&J when they reach the summit as another awareness-raising event.

If you're interested in finding out more, please visit their website at: www.climbing4kenya.com

Wow! That turned into a total pitch.

Back to the planned personal update...

After classes, I tutor my darling daughter who has her final provincial hair stylist exam mid-January.

Do I need to say that by the time I get home, I could pour my brain onto the floor like gravy over Christmas dinner?

Hence my inability to write either my blog or my actual manuscript.

But there are the holidays to prepare for, classes to prep, the Write for Rights campaign to launch (see my other blog for info about that) and other sundry items like staying on top of my son's homeschooling to take care of.

Whine, whine, whine. (Yes, I would like a little cheese with that.)

Ah, I hear the pitter-patter of my son's size 10 feet stumbling up the stairs. (He has promised to write a couple of letters in support of human rights for today's write-a-thon.)

I hope you are all doing well and take time over the holidays to do something to make the world a better place.

Love,
Colleen