Last Friday the Partnership of Lansing and African Schools (PALS) hosted their 'Expand the Dream' fund raiser at Lansing Middle School. Last year the group raised funds to build two brick classrooms at the Mbaka Oromo school in Kenya. This year they hope to raise enough to build new latrines for the schools, which currently have only two bathrooms for 500 students.
The four hour event included a chicken barbecue, raffle, massages, a bounce house, balloons, face painting, a fire truck, and Kenyan games conducted by Cornell students from Kenya. Everyone was encouraged to buy a button to help support the effort. Bets were placed on a 'Battle of the Sexes' soccer game. About a dozen sponsors contributed to the event.
Students sold buttons and raffle tickets
African craft items
The program said teachers would be dunked --
they're getting younger every year!
Chicken barbecue and a bake sale in the cafeteria
Kenyan games
R.C. Buckley School Singers
Entertainment included the R.C. Buckley School Singers and the Middle School 5th and 6th Grade Chorus. Jim Nowak spoke about progress PALS has made in Kenya. Nowak has been to the schools and has acted as a liaison between PALS and the schools there. The bands Soundfall and Trevor MacDonald and the Silverbirds filled out the evening.
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