The community is invited to enjoy an evening of vibrant Afro fusion music and dance performances at the “Get Into Africa” fundraising event Thursday, Feb. 7 at the Players Club in Wellington. It will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Players Club Bistro’s outdoor patio bar.
Proceeds will benefit Dream Sponsors Inc., a Wellington-based, grassroots nonprofit that provides basic needs and school fees to Kenyan orphans while encouraging cultural exchange with local youth.
The event, co-sponsored by Noble Realty & Investments Inc. and the Tom Neumann Allstate Insurance Agency, will feature a small vendor fair including African tribal jewelry and collectibles by 4 Africa Now, a local small business that supports two remote African tribes through the sale of their unique hand-crafted items.
John Waiguru, a Kenyan batik artist, will showcase his artwork among other area businesses and vendors who will also feature their products and services.
The Lake Worth–based band Positively Africa, known for its African groove music, will perform songs from their latest album, as well as other well known jazz, blues and contemporary numbers. Entertainment will also include African fire dancer from Senegal. A selection of raffle prizes will be offered, including gift certificates for local restaurants, tickets to Lion Country Safari and the grand prize of a one-week stay for 10 at a North Carolina mountain cabin.
The fundraiser will also include select silent auction items, such as a dinner and wine pairing for 10 at Carrabba’s Italian Grill in Royal Palm Beach. At the event, Dream Sponsors will also accept a check presented by Tom Neumann, winner of Allstate’s “Hand in Hand Contest” for the Florida region. The contest was held in honor of the Allstate Foundation’s 60th anniversary to provide Allstate agents and exclusive financial specialists a unique opportunity to give back to their communities in a greater way.
Dream Sponsors Inc. was founded by Carla Neumann, a local marriage and family therapist, after a volunteer visit to Kenya in 2006. It was there that she met five former street boys whose life stories parallel those of an estimated 2.3 million orphans in Kenya; they had lost their parents to diseases that are death sentences for people in countries but treatable here in the United States. On her return, Neumann met Fiston Kahindo, who was then studying at Lynn University and who became the inspiration behind the organization’s mission.
Kahindo was orphaned at age 8 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and spent weeks walking to a refugee camp and eventually ended up in Kenya. Through a strong will to survive, determination to work hard and some help from his sponsors, Kahindo got an opportunity to study in America.
Kahindo now serves as vice president of the board of directors of Dream Sponsors while working in New York for the International Rescue Committee. Kahindo will attend the event to accept the Allstate check on behalf of the organization.
A $10 donation will be collected as an entry fee and a few vendor display spaces are still available for a $50 contribution to Dream Sponsors. Interested participants, sponsors and attendees may visit Dream Sponsors’ Facebook fan page to “join” the “Get Into Africa” event and RSVP or receive up to date information about the fundraiser.
For more information on child sponsorship, youth cultural exchange initiatives or volunteer involvement, visit www.dreamsponsorsinc.org or call (561) 795-2223.
