Courtesy photo
Children gather to eat at the Songea Orphanage in Tanzania.

Public invited to create keepsake boxes at free workshop

Upon hearing of a group of orphaned children in Songea, Tanzania, in dire need of food, fresh water, education, and medical assistance, area residents Ellen Gaddy and Christine Tapert, along with several friends from Tanzania, formed NewDay Africa (formerly NewDay for Children), a nonprofit, charitable organization dedicated to improving the lives of the orphaned, the ill and the impoverished in Africa.

In the fall of 2007 Ellen and Christine went to see firsthand what their organization had accomplished.?While there, they decided to expand their mission to include others in the village. After their efforts were publicized, Susan Jenkins of Northwest Art Center in Duvall contacted Christine to see if there was a way to deliver a message to the children that shows someone cares about them.

They decided to offer a free workshop to the Valley community on Saturday, May 17 from 1-5 p.m.

Participants will make each child a keepsake box, in which to store their personal items such as letters and photos.

With this workshop, Christine and Susan are hoping to help each child feel a sense of their own self, their own space and their own uniqueness?by providing something beautiful that is entirely their own.

Donations to NewDay Africa will be gratefully received at the workshop. Please register for the workshop by calling the Northwest Art Center at (425) 788-5900 or e-mailing info@northwestartcenter.com.