Submitted by Luana Gillies
Valley GoGo Sisters
The Valley GoGo Sisters, a group of local grandmothers, were unable to hold their annual St. Patrick’s Day Tea last March but are determined to resume their long-standing tradition with a new twist. This year we encourage you to order ahead and have a Tea delivered to your door on March 17. “Tea for Two – or just for you” includes eight pieces of home-baked sweet treats, tea and flowers, for a total cost of $25. The deadline for ordering is March 12, and a maximum of 50 orders will be accepted.
All proceeds go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, Grandmothers campaign, to directly support African grandmothers who are caring for large families of grandchildren, orphaned by HIV/AIDS. These women have watched their own children die, and now must generate income and provide the care needed to raise another family.
The Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) funds grass roots, community-based organizations in 15 countries. The organization operates on a social justice model, treating African Grandmothers as equal partners, with respect, trust and empowerment. Many projects supported by SLF begin with satisfying basic needs of food, shelter, income and grandkids attending school, but the emotional needs from the trauma of the AIDS pandemic are addressed next, and the final step is the development of advocacy to better their own conditions and the conditions of other grandmothers.
For more information or to place an order, please contact Luana Gillies at 250 342-9600 or by email at [email protected] or Sherry Dewey at 250 342-9733 or by email [email protected]
