A musical celebration and fundraiser for the Surrey-based charity Lift the Children is happening Thursday, Sept. 21, at John Volken Academy in Newton.
Volken, a well-known retailer and philanthropist, founded the charity 15 years ago to support orphaned and vulnerable children in Africa.
By donation, everyone is invited to attend the Sept. 21 celebration, which starts at 7 p.m. in a 250-capacity room at 6869 King George Blvd., Surrey.
The evening will include African dancers and drummers, Jon Elton singing the songs of "Yesterday and the Days Before," silent auction, pottery sale and more, with John and Shawna Volken as special guests.
Since 2008, Volken has supported orphaned and vulnerable children in Africa with the basic necessities of food, shelter, and education while working to integrate them in to family and community based care.
"Lift the Children, with its head offices in Surrey, has directly supported more than 20,000 children over the past 15 years and currently sponsors 2,500 children living in 58 children's institutions in Kenya, Liberia and Uganda," noted Jane Terepocki, the charity's director of fundraising.
"You can help Lift the Children reach more children by supporting its annual fundraiser" on Sept. 21, she added.
In Kenya, a 15th-anniversary celebration for the charity included a special cake with John Volken's photo on it. "This was made in Nairobi," Terepocki explained. "Directors and children from local children's homes all gathered at Gathaithi Children's Home for an afternoon of celebration. There were speeches, musical dance performances from the children, and this beautiful cake."
Also, a picture of Volken was hand-drawn by 15-year-old Hasan Rashid, a beneficiary of Lift the Children since 2014.
Video on facebook.com/LiftTheChildren shows Flomina Children's Home in Nairobi, a facility supported by Lift the Children over the past 14 years, among other initiatives of the charity.
