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Gold Pan Grannies help raise funds for SLF

Quesnel's Gold Pan Grannies help the Stephen Lewis Foundation carry out their good work

It takes a community to raise a child, a well-known quote from Stephen Lewis – an internationally respected teacher and head of a much appreciated organization helping the grandmothers of Sub-Sahara Africa.

Due to HIV/Aids many children lose their parents and primarily grandmothers are raising the children so that many hundreds if not thousands have been given a chance for a good life due to the Foundation.

Quesnel’s involvement takes the form of a group calling themselves The Gold Pan Grannies –– 10 active and 25 supportive women who have raised $35,000 in the last eight years for the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s (SLF)Grandmothers to Grandmothers program based in Toronto.

On March 11 – 12 there will be a Conference in Vancouver where Stephen and his daughter, Ilana who has been active for year will share information about this wonderful work. Six of the Grannies (often called Gogos in Africa) have also found their voice  and will be travelling to Canada to tell their stories.

Joan McNaughton heads up the local organization and on April 6 at 10 a.m. at St. John’s Hall, Cheryl Fraser, a guest from the Foundation’s group in Kelowna, will tell of her recent trip to Uganda where she was introduced to a large gathering of the African Grannies. I intend to attend this meeting and I hope my readers will put aside that morning.

The Gold Pan Grannies meet the second Tuesday of each month until June to plan fundraisers. In May look for a garage sale and also on the last Saturday of May they will hold their annual plant sale at the Farmers’ Market.

You can purchase your African Angel at any event. A unique treasure!

For more information on the Gold Pan Grannies, phone Joan at  250-992-7485.