Major kudos to the Baristaville women whose local fundraising raised thousands of dollars for AIDS afflicted women in Rwanda.

Girls For Life:Rwanda, a group of seventh grade girls at Glenfield School, wanted to raise awareness and dollars for women surviviors of the Rwandan Genocide. A bake sale at Watchung Plaza and donation cans in local stores has raised more than $650.

When Bloomfield resident Jessica Rasp, organizer of the Manhattan Tip to Tip Walk, first publicized her walk-a-thon, she was hoping to raise $1500, to support for one woman for a year.  Jessica tells us “pledges are now at $8400 and counting”. She is hoping to reach her new goal of $10,000.  Jessica estimates that there were about 90 “Tippers”, half of them twenty somethings or younger. Three Rwandans joined the walk, including Isidore Munyakazi, a survivor of the genocide & former diplomat to the UN.

And we learned that Baristanet isn't the only one reporting on Jessica's efforts -- the story made it to a Rwandan newspaper, the New Times. Check out “US Children Walk for Rwanda.”

The next Tip to Tip Walk for Rwanda is already in the planning stages. This time, it's being organized by students from Montclair High School, and will take place a little closer to home -- in Montclair.
-- Top photo, Karin Diana, lower two photos courtesy of Jessica Rasp.

April 18, 2006 in Major Dudes | Permalink