Chinese New Year Event:
Huge Success!
What a night it was! The 2nd annual EChO Chinese New Year Event, held in downtown Bend, Oregon, was indeed a success. The event was held as a fundraiser and an awareness raiser. More than 525 people attended the party. They were treated to dinner, beverages, live entertainment, games and crafts for children, and a cultural evening for a great cause.
More than $10,000 were raised during the evening. This eclipsed last year's amount by several thousand dollars. That money will be used to fund the first school that was opened several months ago for the coming year, as well as be sufficient as seed money for a second school in the Henan Province that may open as soon as this coming summer. Those funds go directly to multiplying the work of providing education for orphans with special needs in China. The orphanages are waiting for EChO schools. This event was a big step in scaling up this important work for these often forgotten little ones.
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What's Next For EChO?
There are two important points on the horizon for EChO in the months ahead as we explore opening a second school in the Henan Province. Due to the success of the Chinese New Year Event (children's craft center pictured above), the momentum behind the work is growing rapidly.
First, board member, Kelly Riper, will be visiting our first school this coming June. Aside from continuing to build and maintain relationships with the school staff and students, Kelly will be delivering school uniforms for the children.
Second, 25 of the 31 students in our first school are currently being sponsored at the cost of $25.00 per month. These sponsorships fund staff salaries and other necessities for these students. Sponsorships for the remaining 6 students will mean that this first school will have an adequate and consistent level of funding that will allow EChO to pursue the opening of new schools in the near future.
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