On October 11, the International Day of the Girl, the JAMS community in DeKalb County, Illinois, came together to send love and care halfway across the globe to rural, western Kenya. Friends of Jane Adeny Memorial School for Girls hosted our fourth annual fundraiser, A Taste of Kenya.

More than 160 people attended the evening of Kenyan food, music, a silent auction, and an African craft market. JAMS founder Teresa Wasonga said, “It was wonderful to see so many people come out in support of JAMS. On behalf of the students and the teachers at Jane Adeny Memorial School for Girls, I thank all who attended for their generosity.”

“This was our best fundraiser yet!” said Diana Swanson, president of Friends of JAMS. A Taste of Kenya raised funds for scholarships for orphaned and impoverished girls who would not otherwise have progressed beyond 8th grade, as well as for the music, sports, and career training programs at the school.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, JAMS will now be able to send students to sports and music competitions and buy needed supplies for the campus micro-enterprises. We are also now halfway to our goal of providing 20 scholarships for the new first-year class which will begin high school in January 2020. (Unlike in the US, the school year in Kenya is the calendar year.) If you are interested in giving to the Scholarship Fund, please click HERE.

Many generous individuals and businesses in the DeKalb/Sycamore, Illinois, area donated items or sponsored A Taste of Kenya in other ways. The Board of Directors of Friends of JAMS thanks Faranda’s Banquet Center, Dr. Trevor and Jennifer Tomkins, the Egyptian Theatre, NIU Athletics, Brad Hoey, Tapa La Luna, Taxco Mexican Cuisine, Jamrah Middle Eastern Cuisine, Eggsclusive Cafe, The Junction Eating Place, Lincoln Inn, PRP Wine International, Redeemed Home and Office Furniture, DeKalb County Community Gardens, Collins Dental Group, Sycamore Golf Club, River Heights Golf Club, Cracker Jax, Polka Dot Bakery, HyVee Grocery, Bockman’s Auto Care, Tom Taylor Construction, Pittsley Realty, Brian Scholle State Farm Insurance, Delano’s Home Decorating, Just the Details, Cracker Jax, Dusty’s Barber Shop, Salon Atelier, Tin Shed Farm, Rolfe Studio (Glen Ellyn), Bethany Animal Hospital, Taylor Dupre, Jean Pierce, Teresa Wasonga, Sophia Varcados, Wild Blue Ukulele Orchestra, Charles Sanderson-Haque.