Happy fall, everyone! We have some wonderful news with which to end the summer and start the quiet season (although it’s not so quiet for us, we’ve got girls starting and ending school this time of year!).

To start with, we received the incredibly happy news that Klaudina received the “Best Student” award for her 10th level of English studies. Way to go Klaudina! Not that we’re surprised, given her terrific recording to us from a few weeks past. She’s almost done with her English studies at the IHCI, and now she’ll have to do a lot of practicing. Luckily, Christa will be heading down there in December, so she’ll make sure they have a good long conversation in English! Here’s her certificate and her most recent report card.

We also received the wonderful news from Aarti in India that our student Guddi received her admission into the National Open School, so she can continue with her studies and finish her schooling! Aarti will be tutoring her to help her along. We are so very happy for Guddi, since it has been her dream for a while now to finish school. We are also very happy for Aarti because her organization, Sakhi for Girls Education, just celebrated its fifth year! They celebrated at the local McDonalds and we’ve attached her picture of all the beautiful girls she helps. It’s so wonderful to know there are so many little organizations doing BIG things! We are so happy to be involved with you and to be helping one of your girls, Aarti! Hopefully in the future we can help several more.

FINALLY (and not least importantly!), we are having our Second Annual Family Dance Party and Fundraiser! on October 13 at Tranzend Studio at 417 W. Santa Fe Ave. in Flagstaff. If you are in the area, we hope you’ll come. As with last year, for $12 per family and $8 per individual, there will be great food from Cafe Ole and a dessert bar from Sugar Mama’s, music from Robert Reninger, Latin dance lessons from the Flagstaff Latin Dance Collective and amazing African drumming and dancing from Vusi Shibambo and Friends. There will be information about all our girls and the program, raffle prizes and the chance to bid on some choice items in our silent auction. Don’t worry, it’s not as big as the Wing Ding or Grand Canyon Youth’s event (yet!). Remember, all proceeds go to pay for the schooling for our girls, and with about 85% of our budget going directly to their costs, it’s a good investment! Come down to see us and bring the whole family, last year all the kids were dancing their socks off!