HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -
A local group is about to embark on a mission to help children in Kenya. About 15 volunteers with the Fogel Mission will leave in August for a tiny village called Soy, where most of the children are orphans; their parents either killed in violence or by AIDS.
The mission will bring school supplies for about 500 children. The volunteers will also build an orphanage to provide beds for 50 children.
"We are shooting to, at least, get the first floor done, under some kind of roof, so the kids have a place to sleep," said Sondra Spotts. "Many of them are sleeping on the streets or family is taking them in just to sleep, but then they are kind of let loose."
The orphanage will have special meaning for Rick Markle. His wife Patty went to Africa last year. About a month after coming home, she died of lung cancer. The orphanage will be called "Patty's Heart."
"I'm sure she would be surprised, but that's not what Patty was about," Markle said. "She would rather see somebody else's name on the plaque than hers."
The children will learn about washing hands and brushing teeth.
"These kids don't have toothbrushes. They use sticks to clean their mouths," volunteer Lynette Van Nostrand said. "They don't have water. They don't have toilet paper. They don't have the basic necessities that we have."
The group will spend two weeks building the orphanage, but volunteers need $22,000 to make it happen. Donations to The Fogel Fund can be made online at www.cfaog.org/donate3.php.
