Our first GLO-Fest, outdoor concert and family picnic, was this past Saturday! We had a turnout of about 50 people, despite the rain, who came together and raised $3,564! These donations will go directly into providing our first medical clinic with the necessary equipment, supplies, and staff to provide regular, basic medical care to nearly 10,000 people. Though the weather gave us a little trouble early on, we were still able to enjoy music from The Preiser and O’Brien Band throughout the night. There was lots of dancing and a GLO-ing game of “Heads or Tails” that ended up with the two winners each taking home a prize basket.
All of the donations made during this event will go to help GLO purchase medical supplies and equipment as well as hire medical staff to work there. With this money, we will purchase the necessary medications to treat the many illnesses in the area as well as purchase the necessary equipment to make sure that all patients are given appropriate medical care. Our “Volunteers in Mission” from Simsbury United Methodist Church, who will be traveling with us to Uganda in the fall, will be helping us complete the finishing steps in setting up and getting our first clinic fully functioning.
We still need to raise more money to purchase all the necessary equipment and supplies, as well as provide the medical staff with regular salaries. We have started a campaign through our new partner, CommitChange. They have helped us set up this campaign through their website and through that, you will be able to donate for specific items that you would like to help purchase, such as the sterilizer, examination table, or the salary for a doctor. If you are interested in donating directly to our clinic, please click here to be directed to our secure campaign through CommitChange.
We are also still looking for volunteers to travel with us to Uganda at the end of September and beginning of October. We are looking specifically for medical personnel; doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, etc., who are interested in spending 10 days doing mission work, treating patients, and teaching our medical staff and community health workers. If you or someone you know might be interested, please email churchoffice@simsburyumc.org for more information.
Thank you again to everyone who came out to our first ever GLO-Fest! Special thanks to our corporate sponsor, Mitchell Auto Group, for their matching donation during the vent and their continued support of our work. And more thanks to ShopRite of Canton for their donations of popcorn, lemonade, and iced tea, West Granby United Methodist Church for the use of their church and grounds, and all of our volunteers who came out and made sure the event ran smoothly.
We can’t wait to bring this event back for many more years to come. And for those of you that weren’t able to make it this year, we hope to see you next year or at one of our other upcoming fundraisers. Stay tuned to GLO for more information about upcoming events by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn as well as by checking out our website, www.guidinglightorphans.org.