If you were at the sidewalk sale in Richfield Springs, Sunday, Aug. 6, you might have come across the group of college-aged students that were selling fresh squeezed lemonade, baked goods, bottled water, soda, candy apples, and a variety of other items to benefit a non-profit organization called Invisible Children. If you stopped, they might have handed you some free literature and told you they were concerned about the devastating civil war going on in Northern Uganda, in Africa, and the young children who are forced to fight in the rebel army there and that people in the world know very little about what’s happening there because there is little international attention given the horrendous torture suffered by the children. The group of high school and college age students has been meeting since May and was formed by Karla Andela, a student at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. Andela wanted the group to be a way for college students coming home for the summer to study the Bible and a means to discuss and enjoy the fellowship of each other. The group has grown in numbers and has continued to meet on a regular basis at various homes of other participants on Wednesday and Thursday evenings throughout the summer. One of the group’s members brought to the group a DVD he had purchased after hearing about Invisible Children, Inc. while attending Messiah College. The organization’s efforts seek to assist the plight of the children in Northern Uganda, where a civil war has been raging for 20 years. Children are abducted from their homes, mistreated, and tortured by the rebel army and recruited to fight. To date, over 30,000 children have been abducted and forced into war. In fear of being recruited as child soldiers, many Ugandan children commute on foot every night to find safe places to sleep in their town centers. Invisible Children, Inc. is dedicated to providing financial resources to the children by documenting their stories. The organization also has empowered the people of war-torn Uganda to make bracelets, which are sold in the United States with all money raised being given back for the education and employment of the children in Uganda. After viewing the DVD and reading about the plight of the children in Uganda, the idea of having a booth at the sidewalk sale seemed the perfect way to generate money. With help from their families and friends, the group was able to raise $760.30 selling cookies, brownies, and lemonade, in addition to bracelets and DVDs from the Invisible Children organization. When it was all over, the group was all smiles when the money was counted. “I think it’s great that we could do something for people who don’t have a voice,” said Andela. “I think I speak for the entire group when I say that we were proud to be a part of the efforts to help Invisible Children.” More information about the Invisible Children movement can be found at www.invisiblechildren.com. Bruce Watson is a teacher at RSCS.
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