Calvin College sophomore Becky Kim organized a concert this spring to raise money for a replacement water pump for an orphanage in Kenya and to purchase supplies for a medical center in Honduras.
Kim, who is also a student senator at Calvin, was inspired to organize the concert after going on Calvin’s interim trip “Kenya: Leadership in Africa.”
During the trip, her class visited the House of Hope orphanage, which is run by a Grand Rapids, Mich., couple. “I was moved by their ministry,” Kim said.
She learned about the lack of clean water in the area and how the couple was trying to raise money to replace a broken water pump. The money raised from the concert is helping the orphanage buy the replacement pump to supply clean water.
The idea to raise money for the medical center in the rural city of Cusuna, Honduras, came from Calvin junior Steve Griffith, who plays bass guitar for one of the 10 student and faculty bands that performed at the concert.
Last summer, Griffith volunteered at the Honduran medical center after being referred there by one of his professors. Due to an inefficient universal-health-care system, the medical center doesn’t get enough supplies from the government to treat even the simplest problems. “The vitamins that I brought were all gone in a week,” Griffith said.
During the concert, student senators organized a silent auction of photographs, paintings, purses, duffel bags, and other items made by students and alumni and donated to the same causes as the concert. In total, the students raised about $1,200.
About the Author
Theo Voss is a junior at Calvin College.
