Quarters for Kenya Changes Local Sponsorship – March 2009
      Quarters for Kenya has changed working relationships among its four sponsoring Rotary clubs within Southern California. A signing ceremony during the regular Wednesday morning meeting of the Redlands Sunrise Rotary Club established the Quarters for Kenya Committee to the Redlands Sunrise Rotary Foundation. This new relationship will continue to provide contributors with tax deduction protection under the Redlands Sunrise Rotary Foundation’s status as a tax-exempt charity under section 501c(3) of the IRS Code. The signing ceremony involved the signing of a Letter of Agreement by Dave Maupin, Chairman of Quarters for Kenya, and Craig Parker, President of the Redlands Sunrise Rotary Club. Mr. Maupin, one of the founders of Quarters for Kenya is planning his fourth trip back to Kenya this fall. He is pleased to establish this new relationship and he looks forward to a new vigor in fighting the spread of AIDS in Kenya and around the world. Mr. Parker said he believes the efforts of Quarters for Kenya are consistent with the “Service Above Self” motto of Rotary and his club’s priority of helping children. He is very happy his club was able to step in and provide the support needed to ensure Quarters for Kenya continues to be a success.

University of Redlands Students get Involved – September 2008
      This spring, a group of University of Redlands students, calling themselves Bulldog Quarters for Kenya, celebrated four years of fundraising for Shepherd’s Homes through Quarters for Kenya. The students have raised more than $35,000!
      Global business professor Jack Osborn, a member of the Redlands Rotary Club and a friend of Charles Kean, introduced the Quarters for Kenya program to his students. The group is entirely student-run and has sponsored several very successful fundraisers. David Armstrong, who co-led the group with Kaitlin Moore in 2007-08 spent two weeks during the past summer visiting the two Shepherd’s Homes near Nairobi.
      “They’re so happy to be where they are, with the shelter they have and the love they’re given,” David said. “They’re living comfortably and safely and are given a high-quality education. That makes every ounce of effort worthwhile.”
      “Students can reach a different type of people than Rotarians can.” said Kaitlin. “Maybe they don’t have the money that Rotarians do, but now Quarters for Kenya is recognized by the (University of) Redlands community.”
View Rotary International Newsletter

A House Full of Birthday Gifts – April 2, 2008
      Last year Lilli Dabov invited about a dozen friends to a luncheon on her birthday. She used the day not to gain presents for herself, but to begin a fund to provide birthday celebrations for the children in the Charles Kean Home. This year she expanded the event, invited about 40 friends and held it in her flower-filled backyard on a sunny, clear day.
      Sitting in the place of honor on one of the tables was the small house Lilli made last year to resemble the children’s home, and into which she encouraged guests put their contributions. And contribute they did. Friends shared Lilli’s “birthday joy,” donating $2,150.
      In two years Lilli has collected over $3,300. “A little seed has been planted,” Lilli said, and she hopes the idea will grow. The idea is “sharing birthday joy with grateful hearts.”

Kimberly Kids Care about Kenya – April 2, 2007
      On Friday, the students at Kimberly Elementary School had two things to celebrate….their upcoming Spring Break and the end of a very successful fund raising campaign. For the previous five weeks they had been collecting Quarters for Kenya so that they could help build a new elementary school classroom for children near Nairobi.
      Kimberly’s campaign, launched by second grader Adam, had a goal of raising 4,000 quarters. The students not only met that goal, but exceeded it by almost 50 percent….collecting a total of 5,500 quarters ($1,350.00). The money will be sent to Kenya to help build a classroom for boys and girls who have been orphaned because their parents have died due to HIV/AIDS.
      Mr. Dave Maupin from the local Quarters for Kenya Committee spoke to the Kimberly students at one of their assemblies on Friday. He commended the students on their commitment to this service project and told the story of how children in another service project over 120 years ago contributed pennies to help move our Statue of Liberty from France to the United States.
      Maupin presented a plaque to Mrs. Marcia Fagan, Kimberly’s Principal, to commemorate the student’s achievement. This summer Mr. Maupin will take the plaque with him to Kenya and hang it in the new classroom the Kimberly students helped build. The plaque reads:

“This classroom provided from funds raised by the students of
Kimberly Elementary School in Redlands, California USA.”
“With love from ten thousand miles away.”

View photo of Dave Maupin, Adam and Madeline

Zeba Hirji Sanctuary for Boys Dedicated - August 2007
      The second Shepherd’s Home in Gilgil, Kenya was opened in January 2006 and was recently dedicated to Zeba Hirji. Zeba was a much loved employee of Associated Securities Corp, a broker/dealer in Los Angeles. She was born in Mombassa, Kenya and died of cancer in the USA in 2005. In her memory, fellow employees and financial services brokers raised $40,000 to honor her memory in her country of birth. The dedication ceremony of a remodeled country house in Gilgil, Kenya took place before a crowd of almost 200 dignitaries, local citizens, and members of her own family. Today this sanctuary for AIDS orphans houses 25 boys ages 8 to 17. The property sits on 11 acres and has a river at one end, which explains the occasional grazing hippo. Gilgil is located 100 miles northwest of Nairobi. Currently, the sanctuary houses classrooms for grades K-8 and offers highly sought after private education to the local community. In fact, there is a need to add a dormitory to accomodate students who travel from out of the area to attain the quality education offered at the Zeba Hirji Home for Boys.

Charles Kean Sanctuary Opens - January 25, 2007
      Dave Maupin and Dellita Kobold spoke to a packed house at the Redlands Rotary meeting in a presentation about the opening of the Charles Kean Home for AIDS orphans in Kenya. Dave and Dellita, along with a contingent of people from Southern California, traveled to Africa to witness the opening and dedication of the Charles Kean Home in Sigona, a suburb of Nairobi. Twenty-five girls were recently moved to the home after living in the original Shepherd’s Sanctuary in the slums of Nairobi. “I was impressed by the level of care these homeless children are getting,” Dellita said. “They’ve got a chance and that’s what this is all about.”
View the Redlands Rotary Spoke Newsletter.pdf

Support Your Favorite Band! - June 30, 2006
      The Quarters for Kenya Committee sponsored a battle of Redlands student bands called "Quarter Notes for Kenya." Local student bands competed to see which one could gather the most donations during the day and which one had the best musicians during the band competition. First Prize was $1,000!
      All donations went directly to build and maintain sanctuaries in Kenya for children who are orphaned because their parents died of HIV / AIDS. Prize money was provided by the Redlands Rotary Club.
View Quarter Notes for Kenya Flyer.pdf

Recap of the Spirit of Charles Kean Flight – July, 2005
      On July 9th, two Rotarians, Dave Maupin and Ron Maines, embarked on a mission of mercy when they took off in a small, single engine aircraft on a two-week flight around the world. Nearly 500 supporters were on hand to wish the crew well as they departed on their eastbound journey. Unfortunately, shortly after leaving Bangor, ME a few days later, the aircraft developed a severe oil leak over the North Atlantic and was forced to return to Bangor. Undaunted, Dave pressed on to Nairobi, Kenya by commercial airliner.
      On July 14th, Dave attended a ceremony at the original Shepherd’s Home Children’s Sanctuary in the slums of Nairobi. The affair was in honor of the Quarters for Kenya fundraising effort and commitment to fight against AIDS. During the next few days Dave visited the children’s schools, attended church services with them, visited the future site of the first Shepherd’s Home in the nearby town of Sigona, and attended local Rotary meetings in Nairobi.
      In a speech to one of the clubs Dave said, “The fuselage of our aircraft had a large red logo: ABC…D ‘STOP THE AIDS TSUNAMI’. It’s the sort of message that Charles Kean, who was born and attended school here in Kenya, would have wanted for his boyhood friends to hear, don’t you think?”