 In August and September, 21 friends of Africa Classroom Connection (ACC) and Books for Africa joined Henry Bromelkamp, Chair, Tammie Follett, Development Chair, and Jeff Nelson, Treasurer, on a life-changing trip to Africa to see, firsthand, the work we do in Zululand. Our travelers taught classes, met teachers, and exchanged songs and dances with the students. They witnessed the gratitude of teachers and students in locations where we’ve built classrooms and they saw some of the remaining need for more construction. They also raised enough money to build 1.5 classrooms See a description of the past trip on the travel page on our website or on the travelers blog. We’re planning future trips, most likely for Fall 2011. Join us!
Freedom Day/Movie Night Raises $10,000 |  On Tuesday, April 27 we celebrated South African Freedom Day with Movie Night at the Heights Theatre in Minneapolis. ACC’s special showing of the award-winning Izulu Lami was only part of the great celebration. Guests enjoyed Zulu beadwork and crafts in the silent auction. In the live auction, spirited bidding ensued on South African wine tastings donated by Z Wines, a local importer of South African wines, and on a “Magical History Tour”, donated by Ben Olk, an ACC supporter.Thanks to our guests and event sponsors:
    | Creative Giving | | We’re in our fifth year of fundraising to build classrooms for the many, eager students in rural Zululand. Over these years, we’ve marveled at the creativity of our donors. Here are just a few of the stories that inspire us:
 Spreading the Word: In 2008, New York City-based documentary film maker, Marcia Fingal traveled to Minneapolis to attend celebration activities for Books for Africa’s 20th Anniversary and ACC’s evening with the South African ambassador to the United States, Welile Nhlapo. Fingal enjoyed ACC’s event and was impressed with the simplicity of the mission. She introduced ACC to Intersections International, a global initiative of the Collegiate Church of New York. for which Fingal sits on the board of directors. That introduction led to a $5,000 grant to ACC in 2009. Fingal’s efforts continued and this year, ACC has been awarded another $5,000 grant from Intersections International and a classroom donation from the Benevolence Fund of the Collegiate Church Corp. in New York. We appreciate her effort and these introductions on behalf of ACC.
 A Special Birthday Gift: In search of the perfect gift for his mother Else’s 80th birthday, one of our donors (anonymous) decided to have a classroom built in her honor. After construction, he made a special trip to visit the students and took this picture of the students with birthday cards made especially for Else.
 Wealth in old and broken jewelry. What’s lingering in your jewelry box? Tangled necklaces, single earrings, pieces that have lost their sentimental value? You can turn it all into a donation to ACC with the help of Karots for Causes. Learn more about this creative partnership on our website here. |
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