Wow, what a fun time we had October 13 at the Second Annual Family Dance Party and Fundraiser! at Tranzend in Flagstaff! There were kids sliding and dancing and playing everywhere; adults dancing and laughing and eating and sharing; drummers drumming (their SOCKS off!); Latin dancers shimmying all over the floor; glitter and confetti and great food and an incredible sense of our wonderful Flagstaff and Northern Arizona community gathering for a really good cause. We’re really sorry you missed it, but you know us: there will be another one next year!

We raised almost $1,000 due to the generosity of our community and we can’t thank everyone enough. This money will go to finish paying for Klaudina’s next year of school and for both Naume and Rebecca in Uganda as well. So three girls will be continuing their education into 2014 because of this fundraiser!  Thanks so much to Brian Wallace of the Flagstaff Freethinkers for coming up with the idea of a fundraiser in the first place, and to him, Lalena, Kristine and all the other Freethinkers for helping make it a reality. Thanks to Kati and Joe and all the Flagstaff Latin Dance Collective for donating their Sunday space for us to hold this event, and for getting everyone’s hips shaking (but not too much!) on the dance floor with great Latin dance lessons. Thanks to Alex and Heather and their two extremely hard-working and wonderful boys, Lucas and Francis, for providing an incredible dinner for so many people. I swear next year we’ll let you out of the kitchen! Thank you to Vusi Shibambo, Connie Avery and the other members of the Arizona Dunun Ensemble who came up from Sedona and brought the roof DOWN with the most foot stomping African drumming you’ve ever heard (including a rockin’ Japanese Taiko on African drums number – wow!). Thanks to the kids who made cards to send to the girls; we’ll be sending them out as soon as we can! Thank you to all the businesses and individuals who donated food, water and raffle/auction items. In no particular order: Aspen Sports; Sugar Mama’s; Animas Trading Company; Babbitt’s Backcountry; Mountain Sports; West of the Moon Gallery; Zani; Winter Sun; Senor Pickles; Mix Flagstaff; Cafe Ole; Bellavia; Vertical Relief; Asian Healing Arts; R and A Imports; Friends of Flagstaff Future; Gretchen at Chula Salon; Mom’s Stuff Hand Salve and Horseshoe Mountain Pottery; Fran Joseph; Coyote Forging and Metalworks; BinderBag; Bookman’s; Flagstaff Latin Dance Collective; Fuzzy Bella; Highland Housecalls; Kingdom Ventures, Inc.; Wet Dreams River Supply; Terra Photographica; Keiji Iwai Photography. If you live in Flagstaff, or are traveling through, please give these businesses some business of your own when you are in town! It is a compassionate and generous community we have here in Flagstaff, and we are very grateful to be a part of it. THANK YOU!!