Gala set to promote Africa Bridge charity

By Cliff Newell

The West Linn Tidings, Aug 20, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

submitted photo

Barry Childs, left, is shown on one of his many trips to Africa. On Aug. 29, his Africa Bridge Harvest Gala will bring Africa to Oregon.

When Barry Childs of West Linn started Africa Bridge in 2000, he was just hoping to help some African children.

Today, his non-profit organization is assisting thousands children in East Africa.

“I didn’t think things would go this far,” Childs admitted. “I didn’t imagine improving agriculture in a town or providing cows for farms.”

Portland-area people can see what Africa Bridge is all about when its first harvest gala is held on Saturday, Aug. 29, at Nelson Farms on Sauvie Island.

The entertainment will be exhilarating, with African music and drumming featuring performers like Obo Abby, a founder of the music movement “Worldbeat,” and Sebe Kan, an 11-member West African drum and dance performance group.

The big night will feature a dinner of African dishes, plus messages by Childs and Lisa MacCallum, managing director of the Nike Foundation.

“Response has been great so far,” Childs said. “We’ve had 100 people sign up so far, and we’re hoping to get 300.”

The advance ticket sales are an indication of the strong support Childs has received ever since he moved the home base of Africa Bridge to West Linn in 2002. Not only has the organization received “amazing support” from the Lake Oswego Rotary Club, but many individuals in Lake Oswego and West Linn have made large donations.

Childs wasn’t thinking “gala” when he started Africa Bridge. He was simply hoping to provide some help to the children of Tanzania, the land where he had lived until the age of 17.

1 | 2 Next Page >>

Facebook	Digg	Del.icio.us
Newsvine	Stumbleupon	Reddit