| March 3, 2002, on a snowy blustery day, The Women's Drumming Circle opened the Sunday service at First Unitarian Church with singing and drumming and a very special presentation! | |
 030302-1 We sang "Women's Work," a song written by Peggy Stevens and Susan Siemers, and "Mother I Feel You," one of our favorite Mother Earth songs. |
 030302-2 BACK ROW: Elly, Andrea, Molly, Catherine, Audra, Barbara, Diana, Kathy, Gretchen FRONT ROW: Heather, Marj, Susan, Peggy, Sarah, Kim |
 030302-3 Gretchen and Diana presented a check for $860 to Rev. Lisa Doege and First U Board President Don Wheeler. |
 030302-4 We asked that the money be added to the Building Fund! |
| Drumming Opened Service March 3 Belize Water Project a Success The Women’s Drumming Circle opened the Sunday morning service at First Unitarian Church of South Bend service with singing and drumming. We were drumming in honor of the completion of the Belize Clean Water fundraiser. In January of 2001, the women of the First Unitarian Church of South Bend hosted the WomanSpirit 2001 Conference. In the fall of 2000, we decided to cut a CD as a fund raising project for that conference. The money raised was to go towards the installation of a clean water system in Toledo, Belize, in Central America. That project was chosen for several reasons. First, we wanted to help women, and currently the women there have to haul dirty river water in buckets to their village site. Second, the theme of our conference was As The River We Flow, so we liked the idea of doing something that was associated with water. Third, even a small amount of money can make a big impact in such an impoverished area, and we wanted to make a difference. And lastly, we had a connection with Plenty International in Denver, a company that was willing to contribute a solar system for water pumping and filtration. The project was to provide clean, healthy water, as well as relieve the women of the backbreaking job of hauling water. Our very ambitious goal was to raise $2,500, a sum that seemed out of reach to our small group. We would have to sell nearly 400 CDS to get there, after covering the expense of production and packaging. Finally the recording was done and it was time to sell CDS. When we ordered them, we planned to get 500 but found that 1,000 cost such a little bit more! We then set about selling at the conference, to family and friends, through local music stores, and after performances. We have performed several times over the last year, each time selling a handful of CDS. The money added up! We reached our $2,500 goal. Then last summer, a hurricane struck Toledo, devastating the community. Fortunately, the project was not yet begun, so there was no loss to the new system. In the meantime, we continued to sell CDS here and there, and we were able to send Belize checks totalling $3,500, with the additional $1,000 to be used for the hurricane damage. We have sold nearly 600 CDS, far beyond our wildest expectations. We still drum together on the first Thursday of every month. In addition, we get together informally whenever we can. And of course there is still a gig every now and then to practice for. We appreciate having space in this church to help foster our group, and we are proud and happy to present to First Unitarian Church a check for $860.00 to go toward the Building Fund! —The Women’s Drumming Circle of the First Unitarian Church of South Bend |
|