Maisha International Orphanage Hosts Light the Future Gala and Dinner

Oklahoma City, OK, November 16, 2012 --(PR.com)-- As a young girl living in Kenya, Beatrice Williamson, the founder of Maisha International Orphanage, was given one of life’s greatest opportunities; she was given the chance to attend school. Now living in the United States, Williamson wants to help those back home through her charitable program and support from the Oklahoma City community.

On Saturday, November 17, 2012, Maisha International Orphanage will be hosting Light the Future, a dinner and gala, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, located in Oklahoma City. The event will begin at 6pm and feature entertainment, videos that highlight Maisha’s program works, and a live auction.

“Education is power,” said Williamson. “By giving these children a chance through education, we are stopping the cycle of poverty one child at a time.”

Attendees will help Maisha International Orphanage in its support of Maisha Widows and Orphans, a Kenyan charity, in a number of ways: proceeds and donations will help build the Maisha Academy (for kids in preschool-8th grade); complete and open the Maisha clinic, a desperately needed healthcare facility in Kenya; to enable Maisha Widows and Orphans to invest in microfinance and empowerment initiatives in the community; and to help provide food and school tuition to over 450 children.

Tickets to the Light the Future gala and dinner are $50 for individuals or $85 for couples. Attendees can also host a table for $500. There are opportunities for corporate sponsors as well. To attend the event, please register by going to www.blacktie-america.com, and enter the event code 2012 by Friday, November 16. For more information regarding the event, please send an email to info@maishainternational.org.

“With more children attending school, we are giving the community a hand up, not a hand out,” said Williamson. “We are giving them the tools they need to be self reliant.” Maisha International Orphanage’s mission is to meet the basic human needs of orphans and widows living in Western Kenya. The program strives to provide and enhance health, education, and shelter specifically in Kisumu, Kenya.

Maisha International Orphanage is a project of UCP, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fiscal sponsor of active charitable programs. Through UCP, Williamson is able to focus solely on her program’s charitable mission and fundraising, rather than on the administrative burdens that many independent nonprofits face. All donations to Maisha International Orphanage are tax-deductible. For more information about Maisha International Orphanage, please visit their website at http://www.maishainternational.org.

UCP's mission is to empower people to help others by fiscally sponsoring targeted charitable programs that effect positive change through charitable, educational, scientific, or religious actions worldwide. UCP programs vary in size, budget and scope, but all share the desire to make a difference in the lives of others. For more information about UCP and fiscal sponsorship, please visit www.UnitedCharitablePrograms.org.