An open request for support

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Dear Blog readers:

I have not written in quite a while, the reason being that I have been home visiting friends and family. More blog entries are forthcoming as I am back in Lithuania and have lots of exciting travels planned for this summer.

Here is, in brief, my plans:

-I will be here in Lithuania for a month and a half staying with Viktorija and her family, going to baseball practices, working on a project that will bring two Lithuanian youngsters to Durham to spend June and July living with host families and playing baseball.

-During March and April I will be in France working on a dance collaboration project with choreographer Trajal Harrell, from New York City, and several other dancers from around Europe and New York. I am really excited about this--though I have little dance experience, I am thrilled to be learning a lot and to be doing performance once again. We will perform in New York sometime this coming October. I will keep you updated!

-Then from June 3rd until the end of August I will be travelling to South Africa to volunteer for the 'Tanda Afterschool Program', a non-profit that provides a hot meal, a safe space, mentoring and fun activities 120-150 children in the community of Umtwalume, Kwazulu-Natal. The program runs like any afterschool program you might find here in the US, but there will be an added HIV/AIDS education/mentoring component to the programs (programs include sports, theater, arts, furniture-making, to name a few).
I will be working in the sports program, teaching various sports to kids and facilitating games and competitions for the kids.

This is a really worthwhile program run by really great people. I am really excited to be able to be a part of it, to be able to contribute my time and energy and also to have the opportunity to learn a lot.

here is the organization's website:

http://www.tanda.org/

If you are interested in donating to TANDA, it is simple and easy--you can do it right there on the website.

Or, you can send a donation to:

Tanda
88 Oak Street
Wellesley, MA USA 02482

Make checks payable to 'Orphans Against Aids' (the larger non-profit supporting TANDA) and put 'TANDA' in the 'memo' box. And of course, donations both large and small are very much appreciated.

**If you would like your donation to Tanda to go towards helping me offset my living costs while I am there, then send me an email with your name and the amount of your donation and I will communicate with Tanda that information.


Thanks so much! And keep an eye out for more blog entries.........


Sincerely,

Will

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