On a typical rainy March Wednesday, most sports saw practices cancelled and athletes were grateful for a day off practice, but members of community-service oriented Interact and Culinary Clubs worked overtime to host a benefit dinner with proceeds going to The Dream Again Home, an orphanage located in Sierra Leone, Africa. The event took place in the CHS Commons and included a silent auction, carefully curated three-course meal (fish balls for an appetizer, jollof rice and plantains for the main meal and ice cream for dessert) and a variety of speakers who sought to spread awareness about this cause.
Guests numbered over 100 and included many members of Rotary, an affiliate of Interact, friends and family of the speakers and the local community.
“I think it’s really important for high school students to have perspective about what other people are going through everywhere else in the world and this is kind of an opportunity for people to have their eyes opened to see what people that are their age are going through in different countries,” said Teyva Dillon (11).
The food was a highlight of the evening. The fish balls, plantains and jollof rice are staples of Sierre Leonean cuisine and were made by the Culinary Club. The creation of the menu was the work of Culinary member and Leadership student Cruz Martinez (11) who collaborated with Joseph Wall – a CHS alumni, Sierra Leonean native, and past resident of The Dream Again Home – to come up with this unique menu. The first dish to be served, by members of Interact, was made from white fish, onion, potatoes, and parsley and was extremely popular. “For the menu, we had Joseph Wall give us ideas of what he thought would fit best, and from there we just looked up Sierra Leonean recipes,” said Martinez.
As dinner was being served, members of the Interact and Culinary clubs spoke about the cause. CHS Interact members, Thayer Robison (9) and Teyva Dillon (11) spoke about their experience on a recent humanitarian trip to the orphanage. “My takeaway from this trip was a deep realization that it doesn’t take material things to be happy,” Robison said as he spoke to the crowd.
Wall, who spent most of the evening guiding the twenty volunteers from Culinary Club to prepare food in the kitchen, spoke of the home as being “more than just a place of residence for me; it has been a family that cares deeply for every kid under its roof” at one point coming to tears.
Dillon told the story of one Dream Again resident whose father passed away from disease and whose mother offered him up for adoption after the man she remarried refused to support him.
“I think it’s really important for high school students to have perspective about what other people are going through everywhere else in the world and this is kind of an opportunity for people to have their eyes opened to see what people that are their age are going through in different countries,” said Dillon.
The speakers informed the audience of the historical context that has mandated a facility like The Dream Again Home, the status of the Dream Again Home, and their hopes to help these children move to a more adequately sized, safer facility. “Staff and students from CHS are committed to...raising awareness and funds to help...raise the money necessary for constructing [a] well and move progress on the new orphanage site forward,” Robison explained.
At the end of the night Jackson Feeney (11) announced the winners of the silent auction and helped them to collect their purchases. “We [had] a quilt that was hand made by Ms. Robison, some massage gift cards and some cloths and water bottles,” said Karla Cacho (11), the Leadership student in charge of the auction. One of the top grossing items was an original art piece created by Teara Dillon, CHS Art teacher.
As the night ended, the event's success was obvious: money raised exceeded $4,000 – putting Robison, Dillon and Interact/Culinary closer to their goal of raising $20,000 for the construction of the well at Dream Again; students had a wonderful experience of hosting a complicated event; and attendees left inspired, more informed, and full.
If you would like more information about this charity, read the article written by guest contributors Teyva Dillon and Thayer Robison by following this link https://thekodiakchroincle.wixsite.com/news/post/the-dream-again-home.