Imara International Annual Report
Look for 2019 Annual Report to be published in April
GuideStar Exchange
Detailed financial and organizational information is available online in the GuideStar Exchange
Gala 2019 Press Release
Media Contact: Pete Thorp
Eighth Annual Imara Gala
Imara International's fund raising event solidifies Imara's future and place in the community
MAPLE GROVE, MN (October 1, 2019) -- The Eighth Annual Imara International Gala will bring together supporters of Imara's mission in Kenya that benefits Kenyan teenage moms with education and life skills, along with early childhood education for their children, enriching both mom and child for a more promising future.
The event is scheduled for 5:30 pm, Sunday, November 3rd, at the Sheraton Minneapolis West Hotel, 12201 Ridgedale Drive, Minnetonka, MN, 55305.
In its eighth year, the event offers attendees the opportunity to meet other supporters of Imara and meet key staff members who make this mission the outstanding organization that it is. Learn how Imara is empowering Kenya's future by providing education and life skills to Kenyan teenage mothers and early childhood education for their children. Imara House, located in Nanyuki, Kenya, has been so successful that it has outgrown its original home. Operations are now located in a temporary, larger facility until completion of the permanent home is finalized at Imara Village.
The keynote speaker will be Beatrice Odongo, a member of the Kenyan Imara Board of Directors since 2015. Her passion in life is for Christian education. She feels that all children need a solid foundation in Christ and that is sometimes forgotten in Africa. Located in Nairobi, Beatrice holds the position of Children’s Pastor at River of God Church Parkland, Nairobi.
The Rev. Cindy Hillger, Deacon at St. Martin's-by-the-Lake in Minnetonka Beach, Minnesota will emcee the Gala. Prior to her ordination, Cindy spent 20 years reporting and anchoring the news, sixteen of them at WCCO, the CBS affiliate in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Cindy won numerous awards for her work, including a regional Emmy for spot news. She was also named Best Anchor in a City Pages reader poll.
Carol Erickson, Executive Director of Imara International will give the Imara House update. In 2006, as the Director of Children's Ministry at Messiah United Methodist Church in Plymouth, MN, she had an opportunity to realize her dream and serve in Africa, working with at risk girls in Kenya. This was the first of many trips to Africa.
In October of 2011, Carol's vision became clear. Nanyuki, Kenya and teenage moms and their babies were exactly the place and people she was called to serve. By 2012, she began life in Kenya, preparing a rescue home for young teen moms caught in a cycle of poverty and rejection. That rescue home became Imara House.
Carol and her staff ensure schooling for moms along with job, parenting and life-skills training.
"Resources can be scarce, but hope is often more scarce in this region of the world. Through Imara, change is on the horizon. Imara offers love and stability to young women facing overwhelming situations by giving them a safe place to live, a way to care for their babies, and development of life skills, while nurturing their spiritual, physical and mental well-being," said Erickson.
Tickets for the event are $60 per guest (includes $15 donation) or $400 for a table of 8 guests. Reservations can be made online through imarainternational.org/imara-gala-2019 . Please RSVP by October 26th, 2019.
About Imara International
Imara International is a registered 501(c)3 charitable organization, based in the United States and working in Kenya. Imara aims to empower Kenya's future by providing education and life skills to Kenyan teenage mothers and early childhood education for their children, to break the cycle of poverty and create productive members of society. For more information, go to http://www.ImaraInternational.org, or visit us on Facebook.
2019 Golf Press Release
Media Contact: David Ching
Eighth Annual Golf Tournament Focuses on Expansion
Imara International's golf outing solidifies Imara's future and place in the community
MAPLE GROVE, MN (June 1, 2019) -- The Eighth Annual Imara International Charity Golf Tournament will bring together golf enthusiasts, supporters, and a championship golf course that will benefit Kenyan teenage moms with education and life skills, along with early childhood education for their children, enriching both mom and their kids for a more promising tomorrow.
The date of play is slated for Monday, July 29th, at Rush Creek Golf Club in Maple Grove, MN. This year's premier sponsors include Bluestem Wealth Partners, as the Tournament sponsor, along with BMW of Minnetonka and PGA Superstore as the Hole-in-One sponsors.
"We are thrilled to once again work with BMW of Minnetonka as they provide a new car lease on a BMW SUV to the first person who makes a hole-in-one on
Hole #7 at Rush Creek Golf Club," said David Ching, Imara Golf tournament chairman. In addition, hole-in-one sponsor PGA Superstore will provide a $1,000 Shopping Spree at PGA Superstore to a lucky golfer who makes a hole-in-one on Hole #7. "These premier sponsors are helping to not only make the golf tournament a great play day, but helping the Imara Mission change the lives of young moms and their children."
In its eighth year, the tournament offers participants the opportunity to drive and putt on some of the most prestigious fairways and greens in the metro Minneapolis area. Imara House, located in Nanyuki, Kenya, has been so successful that we have outgrown our original home. Operations have moved to temporary larger facilities until completion of the permanent home is finalized at Imara Village.
"Last year we completed drilling a water borehole that has provided fresh, clean water for drinking, for growing crops, for watering cattle, and for sharing with our neighbors. Without this fresh water, many of Imara's surrounding neighbors would have been desperate for any water at all during the recent drought in Kenya. This wouldn't have been possible without the support of our golf tournament," said Ching.
"Resources can be scarce, but hope is often more scarce in this region of the world. Through Imara, change is on the horizon. Imara offers love and stability to young women facing overwhelming situations by giving them a safe place to live, a way to care for their babies, and development of life skills, while nurturing their physical and mental well-being," said Ching.
Golf check-in starts at 11:30 a.m., with a shotgun start at 1:00 p.m. Dinner and an awards program will follow the conclusion of the tournament. Registration is $175 per person that includes golf and dinner, or $45 for dinner only. Additional activities taking place during the day include 'Beat the Pro,' 'Buy the Drive' and the BMW of Minnetonka and PGA Tour Superstore-sponsored hole-in-one contests.
For further information on golf tournament sponsorship levels and registration, along with ways to support this important effort in Kenya, go to imarainternational.org/golf2019/
About Imara International
Imara International is a registered 501(c)3 charitable organization, based in the United States and working in Kenya. Imara aims to empower Kenya's future by providing education and life skills to Kenyan teenage mothers and early childhood education for their children, to break the cycle of poverty and create productive members of society. For more information, go to http://www.ImaraInternational.org, or visit us on Facebook.