A talent show at Summerland Secondary School next week will raise money to help an orphanage in Africa.
The show is organized by leadership students at the high school and will feature dance, singing and music.
While most performers are in high school the youngest are seven years old, said Jillian Henrichsen, a Grade 12 student organizing the event.
“There are some exceptional youths in Summerland,” she said.
The talent show is an annual event and proceeds will go to help the Camp Joshua orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania.
Students at the school have been providing assistance to the orphanage over the years.
Last year, 23 students including Henrichsen went to the orphanage to help in the construction of a dining hall. The concrete floor and walls have been completed, but the building does not yet have a roof.
Henrichsen said the students’ ongoing efforts have made a difference at the orphanage, adding that earlier pictures showed a much more primitive facility than at present.
Today, the orphanage has better buildings as well as separate dormitories for boys and girls.
“It has improved the children’s lives,” Henrichsen said of the school’s ongoing involvement with the orphanage.
“When we develop our youth here, we also help to develop a community in Tanzania,” she said.
The concert will be held at Centre Stage Theatre on April 19, beginning at 6 p.m. Admission is by donation. A canteen and raffle baskets will also be set up at the event.
