Sozo Children’s Dinner
Money raised at this year’s Sozo Children’s Dinner will go toward helping build a new village for the children currently in living Kampala, Uganda. Photo courtesy Laura Kelley.
Fifth Annual Sozo Children’s Dinner
Saturday, Aug. 15
5:30-9 p.m.
The Cahaba Grand Conference Center
3660 Grandview Parkway
Cost: $80 for individuals or $2,500 for a corporate sponsorship table
The annual Sozo Children’s Dinner is a time for celebration and a time for planning, and this year’s dinner will mark the start of a new campaign.
“This event is our big annual fundraising dinner,” said Sozo Children relations coordinator Laura Haley. “It’s kind of two-fold. We always say part of the reason we have this is to celebrate [thanking donors and sponsors] and to kick off our new campaign for next year.”
At the Aug. 15 dinner, attendees will celebrate the success of the Village Project campaign and begin work toward the Let’s Build campaign.
The Village Project campaign raised money to acquire more land in Uganda, Haley said. It took three years and Sozo Children was able to purchase 28 acres of land in the Ngongolo village, which is outside of Sozo Children’s current homes in Kampala, Uganda.
The Let’s Build campaign aims to create a village on the land, including 28 children’s homes, a medical facility and a school. The land will also be self-sustainable, Haley said, by building fisheries, planting crops and providing livestock. So far, crops such as maize and pineapple have been planted on the land, and three large chicken houses have been built.
“Our kids can learn about the agriculture and learn about the trades as well,” Haley said. “If the borders are closed for some reason, we want them to be completely self-sustainable.”
Older children will learn about brick making and woodwork so they can build structures and furniture for the village.
Through donations at the dinner, Sozo Children will raise money to build the infrastructure of the village. Anyone wanting to participate has a choice between multiple levels of involvement.
“Whether it’s ‘Hey, I’m going to buy three or four chickens,’ or ‘I want to buy a cow that’s going to be in the village,’ there are lots of ways for people to get involved,” Haley said.
Attendees can purchase an individual seat at the dinner for $80, or there is the option for a corporate sponsorship table of 10 seats for $2,500. Corporate sponsors will also receive a hand-carved plaque, which is made in Uganda.
The dinner will include a presentation from a guest speaker as well as a silent and live auction to help raise money. Any donations for the auctions can be submitted on the Sozo Children website at sozochildren.org/dinner. A full list of items will be posted as the dinner grows closer.
Haley said the hope is to have a member of the Ugandan staff speak at the dinner, but plans have not been finalized at this point. In addition to the guest speaker, other members of Sozo Children will share their testimony and experience with the organization.
