Concert, Auction to Benefit Grafton Couple's School in Kenya

A fundraiser will be held in Upton this weekend to benefit a  

The concert, auction and raffle will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Hartford Farm, 15 Hartford Ave South, Upton, and is sponsored by the farm as well as Sparkleberrys. It features The Referrals, a southern country and rock band. Raffle prizes include gift certificates from Red Rock Grill of Upton, Miz’ Mo Salon of South Grafton, The Body Fixx of Upton as well as items from Potter Hill Farm, Stirred Crazy and Dunkin Donuts of Upton.

The suggested donation is $10 ($20 per family). For more information, see the PDF flyer attached to this article. 

The Open Hearts and Minds Foundation was founded by Grafton residents Phil and Sarah Boyer while they were living in Kenya. In 2010, the Boyers started a small school in western Kenya for disadvantaged and orphaned children; they currently have 32 children in three classes. Without Open Hearts and Minds, the Boyers say, these children would be missing out on an education simply because their parents/ guardians lack the money to pay for the extras (uniform, test papers and after-school tuition) that are required to get the ‘free universal education’ in Kenya.

With plans for another new class of 10 children to join their current students at the beginning of next year, they are outgrowing their current classroom facilities. The Boyers' mission this year has been to build a new four-classroom block. This, combined with increasing running costs, has given them a real challenge to raise the funds necessary to continue providing a quality education along with a hot meal every day to their students.

To learn more about the foundation, visit its website and Facebook page.