(Painting the tent at the Middlebury Farmer's Market, Sept. 13, 2008. Photo courtesy: Angela Drexel)
Join us this September
Tents of Hope gives people the chance to respond as a community to the crisis in Darfur by creating tents that are both unique works of art and ongoing focal points for learning about, assisting, and establishing relationships with the people of Sudan.
We will:
- Paint a canvas tent which will be part of a rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC on the weekend of November 7-9; the tent will then be shipped to Africa to be used as classroom space in the refugee camps;
- Provide information inside the tent to raise awarreness about the crisis;
- Make available a petition and materials for contacting Congress;
- Encourage donations for humanitarian aid and participation in the October 5 Addison County CROP Hunger Walk.
(photo courtesy: Brett Simison)
We will be working on the tent on the following dates:
Saturday, Sept. 13, Middlebury Farmer's Market, 9:00-1:00 p.m., Marble Works
Organizer: Rev. Tim Franklin, Bridport Congregational Church; tel. 758-2227
Saturday, Sept. 20, Middlebury Town Green, 10:30-1:00 p.m.
Organizer: Ellen McKay, Middlebury College Chaplain's Office program coordinator; tel. 443-5626
Saturday, Sept. 27, Middlebury College Main Campus Quad, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Organizer: Laurie Jordan, Middlebury College Chaplain; tel. 443-5626
Volunteers are needed! Please sign up here -- even if you have only an hour or so to give. And contact us at 443-5626 (emckay@middlebury.edu) if you have questions or if you would like more information about this project. We need folks to:
- set up the tent
- paint the tent during the first two hours of each event
- hand out information
- help with petition signing
- pack things up at the end of the day
Click here to read the press release from the Middlebury College Communications office.
Visit the national website at www.tentsofhope.org.
For more helpful information about Darfur, please visit these sites:
http://savedarfur.org/content
http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/analysis/
http://enoughproject.org/conflicts/sudan
Sponsors: Middlebury Area Clergy Association and the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life at Middlebury College.
