The Hopewell-Keroka Alliance has organized the group’s 10th annual large flea market to benefit village communities in Kenya.
The organization, according to its officials, is a non-profit whose mission is to build an ongoing humanitarian and cultural bridge between the Hopewell Valley and Keroka, Kenya communities. The proceeds from the flea market will go to improving health, education and infrastructure for residents of Keroka, which is in southwestern Kenya in East Africa.
On March 24, the flea market will take place inside of the cafeteria at Hopewell Valley Central High School.
“People who are donating items are to bring them to the high school on March 23 from 12-3 p.m. There are no vendors at all at this event,” said Lillian Rankel, one of founders of the HKA Alliance. “All the items are donated and are either new or gently used. We take in good condition items.”
If people cannot bring the items on March 23, Rankel has them drop the goods by her house before the weekend.
The organization said that it with not accept holiday decorations, electronics or their accessories, televisions and larger furniture items.
“Ever year we fill up the cafeteria with goods and we have made between $3,000-$5,000 each year,” Rankel said.
Andrew Jackson, who is the current president of the HKA Alliance and the husband of Rankel, said the fundraising goal for this year is $5,000.
“We started this organization in 2007 when Lillian, David Angwenyi another founder of the alliance and I took 15 students from Hopewell Valley Central to Kenya,” Jackson said. “We went to the village where Angwenyi came from in Kenya. We fell in love with the place, but realized how little they had. When we came back we said we should try to do something and that resulted in us forming the HKA Alliance.”
Keroka is the closest town to the village that Rankel, Angwenyi and Jackson are helping. In 2009 Angwenyi went back to the village to organize a sister organization called HKA Alliance. The group selects the projects that end up getting done in the village.
The organization reported that is has raised $220,000 since its founding, which includes the proceeds from the annual flea market.
“Ever dollar we raise is spent on the ground floor in these Kenyan communities. The first project we ever had was building a community center, we bought $35,000 in mosquito nets and we extended three miles of dirt tracks,” Jackson said. “Every project we have done has had this multiplier, which means the money we raised goes a long way in Kenya due to labor cost not being what it is in America.”
He said they have been able to improve the infrastructure in the Kenyan villages.
“This event brings money but also a lot of awareness to the community about what we are doing. People bring things to the flea market and come back and buy things at the flea market. I think people feel in a small way they can help a community in Kenya,” Rankel said.
Fifteen board members will help with the flea market, as well as, 40 students from the Hopewell Valley Central High School’s Model WHO organization club, the club was started by Rankel and Angwenyi in 2005.
Hopewell Valley Central High School, the venue for the flea market, is located at 259 Pennington-Titusville Rd in Pennington.
For more information about the flea market contact, Lillian Rankel at [email protected] or 609-737-8345.