Concert at Kaufman Theatre to Raise Funds for Haiti Neighborhood Notebook
By CHERISE M NEWSOME
By Cherise M. Newsome
The Virginian-Pilot
Norfolk and the Republic of Haiti may be almost 1,300 miles apart, but hearts of local residents are not so distant.
On Saturday, Ocean View’s New Living World Tabernacle Church will host a benefit gospel concert to help Haitians suffering from hunger and poverty being caused by rising food and fuel prices which have sparked riots.
The concert – to be held at the Chrysler Museum of Art’s Kaufman Theatre – will feature Broadway actress and singer Kitra Williams who performed in “The Color Purple.”
The show also will include the local Honey in the Rock Dance Ministry and music by the Rev. Paulette Castel, who pastors the church with her husband, the Rev. Jean Castel, who is senior pastor.
Jean Castel grew up in Petit-Goave, Haiti, where the church supports missionaries. He said it’s been terrible seeing and reading news reports about the suffering people there are experiencing.
He said donations gleaned from the concert will go to good use, helping to feed hungry children, educate them and support the missionaries.
The church is “trying to raise awareness,” he said. “It’s in our hearts.”
The Castels also plan to make missions trips to Haiti and to send financial support.
Benefit Gospel Concert 7 p.m. Saturday at Chrysler Museum of Art’s Kaufman Theatre, 245 W. Olney Road. Free, but donations accepted. 484-6709 or 450-2120.
Cherise M. Newsome, 446-2358,
cherise.newsome@pilotonline.com
Girl Scout Gold to Katelin Garvin
By Cindy L. Smith
Correspondent
Many girls bow out of Girl Scouts by high school.
Katelin Garvin went for the gold.
And earning a Gold Award from the Girl Scouts puts Katelin in elite company. Gold is the highest honor the organization bestows – going to only 5,500 girls in 2007, or 5.4 percent of eligible Scouts, according the Girl Scout Web site, www.girlscouts.org.
“Most girls work for Gold in their senior year,” said Katelin, 17, a rising senior at Maury High School. “But I wanted to get it done early so that I concentrate on other things like college applications next year.”
Katelin, who lives in Fox Hall Manor with her parents, Michael and Chari Garvin, earned her Gold by working for five months to provide activity kits to children staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Norfolk. The kits, which included puzzles and games, went to youngsters who had left Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters , and to their siblings, said Elyse Brown, director of the house.
Katelin, who plans to become a physical therapist, wanted her project to help someone in need. “I wanted the kits to give the kids something to do,” she said. “I wanted them to be able to focus on something besides being sick.”
Katelin, a member of Troop 97 at St. Pius X Catholic Church at 7800 Halprin Drive, has participated in Girl Scouts for 12 years. She credited troop leaders Kathy Bennett and Nancy Toro for keeping her involved.
“They are amazing,” Katelin said of Bennett and Toro. “I’ve seen other troops, but I’ve never seen any who do so many activities. “
Recently, those activities have included camping and a trip to Pigeon Forge, Tenn., where the girls went hiking and indoor skydiving.
Now that she has achieved the Scouts highest award, Katelin could forego Girl Scouts during her senior year. No way, she said.
“We have tons of fun, and my best friends are in my troop,” she said. “Plus, it looks really good on a resume.”
Katelin doesn’t mind the occasional second glance by people who think that Girl Scouts are much younger .
“Sometimes when we try to sell cookies, people don’t believe that we are really selling them for the Girl Scouts,” said Katelin, who works at Harbor Park and is a junior volunteer at CHKD. “They just expect Girl Scouts to be younger.”
Katelin said she plans to remain a Scout even after graduating from high school.
” I’ll become an adult member and help out with the troops,” she said. “I’ll always be involved with Girl Scouts.”
Cindy L. Smith,
CindyLSmith26@aol.com
Originally published by BY CHERISE M. NEWSOME.
(c) 2008 Virginian – Pilot. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.