JEDDAH, 5 December 2004 — Fifteen hundred men, women and children attended a fundraiser at Sharbatly Village on Thursday. The event was held to benefit the Hope Center for Children With Exceptional Needs and hundreds of families turned up for a day of fun in the sun.
The atmosphere was festive as children’s laughter rang out non-stop as they ran from one activity to another. There were bouncing castles, trampolines, a remote- controlled car racetrack, and face painting among others. A favorite among the children was the sumo-wrestling arena where they could don heavy, padded body suits and attempt to push one another out of the ring.
The event which was organized by only ten expatriate women was held in order to raise money for a new specially equipped passenger bus which costs about SR100,000. According to Carole Jones, one of the organizers, the Hope Center has been renting a bus and driver to transport children in need of care and their families between home and the center, but the arrangement has been a difficult one. “Hiring a bus and a driver is just not reliable. The children need to get to the facility in order to receive care. When the driver doesn’t show up or the bus breaks down, that prevents the children from receiving the care they need. If Hope had its own bus, things would run more efficiently,” she told Arab News.
Hope for Exceptional Needs is a registered Saudi charity, a multi-lingual center for rehabilitation. It caters to children with exceptional needs and their families and helps them deal with the challenges. On Thursday, organizers raised SR42,000. Anyone wishing to make a donation is asked to call Lisa Robinson at 02-6070420.
