Kathi's House - A Home for Kenyan Orphans with HIV/AIDS

Run for Rebecca

2009-09-01T13:06:00.001-04:00

The inaugural "Run for Rebecca" to raise funds to support the children at Kathi's House and other homes at Beat the Drum is scheduled for November 14, 2009, at 7:00am. This 5K race will start at Wills Park in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Information about the race as well as an online registration form for the race is available at http://run.partnersforcare.org

Please join us if you can, to run, spectate or volunteer to assist. If you cannot make it, please consider donating to support these precious children.

God Bless.

Picture delivered to President Bush

2009-08-01T15:01:00.000-04:00

The framed picture of four children at Beat the Drum Children's Home whose lives have been saved though medication provided by the PEPFAR program President Bush established, was delivered to President Bush's office in Dallas, Texas. Due to scheduling conflicts, Partners for Care was not able to deliver and meet the former president personally, but we have confirmed that his staff in the Dallas office have received the framed picture which was a gift from us.

We look forward to a visit with the former president in the near future, as well as the possibility of partnering with the foundation he has established.

Thank You - President Bush

2009-01-23T14:42:00.001-05:00

While many in this country have overlooked the faith and heart of President Bush, lived out through his great support for Africa in the battle against HIV/AIDS and malaria - Partners for Care wants him to know that we have not overlooked one his greatest legacies. In fact, we are striving to deliver to him a large, framed picture that illustrates the impact his actions have had in the lives of 4 real children we are blessed to know at Beat the Drum Children's Home in Maai Mahiu, Kenya. The picture below is a small version of the photo we are trying to deliver to President and Mrs Bush, at their home in Texas.

The picture shows the life saving effects of the ARV medications that President Bush's PEPFAR program has made available to Rebecca, Faith, Brian and Elizabeth. It also provides a brief overview of the story of "Kathi's House", the first home built for the HIV/AIDS infected orphans at Beat the Drum.

Click on image for a larger view

Please pray that we are successful in our bid to deliver this personally to the former President, so that he will know that these and millions more like them are grateful for his faithfulness to his promises - and that hopefully, we may be able to raise additional awareness and support for the HIV/AIDS work Partners for Care is doing in Kenya.

God Bless,

David

Update for Beat the Drum

2008-07-14T10:19:00.005-04:00

The second home at Beat the Drum is nearly complete. This home, named Musa, for the young boy who is the main character in the "Beat the Drum" film, will be serving 5 more children in the near future. Construction of the third home, to be named "Chaplain Bob's" in honor of Kathi's adoptive father, should begin soon. Bob McPherson was a pastor and chaplain, and served in the US Navy in WWII, Army Air Corps as a Chaplain in the Korean War, and as an Air Force Chaplain in Vietnam. He died June 1999.

Construction is being held up only by availability of funds. We would prefer to be continuously building until we complete all 10 homes - but due to limited financial support, this has not been possible.

As soon as pictures of the home are received, they will be posted here.

The video from our April trip to Kathi's House is available here. Please have a look. This video runs about 20 minutes and includes pictures from our time with the children at Beat the Drum, on a trip to Lake Nakuru National Park to see the animals, and time of worship at the GOA church led by Pastor John in the village of Maai Mahiu. If any would like a DVD version of this video, please email me at dgruber@partnersforcare.org.

Courtney with Our Kenyan Family

April Visit to Kathi's House

2008-04-28T13:09:00.004-04:00

There are updates from our trip to Kathi's House posted on the Partners for Care, Hope Team blog, which is available here. The trip was a blessing - especially to see how Courtney bonded with the children. It was great to see the progress made since the dedication of Kathi's House in November 2007 - including the new furniture, a nearly completed water tank, fields planted with corn and beans, chickens, and a cow. The children were so proud of their rooms - but were also very gracious to allow us to sleep in their beds so that we could stay there at night. What a joy to sleep and wake up in Kathi's House!

I am working on some videos from the trip and will post links to them once they are available. There are a number of pictures from the trip available here.

Rebecca's Transformation at Kathi's House

We have an urgent need to raise funds for the second house at Beat the Drum. The construction was authorized to begin with only partial funds raised, and we are trusting God for provision for the remaining funds needed. The needs are great, as there are now 9 infected children at Beat the Drum, and there are many more waiting for space to be made available through construction of additional homes. Please pass this information along to as many people as possible - and advise that if someone wants to name a home in honor of a loved one, to please contact us.

Heading to Kenya

2008-04-02T11:22:00.002-04:00

Courtney and I are blessed to be heading to Kenya this week to visit the children living at Kathi's House! What a joy it will be to share this time with Courtney, while I hope and pray that Kristen, Bill and Robert will also have an opportunity to visit this special place before long.

We will also be working in Mathare slum and visiting some schools there, as well as participating in visits to displaced persons camps with the GOA and Partners for Care team on the "Peace Bus". Finally, we will be working on some preparations for the GOA Children's Conference, which will be titled "Champions for Christ", and held April 14 - 18.

Blessings,

David

GOA Children's Conference

2008-03-02T21:27:00.005-05:00

Partners for Care is partnering with Glory Outreach Assembly (GOA) to put on a conference for the 300 children who are cared for in the six children's homes run by GOA. Will you consider partnering with us as we endeavor to partner with GOA to deliver a memorable and life altering event for these precious children? These children (a few of which are pictured here) and the people of Kenya have just lived through a very trying time in their nation - and sadly the side effects will be impacting the nation for some time. The planning for this conference has been seriously delayed, as Partners for Care has been focusing on urgent fund-raising needed to keep the GOA Peace Bus operating and delivering hope and food to people who might otherwise starve as a result of the turmoil following the post-election violence.
The conference theme is "Champions for Christ." The conference, put on in partnership with Camp Highland, is intended to deepen faith in God, provide biblical leadership and courage development, medical and dental care, as well as a dose of fun for these children. We plan to include a trip to a national park to allow the children to enjoy seeing the animals that American tourists get to see, but most Kenyans never have the chance to see.
Prayerfully consider sponsoring one of more of the 300 children who will attend, at a cost of $100 each. Or consider making a gift towards the cost of materials that will be purchased to put on the conference, such as ropes course supplies, notebooks, food, bibles, shoes, medicine, tooth brushes, etc.
The conference will be held April 7 - 11, 2008. For those interested in participating, the travel dates will likely be April 4 - 12. Please call 678.778.0561 for more information.

To donate, go to http://championsforchrist.kintera.org/donate. To download a printable flyer, click here.

Vehicle Campaign for "Beat the Drum"

2008-02-13T21:45:00.006-05:00

There has been some improvement in the situation on the ground in Kenya, but Partners for Care is still working to raise funds to support the Glory Outreach Assembly (GOA) response - providing humanitarian support to the hundreds of thousands of displaced persons within the country.

Fortunately, the post-election violence has not directly impacted the children and staff at "Beat the Drum" Children's Home, which is where Kathi's House is located. However, some funds that had been raised for Beat the Drum were redirected by Partners for Care to fund GOA's humanitarian relief effort - which has included the daily operation of the "Peace Bus" that has been traveling to displaced persons camps to deliver food, blankets, clothing, medical care, hope and prayer. For more information on the humanitarian relief effort, see http://reliefforkenya.blogspot.com/.

There are many needs at Beat the Drum that we are focusing on - one of which is to purchase a van for the children's home, which will provide significant cost savings long term. Presently, the staff must pay for transportation of the children to school and to frequent hospital visits required by children who are infected with HIV/AIDS. Purchasing a van will eliminate these costs, plus provide them ability to transport produce to market to sell, once crops are grown on the Beat the Drum site. The target is to raise $16,000 to purchase a used van. An online donation form is available at http://beatthedrum-van.kintera.org/donate. We will update the donation amount received in the Quick Links section to the left.

Here is the type of used van we desire to puchase (click on picture for larger view).

Urgent News about Kenya

2008-01-07T22:17:00.001-05:00

The recent violence, loss of life, vandalism, looting and burning of homes and churches in Kenya has weighed heavily on the hearts of those who have been blessed to support the Kenyan people in any way. Partners for Care emplores you to support Glory Outreach Assembly (GOA) as Bishop David Thagana and the Godly servants of GOA rise to the challenges facing Kenyans in this difficult time. We have the opportunity to be a blessing and equip these soldiers of God on the ground in Kenya - as they minister to the hurting, the hungry and the mourning. Click here to donate for this cause. To read more, click here.

Today, Focus on the Family has published an article about "Beat the Drum" on its Orphan Care Initiative website. Please check out this article by clicking here.

Please pray for peace and reconciliation in Kenya, and for the Lord's work that GOA is focused on performing even in the midst of trying circumstances

AJC Story about Beat the Drum / Kathi's House

2007-12-05T21:51:00.001-05:00

Ralph Ellis, writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, did a fantastic job of writing and getting the story of Beat the Drum and Kathi's House beautiful coverage in the paper today (December 5, 2007) and on the AJC website. For those who may have missed it on the web, the article is available at
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/living/stories/2007/12/04/kathishouse_1205.html, and the associated photo gallery is at http://projects.ajc.com/gallery/view/living/1204khouse/.

To request additional information, email Partners for Care at info@partnersforcare.org, or call 678.778.0561 or 678.386.2028. Tax deductible donations or correspondence may also be mailed to:
    Partners for Care
      2001 Breckenridge Lane
      Alpharetta, GA 30005

World AIDS Day

2007-12-01T11:49:00.000-05:00

Today, December 1, 2007, is World AIDS Day. Pray for the leaders of nations to rise to the challenge - and take action yourself to make a difference in the lives of those infected and affected by AIDS. Some additional pictures and video presentations relating to the recent International Leadership Institute and Partners for Care trip to Kenya - supporting the work of Glory Outreach Assembly - Kenya, are available here (pictures) and here (slideshow with music).

Glory Outreach Assembly - Kenya (GOA) is the driving force behind "Beat the Drum", doing the challenging work on a daily basis - providing care, love, physical and spiritual nourishment, and education to the children - with very limited resources. To learn more about GOA, the 6 Children's Homes they have started and operate, and their passion for serving the people of Kenya through 6 strategic pillars of service under the extraordinary leadership of Bishop David Thagana, go to http://www.goaweb.org.

An article by our friend Ralph Ellis of the Atlanta Journal Constitution is scheduled to run in the paper on Wednesday, December 5. The article and photos will also be on www.ajc.com. Spread the word. Click Here to make a tax deductible donation to help meet the needs of Beat the Drum Children's Home and Kathi's House. To request additional information, email Partners for Care at info@partnersforcare.org, or call 678.778.0561 or 678.386.2028. Tax deductible donations may also be mailed to Partners for Care, 2001 Breckenridge Lane, Alpharetta, GA 30005.

More information about current needs at Beat the Drum is provided in postings below. God Bless.

Beat the Drum Website

2007-11-25T13:03:00.000-05:00

The Beat the Drum Children's Home - of which Kathi's House is the first permanent home for the children - now has a website available. This site, managed by Glory Outreach Assembly - Kenya (GOA) will provide a way for Pastor John, Mary and staff to keep everyone informed regarding the children and the work God is doing through His people at Beat the Drum. Click here to visit the site.

The November newsletter from GOA, which highlights the dedication of Kathi's House at Beat the Drum, is available here.

What is Kathi's House

2007-11-19T15:08:00.000-05:00

Below is Kathi's House with a pink ribbon on the morning of the home's dedication, November 11, 2007. (Click on any of the pictures for a closer look.) For more pictures, click here.

Kathi's House is a home for orphans infected with HIV/AIDS near Naivasha, Kenya and the village of Maai Mahiu. This home is dedicated to the memory of Kathi Gruber, who lost a courageous and grace filled battle with cancer in June 2007. Kathi's passion for children never wavered, and she planned how she might coordinate raising funds for orphans with AIDS in Africa even as she battled cancer.

This endeavor is part of a project known as "Beat the Drum", a new Children's Home being built and operated by Glory Outreach Assembly - Kenya (GOA), and supported by Partners for Care, a ministry of International Leadership Institute (ILI). The commitment and passion of these organizations is evident through all that has been accomplished in the past 4 months.

Below is Kathi's husband along with Arupe Faith, the sixth child infected with HIV/AIDS brought to live at Beat the Drum, who is preparing to move into Kathi's House as the furnishings arrive in the coming days.

Below is Connie Cheren, founder of Partners for Care, with Rebecca - one of the six children who will live in Kathi's House.

While we celebrate and praise God for bringing together the people and resources needed to accomplish this great milestone, there is much left to do. Funds are urgently needed to complete construction of Beat the Drum and fund its operation. Prayerfully consider how you can partner with GOA to deliver exceptional care to these precious children of God. The immediate needs include:

Vehicle to transport the children to school and hospital - $16,000

Salary for Pastor - $300 / month

Salary for Cooks / Assistants - $200 / month (four needed immediately)

On Staff Nurse - $350 / month

On Staff Social Worker - $300 / month

Mosquito Bed Nets - $500

School fees and expenses - $250 per child per year

Security Guard $150 / month

Longer Ranges needs include:

Construction of Each Additional Home - $12,000

Construction of Kitchen / Community Center - $18,000

Click Here to make a tax deductible donation to help meet any of these needs. To request additional information, email Partners for Care at info@partnersforcare.org, or call 678.778.0561 or 678.386.2028. Donations may also be mailed to Partners for Care, 2001 Breckenridge Lane, Alpharetta, GA 30005.

Pastor John, Mary and the 10 children they are caring for (their 4 children plus 6 HIV infected orphans) performed to roaring applause during the dedication ceremony for Kathi's House.

Bishop David beats the drum.

Following a stirring time of praise and worship, and a soul searching message delivered by GOA's Bishop David Thagana, the Bishop, Pastor John and Kathi's husband David celebrate the opening of the home by unveiling this plaque of dedication for Kathi's House.

Below is how Kathi's House appeared on October 15, 2007, just a few weeks before the scheduled dedication.

There are presently six children (pictured below) infected who have been living with Pastor John and his wife Mary in a temporary home - and will now be moving into Kathi's House. There have been additional children identified to move to "Beat the Drum", and will do so once additional homes can be completed.
The "Beat the Drum" project, named for the award winning movie written David McBrayer to promote awareness of the epidemic of AIDS in Africa, is planned to include 10 homes for children, homes for 2 pastors, a community Kitchen and care center, as well as facilities to garden and raise chickens and cows to improve self sufficiency. The DVD release of the Beat the Drum film is scheduled for December 1, 2007 - which is World AIDS Day.

A Quick Update

2007-09-19T23:49:00.001-04:00

There is so much to write - but instead I will add a few pictures that speak thousands of words. The pictures below were taken during the recent trip when Connie, Brian Sudduth (architect from gary b. coursey & associates) and others went to Kenya to serve and advance the plans for the Beat the Drum project and Kathi's House.

Connie inside what will be Kathi's House

Connie and David presenting picture of Kathi to Pastor John and Mary

Happy children along with Pastor John and Mary

Brian with the children inside Kathi's House

Note the dramatic, miraculous improvement in Rebecca!

Glory Outreach Assembly - Kenya

2007-08-23T14:16:00.001-04:00

Our friends at Glory Outreach Assembly - Kenya were kind enough to share their August Newsletter, which can be downloaded below. In the newsletter you will read of the success of Parters for Care recent trip to Kenya during which Connie and David were pinned as soldiers in the fight against AIDS in Kenya, kicking off an HIV screening program which for the first time in Kenya is employing oral testing kits.

It is also a blessing to see a photograph in this newsletter of Connie presenting a framed picture of Kathi to Pastor John and his wife, who have so graciously added 5 new children to their family. There is a wonderful picture of Rebecca, one of the children whose health has improved dramatically, miraculously, since living in her new home. Rebecca is in the lower left in the picture of the 5 children in a post below, and you will be astounded by the changes reflected in the picture of her in the newsletter.

Download GOA - Kenya Newsletter

Update from Kenya - Connie Cheren Checks In

2007-08-13T22:53:00.000-04:00

David and I arrived in Nairobi Friday night and were picked up by Laban and his wife Beatrice. Even though the Bishop is away we are staying at his house along with Francis, Dr. James from Lodwar and Jane - Partners for Care new social worker.

Yesterday Christian (from Milele), David Whithers, Laban and his wife, Dr. James and Jane and David and I went to worship at Maai Mahui and to see the five children from Merciful Redeemer who now live with Pastor John and his wife Mary and their four children. We took many pictures of the children because we know it will be hard for everyone to believe the difference in the children! They are laughing, playing, singing and worshiping in church and look so much healthier. Pastor John told the congregation that he prayed and told God that he knew He could take the sores away from Rebecca's face and he asked God to do that! Many of the sores are gone and the ones left are improved!

The Pastor and his wife have created a safe, clean, loving home for the children. He says he loves these children as he loves his birth children. They are currently renting a house but will move to the new property in a week. We walked to see the land which also has a house on it. The house in not in very good condition but will be painted and will serve as temporary housing as they build the first house - Kathi's House.

The land is beautiful and sits between two mountains. There is land for farm animals and for gardens. In a week Brian Suddeth an architect from US is joining us on this team and will draw the plans for Francis and Pastor John. They will dream it and he will draw it. Francis said that is so helpful as they have to take the plans to various goverment offices.

There were so many highlights of the day but one of the best was Laban's preaching to a congregation infected with HIV and sick with AIDS (including the five children from Merciful Redeemer) in a community with so many orphans and street children and asking them to see how they could help. And then inviting his friend Christian to sing in this little chuch. What a blessing to be witness to this celebration!

After a great meal in their home served and prepared in all borrowed dishes, pots and silverware the pastor and his wife followed us to Nairobi when everyone (men includes) enjoyed filling their shopping carts with dishes, towels, silverware, cups, toothpaste and things they needed to set up house. It is indeed more blessed to give than receive. These items were purchased by funds raised from the concert. They left to return to the children happy and better equipped to complete this task God has called them to do.

Blesssings to you for your prayers,
Connie

AJC Story - Sunday, August 12 edition - Northside Sports Section

2007-08-12T12:34:00.001-04:00

A wonderful article about Kathi's House and Kathi is in today's Atlanta Journal Constitution! A link to the online article is below:

AJC Story - August 12, 2007

The online article does not contain the photos included in the printed version, but we will post the related photos below. They will be familiar images to those already involved in this important project - with a large picture of the First Five children to live in Kathi's House prominently displayed at the top of the article. There are 2 smaller photos of Kathi - as and adult, as well as in her adoption picture - when she was still known as Sook Hee Choi in a Korean orphanage.

Many thanks to Mr. Ralph Ellis for a wonderfully written article. Ralph did an amazing job of collecting information and consolidating to a compelling and touching story.

One of the topics that we discussed that did not appear in the article was an idea conceived by our son Bill and grandson Rickey - to build skateparks for the children, and to solicit contributions and sponsorships from some of the skateboard and related equipment manufacturers to help in this effort. Please feel free to contact David Gruber via email at david.gruber@comcast.net if you would be interested in assisting with this idea, or would like to learn more about how to get involved with Kathi's House and the broader work of Partners for Care in Kenya.

Click Here to Donate

AJC Story about Kathi's House

2007-08-11T00:39:00.000-04:00

We are grateful for the interest shown by the Atlanta Journal Constitution for the Kathi's House project - and are especially thankful for the considerable time and effort invested by the reporter, Mr. Ralph Ellis, who was just recently assigned to the North Fulton area. We are happy to have him working in our area of town, and look forward to the article, which is scheduled for publishing in the North Fulton section of the paper this Sunday, August 12.

All friends please be in prayer for Connie Cheren, as she left this evening for Kenya to work with the government of Kenya to take on the ambitious task of conducting HIV tests on all government employees.

We are also excited by the assistance being given to this effort by Dr. Wes Griffin of International Leadership Institute. As a result of his support, a dedicated online donation form for Kathi's House has been created, and is available at the link below. The ILI Team will also be providing some innovative tools to help us build a community of support around Kathi's House and the larger "Beat the Drum" project - which will include the church, additional homes and a community kitchen.

Donate Here

North Fulton Neighbor article

2007-08-03T00:54:00.000-04:00

On July 25, an article written by Joan Durbin about Kathi's House was published in the North Fulton Neighbor / Milton Neighbor paper. We will post a copy of the article on this site in the coming days for those who may not have access to that paper.

We are thankful for the great story and for the assistance in getting the word out about this effort to serve the "least of these" in Kenya.

The first five children to live in Kathi's House are in the picture below. Pastor John, who will lead the church to be built along with Kathi's House and the other homes of this project, has brought these five children to live with his family until the house is completed.

Download newsletter
Click Here

2007-07-19T16:38:00.001-04:00

Thank you to all who advertised the event, sold tickets, hosted the concert and showed up! For those who attended you know it was a great evening. Milele was awesome! David and Courtney eloquently told of Kathi and her vision and passion to help others here and in other countries. And we feared people would not want to stay after the concert to mingle and visit the displays but that wasn't true we had a hard getting people to leave!

Funds are still coming in but tomorrow Dr. Griffin authorizes Bishop David to buy the land to build Kathi's House! And it looks like we have enough funds to build Kathi's House in time for the November cutting of the ribbon by David and others including Kathi's daughter Courtney who will travel to Kenya with ILI and Partners for Care on a mission trip.

How blessed we are to know these five children infected by the virus. We know we can't help all the orphans in Kenya but by working together we are helping our Kenyan brothers and sisters to help these 5 (and later 45 others)

Thank you again and bless you for all your efforts!

To donate, click the link below, or mail checks made out to Partners for Care to:

Partners for Care
2001 Breckenridge Lane
Alpharetta, GA 30005

In the memo line write "Kathi's House"

Who is Kathi?

2007-07-03T15:07:00.001-04:00

Katherine Anne Gruber - “Kathi”
Anyone who knew Kathi understood what Paul meant in Galatians 5:6 when he wrote “… The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Kathi lived out her faith in a way that blessed anyone she came in contact with. She was truly Christ’s hands and feet on this earth – “On Mission” for Him every day and every where she went. She left this life to be with Christ on June 5, 2007.
During one very challenging time in her life, Kathi wrote, “The only thing that matters is the purity of my mind, the gentleness of my heart, and the color of my soul.” Her focus on applying these thoughts to her life each day resulted in a purity, gentleness and capacity to love that overflowed and blessed those fortunate enough to know her. The depth and clarity of her soul was evident to all. Kathi loved her family with an extraordinary love and grace, and possessed a passion for children that was remarkable. The depth of her love for children overflowed with endless patience and a way of connecting with every child that was mysterious to the outside observer – including parents who would watch in amazement as Kathi would get even the most rebellious child to listen without ever raising her voice. “Miss Kathi” was a surrogate Mom to many, and her home was almost never without a new family member.
Even as she courageously battled cancer, Kathi’s passion for children never wavered, and she planned how she might coordinate efforts to raise funds for ministries working with children in Africa, until she was well enough to go there on a mission trip with her husband. It is this passion that we are endeavoring to honor by raising funds to build a home in Kenya to serve the most needy of children – orphans afflicted with HIV / AIDS.
Kathi, or Sook Hee Choi as she began life, was adopted from Korea during the Korean Conflict, by Army Air Corps Chaplain Bob McPherson, a humble beginning for sure. Those who knew her will testify that no matter what her circumstances she exuded a grace and humility that was alluring and offered a glimpse of heaven on earth.
Kathi was an extraordinary wife, mother, grandmother, friend, mentor and daughter. The seeds of faith, truth, hope and love she planted will be blooming for generations. May we glorify God by building “Kathi’s House” in her honor. Combining the promises of two of her favorite verses, Galatians 6:9 and Romans 8:28, we will see our good works providing a harvest for the least of these in Kenya, as God reveals something glorious out of the tragic loss of our dear sister in Christ, Kathi Gruber.