Mayfield Junior School: 4th Graders Reach Out to Pen Pals in Kenya

In an effort to strengthen their bonds of friendship with their pen pals at Longonot Primary School in Kenya, Africa, the fourth grade students of Mayfield Junior School recently presented personal letters, clothing and a check for purchasing much needed textbooks to Mr. Kevin Thuo, Consul, Kenya Consulate General in Los Angeles, and Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Fry, representatives of Bloom Where Planted, a local Pasadena organization that supports the school in Kenya.

The children raised funds by creating chore coupon books. Each child created a book of coupons with household chores redeemable for $1 per chore. In addition fourth grade teacher, Mrs. St. John organized a donation of 82 MJS sweatshirts. Speaking on behalf of the Kenyan Consulate, Mr. Thuo thanked the children for their assistance and friendship and spent some time answering the students’ questions about Kenya.

Edmund & Mary Fry, who own Rose Tree Cottage, created Bloom Where Planted, a charitable foundation, to support Longonot School after they visited the school during a safari trip to Kenya in 2003. Since then, the couple has devoted their time and energy to improving the school and the quality of life for its students.

Mayfield’s fourth graders became pen pals with the children of Longonot School in 2009 when they were in the second grade. Mrs. Fry and Mayfield parent Martha Williamson, whose daughter Abby Anderson is in the fourth grade, organized the project and the children have been corresponding ever since.