Golfing for Kenyan Elephants

A golf outing and dinner is planned for 22 August at the Trophy Club in Lebanon benefitting the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya. It's hosted by U.S. Friends of the trust and chaired by Janice Smith, a Master of Social Work student at the Indiana University School of Social Work at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. Smith serves as the director of donor relations for the U.S. Friends as well as being a full-time MSW student.

U.S. Friends is an American-based nonprofit dedicated to providing financial and technical support to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a Kenyan wildlife conservation organization. The organization has worked for more than 40 years to rescue, rehabilitate and reintroduce orphaned elephants, rhinos and virtually all wildlife.

According to the School of Social Work, Smith’s interest in the animal preservation organization came about in 2003 after traveling to Kenya with her husband, Stephen Smith, and son Nick, to visit Marty and Sue Moore of the Moore Foundation. The Moores were teaching at the Staerhe School in Nairobi at the time and the Smiths were supporting a student at the school.

They were introduced to Daphne Sheldrick, who founded the Sheldrick Trust in honor of her late husband, the conservationist and naturalist, David Sheldrick. He was the founder warden of Tsavo East National Park in Kenya from 1948 until the mid-1970s.

At the time, the wildlife trust had no official U.S. link and the Smiths decided to try bring awareness in this country of conservation of wildlife issues that should be important to everyone. Upon returning home to Indianapolis, Stephen, an attorney with the law firm of Krieg DeVault, formed U.S. Friends as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization in 2004.

The golf outing in Lebanon will be the U.S. Friends' first Indiana fundraiser. For more information, e-mail or call 248:390-8568.

.

International Interfaith Symposium

An innovative series of programs kicks off tomorrow evening with “Stories and Photos from the Middle East, 1978-2003”, a presentation by Bill Foley, photojournalist, at 7 p.m. in Marian College's Allison Mansion.

The event, titled “International Interfaith Symposium”, kicks into high gear on Wednesday (19 March), with all events in the Campus Center at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

The first speaker (2 p.m.) is Klaus Martin Finzel, founder of the International Interfaith Initiative, followed by Giles Hoyt (discussing German philanthropist Mas Kade), Robert J. Helfenbein (on faith and civil society), Bill Foley and others discussing the Middle East, Shaw Towfighi (Persian New Year), Henry Cole (citizen diplomacy), Ref. Felipe Martinez and John Clark (Hispanic America).

Thursday’s (20 March) packed schedule, also in the Campus Center of IUPUI, begins with a youth dialogue (10 a.m.) and continues through the day with Dr. Chalmer Thompson, Ayumi Suzuki, Terry Morris-Downs, Sally Brown, Michael Greven, Charlie Wiles, Dr. Kevin Logan and more.

A film festival and book discussions will take place on Friday and Saturday (21-22 March). Exhibits will be open on the fourth floor of IUPUI’s Campus Center between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. All events are free and open to the public.

The complete schedule is here. For more information, see website or call Charlie McDonald, 317:283-2730.

International Interfaith Initiative is a collaborative effort between Indiana University School of Education’s Center for Urban and Multicultural Education, Peace Learning Center, Max Kade German American Center, Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, and members of the Indianapolis community - all working toward the realization of the vision to create a network that facilitates and initiates interfaith cooperation to strengthen civil society.