The W. Paul and Lucille Caudill Little Foundation Friendship Art Grant: In partnership with Sister Cities of Morehead, Blessing Hands will receive pen pal funds for our Chinese students. The two year grant will benefit all Rowan County public and private school students, and provide money for Sister School and pen pal exchanges between Rowan County students and Yangshuo County students. Yangshuo County, China is Morehead’s Sister Cities match.
We have always promoted pen pals and sponsor communication. Now we have a way to fund return letters from China. The Sister Schools will also exchange packages containing art, music, and drama items at Christmas and Chinese New Year.
The grant will also fund a Friendship Art Show displaying Yangshuo student’s art for the month of October at the Rowan County Arts Center. The show, sponsored by Sister Cities in cooperation with Blessing Hands, will display drawings and photos produced at the Friendship Art Day in Yangshuo this summer during the Morehead Sister Cities Youth Delegation’s visit. Robert Franzini, head of the Art Department at MSU and Megan Mraz, our Blessing Hands intern, assisted with the art demonstration and participation event for Yangshuo students. Over 60 works by students aged 13-18 will be on display from October 1st through the 27th. A people’s choice award, decided by the public at the art show, will select one student’s picture to represent Yangshuo in the International Sister Cities Young Artist’s Showcase competition in 2008.
The Yangshuo paintings in the exhibit and photos from Yangshuo are available for viewing online at http://www.blessing-hands.org. Look for a link on the home page to Friendship Art 
Show Paintings. The paintings will be sold in a silent auction that will benefit any poor child of Yangshuo County who needs educational help. You can register a bid by e-mailing blessinghands@gmail.com. Some paintings are really outstanding. Checks should be made to Sister Cities of Morehead, if you buy a painting on line or in the silent auction at the show. Your online bids will be placed with the silent auction bids at the art show. Someone may out bid you.
Charity Parade and Fair: Blessing Hands is participating again this year in the rowanreview.com Charity Parade and Fair event in Morehead. Rowanreview.com is encouraging people to give items to 10 local charities over a 14 day period. Starting on the 12th of September, contestants can go online to see announcements by charities each night at 8 p.m. on Rowanreview.com. People will be asked to "parade" to the featured charity locations and donate small items like shampoo, detergent, or towels. The charities get a lot of items and publicity, and the contestants get prizes and free food at the Charity Fair held at the end of the 14 days. The contestants sign a sheet at each charity to show their participation and provide names for the drawing on the 27th. During the “parade” part, Blessing Hands will have public displays at US Bank, China Café, and China Star Restaurant to promote for sponsors and pen pals for our students.
Three prizes of $500, $300, $200 will be drawn at the Charity Fair from the names of the participants. Winners will give half of their prize to the charity or community organization of their choice. The Charity Fair will be held at 6:00 pm at the Wesley Hall of the Morehead Methodist Church on September 27th. Charities will have tables to display their missions and answer questions. If you live in the Morehead area, come by to hear Four Square City, a local Bluegrass group, play gospel music. Jeff Fannin, an advisory board member of Blessing Hands, will also share some of his songs. Many local restaurants have given coupons for free meals as door prizes.
