Siamanda Chege is scheduled to appear on MSNBC on Saturday, December 22. Check local listings in  your area.

Dear friends,We are very excited to have our good friend, Josh Scherer, running this year’s NYC Marathon and raising money for The Patrick Chege Memorial Orphanage. As you know, the Orphanage focuses on kids who have lost their families to HIV/AIDs – a major issue in sub-Saharan Africa. Josh is very familiar with this problem having spent a substantial years of his life in this area of the world (his parents have lived in sub-Saharan Africa since 1975 and currently reside in Nairobi, Kenya). The bottom of the email is a short background of our runner, Josh Scherer.To make the donation process a bit more interesting and interactive, Josh has decided that he need to earn your dollars (and will also pay for them):1) If Josh completes the marathon, the charity receives your base level donation (no amount is too small)2) If Josh runs the marathon in under 2 hours 50 minutes, your base level donation is doubled (He has run 2 NYC marathons, in 2004 (3:00:04) and in 2006 (2:57:03))3) The Scherer family will match aggregate donations up to $2,500If you would like to participate, simply send me an email with the amount that you would like to donate (and indicate whether or not you would like to double the amount if Josh runs under 2:50:00) or fill out the pledge form (attached) and mail to Rowena Scherer. Again, no amount is too small and any donation would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you know of anyone else that would potentially like to donate to the Peter Chege Memorial Orphanage, please feel free to forward this email to them.Josh Scherer, 35, a long time resident of New York and a member of the Greater New York Racing Team is running this year’s ING New York City Marathon to raise money for a children’s orphanage in Kenya.Josh was raised in different parts of Africa after his parents moved there in 1975. His father, an agricultural engineer, initially worked with the US government (USAID) in Lesotho, but later moved with the family to new positions in Kenya and Zambia. Josh’s parents currently reside in Nairobi, Kenya. Josh was active in sports throughout his school years but never focused on track or distance running.At the beginning of 2004, about the time he turned 32, Josh started running to try and get in shape again after years of working long hours as an investment banker. He ran his first distance race (4 miles) in February 2004 at 6:49 pace - 2 years later he would run a marathon (over 6 times the distance) 4 seconds per mile faster. Josh enjoyed the competitive challenge of racing and quickly entered other races, getting faster each time. In an attempt to take his running to a new level, Josh joined running classes provided by the New York Road Runners and led by local running legend Bob Glover. Bob thought he saw some potential and asked Josh to join Bob’s team - the Greater New York Racing Team. Josh’s first race with the team was in August 2004.Since joining the team, Josh has continued to get faster with his best times at almost all distances being posted in 2007 (thanks in part to hiring Bob’s wife, Shelly, as a personal coach). He ran his first marathon in November 2004 (New York) in 3:00:04 and his second and most recent marathon in November 2006 (also New York) in 2:57:03, beating Lance Armstrong by over 2 minutes. Josh plans to race the New York marathon again in 2007 and will be raising money for the Patrick Chege Memorial Orphanage, a Kenya-based orphanage focused on children who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS, a major issue in sub-Saharan Africa.To maximize the amount donated to the cause, Josh has created a unique structure to make the process more interactive and entertaining for the donors - donors are being encouraged to contribute a base level amount if Josh completes the marathon, and twice that amount if he runs under 2 hours 50 minutes (over 7 minutes faster than his previous best time). In addition, Josh and his wife will match total aggregate donations up to $2,500.Josh is married with 2 children and is currently a Director with Perella Weinberg Partners. His family and employer have both been extremely supportive of Josh’s running.

We are pleased to let you know that CBS ran a segment about the Chege Orphanage and the New York Pen Pal event on today’s evening news. If you would like to access the segment on-line, go to the following link:

http://wcbstv.com/seenon/local_story_185145437.html
Press the arrow in the middle of screen on the right and the segment will start playing.

Please click here for the permalink to the story, and here for the the online interview.

There is also an interview of Siamanda Chege, the Orphanage founder, conducted by CBS’ Cindy Hsu on the same page.

Enjoy!!

Friends of Chege Orphanage

• enclosure: http://www.chegeorphans.com/cbs.mpg 23637388 video/mpeg

Please join us for mini photo shoots in Central Park, benefitting the orphanage. Amanda K. Photography will photograph children and families and donate the ENTIRE SITTING FEE to the Patrick Chege Memorial Orphanage!

Space is limited, so please sign up today!

www.amandakphoto.com

• Sitting Fee: $200, 100% of which will be donated!
• When: Thursday, July 26th, 2007 Wednesday, August 8th, 2007
• Where: Central Park, NYC
• Who to contact: Leslie Hanft at l-jhanft@rcn.com or call at 917.494.5743.

If you’re in NYC, please tune to CBS Channel 2 for a interview with Siamanda Chege, the founder of the Patrick Chege Memorial Orphanage, during the afternoon news.
Please note that the show airing time is subject to change. Please check the CBS website for updates and details: Family First: Helping Kids Make A Difference

• When: Wednesday, July 4, 2007 at 5:00pm
• Where: CBS Channel 2

Mandy Karangelen kindly photographed the event for us. Please go to her website at www.amandakphoto.com to see all the photographs.

Our second installment of the Pen Pals for a Purpose Party will offer an opportunity for your child to forge a connection with those in need by becoming a pen pal with an orphan in Kenya, Africa. We will also be collecting school supply donations to send to the orphanage, so come join the festivities and learn more about Kenya too!

• When: June 10, 2007, 4:00pm to 7:30pm
• Where: Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ
• Who to contact: dgoldfinger@mindspring.com

Pen Pals for a Purpose Party will offer an opportunity for your child to forge a connection with those in need by becoming a pen pal with an orphan in Kenya, Africa. We will also be collecting school supply donations to send to the orphanage, so come join the festivities and learn more about Kenya too!

• When: May 23, 2007, Wednesday 12:00pm to 2:00pm
• When (Raindate): May 24, 2007, Thursday 12:00pm to 2:00pm
• Who to contact: dmaralevy@aol.com

The first annual pajamas for a purpose raised much needed bedtimes supplies for orphans of the Patrick Chege Memorial Orphanage. Each child came in their pajamas (mommies included!) and brought a bedtime care package for their new African friend and then settled in for a PJ party with pizza, popcorn, cupcakes, pedicures, face-washing and tooth-brushing, and a bed-time movie.

• When: March 30, 2007

The cocktail reception provided a wonderful opportunity for Siamanda Chege, the founder of the Patrick Chege Memorial Orphanage, to introduce the background, mission, and objectives of the orphanage to both personal friends and a growing number of those interested in helping the cause.

• When: February 10, 2007