Bloom Where Planted Hosts ‘Magical Music and Champagne Evening’

When Edmund and Mary Fry went on a safari in Kenya in 2003, they happened to visit a small edifice in the middle of a rural area with no windows, no doors, a dirt floor and 300 children who called the place their school.

“We could not believe it was a school for the local children,” Edmund Fry recounted. “We decided then to dedicate ourselves to rebuilding the school.”

Today as the result of the Pasadena couple’s fund-raising efforts, Longonot Primary School not only has doors, windows and cement floors, but also blackboards, desks, books, school supplies, a good group of teachers and a dedicated headmistress serving 700 children. With the help of donations, the school also does its best to feed students healthy food and provide them with clean water, clothes, shoes and other essentials.

The Frys’ work continues as they recently held the first in a series of fund-raising salon events at Pasadena’s Rose Tree Cottage, which they own and operate. The couple has established a non-profit foundation called Bloom Where Planted that raises donations for the primary school and seeks sponsorships for those students who qualify to continue on to secondary school, now numbering over 100 children who would not have been able to attend high school.

On Saturday, Sept. 20 a group of more than 40 supporters gathered at the Rose Tree Cottage for champagne, fish and chips prepared by ‘Chef’ Tom Mannion of Caltech and a musical performance by Dr. Adam Kendall on violin and piano. The special event launched the foundation’s efforts to add a fine arts and trade center for the children of Longonot Primary School that will encompass instruction in music, art, computers, domestic science and a library. Saturday’s event raised more than $5,000 toward that goal. “There are very few employment opportunities for young people in Kenya, so we decided that in addition to an education, we also want to teach our students job skills that they can use,” Edmund Fry said.

For more information on the Rose Tree Cottage, Bloom Where Planted, Longonot Primary School and its students, visit: www.rosetreecottage.com and www.bloomwhereplanted.org.