By Merritt Frey, Executive Director

Usually each fall we gather with you -- our great supporters -- to celebrate the successes you made possible and kick off a new school year. This year we can't gather physically, but we still want to celebrate with you!

Join us Sunday, November 14 for an online, free gathering celebrating the end of our Gift of Education Giving Challenge. You do not have to have donated in the giving challenge to participate (but of course we hope you will!). Please note: this event is at 5pm eastern/4pm central/3pm mountain/2pm pacific. RSVP for the online, 30-minute party here.

During our 30 minutes together we will:

• Explore one of our schools -- Judge Memorial Middle School -- with a fun video tour.

• Answer your questions about what it is like to go to school in a small Malian village.

• Honor this year's Rising Spirit Volunteer Award recipients -- Tim Gibson (Spirit of Community) and the students and faculty of Judge Memorial High School (Spirit of Giving).

• Celebrate our plans for the coming school year in Mali.

While we wish we could gather in-person, this short event will allow those of you from around the U.S. -- and around the world -- to participate, which is a wonderful perk! This event will be great for anyone who is curious about other cultures, parents and kids wanting to understand how other children live, Mali Rising supporters who would like to see exactly where their gifts go, and generally anyone who'd like to feel a little more hopeful about the future. RSVP today please!

PS Want to help make this a great school year for our kids? During our online Gift of Education Giving Challenge (November 11-13, but you can give early if you are inspired to do so!) you can sponsor textbooks, scholarships, and more and have your gift DOUBLED by a generous matching grant!