It's a cold rainy autumn evening in Wayne NJ. The pouring rain outside looked dreary, but inside the Wayne Elk Club approximately 85 people were listening attentively as Mistress of Ceremony Dr. Caroline Opondo welcomed them at the annual Youthful Faces (YF) Fundraising dinner. She then talked about YF before introducing Dr. Alfred Taiswa to make an introduction speech and later Dr. Margaret Kilibwa a Clinical Nutritionist and Research Scientist and assistant professor at the Women's Health Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School talks intently describing the projected images on her slides. Dr. Kilibwa is the keynote speaker at the Youthful Faces (YF) fundraising dinner. She is the founder and director of Tropical Clinics, innovative health centers whose objective is to provide comprehensive conventional medical and preventive care to rural communities in Kenya. The images splashing across the screen are of orphan children living at the Nyumbani Orphanage in Western Kenya whom she visited earlier in the year.

With the organizations' mission of 'helping one child at a time', the Youthful Faces chairperson, George Nyeki made a presentation that put a child's face to the AIDS plight that is scourging Africa's innocent victims. In Kenya alone, the pandemic has taken the lives of 500,000 children and made millions others orphans. On his recent visit to Kenya, George had a first hand encounter with most of twelve children that YF supports. In the midst of major loss, despair, fear, discrimination and odds these young children have an amazingly hopeful outlook to the future. In George's words, "their expression of hope gave me proof that the efforts of Youthful faces were indeed making a difference in their lives"

The YF fundraiser was attended by people from within and outside New Jersey. Friends and supporters came from Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Arizona etc. Somewhere between the delicious buffet, the open bar, the raffle prizes, the groovy music and socializing with old friends and new friends, the generosity of the YF guests was resonating from the smiling faces of the YF children. The YF is very humbled and grateful to all the guests who made the YF fundraiser such a success. A child's life has been drastically improved by your selfless kindness.