GRASS VALLEY, Calif. April 22, 2019 – Local trails and community services in Rwanda come together at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 4, in a fundraiser hosted by Peace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley.
Participants will “Walk for Rwanda” on two local trails that day – and they’ll be asking friends and neighbors to sponsor them. If you can’t walk, please consider contributing to this effort that improves the lives of ordinary people in the central African nation of Rwanda.
Walkers will gather at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 4, at Peace Lutheran Church, 828 W. Main St. (near downtown) for a short rally, then carpool to two nearby trailheads. Participants can walk both trails in this year’s program or just one, as they choose. The Litton Trail in Grass Valley and the Deer Creek Tribute Trail in Nevada City are fairly short and level in most spots, offering beautiful spring scenery. Trail hosts from Peace will offer support until 12 p.m.
Organizers hope to raise $2,000 to support grass-roots efforts that help people create public facilities meeting their basic needs, including health clinics, schools and small-scale businesses, said Jim Line, chairman of Peace’s Rwanda Connection Committee.
Every penny raised in the “Walk for Rwanda” will support the work of the Rev. John Rutsindintwarane – or “Pastor John,” as Peace members call him. Pastor John helped restart the Lutheran Church in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide and has been active in helping ordinary Rwandans build community infrastructure.
Peace’s connection to Rutsindintwarane dates to 1995, when a former church member met Rutsindintwarane at a refugee camp in Tanzania. Since then, Peace has supported the pastor and the Lutheran Church in Rwanda as members return to their country, seek reconciliation with former enemies and rebuild their country.
In addition, Peace members love to hike, and they hope this event will promote appreciation for and use of our local trails. If you would like to participate, but are not available to walk on May 4, please contact Peace to sign up for the alternative walk-a-thon day of May 11.
Donations may be made at www.PeaceLutheranGV.org/donate or sent to Peace Lutheran Church, 828 W. Main St., Grass Valley, CA 95945; please write “Walk for Rwanda” in the memo line.
Trina Kleist is youth & outreach coordinator for Peace Lutheran Church and may be reached at tkleistwrites@gamil.com or (530) 575-6132.