The photographs of Cheryl Kirby Stokes will be shown throughout April at Greener Groundz Coffee & Cafe in an exhibit called Basket Weavers of Kasigau.

According to Stokes, “100% of the sale of the photographs will go towards the renovation of the Rukanga Library and Community Center in the Kasigau area, a project I am working on in partnership with my Bowling Green Noon Rotary Club. As an incentive, all sales are tax deductible.”

The basket weavers’ portraits came about through Stokes’ association with WKU Students In Free Enterprise Program (SIFE).  Since 2007 that organization has worked with seven Basket Guilds in Kenya by marketing their baskets in the U.S. and sending all proceeds back to them.  Locally they are sold at events such as the Bowling Green International Festival the last Saturday in September.  “100% of all proceeds go back to the Basket Guilds in Rukanga, Jora, Bungule, Makwasenyi, Ngambeni, Kisemenyi and Kithege, providing school fees for needy students and building projects, as well as contributing to the purchase of seed grain and medical supplies.” said Stokes.

Cheryl Kirby Stokes, who is the Service-Learning Coordinator for the WKU ALIVE Center for Community Partnerships also offers a recommendation on what to order while you view her exhibit, “I highly recommend Buster’s Brown (coffee) and the Asiago Chicken sandwich. And the Pepperoni Rolls are ridiculously addictive!”

All photos on exhibit were printed by Jeff Smith.