UDWI REMC Community Fund Grant Brings Rwandan Genocide Survivor to Shakamak High School
BLOOMFIELD, Ind. (Oct. 28, 2024) — Shakamak High School hosted a special student assembly featuring Rwandan genocide survivor Kizito Kalima on Oct. 7 in Jasonville. The event was made possible with the help of an $800 grant from the UDWI REMC Community Fund, Inc. program.
Shakamak High School’s mission is to provide students with varied learning experiences while emphasizing academic, social, cultural, and physical growth that empowers and challenges all students to become educated, ethical, responsible citizens in a diverse ever-changing world. As part of their promise to fulfill this mission to students, Shakamak High School administration often seeks ways to expose their students to new, inspirational experiences.
“Although I wanted my students to hear Kizito Kalima’s story, it would not have been possible to bring all of my 7th through 12th graders to him in Indianapolis. With the UDWI REMC Community Fund grant, it became possible to bring Kizito Kalima to us, exposing five times the amount of students to his inspirational story than we could have if we had bussed students up to him,” comments Alexis Meyer, a teacher at Shakamak High School. She goes on to share how impactful this event was, saying, “As a Rwandan Genocide Survivor, Kizito Kalima has endured so much trauma, yet his story now offers a huge slice of hope, compassion, and inspiration. For students, our hope is that this event might inspire them, whether now or later, depending on what they have going on in their lives.”
At the event, Kizito Kalima described how he lost family and friends and narrowly escaped death multiple times throughout the hardships of the Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi — a 100-day massacre in 1994 in which around 800,000 people were slaughtered in Rwanda. After surviving the event and being displaced from his home, Kizito came to United States in 1998 with his three daughters, two of whom are also genocide survivors that he adopted in the U.S.
In response to hearing Kizito Kalima’s testimony and in an effort to give back to their own community, Shakamak High School students are spearheading a dual-mission fundraiser to donate essential household items to those in need. Donations will go towards both people in the local community as well as Kizito’s charitable organization, which aims to give assistance to a new influx of sub-Saharan refugees in the U.S.
“When we saw why Shakamak High School applied for a grant, we knew that the opportunity to bring a Rwandan Genocide survivor to speak to their students would be an unforgettable and educational experience that could not be passed up,” explains Doug Childs, CEO of UDWI REMC. He continues, “With the help of our members’ charitable donations to the UDWI REMC Community Fund, we hope to continue having a positive impact on local organizations and residents.”
The UDWI REMC Community Fund allows cooperative members to give back to their communities by rounding up to the nearest whole dollar on their electric bills. The money accumulated is poured right back into local communities by awarding grants to various organizations. Throughout September, the Fund awarded $10,746 to eight local organizations including Shakamak High School.
The latest round of UDWI REMC Community Fund grant recipients included: Bedford Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Public Library, Bloomfield School District Police Department, Child Evangelism Fellowship of South-Central Indiana, Greene County Sheriff’s Department, Shakamak High School, Stone City Alliance for Recovery and Hope, Inc., and Worthington Lions Club. The UDWI REMC Community Fund, Inc. is now accepting applications for its next grant cycle. All nonprofit businesses in UDWI REMC’s service area are encouraged to apply. Please visit www.udwiremc.com to learn more about the program and to start an application.
