SCI News

On Wednesday August 26, 2009 friends and supporters of Solar Cookers International gathered in Sacramento to celebrate the organization’s recent achievements and to hear the latest news at this year’s annual Shine On event. SCI’s new board president, Gary Hursh, kicked off the event with a heartfelt thank you to veteran volunteer, Don Coan, who was added to the Solar Cookers International Order of Excellence, which recognizes those whose sustained efforts have contributed most to empowering people to cook food and pasteurize water with solar energy. Gary then announced a bold but achievable fundraising initiative, calling on donors and supporters to help SCI reach $50,000 in donations during the month of September. For ways that you can help, please visit the Support SCI page on our website.





This year, Shine On festivities moved from the Sacramento Zoo’s Kampala Center to the Sierra 2 Center in Curtis Park. The new venue was just one of several exciting changes to the event. Also new was the silent auction, offering guests a chance to bid on a beautiful array of items including ceramic jewelry, soapstone sculptures and African collectibles. Also up for auction was a weekly delivery of local, organic produce from Soil Born Farms. Renowned artist, activist and solar cook, Mary Frank, graciously donated posters of her work to help raise funds for SCI. These beautiful pieces are still available for bidding and will be posted on eBay soon.

Another addition to the program this year was a lively talk by solar cooking enthusiast Elaine Corn, who is a food critic for the Sacramento Bee and appears regularly on Capital Public Radio. Her presentation on the world’s cuisine offered by Sacramento-area restaurants was a big hit with the audience.



Finally, SCI Co-Founder, Dr. Bob Metcalf, reported on activities connected with SCI's Safe Water Project during his July 2009 trip to Kenya. He showed pictures of families that had received the safe water package, which included a CooKit and pot, Water Pasteurization Indicator and ceramic safe storage container, and reported a dramatic decrease of diarrhea incidents among their children. Bob also reported on water testing workshops for water service providers in the Tana Catchment District and for 25 Peace Corps Volunteers in training for public health assignments throughout Kenya.

Thank you to everyone who attended, and to the event’s sponsors for helping to make the evening so special.




















*All photos by Louise Mitchell/True Story

Labels: "shine on", "solar cooking events", Local Events