ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 24, 1997 TAG: 9704240059
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: what's on your mind?
RAY REED
Q: I saw on a recent TBS special that Kisumu, Roanoke's sister city in Kenya, has epidemic AIDS deaths and blood shortages. What can we do?
M.B., Roanoke
A: The Sister Cities program is looking into ways to help Kisumu's street children - homeless orphans who survive any way they can and often spread AIDS in doing so.
Greta Evans, chairwoman of Roanoke's Kisumu Sister City program, said participants in a meeting at Virginia Tech on Saturday will consider projects such as sending educational materials to Kisumu.
If a program is developed at the meeting, Roanokers can expect an announcement about how we can help, Evans said.
She said Roanoke has worked with a women's group in Kisumu called Montelink, seeking to develop teen-agers' artistic talents so they can earn money.
Bob Morgan, a Virginia Tech associate professor who worked for eight years with an African medical program that reached Kisumu, also has some ideas for the African city.
He said United Nations-type programs that send money to hospitals and schools in Kenya don't connect with the street children. The kids feel society has deserted them, and they distrust and avoid the institutions.
These youngsters tend to gather at loosely structured community centers, and Morgan says opportunities are there to provide informal training.
Apparently the best way Roanokers can help is with cash contributions, assuming reliable programs are established to use the money where it's intended - possibly through a church or international organization.
Evans said the cost of sending material items to Kisumu is prohibitive. The cheapest way is for people traveling there to carry books and supplies in a suitcase - which falls far short of the needs in a city of 300,000.
A shipment of medical supplies for Kisumu ran into serious transportation problems, Evans said. Morgan added that medicine isn't the answer to the AIDS epidemic anyway; teaching the street children trades so they won't have to participate in prostitution will work better.
Soliciting donations in traffic
Q: Is it legal for groups to solicit at traffic lights? It's a safety issue when people walk among cars at places such as Tanglewood Mall and Starkey and Electric Roads.
L.S., Roanoke
A: It's legal for established nonprofit organizations that obtain a permit from the city or county and follow police-recommended rules, such as wearing fluorescent vests.
Mary Allen, clerk of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, accepts applications and decides whether to issue a permit.
Groups have to be organized as nonprofit corporations and have a 501-C number, state what the money will be used for and stick to the rules.
Allen said this type of solicitation started in the area a couple of years ago when a Roanoke College fraternity raised funds for a park for handicapped children near Oak Grove School.
Not a paid appearance
Q: Gov. George Allen's wife, Susan, appears in promotional spots on TV for Virginia's state parks. That's commendable, but is she paid for doing this?
J.H., Christiansburg
A: Susan Allen does the commercials as a public service and is not paid, according to a spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources.
Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Maybe we can find the answer. Call us at 981-3118. Or, e-mail RAYR@Roanoke.com
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