Skating Event to Raise Money for Kenya School Built in Memory of Fairport’s Hannah Congdon

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Students from Hannah's Hope, a school in Katito, Kenya

The promising young life of Hannah Congdon was cut short in 2007 when the Fairport teenager died in a car crash along with four other students from Fairport High School just days following graduation. Thanks to the Rochester-based organization Joining Hearts and Hands, Congdon’s memory lives on through a school built last year in Kenya called Hannah’s Hope.

The next building phase will be the addition of two new classrooms. To help raise money for the project, RIT’s Women in Business Club will host “Skate for A Cause” at RIT’s Ritter Arena from 8 to 10 p.m. this Friday. A $3 donation per person covers admission, skate rental and hot chocolate.

“I remember Hannah as an ambitious, outgoing and friendly girl who was always smiling,” says Heather Knowles, president and founder of RIT’s Women in Business Club and a member of the 2007 graduating class from Fairport High. “Hannah will always be missed by myself and everyone who knew her. While I will never understand why it was her time to go, she has left behind an inspiring legacy. Her legacy has inspired me to help build an additional classroom at Hannah’s Hope. I am elated that RIT’s Women in Business is raising money for such a momentous cause.”

All proceeds from Friday’s benefit will go to Joining Hearts and Hands toward the next phase of construction at Hannah’s Hope. Joining Hearts and Hands founders William and Joanne Cala will be in attendance at Friday night’s event. Students from RIT’s Women in Business Club hope to travel to Kenya with the Calas in the spring of 2011.

To find out more visit the Joining Hearts and Hands and Hannah’s Hope website.