Concert May 5 to raise funds for Sharon and Bolivian day care

SHARON — Fans of American music will have a chance to hear a wide variety of styles from folk, bluegrass, old-time and country and make a difference for children in Sharon and Bolivia at a concert Saturday, May 5, 8 p.m. at the Congregational Church, 25 Main St.

The concert, by Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Group and sponsored by the Congregational Church and the Sharon United Methodist Church, is a benefit for Sharon Day Care and for the Emmanuel Education Center, a day care facility in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

The Rev. Carl Franson of the United Methodist Church said families in Bolivia share many of the same problems as their counterparts in Sharon.

"In Sharon, families are up against economics. Both parents work, and it’s hard for people to stretch their resources."

But the situation in impoverished areas of Bolivia is truly dire, Franson continued. "It’s a matter of whether or not the children eat, and are they safe.

"Siblings ages 5 or 6 may be taking care of infants, and not having much to feed them. It’s a deeper need."

In the late 1980s, women parishioners at Emmanuel Church in Cochabamba, dismayed by the starvation death of a child in that community, began to pool their resources and provide meals for children at the church.

They were then inspired to provide a few hours of child care after the meals; they received some assistance from North American donors; they were then able to fix up their building; and in time the women had a regular daily day care program that included meals and some education.

Emmanuel Education Center now serves 120 children with three meals a day for five days a week, and has a comprehensive educational program and health care provided by volunteer doctors and nurses.

The cost per child is $3 per week.

Franson is heading a mission to Bolivia in June — volunteers will take over for the Emmanuel staff while they go for training. He hopes to spark a kind of global networking — albeit "on a small scale."

"We’d like to bring people together in Sharon to address their needs and then make the connection with the situation in Bolivia. It’s exciting to reach out to the community — and to the world.

"In some small sense it’s a way to make peace."

Tickets for the May 5 concert are $30 in advance — enough for one day at Sharon Day Care or 10 weeks at Emmanuel — or $35 at the door. Tickets are available at Oblong Books in Millerton, N.Y.; Sharon Pharmacy; Salisbury Pharmacy; and Kent Pharmacy. Items for sale include hand-crafted items from Bolivia and CDs by Linda Williams.