The Warrandyte Basketball Association recently donated off sale obsolete Redbacks and Venom clothing to help aid a charitable organisation that was co-founded by a former junior player, coach and referee.

Dee Rutherford (nee Arsenis) and her family have an extensive history with Warrandyte Basketball, and along with her husband Daniel who is a former district cricketer for Fitzroy-Doncaster, and their 1 year old daughter Marley, accepted the donation of clothing on behalf of the Kivuli Project – a not for profit organisation they started this year that provides shelter for nearly 40 Kenyan primary school aged children in need.

Dee was quick to thank the Warrandyte basketball community for their generous donation to help aid the Kenyan children that are predominantly affected by the AIDS virus, and were either orphaned or had a single parent that was unable or unwilling to provide for them.

“The children come from very poor backgrounds and lack changes of clothes. In fact, most of them wear their school uniforms all week, even wearing them to bed. The clothing donated by the Warrandyte basketball community will be greatly appreciated by the children. Many of the kids have never had play clothes, let alone new clothes, so this will be so exciting for them all to receive something new!

“We are still finding our feet after only starting the organisation in February this year. Whilst we have achieved so much in so little time, we still have so much more to do before our organisation becomes self-sustainable. The clothing donated will be one less thing we have to worry about organising and will make a lot of children very happy.”

For more information about the Kivuli Project, including avenues for donating online and details about visiting and volunteering your time at the Kivuli Project in Kenya, you can visit the website at www.kivuliproject.org or contact Dee via email at dee@kivuliproject.org.