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Local nursery to hold final fundraiser

Rich's Foxwillow Pines Nursery Inc., a local nursery specializing in conifers and unusual and rare trees, has announced its final fundraiser from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8.

The owners of the nursery, Rich and Susan Eyre, will retire at the end of the year - this will be the last fundraiser they host.

The benefit is to support Mano a Mano International Partners, a small yet powerful organization working to improve lives in rural Bolivia.

Rich first heard of the organization at the 40th reunion of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers from Bolivia in 2008. In 1994, Segundo Velasquez, raised in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and his wife Joan, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, founded Mano a Mano International Partners, a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization.

Its mission is to create partnerships with rural Bolivian communities to improve health and increase economic well-being. So far they have built 163 public clinics, 62 schools, more than 800 miles of roads, eight water reservoirs, 45 surface wells, 276 water ponds, and rescued more than 3,000 critically ill or injured patients through their aviation program. The clinics alone provide 700,000 rural Bolivians with access to health care.

Since 1994 they also have shipped over 3 million pounds of surplus school, medical and construction supplies that otherwise would have ended up in landfills.

And, there's more to what they do beyond the numbers. They partner directly with local governments and communities to provide their services. Rich and Susan have seen firsthand how effective these partnerships are in their visits to rural Bolivia and they wholeheartedly support this humanitarian organization.

Sales of hostas and colorful handicrafts made by Bolivians benefit the charity. Hostas will be available from minis to large forms, with leaves of green, blue or yellow. Many other hostas have fabulous variegations with touches of cream or chartreuse. Bolivian handicrafts include scarves, sweaters, tablecloths, bags, coin purses and more. Vases, frog figures, pots and other garden items also will be for sale. Sales can be made by cash or check only. Previous efforts raised enough funds to build and dedicate a school in Sora Sora in honor of Rich's mother Margaret Eyre. Visit www.manoamano.org.

The Benefit for Bolivia will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at Rich's Foxwillow Pines Nursery Inc., 11618 McConnell Road in Woodstock. For details, call (815) 338-7442, email coniflora@richsfoxwillowpines.com, or visit www.facebook.com/RichsFoxwillowPinesNursery or www.richsfoxwillowpines.com.

Refreshments will be served; coffee and bakery goods in morning and pizza and soda/water at noon.

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