Greer's OC

How many times have you shelled out money without ever really knowing what difference you’re making? This Sunday you can actually change a life of two young Kenyans I love by attending a special photography exhibit of mine titled, “Educating Jack and Milly: A Picture Perfect Beginning” at the Peter Blake Gallery in Laguna Beach from 4 to 6 p.m.

Photographs I took in western Kenya in August (you can view them here) will be on sale and 100% of the proceeds will go toward to send two young Kenyans, Jack Ombuya, 23, and Milly Osoyi, 19, to a university and forever alter the trajectory of their lives and their communities. They live in extreme poverty – subsisting on less than $1 a day. And they have little chance of making a better life, especially with the country’s rampant corruption.

Jack and Milly are intelligent, caring, disciplined, warm, funny and ambitious. And they desperately want to attend Africa Nazarene University in Nairobi. They’ve already been accepted, but they cannot afford tuition. To them, the cost of the college education—about $4,000 for each—might as well be $1 million. But we can change all this.

The signed photos are beautifully framed by Nelson Fine Art Framing in Laguna Beach at a variety of prices. The afternoon will also feature wine, hors d’oeuvres, music and a raffle to win a stay at a luxury hotel. We look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP kathy@pacific-creative.digital. The Peter Blake Gallery is at 435 Ocean Ave. in Laguna Beach. 949.376.9994.

Too Precious to Pass Up!

Tonight you can see “Precious” at 7:30 p.m. at the Regency Lido Theatre in Newport Beach. The film received a 15-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry produced “Precious” and the screening is free and only available to Orange County Film Society members. And you can become a member by joining at the box office for $99 and you’ll get to see 8 exclusive screenings throughout the year. If you join before Dec. 31, you will receive 8 additional general screening tickets to the Newport Beach Film Festival.

Or you can get this all for free. One lucky Greer’s OC reader and a guest will win an Orange County Film Society membership by sending an e-mail to kathy@pacific-creative.digital. We’ll select a winner at 3 p.m. today and notify you by e-mail.  The film society presents advance screenings of studio and independent films followed by discussions with filmmakers, critics, curators and scholars.
“Precious,” set in Harlem in 1987, is the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American girl with a dismal life. She’s been dealt a series of painful circumstances, but her self-determination leads from darkness and helplessness to hope and power to change. 

Regency Lido Theater is at 3459 Via Lido in Newport Beach. For information, call 949.253.2880.