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Steamboat Springs — About two years ago, Hayden Valley Elementary School students started collecting clothing and supplies for children at the Village of Hope, a home and school in Burkina Faso, Africa.

So far, Hayden students have gathered 1,200 pounds of clothes, Hayden Valley Elementary Scho­ol resource teacher and student council adviser Sally Mc­­Cor­mick said. With a fundraiser Sun­day, McCormick and Steamboat Springs photographer Kim Keith hope to continue the effort to supply education, food, clean water and housing for about 500 needy children.

McCormick and Keith are putting on a fundraiser for the Village of Hope — a Christian boarding school for children — from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Ghost Ranch Saloon. There is a $10 suggested donation at the door; admission includes tickets for door prizes. Keith and McCormick hope to raise additional funds with silent auction items.

Proceeds from the event will help send Keith and McCormick on a 10-day trip to the Village of Hope in June. They plan to give any additional money directly to the organization, and they hope going to Burkina Faso will help them spread information about the village and gather more support for it when they return, Keith said. She plans to take photos during the trip to use for awareness efforts.

“This will be our first opportunity to go and share the love, to hold them and interact,” Keith said.

McCormick heard about Village of Hope in her research for teaching children with hearing disabilities. The African boarding school offers services to a number of deaf children. Without the school, it is unlikely Village of Hope’s students would be educated, McCormick said.

“I’m a teacher, so I really think education is power. That’s something that’s lasting. You can better a country if you educate the children. And it’s going way above and beyond that, too, feeding them and giving them nutrition,” McCormick said.