It is said that we are each born to this earth with a purpose to do something that will contribute to the betterment of all living things. Our destiny is usually greater than our sense of self, if we are open to the sights and sounds that lead us on this inspirational journey. As we move out into this world, we will unite with others who share the same passion and work together to build community, harmony and peace.
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| February 2014 Student Celebration at Russ Wood School. |
Uniting Distant Stars exemplifies this calling. It started with two people--one U.S. citizen and one Liberian--who combined their shared passion to encourage young people to reach for the Stars. Soon others joined from Minnesota, Oklahoma, Missouri, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Liberia, Cameron, Ghana, Eritrea, and Denmark to support Liberia's youth to reach their potential with educational scholarships, rejoicing their achievements at the
Annual Student Celebration and School Gala, innovative training program such as the
Backpacks for Peace, opportunities to
connect with their peers in Minnesota via Google Hangout at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum Youth Festival, and much more.
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| March 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Forum Youth Festival via Google Hangout. |
The children and young adults that we have partnered with in Liberia have been very grateful for the community of support that has been developed through Uniting Distant Stars. In the later half of 2014, their lives were abruptly interrupted by Ebola with schools being closed and having their families livelihoods restricted or devastated. However, this crisis did not destroy the dreams and hopes of Liberia's precious young souls. They have shown their desire to be learning and doing something that allows them to be self-reliant. We are grateful that we can give our young men and women this opportunity with our backpack project.
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| Completion of the Phase 1 of the backpack project in December 2014. Our team on right made 250 backpacks for our students at Russ Wood Christian Academy. These will be filled with the supplies were shipped Trans-Atlantic in November and given at the 3rd annual Student Celebration sometime in 2015. |
What we have accomplished in the last few years would not have been possible without the most generous support of our dedicated donors, board members, volunteers and followers who help share our story. Each and everyone of you is a Shining Star that has brightened the lives of our young people we serve in Liberia. Your kindness and encouragement has filled their hearts with joy and the knowledge that you are with them on this journey. It is so hard to find the right words to express what you have done to make a difference for the our young Star, except to say we are humbly and extremely GRATEFUL and THANKFUL for all of you in making 2014 a successful year!
We wish all of you and your families Peace on Earth, Good Will, and the Happiest and Blessed 2015!
