Young Leaders Series: Taking an ordinary career and making it extraordinary.

This summer we will be focusing on three amazing young leaders and what they have done to make this a better world. We are excited to start this series with one of our STAR leaders, who is Gradieh Wreh. She wears many hats with Uniting Distant Stars by serving as a founding board member, donor and volunteer along with bringing the millennial perspective to our organization. She was an instrumental member of our project team for the 2013 Youth Leadership Workshop in Liberia both as a planner and presenter, which she shared her expertise as an entrepreneur. 

Gradieh--whose name means surprise--is a very focused and self-determined young women who has built her successful cosmetology business--Hair by Gradieh--from the ground up. She has unleashed her passion to promote healthy natural hair through her work as a stylist and teacher. She offers several types of styles along with her own design of "U Part" wigs. Her most recent endeavor was launching her own product line for hair and skin using natural ingredients that are abundant in her native home of Liberia. She named her product line--Bindu's Organics--after her Mom, who has been a huge help with this venture.

Gradieh with her Mom Bindu selling Bindu's Organics and U Part wigs at a show. Photo courtesy of Gradieh Wreh.

I met Gradieh shortly before she married her husband Elijah in August 2010. Elijah and I connected two months earlier about our shared passion in helping the young Liberian people access resources to improve their quality of education. It has been an honor to be immersed in the lives of this enterprising young couple that forged a lasting relationship that is both personal and professional.

Gradieh with Elijah. Photos courtesy of Gradieh Wreh.

During that same year in 2010, I became a client of Gradieh's and really appreciate the personalized service she delivers. Most importantly as I have sat in her chair the last four years, I have been able to witness how she has realized her dreams one bold initiative at a time. She has grown her thriving business by taking some risks and mixing her talents as an artist and scientist. One moment she is sculpting an UpDo that is more of a work of art than a simple hairstyle. The next moment she is sharing her next chemistry experiment on Facebook that she is conjuring up in her brother's kitchen for her ever growing product line.

On the left is one of Gradieh's UpDo's and on the right is a new batch of body butter being whipped up.                          Photos courtesy of Gradieh Wreh.

It is her strong faith in God as a Christian that has guided her in taking this "ordinary career and making it extraordinary"--something coined by my own Mom in describing her entrepreneurship. It is exciting to watch her excel in her passion-aligned-profession along with being one of the first to try out her products.

Bindu's Organics Body Butter. Photo courtesy of Gradieh Wreh.

Gradieh follows in the footsteps of many in her generation that have created businesses that value both profit and people which is often referred as a social enterprise. In providing a social benefit, she started offering free workshops this year to both her clients and general public about understanding the science of hair and how to protect it from the harsh elements. In attending two of her workshops, I can say she is a subject matter expert on hair from the inside out.

While building her brand in Minnesota, she is also introducing it in the New Jersey and New York markets. She and Elijah moved out east in 2013 when he landed a job in his field of regulatory science. While establishing herself at a salon in Newark, New Jersey, she returns to Minnesota about every six weeks to serve her long-term clients. As one of them, I'm grateful for her making this possible.

Follow Hair by Gradieh on Facebook and Instagram. 

In addition to her a role has an entrepreneur, she is a student completing her bachelor's on entrepreneurship and a writer for various publications for black women. She is definitely dedicated in changing the paradigm for businesses owned by women and people of color.

Gradieh is an example of someone that pushed past the expectations of others to follow her own ideals in living her purpose. Though she has been challenged by her age and race, she does not let either one hinder her from achieving her goals. Much of this could be attributed to moving to Minnesota from Liberia at age 9 while it was embroiled in a civil war. This caused her to be separated from her parents, but she was fortunate to have relatives in Minnesota to live with during this transition. This was not easy juncture in her life, because she went through her formative years trying to preserve one cultural while adapting to another. I believe this experience helped her gain wisdom and strength to persevere through many trying times thus leading to her success today.

Uniting Distant Stars is honored to have Gradieh on our team. She is a role model for the young people we are serving in Liberia and elsewhere in the world. We wanted to ask her four questions that would encourage young people to pursue their dreams by sharing her experience and insight that has shaped her own.

1) When did you first discover your talents and knew this was a path you wanted to take and why?

I discovered my talent of doing hair when I was in the eighth grade. I needed my hair done and a friend of mine stood me up. I took on the task and I kept on going from there. I would practice on myself, friends and family members. I started helping my cousin’s wife in her salon during her pregnancy when I was in the ninth grade. I loved the salon experience and I never stop going; it became my after school job.

I love interacting, educating and touching people’s lives. These are the three things that pushed me to continue my path of doing hair and so much more.

2) What were the top three influences that supported your can-do spirit and why?

First is My faith:  Understanding that I can do all things through Him (God) who strengthens me.

Second is Helping people: There is always a way to help someone and there are so many rewards you get from doing so. From what I experienced, I can say the disappointment caused by not helping others is far greater. I love being among people who are realizing their potential while they are watching me do the same. That is why I love to share my journey, because I just never know who I’m influencing.

Third is Modesty: I can be painfully modest at times about what I do and how far I have come, but that pushes me to always want to do more. I have many little notebooks and planners lying around that have goals and financial records in them. They go back as far as 2007 (when I was in cosmetology school) and every time I come across one of them, its an opportunity to see how far I have come and this is followed with a few minutes of celebration. After that, I realize how much more I have to do and how “far behind” I am.  Bottom line is that there is more to do and regardless of how much I accomplished, I have committed my life to continue with the work that has been driven by my passion and desire to pursue my dreams.

3) In dealing with the barriers of age and race, what are some strategies you have applied to overcome them?

Number 1 is Educate myself: Education brings on a whole new level of confidence. I don’t believe in hanging a degree on my wall and calling it an education. That was the example of education that I saw growing up, so the idea of going to college was never attractive to me until 2011. Education to me is not just formal education, but seeking new experiences and new and innovative ways to do things.  It’s finding how many different ways I can part your hair and how many different styles I can create and why. By educating yourself, you are equipping yourself with something that can never be taken away.

Number 2 is Humble yourself: It allows you to grow, gain trust and build strong relationships.

4) As someone who has found success as a young entrepreneur, what would be your five top recommendations that you would give a rising star that may feel hindered by any social biases?

1. Follow your heart.
2. Always be good to people.
3. Educate yourself.
4. Invest in yourself before expecting anyone else to.
5. Be confident/cautious: Take time out to understand each step you take and why. Take time out to understand where you are and why you’re there. What decisions or circumstances are responsible for where you are and just because you come across a good opportunity doesn’t mean you have to take advantage of it.

We want to Thank Gradieh for allowing us to share her story to inspire others to discover and embrace their authentic self. Also, we wish her all the best as she continues to expand her brand as one of the top haircare specialists in the nation!!!

Uganda: Ogolo Women’s Banana Project

When putting your idea into action, you can get stuck at a mental crossroad on what direction you should take. When looking to the right, you see yourself stranded because you the lack capital to get going. When looking to the left, you see nothing but the roadblocks of self-doubt and fear. When looking straight ahead, you see an open road with twists and turns leaving you uncertain on where it will end. While many may remain paralyzed at this intersection, there are those who will take a completely different direction by paving their way.

Jill LaLonde is one those people who was willing to pave her own road. While interning in Northern Uganda as part of her master’s degree in 2009, she saw an opportunity to help four women start a cooperative that would become the Ogolo Women's Banana Project (OWP). Her steadfast determination and proven results demonstrated that you start small and still make difference with those you serve. She was an inspiration to me to start doing something no matter what with Uniting Distant Stars

Jill at the left sitting with the four women she partnered with to start the agricultural cooperative. Photo was courtesy of Ogolo Women's Project Facebook Page.

I have known Jill since 2010. We are both active volunteer leaders with the Minnesota International NGO Network, an organization serving individuals and organizations working on global issues such as poverty, education, health, etc. She also has been a faithful supporter of Uniting Distant Stars. It was through working with her at MINN that I got to know about her project in Uganda.

It was exciting to watch what she was doing from the sidelines. Her vision was clear when she returned to Minnesota and quickly developed a plan to raise funds to launch this project. Though she did not have a registered organization or fiscal sponsor, she was confident that she could reach her goal. She carefully strategized her approach that led to her success in raising the capital needed to get started.

The Ogolo project has been steadily growing these last few years and is showing great promise. In 2012, she partnered with a local NGO--Community Empowerment for Rural Development (CEFORD)--in Uganda to oversee the program. CEFORD is committed to this project and reports on its activities quarterly.

In the recent quarterly report, it showed that this collaborative effort had a membership of 85 women including Jill’s 4 by the end of 2012.  It seems that there is a growing interest with this project, because it provides savings and lending opportunities through Village Savings and Loans training in financial literacy, business skills, reading and writing, and banana production.

Furthermore, it was the women of the Ogolo displacement village, who saw how growing bananas would improve their economic standings while providing for their families. Ogolo was one of many areas in the Northern Uganda that is still recovering from the brutal war waged by the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) for nearly two decades. It was during LRA’s reign under the leadership of Joseph Kony that caused a great deal of disruption for these women and their children. The LRA was notorious for kidnapping and conscripting children as soldiers (see the documentary Children of War to learn more). 

Based on all they endured during the war, the women were looking for something that would not be so labor intensive and that is why they chose banana production. The women shared in the recent quarterly report that the “banana is both a food and cash crop that has ready local and external markets.” They easily saw the potential of growing bananas as a viable business opportunity.

So June 2013 it was time to start one-year cycle for the Ogolo Women Improved Banana Project that “was implemented by Ama-Alu Ogolo Women Group through CEFORD and Arinyapi Sub County Local Government Production Department.” The funding for this project has come from Jill and her supporters. Some of its goals were to increase banana production by 15% and have its members adopt this project as a food and cash crop by 50%. 

This was taken early February 2014 and it shows how tall the banana trees have grown. Photo was courtesy of Ogolo Women's Project Facebook Page.

In following the Ogolo Women's Project Facebook page, the banana crops are growing despite lack of rainfall and occasional fires from the February 2014 post. On April 5, they posted about farmers from two sub-counties--Ciforo and Dzaipi—visited Ogolo banana site as part of a learning tour. As cited in this Facebook post, the farmers saw “firsthand the good agricultural practices and group farming techniques. What a great boost to OWP farmers to know they're a model across the region!”

 

Here are some of the local farmers who visited to the site to learn more about the Ogolo project. Photo was courtesy of Ogolo Women's Project Facebook Page.

The project cycle ends May 2014 and it appears that they are on target of meeting their goals. It is great to see how Jill had a vision based on discussions she had with the four women she met in Uganda in 2009. This then evolved into a collaborative project with CEFORD and other entities to boost the economic welfare of the women in the Ogolo village. Through the effort of all the Ogolo Women’s Project stakeholders, they were able to implement the banana production and soon will see the “fruit” of their labor.

Jill’s passion and commitment to the women of Ogolo is another example that no matter how small the effort, the results can have a big impact on the community it serves. Clearly her vision helped her look past the hazards in the road to where she saw that the path less traveled was the best route to take. And within a few years she was able to find her destination for success.

Congrats Jill on all that you have accomplished with the ever growing Ogolo Women’s Project!

2013 Annual Report

Uniting Distant Stars had a transformative year in 2013. You are invited to read our 2013 Annual Report. This report will share what we accomplished and learned in our second year as an organization serving Liberian youth. In this edition, we have spotlighted some of our sustaining donors, and shared thoughts from our beneficiaries and country director in Liberia.

Our success is measured by all the support of our generous donors and dedicated volunteers and board members. We are extremely grateful to our growing community that are committed to uplifting the spirits and lives of the Liberian youth! Thank you from everyone at Uniting Distant Stars!

Discovering Cultural Connections

It is amazing when you break free from your "comfort" zone and take a moment to talk with someone from a different culture or nation. This is an opportunity to learn more about another person's life and how they view the world. It is during these conversations that you can discover the beauty of their culture and how it relates to your own. This is why Uniting Distant Stars (UDS) is more than just an organization. We are also a global community connecting people from different cultures and backgrounds to share ideas and join hands in making this a better world. 

This past March was a time that UDS experienced many cultural connections. As we had shared in an early post, we connected youth in Liberia to their peers in Minnesota via Google Hangout at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum on March 7.  That same day our executive director--Heather Cannon-Winkelman--was invited to co-present at the Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) Multicultural Student Leadership Association (MSLA) Event about U.S. and Liberia Relations. 

Event Flyer

Plus in conjunction with the MSLA event, we did a 9-day Facebook promotion from March 1 to 9 called Uniting Distant Stars Jeopardy. This promo provided one question per day about the History, Geography, Famous People, and other fun facts showing the relationship between the U.S and Liberia (and West Africa). Whoever answered the most questions right, would be featured in our blog. So this post will conclude with some background of our winner--Joyce Mallery--and her thoughts about some questions we asked her.  

MSLA Leadership Team. Joyce is the third from the left with Branko third from the right.

First here is a quick highlight of the March 7 event at the DCTC. Heather had the honor of co-presenting with Branko Saah Tambah, a Liberian student and current MSLA President. Branko and Heather shared their knowledge, experience, research and photos of the "Complex Historical Relationship: Liberia and the United States" (click here to view their presentation). Throughout their presentation they interwove "Test Your Knowledge" questions to see what their audience knew about what links these two nations together. The presentation opened their eyes to a part of U.S. history that is often not taught within schools.  The students afterwards shared their feedback on the information they gained from this intriguing presentation about the historical ties between Liberia and the U.S.

Pictured are MSLA members along with Heather and Branko who are holding Certificates of Appreciation.

Now to our Uniting Distant Stars Jeopardy winner Joyce Mallery, who is another a DCTC student and MSLA member. Joyce has also known Heather from when they worked together for many years at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. When Joyce learned that Heather had returned from her second year living in Liberia in 2010, she invited her to present at their Multicultural event that spring. Joyce was first in the line-up of presenters where she shared her discovery of her Native American heritage and her quest to find her tribal roots. 

Joyce was the one that connected Branko with Heather, who met for the first time last year. She again played an active role in this year's MSLA event with the planning some of the logistics and designing Branko and Heather's certificates. It was through her discussions with Branko that she became more interested in the Liberian culture and wanted to learn more. This why she was very eager to play our Jeopardy game and answered 8 out of the 9 questions right.

In getting to know Joyce better we asked her to share something about her educational background along with her MSLA involvement. 

Over the past five years, I have been a full-time college student at DCTC working on several degrees and certificates, and participating in several clubs on campus while working full-time at Mystic Lake. In May 2012, I graduated with honors and earned three AAS Degrees in Graphic Design Technology, Multimedia/Web Design, and Electronic Publishing. After graduating I made the decision to start my own business, but still had a hunger to learn. So, I chose to remain a student at DCTC and for the second and final time time, I will be graduating this May with honors and earning a AAS in Social Media Marketing Specialist along with certificates in Entrepreneurship, Small Business Management, Digital Imaging and Social Media Marketing Specialist. 

While at DCTC, I have been involved in several student clubs. One of my favorite ones has been the MSLA. I was initially drawn to this club, because of my curiosity and the desire to learn more about other cultures. As a seasoned employee at Mystic Lake Casino, I had the opportunity to work with a very culturally diverse population and found that my MSLA membership helped me to better communicate with my fellow team members. This is why I have been actively involved with this diverse student group for over four years along with serving as the President, Vice President and Secretary. I have also played a strategic role in planning our annual celebrations as well as as many different events throughout the school year including the recent Liberian/American Connection event. 

Very impressive Joyce! From reading her background, she has clearly demonstrated the importance of education both in her academia and everyday life. She also represents someone who discovered her Star potential and what it takes to meet and exceed her own goals. Through Joyce's example, it is reminder to everyone that it is never too late to realize one's dream. We would like to extend our Congratulations to Joyce for all her outstanding accomplishments at DCTC!

Next, we wanted to gain some insight from Joyce by asking her seven questions as follows:

1) What does it mean to be a global citizen; how do you see yourself in this role and why?

To me, being a global citizen means identifying with being a part of an emerging world community. I see myself as wanting to learn and being involved in helping to build a "beloved global community." By sharing my culture while learning about others, we can open our minds on what we have discovered about each person we interact with. This knowledge can then be passed on to the people in our own networks.

2) What is your cultural background and how does this help you relate with your MSLA team and our global community?

My cultural background began with my earliest memories of being taken to the reservation to visit with the elders. Although I do not know of my tribal origin, I do know I have Native American decent in my family heritage. I have always wanted to know more and have sought out learning about the Native American ways. For example, the ceramics that I have created and painted have been of eagles, bears and wolves that came to me from my heart and dreams instead of pictures. My knowledge of Native American beliefs and crafts have helped me relate with others in my MSLA team; as our current Vice President is also Native American. By being a member of this group, we are equally curious of each others backgrounds and quite comfortable with asking questions to gain more knowledge of each one's culture. It has also allowed me to feel that I am part of the global community and want to seek more and more information as I expand my network.

3) As a MSLA member, how does one's leadership skills improve by learning about other cultures and how has it enhanced yours? 

My leadership skills have improved greatly by being immersed with other cultures, because I'm stronger and more confident. Before I was shy and afraid to ask other people about their cultures. By taking the time to learn and understand another person's background, I have found that there are similarities within my culture and theirs. This has helped me better connect with my fellow members and also earn their respect as a leader, because I acknowledge their unique experience and how it better enhances our community.

4) In playing the jeopardy game about the historical connections between Liberia and the U.S., what was the most profound thing you learned and why? 

I would have to say it was the question from day 6: "What wealthy mariner from Massachusetts, who was half Wampanoag Native American and half African American (decedent from the Ashanti tribe in Ghana), was the first to transport freed and free-born African Americans to West Africa (landed at Sierra Leone)?" Although the search was difficult, I finally did find the answer which was Paul Cuffee (or Cuffe). This question made me discover several things that I had no idea from our history. During this research, I found myself reading various articles that increased my knowledge of what happened and a bit of history about the experiences of free-born African Americans.

5) As a student who is realizing your Star potential and pursuing your dreams, what advice would you give young people who are facing various obstacles and adversaries in continuing their education or obtaining a job? 

My advice would be to never be afraid to learn and keep doing it! If you face an obstacle, never give up! With a lot of thought, hard work, and help from others, these challenges can be overcome and you will be able to advance forward with much more knowledge and confidence than you when you were first confronted with them. Never be afraid to ask for help, because it will always be there! Sometimes it is not there right away, but help will be eventually come to you. This holds true with your education and job search. Also what you learn along the way can be applied in discovering a solution to your problem. Remember to hold your head high and walk with confidence always! Again have faith and never give up!

6) In following and advocating for Uniting Distant Stars, what do you think is its greatest strength and why? 

The greatest strength I have seen so far has been the leadership and the willingness of the people involved to push forward the various programs. They do everything possible to ensure the young students at Russ Wood will have the best chance of getting an education and strengthen their knowledge.  This will allow these students someday to go forward with their own dreams and share what they have learned with others.

7) As you look to the future, what would you like to do to make a difference in the lives of others? 

As I look towards my future, I would like to help others by passing on my knowledge, sharing my skills, volunteering my time and talent, and giving financial support when I can. I am who I am today, because of what others have done for me by supporting, encouraging and guiding me throughout my life. So, that is why I can't think of a better thing to do than to pay it forward. 

Thank you Joyce for your sharing your thoughts with us today! We are grateful for your support and increasing involvement with Uniting Distant Stars!  

Liberian Youth Virtually Connect With Peers in Minnesota

March 7 was a very exciting day for our small and humble organization. We had been invited by youthrive, a Minnesota-based organization, on January 17, to have Liberian students participate in the Nobel Peace Prize Forum Youth Festival (NPPF) at Augsburg College via Google+ Hangout Connected Classrooms. We extended this opportunity to iLab Liberia since they had high-speed internet and the ideal space to hold this event. The featured speaker for the NPPF's morning session was Liberia's 2011 Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee, who has presented several times to Minnesotan youth.

Liberian youth at iLab in Sinkor, Liberia, watching Nobel Laureate share her story at Augsburg College in Minnesota via Google Hangout. (Photo by Rodney Johnson)

Uniting Distant Stars (UDS) and iLab Liberia co-hosted this event, and each organization invited youth to participate. We had nearly 50 students from various elementary and high schools, and University of Liberia. The program lasted about two hours and started at 9:30AM (CST) in Minnesota; 3:30PM (GMT) in Liberia.

Luther Jeke of iLab Liberia talking with the youth. (Photo by Rodney Johnson)

This was NPPF's first year of using Google+ Hangout, so two tests were conducted earlier in the week that was coordinated by Edwin Irwin from youthrive and Mark Holterhaus from the NPPF team. The first test was on Tuesday and it took a few minutes before we could connect Liberia on hangout. From this test, Teemu Ropponen, iLab's Executive Director, assessed what was needed to ensure the best connection. He and his team hooked up one computer to a projector for the students to view the activities in Minnesota and connected a video camera so the Liberian youth could be seen on the screen at Augsburg. Their efforts showed perfect results during the second test on Wednesday.

Liberia's students waving to the camera. Youthrive's Ed Irwin orchestrated the activities from Minnesota and cued Liberia when they would up on the screen at Augsburg. (Screen shot by Heather)

UDS Executive Director, Kelvin Fomba, quickly prepared our youth on what this event was about, because this was new territory for them. He explained that they would be participating live at this event through the internet. Most did not comprehend what he was saying, because they thought they would be just watching a video. Well once they were sitting in iLab's conference room, they soon discovered that their presence was being acknowledged by the MCs at the forum in Minnesota. So, this was a very exciting and life changing experience for all youth.

Students watching Leymah present at Augsburg College in Minnesota. Left photo has Teemu Ropponen, iLab's Executive Director, in the background by the wall. (Photos by Rodney Johnson)

Left shows some students taken photos with their cell phones (Photo by Rodney Johnson). Right photo shows students on the live Google feed (Screen shot by Heather).

Heather Cannon-Winkelman, UDS Executive Director, was connected privately via Hangout at Dakota County Technical College. She was co-presenting at this college later that morning for the Multicultural Student Leadership Association (MSLA) with a Liberian Student and MSLA President, Branko Saah Tambah, on Liberia and U.S. relations. She was able to see and hear the activities from both the Minnesota and Liberia sides. She took some the screen shots from her computer that are shared in this post. Interestingly, when the Russ Wood students saw her image appear on the screen, they started saying "there's Heather." So this made it more real for them.

Left of student watching Leymah (Photo by Rodney Johnson) and right photo of group from Heather's perspective from her screen shot.

One of the highlights of Friday's forum was when Leymah asked to have the lights turned off at Augsburg's Kennedy Center. She then requested that the youth use their cell phones to light up the room. Liberia followed Leymah's lead by turning off the lights and displaying their cell phones. Next Leymah proceeded to explain that though this room was dark, it was the young people like them that were the light. This definitely was an inspiring moment for the youth on both sides of the Atlantic.

Left are students in Liberia seeing the Kennedy Center illuminated by Minnesota peers' cell phones (photo by Rodney Johnson). Right shows the Liberian students holding their cell phones (screen shot by Heather).

Once Leymah was done with her talk, the floor was opened to questions and answers. About three to four students in Minnesota were able to ask her a question. Then Liberia was given their chance to ask the last one. It was one of our scholarship students from Russ Wood, Ishmael, that represented his peers by asking her a question. His asked Leymah how could Liberian youth become peace builders. This was a great opportunity for this rising star. Ishmael, who is about 12 years old, is a creative talent who writes his own parables and songs, MC'd last month's second annual student celebration, and recited one of his parables to the participants--ranging from 16 to early 30's--at our September 2013 workshop on creative and innovative workshop.

Left photo is Ishmael in front of the camera waiting for his cue (photo by Rodney Johnson). Photo is Ismael asking his question to Leymah (screen shot by Heather).

After Leymah answered Ishmael's question, she mentioned that she knows the name of his school and would visit them when she was in Liberia next. Both Uniting Distant Stars and Russ Wood Students will gladly welcome her visit.

Leymah Gbowee addressing the Minnesotan students at Augsburg's Kennedy Center and Liberian students via Google Connected Classrooms. (Screen shot by Heather).

Since iLab provided the space, UDS brought the refreshments. Some of our youth prepared the sandwiches and ensured everyone was served. This team of youth was led by another of our scholarship students, Princess, who will be graduating this year. Her team made enough sandwiches that allowed the youth to have seconds. When the program ended, our youth helped clean-up before they left iLab's facilities. We encourage our youth to volunteer their time and talent for such events.

Left photo is the food table. Center photo is Princess enjoying what she helped prepare. Right photo shows youth in line to get a bottle of ice cold soft drink. (Photos by Rodney Johnson).

The virtual event was a great success. Kelvin was overwhelmed by number of students who expressed their gratitude for being able to participate in such a program. If you think about, these Liberian boys, girls, young men and women were able to connect to the greater world for about two hours. This experience is something they will not forget and hopefully they can do more of in the future.

Kelvin in the background with some of our youth. (Photo by Rodney Johnson)

UDS is equally grateful for this opportunity that connected Minnesota based and Liberia based organizations together. We have many Thanks for Maddy Wegner and Edwin Irwin at youthrive for inviting us to be part of it, and also for Teemu Ropponen and Luther Jeke at iLab Liberia along with rest of their team for proving their space and expertise. This amazing accomplishment can be summed up by a quote from Mattie Stepanek... "Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.

Liberia: Celebrating the Student

Our most anticipated event--2nd Annual Student Celebration--was finally held on February 7, 2014, at Russ Wood School in Congo Town, Liberia. This fun-filled event was originally planned for December on the last day of school before their holiday break. However, we had to deal with a late shipment of supplies that were on a transatlantic cargo container that left in September 2013.

Though this was an initial disappointment for the Russ Wood students and staff along with UDS donors and volunteers, the wait was well worth it! This post features the stories and pictures of the day-long celebration where the students played football (i.e. soccer) and kickball, sang and danced, enjoyed good food and treats, and received their long awaited gifts.

Future players of the Lonestar Football Team. This year we sent six footballs and six kick balls along with two air pumps. The students were divided into various teams and started their day playing these two favorite games. The students expressed their gratitude for the footballs and kick balls, but stressed their wish for jerseys. We will have to figure out how to fulfill their wish.

Students who participated in the games.

Liberia's Got Talent. When the students have an opportunity to show off their talents, they go all out on being shining stars. Some of this year's talent was young as four years old, who were able to get up on stage to perform in front of their fellow students, teachers and visiting guests. Each soloist and group were honored by their audience with praise and applause. Their joyful noise resonated outside the walls and attracted some of the neighboring children who were not attending school that day. This is just one example of how the power of music can bring people together.

Here are some of the young performers.

On the left if the young performer (see video below) and on the right is the school's drummer.

Here are some of the older students performing.

Video of a four-year-old girl name Josephine singing the national anthem "All Hail Liberia"

Liberia's Rising Leaders. The MC of the day was Ishmael, who is in the sixth grade. This young man enjoys getting up in front of an audience and usually entertains them with his own parables and songs. Today, he was able to share the spotlight with many of his fellow students who got up to perform. Ishmael is very creative person along with being an active leader in his school. Based on his high performance level, he was added to our scholarship program starting this school.

Ishmael making acting as the event's MC.

During this year's program, one 5th grade student surprised her entire school. Young Rita took her own initiative to write a Thank You letter to Kelvin Fomba, Uniting Distant Stars Co-Founder and Country Director. She amazed the audience as she got up and read the letter out loud. Rita's effort showed her determination and leadership abilities, which is why she was awarded a scholarship starting next school year.

Parents Involvement Increased. It was nice to see more parents attending this year's program. Most of the presentations were focused on the importance of education and how it can shape the future of young Liberians. The parents present were in agreement and offered their support in pray to ensure that the students can continue with their education through college. Somehow this theme echoed outside the school, because it brought in a parent to register their child after the program ended.

Photos: left is some of the parents in attendance, center is Kelvin Fomba making is address on the importance of education, right is a parent joining in on the singing and dancing with the children.

The Educators. This community school is blessed with many dedicated teachers and staff. Their job is not easy since they are dealing with over 250 students in multiple grades and teaching in one room. However, they do their best to manage these constraints and find creative ways to provide a conducive learning environment.

Photos: Left is one of Russ Wood's dedicated, caring teachers, center are the teachers seated on the stage, and right is Principal Kangar addressing to the audience.

Good eats! A big part of the celebration is providing students with a hot meal along with some Kool-aid and popcorn. We are very grateful to Russ Wood and Uniting Distant Stars volunteers who helped prepare a meal that served over 300 people without the convenience of a modern kitchen. Though we had some extra guests such as the neighborhood children who joined in the activities, there was enough food for all in attendance.

Volunteers toiled over a hot coal pot to make the delicious meal enjoyed by ll.

Volunteers individually package the popcorn and add a few pieces of candy.

Students patiently waiting in line for the Kool-aid and food.

The gifts have arrived! This is the third year that the students have receive a gift packet from Uniting Distant Stars. However, this was the first year that they had to wait longer than expected. When Kelvin visited the school in January in preparation of this program, he was overwhelmed by the students greetings as they said, "My Christmas and News Years is on you!" So it was with great joy that we could give each student a gift pack filled with school supplies, crayons and activity coloring book, comb, toothbrush, etc.

Photos: Left is gift packets being unloaded from the vehicle, and right are the packets being stored in the office until distribution.

Students in line to receive their gifts.

Photos: Left is students showing off their gifts, and right is students as they started to sing with joy for what they had received.

This special day was made possible by the many sponsors from Maryland, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. We need to give a special Thanks to the amazing Distant Stars in Oklahoma who provided majority of the support for this year's school drive campaign! We are so grateful that this day could be shared with all our supporters.

Russ Wood Students give a heartfelt Thanks for their day of celebration!

Reflection

January has been busy preparing for yet another exciting year. As we look ahead to our plans for 2014, we also reflect back on what we accomplished since our beginnings in 2012. It was reassuring to see that our humble organization is making progress that is small-small (an expression used in Liberia).

This post highlights some project milestones and features photographs taken by Heather during her first year of residency in Liberia, a beautiful tropical nation along the coast of West Africa. 

This image was created in 2007, filling the map outline of Liberia with photos of Coconut trees in Bong County
 and the pre-sunset ocean view along beach in Congo Town.

What compelled us to start Uniting Distant Stars? The co-founders Heather Cannon-Winkelman and Kelvin Fomba had an idea to start a vocational training center that balanced the job skills with the job-keeping skills. The latter component is often lacking in training programs to where many of the graduates emerged ill-prepared for such workplace expectations as punctuality and appropriate behavior. In our attempt to make this dream a reality we applied for a fellowship in 2010 and 2011 for start-up funding.

June 2007 - Kpatawee ("K" is silent) Waterfall in Bong County.

Both attempts failed to move us to the next level. As we reassessed the application process and the finalists, we noticed a pattern. Those making through each "gate' had projects or programs that were producing results. This is when we realized that we needed to start a program that showed we were walking our talk. 

November 2007 - Heading east through Grand Bassa County.

By July 2012, we transformed the essence of Uniting Distant Stars. Besides being a blog it was a bona fide organization serving disadvantaged youth through education. We provided primary and secondary school scholarships, vocational training tuition assistance, and a school supply drive for Russ Wood Christian Academy.

November 2007 - Nature's funny way to ask "Why" - Grand Bassa County

It was the school supply drive that attracted the most interest and we  slowly increased our circle of supporters. This momentum got us thinking about what we should do next and we started off 2013 with many ambitious goals. We met most, including:

• Published our first annual report, listing 2012activities and 2013 goals.
• Formed our U.S. based board of directors.
• Registered Uniting Distant Stars, Inc as a Minnesota Non-Profit Corporation.
• Secured our fiscal sponsor, Ebenezer Community Church in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
• Organized three successful fundraisers focused on programs in Liberia. 
• Shipped four 14-cubic-foot boxes for Russ Wood Christian Academy.
• Developed working partnerships with organizations in both Minnesota and Liberia.
• Held first annual youth leadership workshop in Liberia on "creative and innovative thinking"

2007 - Sunset along Golden Beach in Monrovia

In summary, 2013 was an amazing year. It opened new pathways for us to expand our network of donors, followers and partners. That success is the driving force to continue developing and growing our programs in the coming year. Learn more about what we achieved in 2013 and what is in store for 2014 in our next annual report, to be published in April. Uniting Distant Stars exists because of the passion and dedication of all who have generously supported us. Thank you!