From the President: WINTER 2007 |
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Pausing briefly, he replied, “Yes, maybe one day there will be fireworks in Southern Sudan instead of gunfire.” This is the hope and prayer of many people around the world. Lost Boy Atem Ajok and I recently traveled to Los Angeles where we were the featured speakers at Cal. State Northridge’s “AfricaWeek.” We addressed approximately 900 students over a two-day period. February 8 -11, Lost Boy, Kuek Biar and I traveled to Chappaqua, New York, where we spoke to approximately 2000 people at Horace Greeley high school, Temple Beth-El, and Temple Bet Torah. We now have a PowerPoint slide presentation, allowing members of the audience to experience the journey of the Lost Boys through photos. Our presentations have been extremely well received. (See reviews). If you’d like to book us for your upcoming event, you can do so by contacting us at info@allianceforthelostboys.com. (An honorarium and expenses are required.) Some of the boys and I were recently interviewed on CSPAN BOOK TV and hope that the exposure will bring even greater recognition for my book and the foundation.
Kevin Kindle, a graduate of Elon University in North Carolina, featured several Jacksonville Lost Boys in his new documentary film "The Weight of a Nation," which was featured at the Door County Student Film Festival and is pending acceptance by several other film festivals across the country. "Working with this extraordinary group of guys has certainly been a rewarding experience,” says Kevin. “They welcomed me into their lives and shared their stories with me. Through my experience with them I have gained a greater appreciation for life and freedom and I hope that this film will both directly and indirectly help those affected by the war in Southern Sudan ." For anyone interested in purchasing the film, you may do so by contacting Kevin at kkindle@gmail.com. Proceeds from the sale of the documentary will benefit Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan. We are also proud to announce that Alliance volunteers Maryellen and Ray Storms have been selected for this year’s “Twelve who Care” Exceptional Volunteers Awards, sponsored by WTLV-12 TV in Jacksonville, FL. Judges selected the couple after reading submission letters from local Lost Boy Abraham Kuany and Alliance President Joan Hecht. The Storms will be featured in an upcoming “12 Who Care” segment, followed by a special awards ceremony to be held in the fall. 12 WHO CARE Maryellen and Ray are truly amazing and inspirational people. Without them, we would not be the success that we are today. Congratulations Maryellen and Ray! To our many sponsors, volunteers and friends, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the generous donations of your money and time. (A special thanks to Mike Hinin, Joel Hegeman and Brad Wilson for providing technical assistance on our website/newsletter). Please read below to see how each of you are helping to change the lives of local Lost Boys/Girls and those they left behind. EDUCATIONWe are proud to announce that the following local Lost Boys have graduated from Florida Community College at Jacksonville. Your contributions have helped these young men to achieve what they once thought impossible, an education. Their grades and special honors give testament to the fact that they have used your money wisely and with great appreciation. We are so proud of their accomplishments and thankful for everyone who has given so generously to the Alliance Scholarship Fund. John Kuai* Through monies earned thus far, we have been able to provide college textbooks/tuition scholarships for up to 21 Lost Boys. In addition to the scholarships they have received from our foundation, we have also helped to procure grants for 5 Lost Boys totaling $6000 each, to be paid over a two-year period. Special thanks to Alliance Board Member John Trifiletti and Gloria Graham of FCCJ for their assistance in this program. We expect at least five local Lost Boys to receive four-year degrees by the summer of 2007. Fourteen year-old Ajok Ajok, the brother of local Lost Boy, Atem Ajok, made the National Dean’s Lists in his first year in America . He was also one of the winners selected in an essay contest sponsored by the City of Jacksonville and Barnabas International titled “Why I’d Like to Spend the Day With a Senior Citizen.” He and a senior citizen of his choice (Alliance volunteer Ray Storms) received an all-expense paid day trip to beautiful Silver Springs FL.
We believe that these young men and women are the future of their country and that with an education they can help to change the face of their nation and their people. Would you please consider making a tax-free donation to this worthy cause? We greatly appreciate your support.
MEDICAL
We provided medicine ($200 per month) to one local Lost Boy who suffers from severe Hepatitis. With no job and no insurance, he was unable to pay for the expensive prescription. He is now employed and we are working with his doctor to find an affordable prescription plan for him. We have also taken the initial steps to provide treatment to local Lost Boys and their families for a potentially fatal parasite, which they were at risk of contracting while living in Africa. We treated them last year for a similar parasite and hope that this round of treatment will bring renewed health to many of them, who continue to suffer from unexplained abdominal distress. The Alliance will cover the cost of this treatment. MENTORINGIn the first years following their arrivals to the US, mentoring was a vital tool in helping these young men acclimate to their new lives in America. However, they are now making friends and meeting new people on their own and are quickly becoming the productive and successful young men we hoped they would be. Occasionally, they still require tutors, mentors, and sponsor homes. We try to assist them whenever possible. One local Lost Boy expressed a desire to live with a sponsor family so that he could save money and return to Sudan to search for his family. A local couple generously opened their home and hearts to this young man and they have the following to say about their experience:
AFRICAEducation
In addition to our previous work with African schools, we recently donated $1000 to The Southern Sudan Education Project to be used in building a school in the Bor Region of Southern Sudan. Medical
ALLIANCE WISH LIST
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While welcoming the New Year beneath a spectacular array of fireworks in St. Augustine, FL, I turned to the Lost Boy standing beside me and said, “I wish the people of Southern Sudan could see this. They would truly be amazed at such a sight.”
In March, Lost Boy John Kuai and I, along with Kristy Swapp from the Sudanese Education Fund (Utah), traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, for a three-day leadership conference sponsored by Austin Peay State University and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Chapter of Tennessee. While in Nashville, we addressed members of the Sudanese community during church services at a local church. Kristy and I also had the rare privilege of meeting one on one with Cdr. Nhial Deng Nhial (former Minister for Regional Corporation in Southern Sudan), Mr. Akot Lual Arec (Private Secretary to Sudan’s Vice-President and President of Southern Sudan, Salva Mayardit Kiir), and Cdr. Yasir Said Arman (Chairman Of Information Committee SPLM Block, SPLM Politburo). We discussed issues such as the re-development of Southern Sudan and possible funding by the new government for college tuition of Lost Boys planning to become doctors and return to Southern Sudan to help their people. We also discussed the school that Kristy and her foundation are building in the Bor region of Southern Sudan, to which we have contributed financially. We later met NBA Star and former resident of Southern Sudan, Manute Bol. On November 19th, 2006, we held our first fundraising walk and raised approximately $15,000.
With the help of a generous scholarship provided by Sessions Modeling School in Jacksonville and a subsequent scholarship from the Alliance, Atem’s 15-year-old sister, Abuk, attended modeling school. The management at Sessions believes that she has great potential and we agree. Abuk’s success would be a great example for other young girls who strive to succeed against all odds. However she is in desperate need of orthodontic braces. If you, or someone you know can assist with this need, please contact the 
While living in Africa, Lost Boy Kuek Biar, like most children in Southern Sudan , had no shoes to protect his feet. While walking hundreds of miles across the wilds of Africa , a stick became lodged in Kuek’s foot. “There were no doctors or medicine at that time,” says Kuek. “So I pulled the stick out by myself. But some of the stick remained. The bleeding would not stop, so I filled the wound with pebbles and dirt.” The stick remained in Kuek’s foot for over ten years, a painful reminder of the constant suffering he endured following separation from his family during the Civil War. On December 20th, 2006 Dr. Barry Efron, a local Podiatry surgeon, generously agreed to remove the stick from Kuek’s foot, at no charge to Kuek. Private sponsors paid his expensive deductible for the hospital and anesthesiologist. For the first time in many years, Kuek is hopeful that he can leave behind the many painful memories of his past and build new memories for the future. Dr. Vic Micolucci also provided minor surgery for another local Lost Boy at no charge. Thank you both for your generous hearts and compassionate spirits. 
We recently partnered with the international organization, CSI, donating survival kits capable of supporting 38 displaced families in the Bahr-El-Ghazel region of Southern Sudan. The kits included blankets, tarpaulins for cover, sickles for cultivating, fishing lures, mosquito netting, pots for cooking and expandable water jugs.